Cooking with Anthropologie Inspiried Style for Thanksgiving!

You may be starting to think about your menu for Thanksgiving Dinner, I know I have been thumbing through my cookbooks and the most recent issue of Real Simple with great h'orderves ideas and a complete menu for Thanksgiving...my family tends to stick to the basic but have been allowed to throw a few wild cards in, since the younger generation is now allowed to do most of the cooking.

Cooking in style somehow makes things a little more fun and whimsical, I love to put on a cute apron and use my new set of mixing bowls even if my I am just making morning blueberry muffins.

Here are some of my Anthropologie Inspired Holiday kitchen fun, along with two DIY ideas for adding some whimisical fun!

Some Kitchen details to make it fun to cook:

Some lovely items from Anthro

Retro Bowls

A fun cutting board..

Link to purchase on Esty

wonderful platter...

What could be more fun than mother daughter aprons for the kitchen:

I found this wonderful link for DIY mother/daughter aprons that are sooo whimsical and sweet

It seems fairly simple, and if sewing is not your thing, thats ok, log onto to Anthro

and the two adorables above are available for purchase:

Very simple instructions from Jamie at Prudent Baby

http://www.prudentbaby.com/

For the 2nd DIY Project, I adore chalkboards for the kitchen the are great for grocery lists and for holiday menu's

There are endless possiblities of colors, shapes and sizes

here is a great simple link to show you the most simple way

which will only take a few hours on a sunday...

DIY framed chalkboard

Enjoy the Holidays!!!!

***Be sure to visit my favorite paper good crafter on Etsy who made the lovely

Thanksgiving Banner at the top of the blog

Little Pumkin Papers

Prepare your Anthro Inspired Guest Room for holiday travelers!

The new Anthro catalog inspired me to think about what it takes to create a Anthro Inspired guestroom, and with the holidays approaching quickly, chances some of your out-of-town guests may be staying over. Preparing your guestroom to reflect your "Anthro Lifestyle" can be easy. Extra touches can allow your guests to have a restful stay.

What you need:

• 2-4 Pillows
• 2 accent pillows
• duvet
• feather bed
• bed skirt
• linen sheet set (or other high quality)
• accent blanket/quilt

Steps:

Start with a completely striped bed...

(may be a great time to use a little lavender linen spray)

1) Bed skirt- Linen is a great choice

2) Place feather bed on top of mattress

3) Use crisp freshly laundered sheets (choose a high thread count)

4) Choose a duvet with guests in mind some may have allergies to Down

5) Make sure your pillow cases/shams properly fit snugly in the pillow

Stack two sets of pillows side by side, then slant decorative pillows:

Or some like all the pillows to slant...

6) There are several different ways to add extra warmth to your guests' bed....

Add a coverlet, a quilt, a throw blanket (either folded

neatly at the foot of the bed, or draped)

I spend a few days at a vacation home on the coast that had electric blanket on each bed which

was also amazing!!!! 

7) Add Decorative Pillows:

Lastly there are many details that can be added to make guests feel more welcome:

-Add a touch of holiday decor to put your guests in a festive mood

-An IPOD docking station, like this cute one from Urban Outfitters

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com

-Tray with essentials that may of been forgotten such as toothbrush, soap, lint roller,

 bottled water, power bar or some speciality holiday sweets

Now you are all ready for your visitors and you will rest assured they have the most comfortable and lovely stay ever!

do-It-yourself paper pom poms and bunting flags...Parties or simple home decor

Joyous bursts of color dance above a table, imparting a cheerful radiance to a rehearsal dinner, bridal shower, or just home decor. The dahlialike pom-poms appear to float in the air; in reality they are hung from the ceiling with monofilament. Covered in sunset-hued tissue (cut to size and secured with double-sided tape), they cast a soft glow.

How to Make the Pom-PomsYou'll need tissue paper and 24-gauge white cloth-covered floral wire.
Hanging Pom-Poms1. Stack eight 20-by-30-inch sheets of tissue. Make 1 1/2-inchwide accordion folds, creasing with each fold.
2. Fold an 18-inch piece of floral wire in half, and slip over center of folded tissue; twist. With scissors, trim ends of tissue into rounded or pointy shapes.
3. Separate layers, pulling away from center one at a time.
4. Tie a length of monofilament to floral wire for hanging.





And now for the bunting banner flags...you have seen them everywhere, and who knew they were super simple to make....

Another way to make your party/wedding very Anthro inspired... 

Here is a link for very simple instructions to make your very own bunting/banner flags! Think of how great it would be to make your own, and be able to pull it out for your parties! Or brighten up your home during the dull days of winter!

                       http://stitchriprepeat.blogspot.com/2007/06/festive-bunting-tutorial.html





....and for those of you not feeling so crafty, all of these items can be found on etsy.com for purchase