Serving Up Summer Beverage Ideas

Hump Day is a great day to share some summer beverage ideas - especially cocktail recipes and even kid friendly lemonades - it gives you something to look forward to in just a few days for the weekend. Today you're invited to join me over at Hadley Court where I'm sharing some of my favorite pitchers, dispensers - even a little history on my guest post. You'll also find links to summertime drink recipes such as Lemonades, Mojitos, Sangrias and also the latest summer beverage trend: Infused Water. Enjoy the read at: Summertime Entertaining - Pretty as a Pitcher!  Here's a peek at some summer ideas  you'll find to quench your thirst to serve up summer...

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Time to entertain - or just kick back and relax with a refreshing fruity beverage...

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Dispensers and Recipes...

 

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Beverage Chiller Ideas...

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 Pretty pitchers, filled with sweet and tangy beverages like this Vodka Mint Limeade...

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Fruit Infused Waters - Great way to stay hydrated with flavor!

Cheers!

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the post at Hadley Court!

Summer Entertaining Ideas

This week, the long Memorial Weekend kicked off the start of Summer Entertaining outdoors! And with so many opportunities to choose from, it can get a little tricky planning those outdoor gatherings – from pool parties to a backyard birthday bash – movie nights to the family barbecue - daytime bridal or baby showers – to even relaxed sunset engagement parties to an intimate outdoor wedding. One commonality between all of these outdoor summer soirees will be the need for recipes, trays and barcarts. Visit Hadley Court today, where I am sharing with you some of my favorite Summer Entertaining Tips in my guest post: Summer Entertaining - Recipes, Tablescapes, Trays + Barcarts. Here is a peek at some ideas & tips you will find...

Tips for Summer tablescape ideas, including setting up buffets...

Tips for stocking up the barcart - and it's many other uses...

Tips to keep cool & fresh...

Grilling tips...

Tips for using trays...

Even a tip on how using trays can create a teachable moment...

For much more tips & recipes on Summer Entertaining, please visit Hadley Court blog today.

Thank you for stopping by and happy Summer Entertaining!

SPRING - OUTDOOR LIVING IDEAS & INSPIRATION

Now that the frost has passed you by, are you ready to get outdoors and give Spring a try? Are you looking forward to hosting a little outdoor entertaining? or even getting your hands dirty doing some container gardening? When you open  up your back door, don't get discouraged: be inspired! Yes - winter may have weathered your wicker, but Spring time is all about renewal and a time to refresh. Whether your space is small or vast, covered or open, check out my guest post I wrote today for Leslie at Hadley Court, where I'm sharing design ideas, inspirations and tips to create a beautiful outdoor living space just for you. See >> "It's Spring! Design Ideas For Outdoor Living Spaces" Here's a peek at what you'll find...

 Slatted overhead coverings can help create shade...

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Line up a lounge area poolside in the tropics... 

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Add an amazing retractable roof pergola - A great way to layer in pattern and textiles into your outdoor space...

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Include a well stocked bar-cart for your outdoor entertaining this Spring and Summer...

A recipe for a crisp & refreshing Mojito cocktail from Pineapple & Coconut

Love the Look: Painted ceiling + basket containers + pattern panels 

designed by Amanda Nisbet.

Ideas to help diffuse the suns light + give privacy to your outdoor space with outdoor fabrics for drapery...

Most importantly, include durable outdoor fabrics, such as Sunbrella, to hold up in your areas weather elements - be it the brutal southwest sun, the salty sea air, or the humidity and rains of the tropics... More details about picking the perfect outdoor fabrics will be coming up next Tuesday, April 29, from Hadley Court guest contributor, Leslie Carothers.

 And see more outdoor living ideas today at:  

"It's Spring! Design Ideas For Outdoor Living Spaces"

Thanks for stopping by!

EASTER IDEAS FOR ENTERTAINING & EGG DECORATING

As Easter approaches this weekend, which color palette do you prefer for your Easter table? Will you do pinks and yellows? Will you go for Robins egg or China blues? Will you go with a hue variation from Pantone's color of the year - Radiant Orchid? Or will you keep it simple, pure, white and natural? From inspirational pictures, tips, details, menu ideas and even Easter Egg Decorating ideas to inspire and help you celebrate Easter, visit the blog Hadley Court today to read my guest blog post:  - Easter Entertaining + Easter Egg Decorating: Preparing for A Gracious Holiday. Here's a peek at what you'll find...

 

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Lovely Lavender table ideas...

 

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Relaxed outdoor Easter Brunch ideas...

 

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Ideas to welcome guests at your door...

 

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Using your favorite collection for a Formal Easter table...

 

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Beautiful blue table ideas...

 

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Easter Egg Decorating ideas... and more.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you 

enjoy my guest post at Hadley Court.

DWELL WITH DIGNITY & THE DESIGN BLOGGERS CONFERENCE

I'm so happy and excited for Dwell with Dignity! Dwell with Dignity is a Dallas-based non-profit organization driven by one amazing mission: to use interior design (and even now art!) to bring hope and happiness to families struggling with poverty and homelessness. I’m a believer in Dwell with Dignity’s cause. Since first learning about Dwell with Dignity on the Nate Berkus show almost 3 years ago, I’ve been watching them grow, helping to spread their word through sharing on social media, and hoping for other chapters to open outside the Dallas area so I can volunteer. And it looks like that may be coming true, now that Dwell with Dignity has branched out to the Atlanta area with their first home project – All the more reason why I was honored to guest blog about Dwell with Dignity on the Hadley Court blog!

Visit the newly re-designed Hadley Court site to read my guest blog contribution - Meet Dallas' Dwell with Dignity - A Non-Profit Organization Inspiring Lives With Design, plus get info for their upcoming Spring Thrift Studio, whose Honorary Chair this year will be Ronda Rice Carman, Founder of the lifestyle blog, All The Best Blog | A Passport to Stylish Living. Dwell with Dignity's Founder & President Lisa Robison, along with Vice President & Director Kim Turner will both be guest speakers at this years Design Bloggers Conference, coming up this weekend in Atlanta.

One of the supporters for Dwell with Dignity – Peacock Alley – will be hosting a “Wrap Party” this Sunday from 2:30 – 5:30 pm in honor of Dwell with Dignity wrapping up their first ATLANTA home installation and first installation outside of the Dallas Market! What a wonderful way to kick off the Design Bloggers Conference this year, starting Sunday!

I so wish I could have attended, especially this year for this milestone maker for Dwell with Dignity. I am though grateful to have met both Lisa & Kim at last years Design Bloggers Conference, and I'm sure Leslie Wood will get to speak with them when she attends with Leslie Carothers this weekend. Definitely be sure to visit Hadley Court to read all about it - here.

Congratulations Dwell with Dignity and here's to much continued success, changing and inspiring lives with design, one household at a time.

Thanks for stopping by!

How To Set A Romantic Table - My Guest Post @ Hadley Court Interior Design

Is it any wonder, probably the most romantic month of the year is February? More than likely, this is due in large part to the celebrating of Valentine's Day. But why should Valentine's be the only day of the year for celebrating love or setting a romantic table for two? As I wrote and shared my tips on how to create a romantic table setting for the Hadley Court series Celebrating Gracious Living, I recalled some of my own personal experiences on setting romantic tables for two throughout the year. Going out to dinner can get expensive – not to mention crowded, lack of privacy, perhaps a limited menu, along with eating in a seated time session – and that’s just not romantic. Setting a romantic table for two at home for Valentine's or any memorable occasion can create a new memorable moment for the two of you. Be sure to visit the Hadley Court blog to see where I share my tips on incorporating the season and your location into your planning, selecting the menu, romantic recipe references, tips for shopping together, setting the mood - including a romantic music play-list and a classic romantic movie, dessert ideas, and how to incorporate those moments you and your partner have shared - all important factors in How To Set A Romantic Table...  especially for Valentines Day...

Although I shared at Hadley Court inspiration for romantic outdoor settings for Spring, Summer, and Fall -  For Winter (especially THIS Winter!), bring your romantic table setting inside & fireside similar to how this Valentines Love Letter Shoot was done at Ruffled…

 

Who else but Ralph Lauren can tell a romantic story on a table setting?

 You may not be able to fly to Venice for your romantic dinner, or even go on a gondola (or boat) ride, but you can take the “idea” of the memory to be the inspiration for your romantic table setting – and make it personal to you both...

 

 Be sure to join Hadley Court on the Celebrating Love ideas pinboard on I created on Pinterest for additional inspiration and ideas. In Midland Texas, where Hadley Court Founder Leslie Hendrix Wood is located, they do a lot of formal entertaining, which was the core inspiration for my other Hadley Court blog guest post contributions including:

Top Tips: How To Set A Formal Table

 The Gracious Dinner Party – Top Tips For Making Your Guests Feel Welcome

Top Tips: Table Manners For Gracious Living 

Etiquette Top Tips: Formal Dinners and Business Luncheons

Thanks for stopping by,

 

Dinner Party Hosting Tips To Help Guests Feel Welcome - My Guest Post @HadleyCourt

You’ve decided to host a dinner party, but you don’t know where to begin? You want to make guests feel welcome, but you’re not quite sure of the right way? For my guest post in the Hadley Court series, Celebrating Gracious Living, I put together & share my top tips for being a gracious host / hostess and making your guests feel welcome in your home for a dinner party - in Hadley Court style. The key to hosting a dinner party is planning – every last detail – and by doing so, plus being able to relax and enjoy your guest when they arrive, you will help put them at ease. Your guests will feel comfortable and welcome in your home. Since blog Editor Leslie Hendrix Wood lives in Midland Texas, and they do a lot of formal entertaining, Leslie wants to help her readers with these guidelines to reference - including even Organizing Your Kitchen Tips, which guest contributor Jessica Gordon Ryan wrote, and also goes hand in hand with my post today. You can read at The Gracious Dinner Party – Top Tips For Making Your Guests Feel Welcome at Hadley Court today. Here's a peek at what you'll find...

 

Being the gracious & elegant host / hostess...

 

Decide whether to cater or cook the dinner yourself...

 

Apply my previous guest post in the Celebrating Gracious Living series, 

Top Tips for Setting a Formal Table...

 

See how lighting creates ambiance...

Tips to host a relaxed Outdoor Dinner Party...

 

About Hostess Gifts and parting favors - these show gratitude...

Visit Hadley Court today...

 Thank you for stopping by...

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How to Set A Formal Table - My Guest Post @HadleyCourt Interior Design Blog -

Have you ever wondered how to set a formal table? Today, Leslie Hendrix Wood of Hadley Court asked me to pull together guidelines and inspiration on how to set a formal table for your next social gathering. From an Easter brunch, to hosting a dinner party to planning a wedding event, I shared  detailed information, inspirational images and informative charts on the the art of setting a formal table setting. In Midland Texas, which is where Leslie is located, they do a lot of formal entertaining. By sharing all of the details of setting a formal table, the post will help inform and inspired ~ I'm grateful to Leslie for hiring me to write this blog contribution for her blog ~ I learned a few tips too in pulling the post together and I know I will never look at a table setting quite the same again!

 (all above images from Eddie Ross.com)

Besides my Top Tips For Setting A Formal Table, I also included links to creative napkin folding and ideas for setting up dessert using a bar cart or buffet. Don't miss the wine chart showing which wine glass goes with which wine, what temperature to serve it at, and what foods to pair fine wines with - perfect for most any social gathering, whether formal or casual - and also helpful to choosing the stemware for your table setting.

How often do you set a formal table where you live? Do you have any other tips for formal table etiquette to share? After reading my guest post, please be sure to leave a note in the comments on Leslie’s blog, HADLEY COURT. 

"Thank you, Lynda, for the lovely words and images that follow and for helping Hadley Court’s readers understand more about the art of gracious living."

 You're very welcome Leslie - and I hope you, the readers, also enjoy the post plus take-away tips as you are organizing and planning for upcoming special occasions and family celebrations for the new year ahead.

Thanks for stopping by...