Posts filed under 'Decor Ideas'
Decor – dig out the hidden treasures
Hidden treasures that we come across daily but do not really pay much attention to like wine corks, dried beans, old Christmas ornaments can come very handy to create center pieces.
How to: The logic here is to figure out two elements: 1.center element 2. the surrounding element. Both these elements will go on top a plate.
Illustrations:
Use a dinner/desert plate and place a vase or candle in the center and surround it with Christmas ornaments that are not used any more. Crowd the plate with many ornaments so the plate is no more visible.
The same procedure could be used with a glass tumbler in the center and some flowers and/or fresh herbs like mint in the center and wine cork around it for an Italian or Mediterranean center piece.
Or try this trick with a glass tumbler in the center into which an Asian hand fan inserted and dry rice grains sprinkled around it. You could also place chopsticks (those that come free with Chinese take out) in the glass tumbler along with flowers in the center and sprinkle rice around it.
The trick involved in creating this kind of center piece is
1. To make sure you choose the the two elements (what goes into the center like the glass tumbler or the candle) aligns in theme with what goes around it (the ornaments or wine cork).
2. To make sure the stuff placed outside packs up real tight and is crowded in an attempt to hide the plate.
3. That the central element is not tool tall to obstruct a conversation across the table , nor is it too short to be hidden.
Make it Fast, Fun, and Facile! – Sri
Add comment January 12, 2009
Decorate with what you have – getting started
Center pieces and theme decors do not need to begin with a shopping trip. Whether it is planning a party or even attempting to make an evening at home special, it is easy to create a center piece with what is available at home . Here are pointers to get started. You are only limited by your imagination and with what you can dig out from the closet.
1. There are hidden treasures lying in the basement, closets, packed away stash and garage. When you clean or organize your home and come across these treasures put them away in place you can easily access.
2. Decide a theme you are more comfortable with, something you know about, or a place you have read about or visited.
3. Then recollect and archive all the souvenirs you have from that place or anything that reminds you of the place. Sometimes just colors can remind one of a place or a theme. For example, bright orange and magenta can look very Bollywood/Indian for an Indian dinner party. A bright orange or golden scarf can work as a runner. Red and black colors give a very Chinese/Asian ambiance. A black vase placed on a red bowl or vice verse will look very Asian.
4. Some decor items can do more than double duty for more than one culture/theme. Artificial grape clusters (made of plastic) available for 1$ at the dollar stores can work for: Italian dinners, cheese and wine pairing parties, Mediterranean theme party, wine and desert party or just an intimate dinner for the special some one. Place these grape clusters on a plate/bowl covered with wine corks or rose petals (fresh or silk). Or, if you have a silk creeper like an ivy or other silk creeper (whose leaves will appear like grape leaves) place the creeper on the table as a runner and then place the grape clusters on top. If you have access to live creepers and fresh grapes, then they work best for a very realistic appeal.
5. Hidden treasures that we come across daily but do really not pay much attention to like wine corks, dried beans, old Christmas ornaments can come very handy to create center pieces. Check our post on hidden treasures.
6. If the menu for an occasion encompasses various cuisines and cultures, then look through your cabinet and figure out which color serve ware, plates and glasses you have the most. You could also figure out which family of colors you have the most – light shades or bright colors. A mixture of two colors will work for an interesting mix too like black and white;red and white; red and black; brown and green; green and yellow; blue and green; silver and blue; gold and any color. For e.g. black plates with white bowls for soups/salads or vice verse. Remember coffee mugs can works as soup mugs too.
7. Some times, seasons can be the theme or a center piece. A bowl of lemons will very well symbolize spring. A basket of fresh vine tomatoes surrounded by fresh green peppers or radishes surrounded by fresh green beans will yell summer! These produce can be reused – think green.
8. Music sets the tone very much for a nice dinner or party. In the internet era we live in, every kind of music is available to play or download for free. Use those resources.
9. The attire of a host and guests can very well set the tone/theme to a party. Island theme is an easy attire to pull of. Sarongs, wraps , shirts with floral prints will all fit for an Island theme party. Make sure you put in your invite/evite the dress code with suggestions.
10. When on a beach most of us pick shells, pebbles and stuff. These can come very handy for party decor. Place clusters of shells and pebbles around candles or flower vases at various places through out the house (like in powder rooms, entry way, as weights on tops of napkins). Pebbles work fine for Asian themes too.
Make it Fast, Fun, and Facile! – Sri
Add comment January 7, 2009
Using peelers as graters
Vegetable peelers can do double duty as graters. This is a time saver as it reduces the messy clean up involved in graters. Peelers work best to grate a small batch of cheese, make chocolate shavings and julienne cut veggies very efficiently. So for a small batch like for garnishes, julienne cut ginger or when cooking for one or two people a peeler works better than a grater to grate or make thin strips.
Grating cheese:
Hard cheeses like Parmesan will work best for this method. Hold the peeler at a slanting angle like you would to peel a potato. Then peel/grate away from your body. To make this method more efficient insert a knife 1/2″ away from the edge of the cheese and almost all the way through the cheese without actually cutting it. Stop the knife when it is 1/2″ from the base of the cheese (as in picture). Then grate the cheese as mentioned above with a vegetable peeler. This helps in producing two streams of grated cheese.
Grating veggies:
Follow the same procedure as mentioned for cheese to grate or to get thin strips of veggies like carrot, ginger, potato, parsnips and other hard veggies. Do not try inserting the knife as it may break the veggie. To grate ginger, first peel the skin of the ginger and then keep peeling the flesh to get julienne cut strips of ginger. To make long curls of veggies like carrots, and parsnips, use the peeler from the head of the vegetable (the broader part) to the base (the narrower part. To make long curls of beets, apples or other round produce start at the top and peel in a circular path around the produce and work your way to the bottom. Do this slowly in one sweep. If you pause do not take the peeler away from the produce, but hold it right where you paused and pick back.
Grating Chocolate:
It is easy to create those beautiful locks of chocolate (chocolate shavings) that are placed as toppings on pies and cakes and other chocolate deserts. A bark/block of chocolate and a peeler are what you will need. Peel the chocolate from a corner like your are trying to remove the skin. If you get powder/dust as opposed, then the chocolates is dry and/or old (lacks moisture and breaks up easily). Microwave the chocolate for 10 secs and try again. If you are still having trouble microwave it for 5 more seconds. Do not let the chocolate melt.
Make it Fast, Fun, and Facile! – Sri
Add comment December 30, 2007
