ic Kathe With an E: 2014

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Top 6 Tablescapes of 2014

As we barrel down to 2015 I thought I'd share with you the top 6 tablescapes I created in 2014. Not only were they the most popular with you, they were my favorites too. I started my blog as a way to share my love of setting tables, in hopes I would meet others that liked to do the same or, just liked seeing how to set a festive table.  The blog has morphed some, with me also taking on home improvement projects, gardening and cooking but, tablescaping is my first love! So, here we go, in no particular order, the top 6 tablescapes of 2014!

In case you missed any of the other tables I have set in 2014 or, since I started blogging, you can easily find them all here.

Remember, you are always welcome at my table!



Like what you see? 
Well then, follow me by email and never miss a new post
Click here to see where I may be partying this week. 
AND
Don't forget to come by on Tuesday's
for the link party.

Monday, December 29, 2014

The Last You're Gonna Love It Party~Of 2014

Yes, Christmas is over and, soon so will 2014! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas?  We did here at Casa De KWAE.  It was just the 3 of us and the day was spent opening presents, facetiming with family and in the kitchen.  All around the most perfect day of the year! As we are saying goodbye to another year, Kim and I invite you to not only link up your latest post but, also your most popular post of the year! So, put on your party hat, grab a glass of sparkling champagne and let's party!


It's Time For 
The Features of the Week
Gail from Purple Hues And Me showed us how to create the most beautiful cone tree using foam sheets
Aren't these the most gorgeous trees ever?? I fell in love and so did you!

My favorite of the week is Cathy's Cozy Christmas Kitchen
I could spend a wintery afternoon here just soaking in all of the holiday warmth! Of course, I'd bring my big purse so that I could sneak a couple of her cardinal dishes home...

If you have been featured here, or over at my freakin' fabulous 
co-hort Kim's blog, (she has a different Pick of the Week so go check it out...was it you?) make sure to grab an I've Been Featured button here.

Just a reminder: IF you follow me on Facebook you get first notice of this party going live each week.  Plus, I share some pretty funny and awesome stuff on my page too!

Now, are you ready to party??
Here are the rules:

Feel free to link up anything you have created.
Recipes, decor, crafts, written or photographed.
Anything you are so proud of you just gotta share it with others.
I will reserve the option of deleting any post that I do not feel fits the
theme of my blog.
You can follow Kim & me on social media, but it NOT required. (We want you to follow us because you want to, not because you have to.)
Kathe: Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram / Google+
Kim: Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram / Google+
We would love it if you would link back in some way so that others come and party with us.
Either grab the the party button or add my blog link to your blog party page. 
Again, it is not a requirement.
The Kim Six Fix
We do ask that you do not link up Giveaways, Etsy Shops or anything for sale. Save those posts for the first Tuesday of the month when, Anything Goes!
We will reserve the option of deleting any post the we do not feel fits the theme of our blogs.

*By linking up your post, you are giving Kathe With An E and/ or The Kim Six Fix permission to use your photos as a feature on their blogs and other social media outlets.


Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Christmas Tablescape

So here we are, the day before Christmas. Everything that can be done, is done. All that is left is church services later this afternoon then meeting Mr. B for our traditional dinner out for Chinese food (he has to work today). When we get home we will watch, repeatedly, A Christmas Story and then head to bed to await Santa's arrival. Christmas morning we will awaken and Linda will make some sticky buns while I pour our traditional mimosas.  We will eat, drink and open presents together.  I will hope to get to face time with Peanut & Sweetpea sometime during the day. Then, the final hurrah of the holiday, dinner.  Prime rib, roasted red potatoes, roasted asparagus and homemade rolls. We will sit at the formal table that I have set for our Christmas feast.
Christmas Tablescape
A bright red holiday table cloth is set using the same gold chargers I used for the Cookies With Santa Table earlier. 
Christmas Tablescape
I then layered my great-grandmother's Epiag china dinner plate and topped the plate stack off with a holly green salad plate from Hobby Lobby.
Christmas Tablescape
In keeping with the red & gold theme that started with the mantel and continued to the china cabinet I also used my vintage, hope chest gold plated flatware.
Christmas Tablescape
Estate sale white and gold trimmed napkins are finished off with red berry napkin rings.
Christmas Tablescape
Green wine goblets from the Dollar Tree are at each place setting. 
Christmas Tablescape
The pallet wood centerpiece that Mr. B made for me is filled with greens, ornaments and candles.
Christmas Tablescape
Gold and while candles are strategically placed around the table.
Christmas Tablescape


Christmas Tablescape


Christmas Tablescape


Christmas Tablescape

Christmas Tablescape

From our table to yours, we wish you the Merriest of Christmas!
Like what you see? 
Well then, follow me by email and never miss a new post
Click here to see where I may be partying this week. 
AND
Don't forget to come by on Tuesday's
for the link party.

Monday, December 22, 2014

You're Gonna Love It Christmas 2014 Edition

Here we are are!  The final count down has begun!  Christmas, in all of it's glory, is just hours away! I love Christmas and am like a 6 year old girl when it gets this close! How about you?  Are you ready for Santa's arrival?  My MIL, Linda & I found a beautiful new church last week and we are excited to attend Christmas Eve Mass. After Mass we will meet up with Mr. B after he gets off work and dine at our favorite Chinese place.  Christmas Day we will open presents together, sipping on mimosas and enjoying fresh from the oven sticky buns.  I'll then make up our Christmas dinner of prime rib, roasted red potatoes and asparagus.  We will spend the day watching Christmas movies and taking it easy.  All of this is steeped in years of tradition and it's just the way I like it to be!  
Of course, I will also be checking up on all that you link up so, let's ge this party started!
It's Time For 
The Features of the Week
We once again had a tie for most viewed.  First up, my sweet buddy Ellen from Scribbler Unfocused, took us on a fun tour of her beautiful home decked out for the holidays.
I have always loved Ellen's sense of humor and she didn't let me down in this post.  Not to mention, her decorating style is fun too!
Next up, another long time buddy, Linda from Life And Linda, shared her Frosty the Snowman Tablescape.
I don't know which I liked better, the dishes or the tablecloth!  Beautiful Linda!
My favorite of the week was from Summer of Summer Scraps.

Seriously, how adorable are these Elf Jars? I will be making these next year to add to gift baskets! 

If you have been featured here, or over at my freakin' fabulous 
co-hort Kim's blog, (she has a different Pick of the Week so go check it out...was it you?) make sure to grab an I've Been Featured button here.

Now, are you ready to party??
Here are the rules:

Feel free to link up anything you have created.
Recipes, decor, crafts, written or photographed.
Anything you are so proud of you just gotta share it with others.
I will reserve the option of deleting any post that I do not feel fits the
theme of my blog.
You can follow Kim & me on social media, but it NOT required. (We want you to follow us because you want to, not because you have to.)
Kathe: Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram / Google+
Kim: Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram / Google+
We would love it if you would link back in some way so that others come and party with us.
Either grab the the party button or add my blog link to your blog party page. 
Again, it is not a requirement.
The Kim Six Fix
We do ask that you do not link up Giveaways, Etsy Shops or anything for sale. Save those posts for the first Tuesday of the month when, Anything Goes!
We will reserve the option of deleting any post the we do not feel fits the theme of our blogs.

*By linking up your post, you are giving Kathe With An E and/ or The Kim Six Fix permission to use your photos as a feature on their blogs and other social media outlets.


Sunday, December 21, 2014

Cookies With Santa Tablescape

Before I set a more formal table for our Christmas dinner I wanted to set a fun table.  
Then I remembered this bottle I had purchased at the Christmas Tree Shop when I was visiting my son in CT last year and a fun table was born!  A table set for children, anticipating a special visit with Santa before he got too busy. Cookies With Santa!
I started with a gold charger, then layered a white dinner plate and topped it off with a dessert plate I had purchased several years ago on clearance from the grocery store.
A wagon full of toys from Santa!
A each place setting is a gold tin sleigh filled with candy treats.  I found the sleighs just a few weeks ago when I took my MIL to a great shop just a few miles from home.  They were only $1.95 each and I had to have them!
They seem to be vintage and are made even sweeter with the candy added!
The centerpiece is a red tray I have had for years and is filled with ornaments, the milk bottle just for Santa and cookies, of course!
One of my favorite nutcrackers stands guard over the treats until Santa arrives. 
A gilded reindeer rests peaceful on the red and gold table runner we found while out shopping.  My MIL, an enabler just like her son, said I had to have it!  Just like with her son, I don't argue with such sound advice! Now, I have two enablers in my home LOL!
I had purchased the clear milk bottle glasses several years ago at IKEA and just knew they were the perfect fit for this table.

Thrift store Santa napkin rings hold the napkin that will be needed to remove cookie crumbs and milk mustaches from the children's faces. 
A fun table set for the young ones to gather at with the big man in red as they tell him their wishes of what they'd like to find under the tree on Christmas morning. 
I always share my tables with
and
Click here to see where else I may be partying this week. 
AND
Don't forget to come by on Tuesday's
for the link party.

Friday, December 19, 2014

A Guest Bedroom Transformed With Sauder Furniture

This post is brought to you by Sauder. All ideas and opinions are my own

Mr. B and I are doing all that we can to make his mother feel at home while she is living with us.  We are lucky in that we have two guest bedrooms and we let her choose which one she wanted to make hers.  She choose the one in the finished basement. It is big, has a full bathroom attached and allows her some privacy.
A Guest Bedroom Transformed With Sauder Furniture
As you can see from the before photo, the bed was pretty boring. It was just a bed really. Mr. B & I have plans for when she finds her own place to go with a world traveler theme in the room.  Perfect theme for guests, right? We had been searching for just the right headboard and then, I was contacted by Sauder offering to send me something from their website. We've had Sauder in our home in the past and have always loved the quality and durability of their products.  We've had desks and bookcases from Sauder but have never really looked into other types of furniture pieces.  Well, after looking through their site for about 10 minutes, we found the headboard we had been searching for!  Who knew? Sauder carries all kinds of bedroom furniture!  Headboards, nightstands, you name it!  In addition, they also have pieces for bathrooms, dining rooms and garages! Whatever room in the house, Sauder is sure to have something to suit your needs and style.
A Guest Bedroom Transformed With Sauder Furniture
The headboard we wanted for this room needed to be in a warm tone and had a rustic feel to it. The Carson Forge headboard met our wants and then some!A Guest Bedroom Transformed With Sauder Furniture
I don't know how Sauder did it but, it looks and feels like real wood! I mean it is is wood but we were not expecting this high of quality. And, it is not flimsy, take my word for it!  It took Mr. B & I both to get the box down the stairs. 
A Guest Bedroom Transformed With Sauder Furniture
All of the pieces are clearly marked so putting it together was a snap!
A Guest Bedroom Transformed With Sauder Furniture
And, Mr. B wanted me to make sure I mentioned that he likes that they used metal cams.
A Guest Bedroom Transformed With Sauder Furniture
The instructions provided were clear and easy to understand. We've put together our share of assemble it yourself furniture and this was by far the fastest and easiest piece we have ever done.  No cussing needed!
A Guest Bedroom Transformed With Sauder Furniture
I totally squeed when I saw the little design touches that make this headboard the perfect choice for this room!
A Guest Bedroom Transformed With Sauder Furniture
Adore the metal detail! And yes, it IS metal, not cheapy plastic!
A Guest Bedroom Transformed With Sauder Furniture
The shelf across the top adds depth and style.
A Guest Bedroom Transformed With Sauder Furniture
Swoon!
A Guest Bedroom Transformed With Sauder Furniture
And the frosting on the cake?  Mr. B's mother LOVES it too!  She just can't get over how much it makes her room feel more finished, warm and comfortable.
A Guest Bedroom Transformed With Sauder Furniture
So much better than the before, wouldn't you agree?
A Guest Bedroom Transformed With Sauder Furniture
After:
A Guest Bedroom Transformed With Sauder Furniture
I am so happy to have found out that Sauder creates such wonderful pieces outside of the standard bookcase or other organizational furniture! It's nice to know that they also have available such wonderfully stylish furniture to create the room/ home of your dreams! 
Like what you see? 
Well then, follow me by email and never miss a new post
Click here to see where I may be partying this week. 
AND
Don't forget to come by on Tuesday's
for the link party.