My Sleigh is in Reverse

This is me asking you to be patient with my lack of good stuff to read.  I feel really crummy.  A cold/flu-type thing that's lasted almost 2 weeks is still hanging on and I am exhausted beyond measure.   I've little decorating spirit when every year by this date I am fully decorated and starting to plan my menus.

In fact, the other day I posted about a wreath I did.  I actually really disliked it and was too pooped to feel creative, but I did it and posted about it any way.  I couldn't stand it. I deleted it.

So tonight I attempted my mantle.  Big mistake.  I have the ugliest fireplace/lack-of-mantle known to man.  Every idea I had tonight to try to make it look fabulous was stupid.  Even my girls, usually supportive, rolled their eyes.  My sleigh really is in reverse.

Though I've been trying to rally and give you some good stuff,  I know when to roll my own eyes at my sad creative attempts and call it a day.  I'm off to have my tea.  

Talk to you soon,
Carol

On the Side: World's Best Chocolate Cake

I promise you -- this is THE best basic chocolate cake.  EVER.   Make it.  Let me know if you agree.


 

I've had this book since I met my husband almost 20 years ago (how is that possible when I'm only 25? I mean really...).  Anyway, I've never been much of a baker, but in my desire to make my man a chocolate cake that many years ago, I opened this book, read to page 3, and made the Deep Dark Chocolate Cake.  I've never made any other chocolate cake since.

So, here's the recipe.  It is incredibly easy.  See all the cocoa love on these pages?

Deep Dark Chocolate Cake

2 c sugar
1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
3/4 Hershey's Cocoa
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
1 1/2 tsps baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 c milk
1/2 c vegetable oil
2 tsps vanilla extract
1 c boiling water
One-Bowl Buttercream Frosting

Heat oven to 350.  Grease and flour two 9 inch round baking pans or one 13x9x2  baking pan.  In large mixer bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add eggs, mil, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of electric mixer 2 minutes.  Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).  Pour batter into prepared pans.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes for round pans, 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool ten minutes; remove from pans to wire racks.  Cool completely.  Frost with Butter Cream Frosting.

One-Bowl Buttercream Frosting

6 tablespoons butter, softened (I use original Smartbalance for the lactose intolerant in my family)
2 2/3 c powdered sugar
1/2 c Hershey's Cocoa
1/3 c milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a small mixer bowl, beat butter.  Add powdered sugar and cocoa alternately with milk; beat to spreading consistency (additional milk may be needed).  Blend in vanilla.

It's been a while since I've put the "Sage" (food) on the blog.  If time permitted, I would share so much more of my passion for cooking.  Oh well.  I'm not much of a baker, mainly because I don't like to follow recipes and if I do bake, I end up eating what I make.  But this recipe, a must-share.

I hope you try it.  Let me know what you think!

Talk to you soon,
Carol

My Secretary's Now Working Christmas

She was slacking off, then she was on board for a short-term fall assignment, and now, finally, she's working Christmas.  She's at her best, I think, when she's in the spirit of the holidays...

She still needs a little work, but it's ok for now, at least until I drag out the rest of the 9 million boxes of Christmas decorations from the basement.   For now, a look at her progress...

This year, I gave her a little back-up help... (note to self -- don't use wrapping paper that has a sheen next year).

I've been collecting Christmas books for years.  My mom has given me quite a few of them...

The reason for the season...

So, this is how she's starting her work week, this coming first week of December (doesn't December really begin the day after Thanksgiving?).  If her job criteria changes over the next few days, I'll let you know.

What's your favorite place in your house to decorate?

Talk to you soon,
Carol

Window Wednesday: An Angle and a Gap

Talk about a challenge!  This one takes the cake.

Here's the scenario...this house is on the shore and has an understated beach feel.  This guest bedroom has two slopes in the ceiling, and the room consists mostly of this nook for the bed.  The question is how to dress those three squatty windows, considering the angle break in the wall/ceiling and the large gap between the casing and that break.

Carol, the owner, tells me her best solution is to do a box pleat valance mounted on a board at that first break in the ceiling, but she's not convinced.  Here's what that would look like...

While this solution adds fabric to cover the gap and lends some height, I feel that it's too boxy and adds yet another horizontal line to the line break in the ceiling/wall, the windows, the nightstands and the headboard.  For me, it just becomes too choppy.  My best suggestion given the existing furniture?  White Plantation Shutters mounted all the way up to that first ceiling/wall break, and then paint the remainder of that wall the same blue as the other walls.  Start the white for the ceiling at the true ceiling mark.  (Or, even better, lighten the shade of blue in the room and consider painting the ceiling blue, too -- I'd have to see the whole room to really say yes to that).

The white shutters now provide an unbroken focal point, add height, and keep the look clean and coastal. (Of course the copying and scanning I had to do darkened the blue considerably here -- refer back to the first picture to get a sense of all that white in these shutters against that pretty blue paint :)   As much as I love fabric, sometimes it just isn't the best answer.

I have to say, if using the shutters, I would also change out the glass lamps for something with texture (like a seagrass lamp) and more visual weight for greater impact.  I'd love to see the base of a new lamp bigger and more round, too.   Adding a heavily textured throw on the bed would be even more interest.

My second suggestion, if Carol really wants to soften the space with fabric, is to consider creating a wall of fabric behind the bed with unlined, floor length, rod-pocket linen panels mounted at that break.  The rod would run the length of the wall with it's ends abutting the side walls.  This would create an unbroken line of fabric and add height, too.

I hope you enjoyed this week's challenge.  Enjoy a very Happy Thanksgiving, and,
Talk to you soon,
Carol

 If you would like me to solve a window issue, suggest a treatment,  critique what you have, or anything window related, please send me an email and picture to SofasandSage@gmail.com.  The only requirement is that you 1.  Become a Follower in the right hand column, or let me know that you already are, and 2.  Leave a comment on this post.

Newport, RI Bed & Breakfast Open House

My second post back in July featured Villa One Twenty, a beautifully reinvented and restored bed and breakfast.  The other night, I attended the official Open House, although this lovely inn has been entertaining guests since the steamy summer nights when I first visited.

I thought I'd do a follow up, as I am still enthralled by the beautiful architecture of this grand home, and, who doesn't like a party?    Coming up to the front door, I was struck by all the beautiful design elements in this one welcoming element.  The layers of color, the original doors and stained glass -- all so warm.

Isn't that door just beautiful?  I love how it opens up to the inlay floors in the foyer.  Can you believe that before Corinna, the gracious owner, made this home her own, all of these floors were covered with area rugs?  Shameful, I tell you. 

Here is the floor of the living room, another original to the house...

I didn't get a chance to ask Corinna about this chest, or some of the other treasures she has collected in her travels (and no, it wasn't because we were enjoying too much Prosecco, it was because she was a very busy hostess).

Here are some glimpses around the house...

Can you imagine that at the turn of the last century, the walls of this room were covered with real elephant skin, stretched  to be adhered like wallpaper?  Apparently, this room held that look for decades...

No matter the party or the place, guests always end up in the kitchen!

The food served at this event was out of this world.  Seared duck with mango chutney on a chip-like crisp, lobster mac and cheese served in individual spoons, porcini stuffed mushrooms, petite crab sandwiches on delicious warm crisps (I wish I knew what those crisps were!), and several other to-die-for treats.  The catering was done by two sisters (can you imagine I left their card behind, and ended up photographing the side of their van!).  If you live in the Newport area, do try them, they are fantastic!

I hope you enjoyed a peak into this party and another look at this gorgeous bed & breakfast.

Talk to you soon,
Carol

A Charlie B Christmas

Charlie Brown?  No.  Charlie Bradford.  Who?  The owner of Terrazza Home and Garden, the gorgeous shop that hosted yesterday's Workshop.  I wanted to thank him for having us in his store yesterday by sharing Terrazza with you here.  

Every Christmas season, it is the place to go, not only for gifts, but to be surrounded by the most beautifully and designer-arranged decor.  It makes your heart stop it's so pretty.  It makes you want to go home and throw out all your decor, Christmas and non-holiday alike, and start over!  No, Charlie doesn't pay me to say this, he and his wife Carol (great name) have become friends of mine over the years.  So, enjoy this Charlie B Christmas...

This is the vignette that greats you at the front door...

If you look to the right...

The mantle in this store is always an inspiration, no matter the season...

Then there's the kitchen area.  If you cook and love table settings and candles, you could spend an hour looking at things.  If you don't love to cook, you'll imagine that you can.

Go ahead and try to tell me you don't want to shop there.  I dare you!  Thanks again, Charlie, and we're looking forward to the next one in December.  Stay tuned.

All I want for Christmas?  To reach 75 Followers by December 31st!  Please become one in the column on the right (Charlie.....) you just need a yahoo or gmail email.  Thanks, and,

Talk to you soon,
Carol

Workshop Whirlwind

Today, my friend Charlene and I welcomed 20 guests to our Thanksgiving Workshop, which I talked about in this post last week.  We shared our decorator secrets to building a beautiful buffet table, along with a tutorial on how to created a unique, fresh centerpiece that will wow your family and friends.  What a whirlwind of ideas, discussion, laughs and fun in one hour on a brisk fall Friday!

We started out by welcoming everyone to our empty table.  Adorned with only prop boxes and a table cloth, we began teaching how to build a layered table that encompasses some very basic concepts in design, like rhythm, color, scale and texture. (The smaller cloth along the bottom was just meant to hide our supplies).

Part of our happy crowd -- thank you, ladies, for being such enthusiastic participants...

Charlene started with our inspiration -- the centerpiece.  She demonstrated all the steps to building a gorgeous arrangement -- from the framework of greens all the way through to her flowers in the end, much like what I did in this tutorial.  Like me,  Charlene loves using greens from her yard and used her own shrub ivy and dwarf rhododendron,  along with a mix from the market of green and purple fall cabbages, miniature pumpkins, and dried corn.

It was difficult to capture just how insanely gorgeous her arrangement became (she's a trained floral designer).  I'm missing several images of all the steps we did in this workshop, as our photographer was ill, and even though  I filled in along with the staff at Terrazza, the shop that hosted us,  we didn't get it all.  Next time!

Once the centerpiece was in place, we layered a fall inspired fabric remnant over the boxes, creating the base for the different heights of our elements (or rhythm, in design).  Mismatched candles sticks with burnt orange candles added extra height, and then we went to work setting out all the platters and casseroles, to show how to plan where your food will be.  Next we filled in the empty spaces with greens, pumpkins and lots of floral stems.  Here are some shots of how it all turned out...

 
We took time all the way through and at the end for a variety of questions.  A great one was "do my serving dishes need to match?"  Our answer was a definite "no" as most of the time, when the food is in them, you don't notice the color or pattern.  That said, we also suggested that you can use your serving pieces as inspiration for your color palette.  Here we used plain stoneware and patterned fabrics.  You could do the opposite for a great look.

I wish the images could convey the fun and laughs we had today, and how the table really looked as your eye took it all in without the visual chaos of the shop's beautiful things all around us.   I plan to do many more workshops in the future, and I'm certain Charlene will be joining me for some of mine, and I'll join hers, as well.  We both have a passion for sharing what we know, and have a lot of fun along the way!  I'll let you know when we're on the road next.

What kind of table will you be creating this Thanksgiving week?

Talk to you soon,

Carol