Between Tables and Chairs

 A begging cat in a rest area

The Weekend in Black and White

Six Secret Suggestions for Super Suppers

When it comes to entertaining guests, you need to know how to set the mood. There are a lot of different things that you can do in order to create the perfect ambiance. For suppers it is also important to consider the flavouring of your food. With all of these factors to consider, planning the perfect gathering can be a little daunting. There is no need to worry here, however. All you have to do is make sure that you are well-prepared and follow a few of these suggestions. They will help to bring about the best meal that you can muster.

Select the Right Candles

If you are having a formal dinner then candles can make the world of difference. Even adding dim lights and scented candles will help to create a beautiful ambiance that everyone will enjoy. Yankee candles are often an excellent addition to this kind of event.

The Right Room

You need to find the right kind of room to suit the event. If you are having a barbecue-style dinner then you may want people to gather in the living room and pick from a buffet. Other people may prefer to set their dinners in the dining room, where everyone can sit around the table. Others may be interested in the Japanese-style of eating.

Selection

When it comes to your guests, you know that everyone is going to have a different taste. This means that you will have to take a look at the selection on offer. By making multiple dishes to suit everyone, you can ensure that everyone's hunger is satisfied that evening.

Finding a Good Wine

A good wine is a must for any dinner gathering. Make sure to take a look at the different types of red and white and see which ones will suit your dinner. If you are offering dessert then make sure that you have a dessert wine ready as well. There is no such thing as being too prepared.

The Smell

The way your home smells is important. Yankee candles, once again, can help with this. If you are hosting a Christmas-themed dinner then there are Christmas smells that can really help to get everyone in the mood for a celebration. Make sure to look through the different smells to see which ones will suit.

Arrangement

Ultimately, make sure that you arrange the room according to your guests. Everyone will then have their own place.

Tim Aldiss writes for Scarlett Willow and loves their personalised placemats & glassware.

 

Create an Outdoor Oasis

Your garden is your own patch of outdoor space and greenery; so do not let it go to waster. Turn it into a personal oasis and enjoy those rare sunny afternoon all the more.

1. A Living Room Outdoors

Who ever said outdoor furniture had to be metallic and uncomfortable?

You can buy a range of luxurious waterproof seating, including beach like deckchairs and swinging sofas. Hammocks are another great option, covered in squishy cushions and pillows covered in outdoor fabric. Arrange all this seating as you would in a lounge to encourage good conversations and relaxation.

2. Cobbled paths

Make a wobbly, cobbled garden path, inviting outdoor adventures.

3. Prepare for parties

An outdoor shed complete with fridge is perfect for chilling the beers for garden gatherings. Always have a dedicated bbq position, with space around it to admire the sizzling burgers but far enough away from the door inside and washing lines.

4. Lighting

For a pretty festival inspired lit area, cover trees or patio with outdoor fairy lights.  Solar lights are a more environmentally friendly option, that store light during the day to light the garden at night. Finally, a low cost DIY idea is to hang up lots of jam jars with tea lights inside.

5. Butterfly area

Encouraging butterflies into your garden will not only help these beautiful winged beasties but will also give you a great deal of pleasure watching them.

Fill an area of your garden with nectar-rich flowering perennials such as lavender, cowslip, honeysuckle and buddleja.

6. Build a beach

Sandpits can be for grown ups too. Just fill a corner with sand, add a few buckets and spades and enjoy your own private seashore.

7. Extend the Indoors out

French doors will extend your interiors outward, letting light and air into your home and bringing you closer to the lovely sights, sounds and perfumes of your garden.

8. Poolside hangouts.

The best of being on holiday is surely chilling out by the pool. So why not bring a slice of sunny Spain to your garden?

Caroline Harrowby is an expert exterior designer with extensive experience in creating informal poolside spaces for dining and entertaining. She has had clients from the south of France and Italy, to rooftop balconies in London.

Top 5 Easy To Care for Indoor Plants

It can be challenging trying to get your child interested in gardening. To begin, gardening can be a great deal of work. If your child isn’t naturally inclined to see the pint of working on gardening, having to go outside could seem like a chore to him. In the beginning, to help your child grow a deeper connection to the earth, you need to start him off an easy project – like a few easy-to-care-for indoor plants.

What does a plant look like when it is easy to care for?

It can take a child a long time to learn to voluntarily give of his time so that a plant is healthy and taken care of. To start him off on baby steps, you need to look for plants that have a few specific qualities.

1.   To begin, the plant has to look interesting and feel interesting to the touch. A generic plant isn’t good enough.

2.  If your child forgets to water the plant one day or waters it three times as much on another, the plant shouldn’t die. That would break your child’s heart.

3. The plant needs to be resistant to being exposed to the wrong temperatures or being kept away from the sun for extended periods of time.

4.   Flowers and potted vegetables are unsuitable because they only last a season. Children need long-lived plants, instead.  If your child’s plants don’t seem to live long enough under his care, it could make him lose heart.

What kind of plant answers to this description?

Houseplants are an excellent idea for children. Many kinds of house plant answer every requirement above. Some, like the Aloe Vera, are interesting, they live long and are resilient.

Once you get your child started off on a few simple, hardy plants, you can extend his range and fill all the windowsills in the house.

The Aloe Vera: Children being can be very sensitive to how things feel to the touch, take to the Aloe Vera plant as soon as they see them. These plants, with their fun waxiness, can be fascinating to children. The Aloe Vera is so hardy that your child couldn’t go wrong with it if he tried. These plants flower, too – with white, pink and scarlet blooms.

Cactuses: If it is tactile fun that your child craves, cactuses can be hard to beat. These plants are especially interesting to children who see them a lot in comic books and cartoon plots. They make liberal use of situations involving people landing on cactuses and jumping up in a fright. Nearly any supermarket gardening section sells grafted cactuses. Children love these for their colorful blooms, their sharp thorns and the way they ask for very little care. Zebra cactuses can be ideal, too.

The African violet: While this isn’t the easiest plant to care for, isn’t hard.  Many people keep a little African violet in a pot on their desks and enjoy their startlingly rich violet flowers. These plants need to be watered with care and need a small amount of sunlight.

The spider plant: Spider plants are very common houseplants – not least because they have great air purifying qualities. Your child will love the long, slender and richly green leaves that sprout in every direction. These plants need nothing more than a bit of a regular watering with distilled water.

Avocado: For a really interesting introduction to real gardening, you could give your child an avocado pit. While it takes a little bit of care to get one to grow well, your child could delight in seeing a familiar seed grow into an actual plant.

Josh Hayward is considers himself a bit of a green-finger.  His articles mainly appear on homeowner blogs. Visit the FBD home insurance site, click on the link.