Quick Entertaining Idea for the Holiday Season, Enjoying the Fruits of My Labor

Happy Sunday, Friends!  Although we have not gathered here with my extended family for a while now, and I didn't cook a huge feast for the Thanksgiving holiday like I typically do (much smaller in scale this year), I still am a voracious foodie at heart, whether entertaining for large gatherings or not.  

A charcuterie board is a perfect crowd pleaser, especially for entertaining guests.  Even though gatherings may be sparse if you are following health officials' guidelines, you may enjoy this super-easy entertaining idea this holiday season.  

At the tail-end of the summertime, my grapevines were abundant with fruit and we had a small get-together with the immediate family to enjoy that bounty. 

Fruits of my labor:

Grapes are still available in the grocery stores, so you can definitely put together an epic charcuterie board using those or simply edit to include other fruits that are still in season.  A charcuterie board full of different types of food offers guests a plethora of choices, and can be enjoyed any time of year!  With Christmas and New Year's soon to be upon us, I thought, why not still share this idea?  

Several weeks ago in this post, I showed you how to make your own large-scale charcuterie board.  These boards are perfect for entertaining year-round!

  

For me, a great charcuterie board is the perfect balance of sweet and savory.  I also like to include something outside the box.  Consider cheeses that are not typical such as those flavored with fruit, or meats that are a little more upscale such as a great aged proscuitto.  Chilled grapes compliment cheese and meat perfectly, but you may also consider berries like strawberries and blueberries which are also still available in stores currently.  

On my board, I also included homemade dolmas (stuffed grape leaves).  This Mediterranean classic is a perfect addition to a great charcuterie board.  I made mine from scratch using self-preserved grape leaves right off of my grapevines.  To view the recipe, you may see the post here on my blog Parsimonious Pabulum.  There is also a video.

  

Add all the yummy elements and add a garnish such as a grapevine as I’ve done, or even flowers!!

There you have it!

A simple entertaining idea anyone can put together in about ten minutes' time, and an absolute no-brainer.

You can see me put it all together here.  Please be sure to be in full website viewing mode rather than mobile or you may not see the link:

I hope you have had a wonderful and restful weekend!

If you enjoy this post, please visit the archives!  You may also visit my full profile to view my other blogs. Connect with me on my Facebook Page, Parsimonious Décor Darling.   You might like to visit my other blog hubs,

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Mirror in the Bathroom

Hello, friends!!  I hope you are all having a fabulous Summer!

A little bit ago, while on one of my infamous jaunts through antiquity and curiosity via locality, I came upon a wonderful gilded mirror.

I was immediately attracted by its ornate detail and impressive heft.  It was definitely a statement piece.

So gorgeous!!

ALAS...

There was but one wee problem. 

I am typically not a huge fan of gilded gold.  I usually prefer the understated elegance and calm of cool silver, and when I want something exuding warmth, it is usually a beautiful oil-rubbed bronze.

Our little casita is a Spanish Colonial Revival, or at least that is how we have styled it; yet the aesthetic inside is what I like to refer to as European Hodgepodge.  There are Spanish, French, Italian, and English Country elements, all of which lend to a home that is comfortable and cozy with a sort of old world charm.

A while ago I shared in this post how to add fabric to your walls using starch.

Well, while I was on hiatus last year, I repeated the process in another powder room, which is the guest powder room.  This time, I decided to go with a warm damask which incorporated all of the colors in the home.  Here is a look at the fabric.  Isn't it fab!?  I had 'interviewed' several, and none of them spoke to me until this one.

When the walls were barren, Mr. Parsimonious picked up a mirror.  While the color was fine, this mirror looked much more African Safari or British Colonial than Old World.  It wouldn't work with the new damask fabric.  Quel dommage!!

When I started blogging, I shared in this post how I made over another thrifted mirror.

Utilizing the same process, I stained the new mirror, but this time, I used an oil rubbed bronze antiquing glaze by Valspar sold by Lowe's.

I decided I didn't want to deplete all of the gold completely, but have it act as an accent of the piece.  Therefore, I didn't cover the mirror in an opaque fashion as I had done previously, and I used a much lighter hand. 

I made sure to apply glaze into the little crevices, and on the higher points, I wiped the glaze back off.

Here is a side-by-side comparison.  This mirror now is much more to my liking.  It doesn't shout, "HELLLLLOOOO, NOTICE ME!!! I'M GOOOOOLLLLLD!!!"  Now, it is much more elegant and less gaudy; it doesn't look like inexpensive faux plastic, and the gold is instead a fine detail of what now looks like something much older.

Doesn't this look like it has always belonged in this powder room!!?

Alongside dainty dancers,

the beautiful damask,

an antique stone toothbrush receptacle, a (DARLING!) monogrammed towel, and lavender;

it is now also much more complimentary to the stone architectural elements,

oil rubbed lighting, sink, 

and other elements of the powder room.  It becomes a perfect melding of Old World rustic charm and pretty.

What is your style aesthetic? 

Until next we meet...

If you enjoy this post, please visit the archives!  You may also visit my full profile to view my other blogs. Connect with me on my Facebook Page, Parsimonious Décor Darling.   You might like to visit my other blog hubs,  

The Marvelous Maison, a lifestyle blog hub and 

Frugal Fab Fashionista, my fashion blog hub. 

Follow me on Pinterest!!  Please be sure to kindly follow the board guidelines, as it takes time and effort to find fabulous pins across the Internet and Pinterest!  Thank you!  

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