Category: Celebrations

Halloween Pumpkin How To

Monday, October 24th, 2011 by P. Allen Smith, 4 comments

These suspended Jack-o-lanterns are a whimsical spin on an old Halloween favorite. I’m making them again this year for the annual Halloween fete at the Garden Home Retreat. I like to hang them from the arbors attached to the art studio and summer kitchen. Glowing in the darkness they appear to be hovering above the guests.

Making a floating Jack-o-lantern is easy. Here is a photo journal of the steps. Click here for complete instructions.

I made some of the faces on my pumpkins happy & smiley, others ghostly & scary.

A dowel inserted through holes on either side of the pumpkin provided somewhere to tie the wire.

To come up with the wire length I measured how far down I wanted the pumpkins to hang & doubled it. Then I tacked on a few inches for tying to the dowels.

I dropped in LED tea lights before hanging the pumpkins. They don't give off that scent of candle warmed pumpkin, but they are safer and won't blow out.

Happy Independence Day – 10 Things that Inspire Me

Monday, July 4th, 2011 by P. Allen Smith, 75 comments

Flag waving at the Garden Home RetreatHappy Independence Day! I hope everyone is staying cool and enjoying their celeb­rat­ions. I've just returned from a trip to Great Britain where I visited some amazing estates and gardens. The trip provided a much needed refill for the old creativity tank, but I'm glad to be back on home ground.

When traveling I do a lot of reflecting. It's really one of the few times when my attention isn't pulled in 100 directions so there's space in my mind for thoughts other than "What's next?" Maybe it's because it is July 4th or because I was in a foreign country, but I've been doing a lot of thinking about what I appreciate most here in the U.S. On my flight home I came up with a list of 10 things that I find inspiring about this country.

  • Thomas Jefferson and Monticello
  • Our National Parks System
  • American farmers
  • George Washington and Mt. Vernon
  • Arlington National Cemetery
  • American ingenuity and the free market system
  • Freedom of speech
  • PBS and NPR
  • American armed services
  • Bluegrass music
  • American cuisine (I adore fresh blackberry cobbler and homemade ice cream)
  • Garrison Keillor

What do you find inspirational about the United States?

Girls Night Out!

Monday, June 27th, 2011 by Mary Ellen Pyle, 30 comments

I'm out of town this week so I asked my digital manager Mary Ellen Pyle to write this guest blog about a Girls Night Out at the Garden Home Retreat.

When Allen goes out of town everyone in the office breathes a collective sigh. Not that we don't love the guy, it's just nice to have him out of the way sometimes so we can get things done. Brilliant as he is, he's not one for detail work and there's a lot of that around here. Last week we shipped Allen off to Merry Olde England where he is visiting a few estate gardens in Norfolk and Suffolk. He's sure to return full of new ideas he wants to try out.

Before Allen left he set the ladies up with a Girls Night Out at the Garden Home Retreat. The theme was red wine and chocolate. He gave us some tips for dressing up the space without expending a lot of energy. After all, Girls Night Out is about having a good time without a whole lot of effort.

We set up our GNO in the west octagon building. Allen took his inspiration from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello when he designed these eight-sided pavilions.
We kept it simple inside with a red, brown and white color palette. The table cloth is made from fabric in the Tobi Fairley Home Collection. The pattern is 'Athens'. Allen made the chandelier with branches and Christmas lights.
Since it was HOT outside sangria seemed like a good way to enjoy red wine. We gave ours a lift with locally produced Mountain Valley Sparkling Water and Lombardi Limonata. The recipe is below.
Red roses and hypericum berries.
Red Gerber daisies with strawberries. Floral wire inserted into the strawberries keeps the fruit in place.
Allen suggested we use these La Rochere French Bee tumblers that he purchased at Sur la Table. Perfect for sipping sangria.
For a sugar buzz and a little sustenance we served chocolate raspberry mousse cake, pecan bars dipped in chocolate, fudge brownies and chocolate chip cookies. Yum!
Laughing it up in the kitchen before we headed out doors.
Luigi was the only boy at the party. He came with Mimi, Allen's COO. As you can see he was very excited to be one of the girls for the night.
Handsome Luigi.

Girl's Night Out Sangria

  • 1 bottle red wine (Pinot Noir works well)
  • 1/4 cup Cointreau liqueur
  • 1/4 cup Lombardi limonata
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 6 thin orange slices, cut in half
  • 1/2 peach or other seasonal fruit, cut in thin wedges
  • 1/2 bottle Mountain Valley Sparkling Water or to taste (1 liter bottle)

Combine all ingredients in a covered container and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours, or serve over ice.

Resources:

Tobi Fairley

Sur La Table La Rochere Glassware

Mountain Valley Water

Lombardi Limonata

 

Allen's Blog

P. Allen Smith is an award-winning garden expert, author, and television host.

Category List

Archives

show all

My Friends

Garden

Food

Design

Others