Fruit Vases Featured In Good Housekeeping Magazine June 2012

Last year Good Housekeeping magazine asked me to create and style easy summer projects for their  “Make It” feature. The "Make It" projects are quick,  fresh ideas that are easy to make and fun to do.

I sketched out a dozen ideas and this was one of many that the editors chose. It is also one of my favorites.  We set a day aside last summer to shoot these project ideas with photographer Michael Partenio. Check out Good Housekeeping June 2012 issue for more floral arrangements. 

Give it a try!

Cut a four inch opening at the top and Scoop out fruit.

Scrape out most of the fruity flesh. Place a small glass inside with water and fill with flowers that mirror the inner fruit color.

More Summer Entertaining! Setting the Garden Table with Daisies and.... (Part 3)

With America's birthday not to far away, I recall this story I did for a major magazine in 2010. 

A table setting that has the perfect patriotic grasp for any July 4th dinner celebration incorporating the red, white and blue in a lighter way. Easy to replicate for the 4th luncheon or dinner table, or any summer dining experience.

 

These centerpieces are easy to make with a few things you can buy and put together in a snap. 

The list of things you will need:

Glass chimneys

Pots

Candles

Daisys

Pebbles or Beans

 

The daisies also add a fresh summer feel to any summer table setting! 

Styling and Ideas created by Karin Lidbeck

  Photography by Andre Baronowski

Outdoor Entertaining! Setting the Table - The Hosta (Part 2!)

Another fabulous outdoor table setting inspiration! Bet you have never used this common plant from your garden, have you?

This nature inspired table setting allows you and your dinner guests to fully embrace the outdoors.

  

 I love using hostas from the garden to create a simple yet enchanting foliage centerpiece.

To create this centerpiece, you will first need a simple frog in a small bowl. The frog allows you to add in the hosta stems with ease. Begin by placing the leaves towards the outside of the frog and work inward towards the center. A flat, broken piece of soft slate makes for the perfect layer underneath the hostas. Next, look around your garden landscape for small, smooth stones to surround the centerpiece. The stones also look pretty tossed here and there upon the table and add interest to the table setting.

The stones can also be utilized as charming name tags. Set upon a luminous green leaf allows for a beautiful contrast which will have your dinner guests nothing but delighted by this most unusual, unique table centerpiece! 

Outdoor Entertaining! Setting the Garden Table

I was so thrilled when my friend Editor, Jane McKeon of Meredith's Outdoor Rooms magazine called me to design "6 Ways to Set the Scene and Create Pretty Looks for Tables" for their Summer issue.

Immediately I sketched out a dozen table top designs.  Jane picked her six favorites and I got work to make each design happen preparing for a photo shoot.  The biggest challenge was to find a home with great gardens and outdoor spaces to style and shoot all six tables and make them feel different.

The Photographer for this shoot was Andre Baronowski - another super talented and charming photographer I work with.  Andre really made these projects shine!

Straight from your garden to the table
                                           

You can make a unique and different tabletop setting yourself using flowers straight from your garden, a supermarket bouquet or farmer's market.

 On a white table cloth use different patterned place mats to compliment the flowers colors. Playing off the hues of the blooms enhances the table.

Place the flowers down the center down the center of the table using a funky assortment of mismatched glassware.  In the stylist world, we call this,  march the flowers down the table.

Display single stems or multiples of stems in each glass/container.

Toss some fruit casually upon the tablecloth. Blueberries , strawberries and peaches.

Adding tabletop additions adds to the festive array of color.

An Original and Unique tabletop which has had huge reviews.

This table setting always begins a good conversation starter!

Use sections of the New York Times for each place setting. Of course, you can use USA Today, The London Times, Boston Globe, LA Times, Chicago Times, Wall Street Journal - you name it.

To make your table runner use parcel post paper!

It is so easy!

 Stay tuned for more outdoor table ideas on my next post. Get ready to celebrate summer!!

Styling a summer Country Living feature

I had such a nice response to my earlier post on the Cover feature for Country Living magazine, I wanted to follow up with some highlights of the story.

It's all excitement when I get an opportunity to style a home for Country Living magazine, and  working on the feature in the current June 2012 feature in Cape Cod was no exception.

Country Living magazine cover
June 2012 

I had scouted this house with the architect of the home, my friend, the very talented John Da Silva of Polhemus Savery DaSilva last summer.

Architect- John Da Silva of Polhemus Savery DaSilva 
 Photo by Brian Van Der Brink

Loving the historic aspects of the 18^th century house and the  way it was renovated for 21^st century living, I immediately shared the location with Natalie Warady at Country Living.

It wasn't long after I set off with a full van to Cape Cod to style and design this feature, meeting CL Editor Natalie Warady and Photographer Miki Duisterhoff.

Every room, like a set, requires the stylist to portray a story.

The homeowners had described her house in the summer months filled with laughter,  summer gatherings of friends and family , and many much favored girls weekends that included a lot of cooking with local seafood and summer produce.

The Before Shot

You can compare the scouting shot above with the after shot and how I styled the kitchen to enhance the homeowner's story.  

From the before picture you can see how the industrial bar stools I brought in actually changed the vibe of the kitchen creating a less traditional look. The bar stools echo the black iron sink and together enhance the look.  The Simple arrangement of props set the stage for a meal being prepared while still allowing the design of the kitchen to be the dominant feature

The charming bedroom needed a different styling approach.

Before shot

We  loved the homeowners traditional quilt,  but we wanted to create a graphic look with color blocking working off the homeowners pretty pallete for this room. We played with different bedside tables she had in the house.

Featured shot

I needed to find vintage linen bedding and I needed it fast!  I sent out an SOS for help via Twitter.  Within the speed of light, I received a response from @tkpleslie, Leslie Carothers. She referred me to Pandora de Balthazár bed linens. The next day, three boxes of Pandora De Balthazár linens arrived!  The linens were a perfect fit for this styled shot! Thank you, Leslie! 

Here is another of options for the styling of the bedroom. Which is your favorite?

Thanks to Elizabeth Eakins  for the fabulous rugs they lent us for the shoot for both the bedroom and the living room.  Shopping locally, I found the great salvaged table at Midsummer   Nights in Chatham, Massachusetts to cozy up the seating area and give weight and interest  in front of the window.

I love the details in the house that show the historic past.

And the way John Da Silva created  this unique design of whimsical columns flanking the stairs

During our photo shoot, we had first hand opportunity to experience "the girlfriend weekend"  while we were there!  Not a bad place for a glass of wine!

We had some fun with the girls as Miki Duisterhoff took the group out for a photo shoot on the beach.

I took this shot of Miki taking her picture of the girls,
and Miki  took pictures of CL Editor Natalie Warady  and me!