Thanks for joining me!
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
Category: Uncategorized
15 Apartment Balcony Decors From My Pinterest Collection
Wow! I’m really excited that so many of my readers are as interested in apartment balcony decor as I am. Clearly, we apartment dwellers love our apartment balconies. So I thought I would share with you more of my favorite balcony decors from my Pinterest board.
What great ideas they all have in common are
- lots of color;
- lots of soft seating, back cushions and pillows;
- lovely places to eat and drink;
- a jungle or near jungle of plants; and
- creative outdoor lighting.
For more ideas and inspirations,
- follow my Pinterest board Annsliee Apartment-Balcony Porches
- see my popular post “Tips And Inspirations For Your Apartment Balcony And Porch Decors“
- Cool Apartment Balcony Lighting Ideas
For my apartment balcony porch, I have a head start from last year. The hostas I planted in pots are just starting their new growth and my red bark maple has already leafed out. I’m just waiting for the pollen slow before I get into the full swing of freshening up my balcony. I promise to share pictures on a future blog.
In the meantime, how sharing your plans with me.
Would love to receive pictures of your balcony decor and plantings
XO
Shirley
32 Inspirations For A New Year’s Eve Dinner Party
From Annsliee’s archive, here are three posts with a total of 32 inspiring ideas for a New Year’s Eve Dinner Party. Whether you’re having a large or small group or just dining for two, each idea offers a marvelous blueprint for creating your own fabulous New Year’s Eve dinner. And each idea is easily adaptable for the apartment dweller.
Featured
From my Tree Top Apartment to your home,
I wish you a Very Happy New Year!
17 Inspirations For Spring Table Settings And Centerpieces
So ready for spring!! How about you? Time to tune up that 28-speed cycle; trek on over to parks and outdoor coffee and wine shops; inventory the closet for warm weather wardrobe–especially the swimsuit outfits; finalize vacation plans; and more.
What else is left? Jump into spring with splashes of soft colors when you dine at home–even if it’s just you. Jazz it up with fresh flowers in simple vases, classy vases or just fun vases. You may even decide to invite a friend or two over for a meal, picked up at the deli of course!
Here are 17 inspiring table settings and centerpieces. You can keep yours simple and lovely or “kick it up a notch” with lots of pizzazz.
Endlessly Elated.com on How to Design a Spring Table 
HGTV.COM 
Sweet Eye Candy Creation.typepad.com
Inexpensive bouquets of flowers can be picked up at local grocery stores. Buy multiples to make a grander statement. Another quick splash of fresh flowers that make a great centerpiece is a plant in bloom, like the one above. You can always replant it in a container for your balcony or patio. These too can be found in grocery stores, as well as nurseries.
Country Living 
BIDDecor.blogspot.com 
Leah Richardson.com/blog.com who reminds up to use odd numbers. So for this simple but smiling attraction, make at least three for a great impact statement.
Don’t you just love that simple idea of using burlap and string!
House Beautiful
Traditional Dining Room by Dallas Interior Designers & Decorators Chambers Interiors & Associates, Inc.
Setting For Four.com
Of course, some of these inspiring table settings are located in homes rather than apartments. But note how you can easily translate the ideas into your space. The one below is in the transitional decor style. The dark wood table is balanced with contemporary chandelier. Simple runners, placemats and dining ware are accented with lovely glass candle holders.
Romancing The Home Ltd Blogspot 
Pinterest
Create a bouquet centerpiece like the one above or take the photo to a florist. I love the freshness of this one and can almost smell the limes. Oh dear, all that lime makes me think of warm summer evenings and margaritas. I would switch out the pink roses for yellow ones. Add a friend or two and a pitcher of margaritas by Jose Cuervo! It has Grand Marnier as one of the ingredients, a superb touch to this cocktail.
Splendid Sass blogspot.com 
Pinterest via Maven Bride
Did you know that a birdcage could look ever so lovely!
And finally, a fun yet simple table setting on a lovely, modern high cafe table with white and chrome stools. A fun piece of art will always bring a smile to you, even when you have to get up extra early.
Don’t succumb to dining in an uneventful eating space! Make it a favorite space you always enjoy whatever the season.
17 Christmas Wishes For You
(Lyrics are from A Celebration of Christmas, track #15)
May each day
- May each day in the week be a good day
- May the Lord always watch over you
- and may all of your hopes turn to wishes
- and may all of your wishes come true.
- May each day in the month be a good day
- May you make friends with each one you meet
- and may all of your day dreams be mem’ries
- and may all of your mem’ries be sweet.
The weeks turn to months
and the months into years.
There’ll be sadness and joy.
There’ll be laughter and tears.
But one thing I pray to heaven above:
- may each of your days be a day full of love.
- May each day in the year be a good day.
- May each dawn find you happy and gay
- and may all of your days be as lovely
- as the one[s] you[‘ve] shared with me . . .
- May each day in your life be a good day and good night.
I never tire of this CD. Every song is beautiful, filling my heart with
- peace and
- love
I wish you a Very Merry, Merry Christmas – and Do Be safe!
my last four wishes for you
Thank you so very much for visiting me here and reading my blog.
11 Make Happy Memories For Your Stay Over Guests
Guests are coming to stay overnight, maybe several nights, for this holiday season. As you create lots of happy memories during their visit, add something a little extra special they can take away for the trip home and always.
Add a surprise in the guest bedroom
- Set a bouquet of flowers, large or small, on the bed stand. Be sure to place their name on a card in front of the bouquet letting them the bouquet is theirs.
- Add a word or monogram pillow personal to your guest. Make it the accent throw pillow right on the bed.
Word pillow: Annsliee
Bouquet: FTD
- Up the hotel style mint on the pillow with a box of peppermint bark. It’s really popular this time of year. I strongly recommend the delicious thin layered William-Sonoma Original Pepperminy Bark. It’s stupendous!
Give something for their home but discovered in yours
- A special Christmas CD or some other CD you both love together.
- Coffee table book. These can be terribly expensive. However, you can often find them on sale in places such as Amazon.com; Borders; Books-A-Million. Most important here is to find one that would be of special interest to your guest. Place it on your coffee table with a ribbon and a gift tag. Let them find it as a surprise!
Yes . . . there is a coffee table book titled If…, Volume 1 Questions For The Game Of Life, particularly fun for those who have every asked the question “if only.” You can find it on Amazon.com from it’s list of best coffee table books. I had searched on “best” but you may also want to check out “most popular coffee table books.” I’m not more partial to Amazon versus Borders or BAM. I love ’em all, love browsing the shelves, picking a book and having a coffee while I scan the book and decide if I want to purchase it. But for online shopping, I found Amazon had the most extensive list.
Give A Delight From The Kitchen
- Love to bake or make your own personal sweet bottle of relishes, jams and marmalade? Be sure to have one to share and one to give to your guest for their return trip home.
- Serve your guest’s favorite coffee or tea (or try a new one) during their visit and then give them a gift of that same beverage to take away.
- Put together a collection of recipes in a lovely little book from meals you will serve. Make it a gift, ribbons and all.
- Send them on their way with their small favorite kitchen gadget, one or more in a collection. Sur La Table, a favorite place of mine, has lots of fun stocking stuffers, such as the Moose Ugly Sweater bottle cover. Get One for yourself and one for your guest.
Extend happy memories of places you visited During Their Stay
- Save one of your best group photos, frame it lovely and present it to them as they go out the door or some other appropriate time. Note your frame doesn’t have to be brand new, just beautiful. How about a frame from a consignment or thrift shop, beautifully painted and ready for that special photo.
- Create an itinerary of the places you will visit all nicely printed and on the cover of a fun photo album. (Staples, Office Depot, FedEx Office or even a print shop are great places for getting a good print.)
Better yet, for your jet setting visitor, give a gift card from Meshu. What is it? A site where you create an itinerary that corresponds to a geometric form that is then made into jewelry: a pair of earrings, necklace pendant, a ring, even cuff links.
And what’s your favorite surprise gift for overnight guest? Please do tell!
Simple To Elegant: Valentine’s Day Tablescape
With just a week left before Valentine’s Day, there is still time to find some simple to elegant creative ways to celebrate and profess your undying love to your person of choice. However, if it is just you, well then cheer yourself anyway with some of these ideas I found on the internet, like this vase of red hots candy and red carnation flowers. It’s simple–and significant. Red is the color of love and passion.
If you’re going for a little more elegance, you can’t go wrong with bouquets of red roses in a silver vase. The silver and red gourds and silver coins extends the reflective beauty of the vase. Purity is found in the white place settings, clear water and wine glasses, and the white wine. All of which is then grounded by the brown colors found in the napkin and runner. Of course, no romantic tablescape is complete without candle light. This setting was designed for multiple guests but it’s also perfect for a dinner for two.
I absolutely love the soft spring colors found in this next vase of hearts candy and tulips. The soft pinks, yellows, blues and white and the lovely handwritten note is to die for when first waking up in the morning. That lucky person!
In the photo above is another fun idea for a centerpiece, a bouquet of roses surrounded with white (looks like peppermint) candy in an over-sized glass coffee cup. The clear glass votives are a nice touch.
The red tulips in the photo below convey two very important messages: love and the coming of spring. What can be more inviting than that!
I found this wonderful tablescape on Between Naps On The Porch, my favorite blog for table settings, dished up with southern charm. I love rummaging through the collection of tablescapes in what the creator for this blog calls Tablescape Thursday. It’s so inspiring.
Kiss a frog, marry a prince. Well, sometimes that happens. Okay, it happens a little less than sometimes? No? ALL RIGHT, once in three blue moons it may happen! With these adorable guy frogs romancing dinner guests, it just doesn’t matter. This has got to be one of the most adorable, fun place settings I’ve ever seen. These fat, smiling green frogs with their bulging black eyes (twinkling with a red heart) , red bow ties and single heart bouquet sparkle all over with love. I can just hear them croaking “I love you.” Passion overflows in this setting as found in the red heart shaped plate, napkins, charger and wine glass and floral centerpiece. The gold wedding ring is referenced in the napkin holders, even the flatware.
I hope you have or found your prince or princess for Valentine’s Day and all your days to come. But don’t just limit your love to romance, remember there are family and friends to profess your love to as well.
annsliees 
Tablescapes/Holidays, Decorating Tips
fireside dining, tablescape ideas, romantic table settings, romantic dining at home, new year eve dining
shirley byrd
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Tablescapes/Holidays, Decorating Tips
fireside dining, tablescape ideas, romantic table settings, romantic dining at home, new year eve dining
shirley byrd
Comment
Tablescapes/Holidays, Decorating Tips
fireside dining, tablescape ideas, romantic table settings, romantic dining at home, new year eve dining
shirley byrd
Comment
Tablescapes/Holidays, Decorating Tips
fireside dining, tablescape ideas, romantic table settings, romantic dining at home, new year eve dining
shirley byrd
Comment
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Tablescapes/Holidays, Decorating Tips
fireside dining, tablescape ideas, romantic table settings, romantic dining at home, new year eve dining
shirley byrd
Comment
Tablescapes/Holidays, Decorating Tips
fireside dining, tablescape ideas, romantic table settings, romantic dining at home, new year eve dining
shirley byrd
Comment