RSVP Collection No. 12 - Pulled Pork BBQ and Coleslaw

Last summer we had a celebration for our daughter's high school graduation and birthday. The menu included Pulled Pork BBQ sandwiches which were a hit. This is one of those easy recipes that your guests will rave about.  You can keep the ease to make it your little secret.

Pulled Pork BBQ

4-7 lb. center loin pork

(make sure it can fit in your Crock pot)

1/4 c. water

salt and pepper, lightly

barbecue sauce*

Place the meat in the slow cooker with water, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour. Tun to LOW and cook 7 to 9 hours longer, until very tender. Remove roast and discard fat and juices. Chop or shred the pork; return to slow cooker. Mix a little barbecue sauce into the meat for flavor. Cook for about 1 hour longer, until hot. Serve on warm split sandwich buns with coleslaw and extra barbecue sauce on the side.

*My favorite barbecue sauce is Williamson Brothers from Atlanta, GA (can order on-line).


Bonus, here is an easy homemade coleslaw recipe.

Creamy Coleslaw

4 c. shredded cabbage

1/2 c. shredded carrot

1/4 c. finely chopped green pepper

2 T. finely chopped onion

1/2 c. mayonnaise or salad dressing

1 T. vinegar

2 t. sugar

1 t. celery seed

1/4 t. salt

In a large bowl combine the cabbage, carrot, green pepper, and onion. To prepare dressing, stir together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, celery seed, and salt. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture; toss lightly to coat vegetables. Cover and chill. Makes 8 servings.



Gotta Love No. 4 - Tortoise Shell

Recently, while driving in our neighborhood, our daughter rescued a few box turtles making their way across the street, moving them off the roadway. She brought one home to show me and decided it was hungry. So she put it in a box and gave it strawberries and lettuce and then released it into the wooded area bordering our property.

The release was down in haste as our Yellow Lab, Rudy, decided he wanted to play with it but couldn't get it out of the box - my daughter found the turtle upside down in the box, hissing at our dog.

Later in the day my son came home to find Rudy carrying the turtle (safely inside its shell) in his mouth. He pounced proudly over to my son to show him his new "friend". No harm done, the turtle was guided back into the woods again to safety.

It reminded me of how strikingly beautiful a turtle's shell is and how much I love tortoise shell in all aspects of design.

Seriously, how cool is this Miami Beach restaurant?

Sunny day-check. Convertible roof down-check. Vintage tortoise shell sunglasses-check.

This ceiling wallpaper was cut into squares, installed, then given a high gloss coating. Scrumptious!

Get your drink and fun on with these 1950s swizzle sticks!

(I have a few sets of these, what a blast!)

'Nuff said.

Tortoise shell-patterned wallpaper? Shut the front door!

This tortoise shell tile is to die for!

I am gasping, I have no words!

Image Sources: 1st Dibs, House Beautiful, Linda Farrow Vintage, Art of Framing, Bunny Williams, Buzz on Antiques, Carolyne Roehms, Chanel, Decor Pad, Elle Decor, Fender, Flicker, Fossil, Hagan Flynn, Kelly Wearstler, Maitland Smith, Manolo Blahnik, Nate Berkus, Rustic Chic, Willow Bee Inspired

Design on a Train - The Greenbrier

All aboard!  Choo choo! The Greenbrier in White Sulpher Springs, WV announced plans to offer a luxury train route starting in July 2012 between the West Virginia resort and Washington, D.C.

Illustration: The Greenbrier



The Greenbrier Presidential Express is recalling the streamlined 20th Century Limited express train of 1938, and service to Union Station in Washington for the new line, according to spokespersons for the resort.

This is too cool for school! The train's guests will board for a 6-hour, non-stop trip to White Sulpher Springs, with the 15-car train accommodating up to 240 passengers and featuring a boardroom car, salon car, and an open-air car.

Carlton Varney and New York-based Dorothy Draper & Company, Inc. has been commissioned to design and decorate the train cars. The antique Pullman cars will be reconditioned in every way.

Illustration: The Greenbrier

The Greenbrier's signature Dorothy Draper decor is being applied to interiors and exteriors of 15 railroad cars for the Greenbrier Presidential Express, with restoration work being done in Pottstown, PA.

Carlton Varney stated in a recent article of the Palm Beach Daily News that there will be some Ascot greens in the design of the interiors, as well as some Thomas Jefferson blue, along with some rhododendron flower tones. After all, he says, the rhododendron is the state flower of West Virginia. He summarizes the decor as "timeless glamour".

This is one train ticket I wouldn't mind standing in line for. How about you?

Colour Palette No. 2 - Peacock Blue

Image Unknown

I don't think there is any other way to describe this lustrous blue green color then "pretty as a peacock". Some old wives' tales say the peacock feather is bad luck, some say it is good luck. World religions view the peacock feather in different manners as well.

According to Wikipedia theater folklore states that peacock feathers should never be brought on stage, either as a costume element, prop, or part of a set piece. Many veteran actors and directors tell stories of sets collapsing and other events during performances with peacock feathers.

I say the majesty of nature in this plummage declares it a color palette to be enjoyed.

It is said that blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body. Blue is strongly associated with tranquility and calmness. Green is the most restful color for the human eye. Green suggests stability and endurance. So the combination of these two hues to create the peacock blue shade can't be anything less than spectacular!

Benjamin Moore 2057-20 Galapagos Turquoise

Ralph Lauren Baltic Blue

Sherwin Williams SW0064 Blue Peacock

 Peacock Alley at the Waldorf Astoria, New York pairs peacock blue with a striking caramel color. While the Massimo Restaurant at the Corinthia Hotel, London mixes it with stunning green and chocolate brown shades. Lunch anyone?

Peacock Alley - Waldorf Astoria, New York

Massimo Restaurant - Cortinthia Hotel, London

I especially love the peacock color on an accent chair or painted accent wall.

 

Image and Content Sources:  Antony Hall, Belle Maison, CRLaine, Kishani Perera, Hickory Chair, Miles Redd, Decor Pad, Nicolas-Haslam, Elle Decor, Vicente Wolf, Color Wheel Pro

Gift Giving No. 2 - Wrapping Ideas

I love to give and receive a beautifully wrapped gift. I also believe that only a woman can truly appreciate and recognize the effort shown in the presentation; so I save my most creative gift wrapping and embellishments for women. Sorry, men it's a gift bag and some tissue for you, and the cleverly-handmade gift tag so you don't feel left out.

Nothing says how special your gift recipient is like a few added embellishments. 

Even when you are gifting on a budget, the package presentation can be super special and fun.  Here are some tips.

1. Keep your eyes open for wrapping paper and ribbon on sale whenever you shop throughout the year. Don't wait until you need these supplies to purchase. Better to stock up.

2. Set aside an area of your home as a wrapping area or even devote a room to wrapping if you have the space.

3. Gift tags and embellishments can be made from almost anything. Keep on the look out for items that remind you of your friends and family whom you buy gifts for.  Here are a few items from my stash of goodies.

Vintage playing cards.  Fantastic gift tags for the airplane enthusiast.

Vintage luggage tags - great gift package embellishment for the world traveler.

Shoe sketches cut out and used as gift tags for the fashionista!

How about these vintage French flash cards to add sweet nothings to the gift package?

Old maps and atlases make colorful gift tags.

Here are a few more trinkets that can add panache to your gift package.

Old watch faces and gears would be spectacular wrapped within ribbon.

This horse bridle rosette is a great embellishment for a friend whose monogram it matches.

This vintage 1909 book is filled with fantastic toasts to use on gift packages.

Chalkboard painted wooden gift tags are clever. Great to enhance a gift bottle of wine.

And I'm loving this idea for tickets to...the opera, Broadway, a baseball game...

These tags are sporting seashells, dominoes, and even buttons.

What a fantastic bow old reel film makes!

Image Sources: Cavallini, A Gift Wrapped Life, Watson Kennedy, Etsy, Urban Comfort, Real Simple