Welcome to Life at Bella Terra! Thank you for being here today as I am excited to share Christmas in July inspiration with 16 other bloggers. If you are coming here for the first time, welcome. If you are a current subscriber, thank you so much for your support. We are blessed with having a historic property with lots of fireplaces. Long before central heating, most older homes only had access to a fireplace for warmth. Typically, the fireplace is the focal point of a room, therefore, it’s the first place I start when planning my holiday decorations.

If you don’t have a fireplace, no worries. Find a focal point in your room~a staircase, a set of windows, a beautiful bookcase or even a blank wall. The same techniques apply for your holiday attention. For example, our front hall doesn’t have a fireplace but the staircase is where I start the decorating and tie that into the theme of the front door and living room fireplace.

Choose a color

Christmas in July prompts me to think about what theme or color scheme I would like to use for the holidays. Since I like continuity, generally what I use on the front door will lead to similar colors on the bannister and mantels. That way, at least in the entry, there is some sense of consistency.

For example, I will try and use the same ribbon and similar greens~pine, cedar or magnolia. Adding color with artificial or real berries is another way to keep a color theme similar yet different. I do love red and green for Christmas as those colors are not really used for other holidays throughout the year.

Showcase a Collection

If you have any holiday collectibles, like me, it’s a fun time of year to showcase them. We have a snow globe and nutcracker collection. Every year I would bring these out and load up a mantel, however, in the past few years, especially with the children gone, I am decorating with less.

A beloved treasure from our trip to Russia is a collection of hand painted Matryoshka nesting dolls. During the year they are hidden inside the biggest one, but during the holidays I love taking out all of them and displaying the group as a whole.

Feature Holiday Art

Many years ago, I purchased holiday prints, painted them with an acrylic gel (to look like a real painting) and framed them. It’s fun to change out artwork and add a holiday focal point to the mantel.

Enhance Your Room’s Color

Our dining room, due to a large Oriental rug, has its own set of colors (pink, burgundy and green). For years I struggled with holiday decor here because red and green just didn’t work. When I finally decide to use the colors in the room, I now love my holiday decor here. Not many people think of pink for the holidays, but once I start to incorporate this color it really resonates Christmas.

Dusty pink, rose, and various shades of green bring this room to life. Don’t fear using a non-traditional color for the holidays. If it works for you, then do it! Quite honestly, I am surprised to find ornaments and bottle brush trees in shades of pink.

Make Your Own

It doesn’t take a big budget to make a mantel or focal point special. The mantel in our breakfast room is decorated with orange slices from our tree that I dried in the oven. Wooden house collection is from Target’s dollar section. Add a bit of faux garland and you have an attractive, affordable holiday mantel.

The bead and tassel garland is an easy DIY and you can see it here.

Use what You Have

My friend, Barbara, from Mantel and Table, searched my house for items to make this lovely mantel in my art room. Using artificial peonies, pinecone ornaments, gold berries, sheer ribbon and candles, she creates this very feminine swag.

Chloe, from Celebrate and Decorate finds a set of elk antlers and creates this gorgeous outdoor mantel. The rustic theme and elements are perfect with the rugged stacked stone fireplace.

Chas, from Chas’ Crazy Creations, takes coffee filters to make this frilly, lighted garland for our dark mahogany fireplace mantel in the library. See? It doesn’t take lots of cash to be creative.

Look to Nature

Tree clippings, pinecones, moss, dried flowers and other gifts from your own backyard are perfect elements for a beautiful mantel. Or ask a neighbor for some clippings. Be creative!

Size and Scope

Perhaps the biggest challenge for me is our living room fireplace. The mantel is deep AND long. Getting the scale right has always been a challenge. When my blogging friends visited in 2020, they were kind enough to tackle decorating some of the mantels. It was then that I learned about size and scope from Chloe (Celebrate and Decorate). Look at the gorgeous decorating job she did in the living room.

Here is when I learned about using Command Strips to wire your garland. Lots of garland, berries and simple candles and bells, make this just fabulous.

Make it Your Own

How you decorate reflects you, your home, your family and your vibe. I know we sometimes get caught up in what might be trendy. Sometimes just changing things up and moving traditions around can refresh your holiday decor.

If you happen to be in Phoenix on October 20, please join us for a Fall Styling Workshop. The goal of this is to gather like minded people together and learn how to transition your fall decor to the holidays, while achieving your own unique style. We will spend the day decorating mantels, stying a holiday table and sharing good food and conversation with new and old friends. To see more about this event, click here. We’d love for you to join us! Space is limited so send in your registration as soon as possible.

Christmas in July Blog Hop

Now it’s time to see more holiday inspiration from 16 other very talented bloggers. Many thanks to Rachel from The Ponds Farmhouse for organizing this event. If you came here from Robyn’s French Nest, I hope you enjoyed the 5 easy things to do now for to prepare for the holidays.

Join the Christmas In July Blog Hop for more holiday inspiration. To follow along, click the highlighted blog name.

The Ponds Farmhouse / Cottage on Bunker Hill / Chas Crazy Creations /

Design Morsels / The Tatter Pew / White Arrows Home

Midwest Life & Style / Bricks N Blooms / Simply 2 Moms /

Shiplap & Shells / Down Shiloh Road / Country Road 407

Celebrate & Decorate / WM Design House / Peacock Ridge Farm

/ Robyn’s French Nest / Life At Bella Terra

Don’t forget to check out Rachel at The Ponds Farmhouse at the top of this blog hop, if you haven’t been there yet. Thanks for joining me today!

Happy New Year and this is the first Saturday Meanderings of 2023. It is nice to be back with you after a reprieve from blogging the last week or so. Our holidays were full and abundant and I can honestly say, I am enjoying a mostly slow and relaxing first week of January. So let’s get started chatting about all good things that are happening.

Slowly Taking Down the Decorations

Since we don’t start taking down our holiday decorations until January 6th, the Epiphany, I’ve been enjoying them every day without all the company and holiday hustle. Just to sit and look at our tree with a cup of tea is so fulfilling and peaceful. It does make me a bit sad to take them down, as the house looks so magical with all the twinkly lights. The tree and the cedar garland is still fresh and smelling so good. We never know what the next Christmas will bring so this time between Christmas and the Epiphany is one I cherish.

This year, instead of rushing through the decoration removal, I am doing it one room at a time. It’s all part of a greater plan to be more intentional this year (more on that below).

New Books and a Podcast to Recommend

Finally, I have a few books that I can recommend. I truly enjoyed The Alice Network by Kate Quinn. Little did I know that there was a network of female spies during WW1 called The Alice Network. Kate Quinn does an excellent job of weaving fact and fiction into a compelling novel. Definitely worth reading.

If you like adventure, a treasure hunt and a love story, you will enjoy Something Wilder by Christina Lauren. This is the first book I have read from these two authors (Christina Hobbs and Laura Billings) and I did enjoy their writing style. Just downloaded another one of their books, The Unhoneymooners. Will let you know what I think about that one too.

For longer car trips, we love listening to books on tape through Audible. For me, the narrator has to be articulate, clear and entertaining. Nathaniel Parker is the narrator for the Mydworth Mysteries (written by Neil Richards and Matthew Costello). These fun murder mysteries take place in the 1920s and are just delightful to listen to during long car rides. There are 13 books in the Mydworth Mysteries series and you can get the books on Amazon too.

Though I am relatively new at listening to podcasts, the listening time tends to be short (much shorter than novels) and can cover a variety of topics. Recently, I listened to Archive Unknown (there are only 4 podcasts to date) on Audible. Archive Unknown reveals secrets, crimes, conspiracies, and unbelievable true stories that are tucked away in archives across the country. Host Lara Zielin finds fascinating objects from history and tells you the mysterious stories behind them. They are 12 to 16 minutes long and I hope Lara Zielin drops more episodes. Really well done.

If you have any book or podcast recommendations, please let me know.

The Best $9.75 You will Spend

This week I helped move my daughter out of town to start her Master’s Program. As you may know, she has been living in our guest cottage for the last few years. What started out as a place to stay after college graduation while she worked nearby, turned into a few more years due to the pandemic.

While helping her pack, I came across her pots and pans and they were not in great condition. Actually, every pot and pan looks similar to the photo above. In good conscience, I could not pack them knowing as is.

Introduce Bar Keepers Friend Powder Cleanser. Cleans and polishes and is a bleach-free product. This cleanser is a stainless steel cleaner and can easily remove rust, tarnish, mineral deposits, and tough stains from most surfaces. Trust me, this stuff is fabulous. Her pots and pans literally look brand new. You can purchase 2 containers from Amazon for $9.75 here.

Plus you can use it in other places in your home~kitchen, bathroom, and outdoors (on your grill, tools, hardware, sporting equipment). I highly recommend you wear gloves as it can be very hard on your skin. Love this stuff!

Gorgeous Sunrises and Sunsets

The sunsets and sunrises are in the spectacular phase lately. The tall palm trees in our front yard almost look like they are on fire after a late afternoon rain shower. You can barely see the rainbow in the moody sky above.

This is the same view to the east and check out this gorgeous sunrise. Every day Mother Nature is providing works of art in the sky. It’s just amazing.

A Different Approach to the New Year

Typically, I start every new year with a bang~renewed energy, resolutions and excitement for a new chapter. However, this new year is not the same. When I reflect on 2022, most of it is a blur. I think after being restricted during the pandemic, 2022 was the year to move fast, tackle lots of things and feel alive again. But instead of feeling satisfied, my life last year equates to a movie on fast forward. I am asking myself, where did the year go? What was meaningful about it? With no easy answers to these questions, I find it all a bit unsettling.

Is anyone else experiencing this? Well, I’ve decided 2022 is not the way I want to live my life. The hope and goal this year is to slow down and live with more intention. Instead of thinking of all the things I need to do while brushing my teeth, I am trying to just think about brushing my teeth.

As a result, I’ve decided to not adhere to my blogging schedule of posting Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday each week. Instead, I will post when I have something to share that I think you will love. Saturday Meanderings will continue because I really enjoy writing this post. Not that I don’t enjoy writing the other two, but they do feel more like work with a deadline.

I want to paint more and give myself permission to put my feet up and read a book. Having a very strong work ethic can be a blessing and a curse. This year, I want to work hard but also slow down and enjoy life. Often we are expected to do it all but if it is not fulfilling, then we must let go.

That’s the plan for 2023 and I believe a shift to a more intentional life is a worthy goal. Do you have any goals or resolutions for the new year?

Thank you so much for being so supportive. I truly appreciate the time you take to read my posts and provide your wonderful comments. Learning from you is really the highlight of this blogging adventure!

Happy New Year, friends!

As I write this, today is Christmas Day Observed on the calendar (Monday, Dec. 26) and I can tell you I am taking this day to relax and do nothing. The refrigerator is filled with leftovers and we continue to enjoy our children collectively as our son is in town until Thursday. Here at Bella Terra we enjoy all the Christmas decorations through the New Year. Nothing comes down or gets put away until the Epiphany, January 6th.

I love this time of year where the pace slows down ALOT and our days will be filled with movie watching, book reading, long walks and the company of friends and family. Next week we will be moving our daughter to college to start her Masters program so I am enjoying the calm before the storm.

Benefits of Having Foodie Children

After years of providing Christmas breakfast, lunch and dinner, I am happy to announce that all three children really stepped in this year to do the bulk of the preparation and cooking. My youngest, Elisabeth, brined a pork belly, smoked, sliced and cooked it for homemade bacon. Hard to ever eat store bought bacon again~it is so delicious. Of course, we did have my husband’s help in preparing the Christmas tradition of Eggs a la Goldenrod, which is a family breakfast favorite.

Julianna, the middle child, made spring rolls from scratch to complement our non-traditional dinner this year. I did assist in hand rolling them~quiet the labor of love! Filled with fresh vegetables and chicken, they are such a tasty treat.

Benjamin suggests a different menu for our Christmas dinner and as a result, I had a lesson in Southeast Asian food. He made Momofuku’s Bo Ssam, a slow-roasted pork shoulder served with lettuce, rice and some many flavorful condiments from hot sauces to kimchi.

Dinner is an interactive, hands on event with everyone helping themselves to the centerpiece of delicious food. From cucumber salad to lettuce wraps filled with juicy pork and tangy sauces, the meal is a resounding success.

I know come January, I will be back to eating healthy and in less quantity, but right now, all that is going on in our kitchen is pure love, joy and laughter!

True Meaning of the Season

We try not to get caught up in the frenetic retail focus of the season and spent a wonderful Christmas Eve attending the 3:30 p.m. service at church. What a joyful time watching the children reenact the Nativity story and see our beautifully decorated church filled with people.

A casual Christmas Eve dinner of a Jack Stack Barbecue (a gift to us from my brother, Michael and wife, Brenda) is still being enjoyed in my food memory. This is very good Kansas City barbecue and I have never had it before. However, they do nationwide delivery , and we highly recommend it. You can find their website here.

Christmas Art on your Television

In the kitchen, I have a small television hidden in one of the cabinets. I just discovered that you can turn your flatscreen television into 3D framed art. The image stays on the screen for 10 minutes so if you are busy cooking you can look up occasionally and won’t miss a frame. This holiday one is on YouTube and you can find it here.

It’s Time for a Break

I will taking some time off to rest, recharge, and enjoy the company of loved ones ahead of the new year (something we hope all of you get to do as well!), so there will be no posts the rest of the week. I will catch up with you in 2023! Hard to believe that is only 6 days away.  

Have a safe and blessed week, my friends.

Merry Christmas Eve! I hope all of your holiday wrapping, cooking and planning is done and you are enjoying the true meaning of Christmas. Looks like most of the country is experiencing challenging weather, but in Phoenix this is our “good” climate~crisp mornings/evenings and warmer days, deep blue skies and fresh clear air. Thank you for joining me for another Saturday Meanderings where we chat about all good things this week.

Fun and Unique Places in Phoenix

This week we crossed off a holiday list item and had an ornamentini at the Hermosa Inn. Famed artist Lon Megargee created The Hermosa Inn in the 1930s as his private escape before opening up to guests.

This lovely boutique inn retains that original intimate feel, complete with homey touches: Lon’s original artwork hanging on the walls, a flourishing garden, upscale furnishings throughout.

Every year, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, the bar/restaurant called Lon’s, serves an ornamentini cocktail. The martini comes in a clear ornament, which you pour into a sugared-rim glass. Not only is the cocktail delicious, but imagine sipping it in front of one of the many fireplaces at The Hermosa Inn. The sprigs of fresh rosemary and cranberries make the cocktail even more festive.

Another fabulous destination in our city is Platform 18. Rated one of the world’s best cocktail bars, Platform 18 is taking a trip back in time. You and your party will depart from Platform 18 in a glamorous, Presidential Pullman-inspired train car.

Here is the description from their website: “If you haven’t experienced Platform 18 for yourself, you’re in for a one-of-a-kind experience that we bet you’ve never had (especially in a bar!) The train bar’s immersive and elevated cocktail experience comfortably seats 36 guests.

By booking a ticket (i.e., making a reservation), travelers will embark on a 90-minute journey through the Rocky Mountains with your host Hollis Cottley Pennington, a railroad tycoon, and bootlegger. Guests will enjoy an opulent adventure to the early 20th century while imbibing on exquisitely crafted cocktails inspired by worldly flavors and ingredients.”

This is such a fun destination and you truly feel like you are on a moving train. So innovative!

Blue and White Tulipieres

Two tulipieres are a recent purchase from The Enchanted Home. Not only are they beautiful but so impressive in size. Located on the coffee table in our living room, I add red roses and white glittery chrysanthemums for the holidays.

Unfortunately, one of the tulipieres is leaking water and here is the other. We are double checking the leak status, hence the paper towel underneath. I am hoping there is a remedy to this, as I love the pair and obviously want to use them with fresh flowers.

Lots of Kitchen Time

Having my son in town means more time in the kitchen with him. This week we made a huge apple pie, barbecue wings, finished up my Mary Berry Christmas cake and learned how to make smash burgers. I don’t think I’ll ever make a standard hamburger again!

Tried my hand at making leaves and berries out of marzipan.

Have you ever made smash burgers? The key is to smash the meat to get as many nooks and crannies browned and flavorful, while retaining as much of the juice as possible. On this burger, there are two smashed burgers, onions, lettuce, cheese and pickles. The picture doesn’t do it justice. Oh my. So delicious.

This weekend, in addition to the holiday meal, I will be baking bread and hopefully making some homemade panettone. January will be a healthy month as I will need to cut back and stop eating all this great food. But isn’t that what the holidays are all about?

Strange Occurrence

There is something going on with my outdoor cushions. Look at the neat, geometric pieces that are missing? What could be causing this? I’m picturing some rodent who is decorating their nest and being very picky about the fabric and colors. Isn’t this just odd?

I will need to get these recovered, but until I realize why this is happening, I don’t want to go to the expense of reupholstering again with Sunbrella fabric. Do you think something is eating it? The green stripes are untouched, but not the white. So strange.

Thankful for you

Thank you so much for following this blog, sending in your comments and feedback and sharing when you try a recipe or DIY. With the world so conflicted, it is so nice to have friends, both real and virtual, who take the time to say something kind. We’re in this together and I believe we need each other to become the best versions of ourselves. Every day I learn something new from you and hopefully, I provide some beauty and inspiration to your life.

I am so fortunate to spend this Christmas with my family. However, I know how difficult the holidays can be for others. This year, I am finding myself sobbing during certain Christmas carols as they remind me of my parents, who are both gone. I miss them dearly. The older we get, the losses seem to add up, whether it be family, friends, acquaintances, or our furry friends. So I am trying to take each moment as it comes, both joyful and sad, realizing this is life.

Sending hugs and a deep sense of gratitude to all of you. Merry Christmas.

Two years ago I made my first gingerbread house. It is such a rewarding, creative experience that I am looking forward to it again this year. Maybe it is my love of renovating homes or the artistic energy that goes into gingerbread house making. But the whole process is positively rewarding.

Which Dough Recipe to Use

There are many gingerbread house dough recipes online. Here is one from Sally’s Baking Addiction and another from Martha Stewart. The key to good gingerbread house building dough is that it is flavorful and sturdy enough to hold up to construction. Plus it smells great while baking.

Using a Template

You can make your own templates or get various ones online. The templates I use are from Martha Stewart, purchased in the 1990s and apparently lost the instructions. Thankfully the template pieces are labeled.

The smaller pieces I cut on the counter as the larger ones are done in place on the cookie sheet, so I didn’t have to move them and risk breakage.

Baking the Gingerbread pieces

Gingerbread is a little difficult to bake because you are already starting with a darker colored dough. I can typically tell when something is finished baking by the smell. Too much baking and you will of course smell it burning, but refer to the recipe to bake it for the right amount of time.

Baking can result in some of the edges expanding. Use a paring knife to trim off the excess. Having square edges helps during assembly for a more solid structure.

The Details

A large cardboard base covered in aluminum foil makes for a good foundation for your project.

If your house has windows, you can easily make window panes using butterscotch candies. This may sound intimidating, but this is a very easy technique with fabulous results.

Smash the candies into bits and then pour onto parchment paper in the rough form and size of the windows.

In a few minutes, the candies melt in the oven. After cooling, they readily peel off the parchment paper and are ready to install.

Assembling the Pieces

After all the pieces are baked and windows created, construction can begin! There are several recipes for Royal icing online for gingerbread construction. Three simple ingredients ~~confectioners sugar, egg whites and cream of tartar makes a sturdy glue. Apply with a pastry bag makes the process easy and helpful.

Using the Royal icing “glue” the windows to the inside of the walls.

Look how pretty the windows look with light passing through the “glass”.

Time and patience are essential next. It is important to wait for the royal icing to dry after each section is put together. If not, collapse is inevitable.

Before the roof goes on, place the battery operated fairy lights inside.

This is the fun and creative part for me~~decorating the outside with various candies and confections, pretzels and coconut.

Use Two different candies~small York minis and Hershey’s milk drops. Place them in an alternating pattern for the roof tiles. Start with a thin stripe of Royal icing and set the candies in rows.

For texture on the chimney, use chocolate bark. Hershey chocolate pieces and pretzels adorn the windows and corners.

With the extra gingerbread dough, I make trees and a wreath with a cookie cutter.

Long drips of Royal icing along the roof line mimic snow and ice crystals. Pretzels add trim to the doors and windows. Hershey’s chocolate pieces are the shutters to each window.

Use food coloring to tint the Royal icing. Here I use green for the trees and wreath; red for the bow and tree ornaments.

Small fairy lights along the roof line add sparkle and chocolate squares create an entrance walkway. The possibilities for decorating a gingerbread house are endless~use your imagination.

Mr. and Mrs. Gingerbread get custom outfits too!

A puff of fiberfill or snow makes the chimney smoke.

Other Gingerbread Decorating Ideas

Each year I try and do something different. Here is a hen house and a camping trailer my daughter and I made in 2020.

Drool Worthy Gingerbread Houses

Someday, I would love to be able to create such amazing gingerbread houses such as these. There are so many ideas and photos on Pinterest.

But until then, I will continue to enjoy the process of making ones for the holiday. It is truly a fun project for you and your family, especially the decorating part.

Have you made a gingerbread house or other creation? If so, please tell me all about it.

Happy Tuesday!