Party Time!!

Cheers!

We made it through Christmas... the laughter, the happy tears, the hecticness and with possibly with a few more inches around the mid-section...but, we made it!

New Years is just around the corner and what better way to celebrate the past year and welcome in the New Year then with a dinner party?!

You don't even need to do a full dinner party...an evening of appetizers and cocktails is just as fun and is a bit more casual.

Personally, I would be more inclined to have people over for appetizers and cocktails (mainly due to the size of my house/dining area) and in preparation of this, I always turn to my Williams Sonoma Cookbooks. Not only do I flip through my cookbooks for inspiration, but, the Williams Sonoma website also has a plethora of recipes from a variety of their cookbooks that you can access and enjoy! This is one of my favourites:

Mushroom and Mascarpone Tartlets



If mascarpone is unavailable, you can approximate its flavor and consistency by whisking 1/3 cup softened cream cheese with 1/3 cup sour cream until smooth.


Ingredients:

1 disk savory tart dough (see related recipe at left)

Flour for rolling out dough

1 Tbs. unsalted butter

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 large leeks, including pale green parts, halved, rinsed and thinly sliced

3/4 lb. cremini, shiitake, or oyster mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced

1/2 oz. dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes, squeezed dry and finely chopped (optional)

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

2/3 cup mascarpone cheese (see note above)

Directions:

Bake the tart bases

Preheat an oven to 375°F.
Divide the dough disk in half, keeping one half in the refrigerator until needed. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each half into a rough round 1/8 inch thick. Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter, cut out as many rounds as possible. Transfer to 1 or 2 baking sheets. Gather the scraps, roll out 1/8 inch thick and cut out additional rounds. You should have about 32 rounds. Pierce the rounds in several places with a fork. Bake until the tart bases are slightly golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Cook the mushrooms

Meanwhile, in a large fry pan over medium heat, melt the butter with the oil. Add the leeks and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms and reconstituted porcini, season generously with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and become dry and softened, about 5 minutes.

Assemble the tarts

Spread 1 heaping tsp. of the mascarpone onto each tart base. Mound 2 tsp. of the mushroom mixture on the cheese. Arrange on a platter and serve immediately. Makes about 32 tartlets.

When it comes to cocktails, most of my friends "BYOB" as they have a very wide variety of tastes, however, I like to make sure I always have the 'staples' on hand (vodka, gin, rye, rum and red &white wine), mix, non-alcoholic options such as Efferve and lots & lots of bubbly!

 
 


Pull out your best stemware, flatware, serving dishes and then start to decorate!

From the kitchen (we all know parties congregate in the kitchen) to the dining room.....I know how much I enjoy putting together the centrepieces, the flatware, the linens...the possibilities are endless!

You can take the holiday decor you already have out and make small changes to transform it into New Years decor. Replace the snowmen with snowflakes, the holiday stockings for sparkley stiletto ornaments or mini snowshoes (depending on whether you're going for glitz/glam or a more rustic feel) and leave out the antlers, the greenery, the deer, the sparkley branches etc etc....

Perfect for the 'kitchen party'..a moveable island, white platters/plates and natural decor.

Farmhouse Chic Decor....LOVE the goblets!




Rustic Simplicity!



Green glass! Use the collections you already have!




More formal.....


The buffet is a perfect to set up the bar area....



Holiday colours in a rustic setting....

Rustic Modern....



White, creams and natural elements...Simple = Beautiful
Non-trad colours look incredibly festive!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and "Cheers" to 2013!

RR






For the Love of Lonny!

Every month when I receive the email that the new issue of Lonny is live, I wish I could stop, put everything that's going on around me on hold and dive right into this amazing online magazine!
 
I LOVE this magazine!
 
To say that it is inspirational is the worlds biggest understatement! From fashion, to home decor, to restaurants, gift ideas....it never ends! And.....what takes it even a step further is that it is interactive! Just click on the pages and the magazine links you to the website of the sources on the page...DOUBLE LOVE!!!
 
Here are some of my favs from the past few months...and if this little tease doesn't make you want to subscribe..well....I just don't know what to say/do!
 
 
December's issue is full of amazing gift ideas!!



 

 
November's issue has some amazing workspaces and drool worthy rustic decor!



 
 
 

 
The great outdoors was celebrated in the September issue...and the featured East Hamptom home is my dream...
 




 
 
So now that you can't wait to dive in just as much as I can't, get yourself a glass of wine or a cup of tea, put on a fire, get a cozy blanket and curl up on the couch to look through the December issue....and all the archives too!!
 
Cheers to Lonny!
 
RR

Rustic Transitions....

The transition to Fall has to be my favorite time of year. The light, the colours, the chill in the air...time to pull out the wool sweaters, cozy blankets, leather boots and the most fun of all....time to change the decor in your/my home!

When it comes to home decor this time of year, the best place to pull your inspiration from is right out your front door....


The rugged bark of a tree in mossy browns and smokey greys, the mustard yellow of golden rod, the burnt oranges and deep burgundy of mums, the muted greens of the trees & corn stalks, the greeny blues of the lake and the sandy beiges of the last walks on the beach.








Take a look around your home....Small changes such as adding knit throw cushions, a wool throw/blanket, add more candles in earthy tones, fill a vase with branches rather than flowers, a simple wooden bowl filled with stones from the beach....All of these will take your home from Summer to Autumn and add warmth, coziness and character.

Just walk out your front door, down the lane and around your neighbourhood or take a weekend roadtrip through the countryside...take lots of pictures and come home with more inspiration then you'll know what to do with!


RR

Back to reality...

The summer long weekend....a chance to get away to the lake, enjoy time with friends in the sun...and escape the 'real world'.


One of my best gal pals was heading to the cottage with her kids (2 of the best kids you will ever meet!) and I was lucky enough to join them for a few days....


The shores of Lake Huron bring back many childhood memories and many more were made this weekend...


Needless to say, this weekend reinforced my goal to move towards cottage ownership...There is something about the water, waves, sand, rocks and sun that takes every ounce of stress and melts it away...


No other sunset can compare to a Lake Huron sunset...



Of course there was home decor involved this weekend...along with a few cold beverages...This issue of Dwell is fantastic!....The home from the province of Friesland in the Netherlands is the perfect combination of the rustic modern aesthetic...When the time comes for me to design a cottage, I could take a lot of inspiration from this home!

poetryworld house kitchen



poetryworld house dining living room



poetryworld house studio

Hope all of my friends had a great long weekend!

RR

Rustic 'Eye-Candy'

After an afternoon of wandering around the Aberfoyle Antique Market today, I felt a renewal of rustic inspiration....and I also wish I had a much bigger house as there were sooo many pieces I would have loved to have brought home!

I would have LOVED to have brought this piece home! It needs some TLC but it has great character and detail and the colour is fantastic!



I did bring home these skis...yes, I'm already thinking of outdoor winter decor...but what really caught my attention was their brand name...SOOOO close to mine! They were also a great deal (and I'm always searching for a great deal) at only $8 (he even knocked $2 off the original $10 price tag)!!


While still on the wave of inspiration, I came home and searched the web and put together this blog based "inspiration board" of some stunning examples of rustic home decor and design.  Just 'click-on' every picture and it will take you to the webpage so you can enjoy even further inspiration!

Enjoy!!








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Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

RR

Etsy is a Reality!!

Our shop is open and ready for business!

CLICK ON OUR LOGO TO TAKE A PEEK AT OUR SHOP!

We've even had our first sale and 4 Vintage Draft Horse Pictures have been sent in the mail today to Alabama!


The thing that I love most about Etsy is that it brings talent from across the globe and your own backyard together on one site. It is the epitomy of supporting small business both near and far!

Our store will include not only rustic items, but vintage items as well!

 I "heart" Rustic Style, but I'm also "ga-ga" for Vintage!

And.... if it's Vintage Equine....I can hardly keep myself from salivating!

Percheron

Belgian

Clydesdale....my favorite Draft/Heavy Horse!

I have always had a soft spot for Heavy Horses...growing up our neighbours raised Clydes and they are the first horses I ever rode.

What makes these pictures even more special are the fact that they are from a local primary school and were sent to the teacher by the Ontario Department of Agriculture - Livestock Branch. They truly are a piece of Ontario history.

I am keeping a set for myself and plan to do a gallery wall in simple, black frames....they not only remind me of my childhood, but also my future. One day...I will live back out in the country and have horses again.




This shop is just my next adventure in the world of home decor...I'm really, really looking forward to what the future holds!
So.... if you have a few minutes, please feel free to drop by our shop and take a look...I'm going to try and add new items regularly!

Also, while you're on the site, if you're looking for gorgeous hand-made cards, take a look at  my friend Steph's store  ' A Paper Buffet ' . Or, if you want beautiful, felted clutches, infinity scarves, cellphone case, cup cozies etc, she has a second shop called ' Knitley Road '.

RR

Backyard Contest Begins!!

The Spring/Summer 2012 Backyard Contest has officially begun!


Like any good project, ..say oh...a Backyard Reno Project,..this contest will have 3 parts:

1. The Plan/Budget
2. The Implementation
3. The End Product and Follow Up

Each week for the next 3 weeks I will introduce each new stage of the contest, starting today with Part One...the all important first step.

It's really quite simple....in order for the Contest to "activate" the Rustic Retrievals Facebook Fan page "Budget" needs to reach 50 "Likes" by Friday June 8, 2012.

The Plan to help keep on track to this 'Budget', is for all of you to keep sharing Rustic Retrievals' Facebook updates, Blog entries, Retweeting tweets etc etc ....encourage your friends and followers to drop by our page, hit "Like" and they too can become part of the contest.

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Some Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, Pinterest and Instagram followers have already earned 'earlybird ballots' and I will continue to track each and every "Share", "Like", "Retweet", "Comment" etc.....

Each time you do so, you will receive a ballot for when the contest goes "live" and we'll begin giving away some great (and I mean GREAT) summertime, backyard and rustic themed prizes!

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Best of luck to you all!!

RR

Sunday Inspiration.....

Some Rustic Inspiration for you on a Sunday afternoon......


Granite, wood, glass....


 
Beams
 
Loft height ceilings..



Barn door....
 
More beams, neutral colours...



Wood, windows and the view...



Mantel, candles, wood tones...




Island top, light fixtures and windows...




Snow, blankets...


Stone, skis, beams....

Hope you have a great week and keep moving towards your goals through inspiration....

RR