Bar Cart Styling Ideas for the Holidays

In case you hadn't noticed, bar carts are kind of having a moment right now.  It's easy to see why -- they add a touch of sophistication along with a fun way to display adult beverages and pretty accessories. 

I don't have a bar car (yet!), so unfortunately I have no pictures of my own to share. Instead, I scoured the interwebs to find some of my favorite bar cart styling ideas.  And with the holidays right around the corner, bar carts also provide another opportunity to show off your festive spirit! 

{image via Inspired by This}

I'm kind of obsessed with copper, so it's no wonder this bar cart caught my eye. Love the neutral, understated elegance for fall gatherings!

Last-minute Thanksgiving Recipe

The past couple of years, I've made creamed corn and pumpkin bread for the office Thanksgiving potluck. This year, I wanted to bring something different, but it also had to be something quick, cheap, and easy. While browsing through All Recipes (my favorite go-to resource), I came upon this recipe for cranberry sauce. Obviously, cranberry sauce is not a new concept to the Thanksgiving menu, but I've never tried making it before. This recipe sounded too easy to pass up (or screw up). And it only took three ingredients, two of which I already had on hand. Here's my experience:

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, dissolve 1 cup sugar in 1 cup orange juice.

If I'm not mistaken, a lot of cranberry sauce recipes just use water and sugar, so I think the orange juice adds a little something special here. And of course, cranberry & orange is a great flavor combo anyway.

Stir in 12 ounces of cranberries and cook until the cranberries start to pop (about 10 minutes). 

This part of the recipe was a little alarming to me, having never cooked cranberries before. What happens when cranberries pop? Would they explode and squirt scalding cranberry juice in my face? Would this require some form of protective eyewear? I decided to err on the side of caution and just covered my pot with a lid. Sure enough, after a few minutes, I began to hear popping noises. It wasn't as scary as I thought it would be, but definitely noticeable. I moved the lid aside just enough to stir them around every once in awhile.

Remove from heat and place sauce in a bowl. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.

I took the pot off the burner after about 12 minutes, when I wasn't hearing any more popping, and it appeared that most of the cranberries had burst. The sauce looked frothy and runny.

After my taste test, I'd say it was a success! Tart yet a little sweet, and you can taste the hint of orange. I spooned it into a white bowl to set off the red color. This cranberry sauce would make a great addition to any Thanksgiving or Christmas table! In my opinion, much better than cranberry sauce out of a can (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  Stretchy pants, here I come!

* Notes: I bought the bag of Ocean Spray fresh cranberries in the produce section, but there might be frozen ones, too. Also, I doubled the recipe (2 cups/2 cups/24 oz).

Thrifty Thanksgiving Tablescape

While I'm not hosting Thanksgiving at our house this year (I haven't achieved that status in the family hierarchy yet), that doesn't mean I can't pretend! As part of the Dare to...Entertain blog party over at Newly Woodwards, I got in the Thanksgiving spirit this weekend and staged my own tablescape. Therefore, keep in mind it's only for looks and not necessarily function.  :)

With that said, if I were a holiday hostess this year, my Turkey Day table might look a little like this...

Rather than using all the same plates, I mixed it up with two different styles (which were conveniently perfect colors for fall). It's a little more fun that way. I think the stemless wine glasses add to the casual feel, too.

You might notice that one important thing I'm missing is some fancy cloth napkins. Well, I don't own any, and a roll of paper towels on the table just wouldn't have had the same effect.

To dress up the silverware, I got a little creative. *pats self on back* I took some wide ribbon I had just bought on sale at Wal-Mart ($2.50), rolled it around the silverware, and tied a piece of raffia around it. Voila!

I didn't feel like using spoons. Remember... pretty, not practical.

The leaves scattered on my no-sew table runner were plucked off of a clearance garland (also from Wal-Mart). For $1.50, they look realistic enough for me!

My centerpiece consists of elements from various stores (Hobby Lobby, Wal-Mart, Z Gallerie) that I managed to assemble into something pretty decent. All in all, I think it cost around $10.

Finally, I had to get my $12 wreath from Home Goods in the background. We added a small hook on the top of our mirror, and I just hung it with raffia. It's perfect for fall!

I have to admit, it was pretty fun to set my Thanksgiving table, even though it won't be put to use. Thanks for the idea, Kim! So I might leave it like this for the next few days, just because I can.

More gratuitous "ambience" photos:

 Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year?