Bring Rio to Your Home

By Home Style Furniture

The largest international multi-sport event will take place in Rio de Janeiro this August. Since it is international, you can imagine the number of eyes watching worldwide. It’s a time that everyone unites together to cheer for their respective country. That being said, it’s also a great opportunity for you to host a gathering with family and friends, in order to cheer on the crème de la crème athletes around the world. Let’s take a look at how to organize your party:

Bring Rio to your home

Begin by decorating your home with colorful lanterns, tiny palm trees and miniature parrots to bring the tropical feel that Brazil has to offer. It will certainly get everyone in the right frame of mind. For a moment, they might just forget where they are!

Food, food, and more food

If you’re going to have guests over to watch the opening of the Olympics, or to view one of your favorite sports, then food is a must! Set up a table with different foods. Try to be creative by assembling cold dishes that resemble flags!

The right accommodations

Perhaps the most significant element is to have the right furniture to accommodate your guests. Obviously, the larger the group, the more seating that will be needed. Ideally, a large sectional would definitely do the trick! If you are planning on serving savory tropical drinks, then a coffee table or ottoman would definitely be handy! That way, you have somewhere to rest your tray. Finally, a tv stand would be optimal to keep the tv at perfect eye level.

Team spirit

In order to stir up some team spirit, you may want to create a scoreboard to record how many medals your favorite team is receiving. Also, encourage your guests to wear something that supports the team(s) you are cheering for!

Now that you have your party outlined, you’re all set to have a good time! Remember, “Every champion was once a contender that refused to give up” – Rocky Balboa. We can all learn a little from these hard working athletes!

Mix & Match Your Dining Room Furniture:

Are you looking to spice up your dining room? You can add character to this space by mixing an array of furniture with a Vintage Casual style. All your pieces will have some type of character to them and they don’t need to be from the same collection! Besides, being too matchy-matchy has nearly become a home décor faux pas!

The dining table

First and foremost, begin with the dining table. The Mestler dining table is a simply shaped table with a beautiful rich bisque finish. Fortunately, the simplicity of the shape allows for the rich finish to take the spotlight. In fact, the beauty of picking a table as such is that you can allow yourself to ramp up the character with the seating.

Seating options

That being said, the second task is that of selecting the dining seating. The Mestler collection offers a variety of seating choices to meet your dining room décor needs. As a first option, the side chair featuring a beautiful distressed antique blue finish, would definitely add some much needed character to the table. However, if you feel that this option is antique blue overkill, you can play with the seating style and add a touch of blue instead. In order to pull this look off, opt for a mix of distressed antique blue chairs, distressed antique white chairs and a tufted light brown upholstered chair. All three dining chairs offer a Vintage Casual style that blends perfectly with the dining table.  

The piece that ties it all together

Lastly, the final touch resonates with the buffet. The Demarlos dining room server features a vintage-inspired style. This piece is bathed in a rich finish with gentle distressed accents and antique hardware. It screams character! Despite exuding character, its relaxed sensibility avoids an overstated look. Aside from being stylish, this server offers plenty of storage space – a must for ladies that love their china!

If you’re an individual who enjoys displaying a little character in your home, then this project is for you! Enjoy mixing and matching your pieces to achieve your desired look!

Sweet Thanksgiving Recipe

By Home Style Furniture

The past tradition to give thanks for the harvest season is obsolete. Today, our thanksgiving is more like an occasion to get together with family and friends over a dinner. Hardly anyone has their meal without apple cider, pumpkin pie and a big stuffed turkey!  

If you`re not hosting, here`s a treat you can bring to dinner; sweet pumpkin cheesecake recipe. You will surely enjoy ending your meal with this delicious piece of cake. Happy thanksgiving! 

Pumpkin Cheesecake 

TIME: 1hr 44mins 

PREP 40 MINS 

COOK 1 HR 4 MINS 

INGREDIENTS  8 SERVINGS   

1 1⁄2 cups graham cracker crumbs 

5 tablespoons butter, melted 

1 cup sugar, plus 

1 tablespoon sugar 

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 cup canned pumpkin 

3 eggs 

1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon 

1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg 

1⁄4 teaspoon allspice 

Whipped cream 

DIRECTIONS FOR THE CRUST  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Make the crust by combining the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and 1 Tbsp. sugar in a medium bowl. 

Stir well enough to coat all of the crumbs with the butter, but not so much as to turn the mixture into paste. 

Keep it crumbly. 

Put foil partway up the outside part of an 8-inch springform pan. 

Press the crumbs onto the bottom and about two-thirds of the way up the sides of the springform pan. 

You don't want the crust to form all of the way up the back of each slice of cheesecake. 

Bake the crust for 5 minutes, and then set aside until you are ready to fill it. 

DIRECTIONS FOR THE FILLING  

In a large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, 1 Cup of sugar, and vanilla extract. 

Mix with an electric mixer until smooth. 

Add the pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice and continue beating until smooth and creamy. 

Pour the filling into the pan. 

Bake for 60-70 minutes. 

The top will turn a bit darker at this point. 

Remove from the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool. 

When the cheesecake is at room temperature, put it into the refrigerator. 

When the cheesecake has chilled, remove the pan sides and start cut the cake.  

Serve with a generous portion of whipped cream on top. 

Content provided by: +Tailbase 

www.tailbase.com

Eat Smart: Think Outside The Lunchbox

By Home Style Furniture

School’s in session and that means the daily ritual of filling the lunchbox is in full swing. Now might be the perfect time to reevaluate not only what you’re packing but what you’re packing it in.

Did You Know?

Over 20 million sandwich baggies are sent to our landfills every year, and each one takes between 500 to 1,000 years to break down

Americans throw away more than 60 million plastic water bottles per day

It’s as easy as 1-2-3 to find eco-friendly lunchbox alternatives that are safe for our kids and our planet.

Step 1 – Use BPA free, non-toxic containers and reusable baggies to fill their lunchbox with goodies they’re sure to love

Make this the year you stop throwing away all those plastic baggies. Invest just once in reusable products and save yourself money and guilt for years to come. Try getting a set for every member of the family and have fun packing your lunches together. Make sure you’re getting dishwasher safe products to make clean up easy and effective.

Bento Boxes

Metal lunchbox inserts

Fabric sandwich and snack baggies

Silicone food pouches

 Step 2 – Mix it up! Start with deconstructing the sandwich

Sandwiches are OK in a pinch, but why not try putting something a little different in their lunch box this year? Pare the sandwich down to its essential elements and roll, wrap or chop them up in style! Mix and match foods to create fun shapes and combos that’ll have them emptying their lunchboxes in record time.

Homemade wraps

Sushi rolls

Lettuce wraps

Crackers and cheese

Apple slices and peanut butter

Veggies and dips

Noodle salad

Laughing Cow cheese

Fun fruit shapes using cookie cutters

Frozen bananas sliced and sandwiched with peanut or almond butter

Yogurt parfaits

Mini muffins/quiches

French toast points/mini pancakes with fresh berries

Step 3 – Drink Fix. Smart solutions to the water bottle crisis

Be the first cool parent to make the switch to eco-friendly reusable water bottles. It’s the easiest and most practical way to show kids how much you care about the planet and their future. With so many varieties to choose from, let everyone in your family pick out the one that reflects their unique personality.

Stainless steel water bottle

Collapsible water bottle

Fruit infuser water bottles

Content provided by: +Tailbase & Ashley Furniture

www.tailbase.com