Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion


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Paper, Scissors, Crop

Pins & Needles

(a) A modern country look has a tailored softness. Touches of black and silver temper the sweetness of peony pink. Curtain hardware, Kirsch. Chair fabric, Waverly. (b) Treat the girls from your t’ai chi class to a dreamy dinner. Chairs, Philippe Stark/Kartell. Rug, Pottery Barn Teen. Table, prisms, Ikea. Pillow, Thomas Paul.

Centerpieces don’t have to be restricted to tabletops. Add interest from above as well. (c) This basket “chandelier” is nothing more than a metal container hung from the ceiling with chains and lined with linen. Line basket by making a shell from the fabric and slip-stitching it in place. With this finishing fabric detail, the metal cage takes on the look of an old-fashioned ladies’ purse. (d) Set flowers free from their vases. Stenciled peonies (print template) meander from a decorative fabric panel screen directly to the walls themselves.

One room, two ways
UPSCALE COUNTRY LUNCHEON
If you’ve been thinking of hosting your book group or inviting over your old college girlfriends, here’s an easy way to entertain: a box lunch with a no-fuss dessert bar. Pick a theme and run with it. Ours began with a quote about friendship—written on mirror (e)

WITTY IN PINK
(f) Set up a sweets bar with cookies, truffles, and other treats from the bakeshop.

BOX LUNCH BASICS
Make even a humble tuna sandwich special with these keepsake “lunchboxes,” (g) & (h) Start by gluing crimson ribbon around the middle of each box, overlapping it on the interior for a finished look. Position a narrower pink ribbon over the red ribbon, and glue down at top center of lid only. Next, color print labels and cut out with decorative-edge scissors. Glue label on the middle of lid over ribbons. Wrap the remaining edges of the pink ribbon around the box, and cinch with a craft store buckle. Box ribbon, Midori. (i) Floor paint, Benjamin Moore. (j) Table linens get a custom look with a peony design created with fabric paint.

One room, two ways
THING DYNASTY
Our funky girls’-night-out dinner party features a slew of projects. Your first mission is to scout around for inexpensive old Asian figurines at the thrift store, clean them off, then transform with high-gloss white spray paint for a porcelain finish, (k) Curtain and tabletop fabric, Waverly. Blinds, Levolor. (l) Instantly change the colors of chandelier shades by wrapping them in ribbon and gluing in place. (m)A convex starburst mirror adds a funhouse vibe. (n) A stack of square plates accented by spider mums and pink chopsticks awaits spicy Thai ginger beef and Asian cashew asparagus. Pottery, napkins, Crate & Barrel.

You don't have to bust the budget decorating for this party. Think in perky, bright colors such as lime, pink, and orange, then gather together a bunch of fun knickknacks in those hues. (o) To decorate a shelf with a modernist sensibility, we displayed swatches of fabric instead of paintings. Cut out circles and other simple geometric shapes for an iconic look. Fabric in frames, Weaverly. Ribbon, Midori. Frames, Ikea. Paper lantern, Pottery Barn Teen. (p) A vintage brooch lends a decorative touch.

CURTAIN CALLS
(q) Say goodbye to your boring old window valance. Take foam core and cover in thin, neutral fabric, then adorn with cocktail umbrellas of varying sizes and patterns from the party-supply store. Use a thin awl or ice pick to make holes in the foam core. Then dab end of umbrella in hot glue and insert in hole. To keep the look lively, alternate sizes, colors, and depth of umbrellas, and extend spokes over the sides.

PRIVATE LABEL
(r) Send guests home with a personalized water bottle created from a label (print here) Elizabeth Fox.

OFF THE HOOK
Is your chandelier a little too sedate for the occasion? (s) To add a quick burst of color, use a washable, wide-tipped art marker to turn clear prisms to colored ones.

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