Boy and I hosted his family yesterday for what we decided will count as our first official party here at Casa Splatgirl. Whooohooo!
So we're officially open as THE party destination house, as long as you promise to overlook the many works in progress that is. But really, it's kind of a big deal for me, the whole first party thing, as a lot of the designing and planning that went into this place was done with future parties in mind, and it's been much, much too long since we've been able to enjoy having a house full of family and friends.

Anyway, by now you've probably realized that there are a few basic themes at work in my life, not the least of which are food and decorating which puts Thanksgiving squarely in the favorite holiday category. So, while I didn't go completely insane with either the food or the decorating for this inaugural event, we did manage to pull off a lovely party.

As hostess and head chef, between whisking up gravy, carving turkey and making sure the deelicious Corn Gratin with Fried Onion Rings and Bacon made it onto everyones' plates in hot and creamy glory, I neglected to get a single picture of the food. In the calm before the storm, however, I did get a few shots of the decor:



I had to keep the table simple because it's narrow, so I opted for a single line of votive candles and some sprigs of pepperberry. Simple and pretty.

The finally finished sideboard* on the north wall made for a serviceable bar, although at some point I'd like to work a functional bar into the currently unused space under the stairs:


And another view of the table:


I sewed the linens from stuff I got cheap at the local fabric outlet. The bottom tablecloth is silk dupioni in an amazing purply-bronze color, the runner a modernish cotton print and the center thing is two IKEA placemats in the current LISBET colorway, sewn together end to end. A fairly nice looking table for $25 or $30 bucks worth of fabrics.

I hope everyone had a fabulous holiday with plenty of leftovers!

We're bucking the black Friday hype and staying in to snuggle up in front of BigTV and watch movies today, with some serious dog walking on deck for later.

*I'd love to hear your comments on these two red doors. I'm still trying to make up my mind on whether they're OK in thrown in there or not. Since my original Hallarum is no longer available, the alternative would be switching them all out for red but I can't decide if it's worth spending the $250 for five more red doors...