Innholdsfortegnelse for November - December 2010 i Victoria

From my earliest memories, I know that music has always had a strong influence on my life. I love it all—from rock to classical, country to jazz. My mood throughout the day can usually be revealed by what is playing on my iPod, my car radio, or my stereo. Although I was blessed as a youngster with the ability to play the piano “by ear,” my mother insisted that I take lessons. I am so grateful that she encouraged me to study technique at a time when I preferred to climb onto the bench seat and pound out the popular tunes I had heard playing on Mom’s kitchen radio. I was asked to serve as my church’s pianist in my early teens, and until recently played piano and organ for…

The treasure that is Thanksgiving always brings my grandmother to mind, as her traditions and wisdom come to me as I plan my own menu for the great-grandsons she adored. This tiny woman of considerable strength and talent raised me and my younger sister from the time we were very young. In the blink of an eye, we went from being city kids to country girls and proceeded to learn about a life lived by the seasons, the benefits of fresh-grown foods, and a table set every night with all of us gathered around it. My grandmother taught us how to anchor a week with the needs of each family member considered and how to sew, crochet, bake, and can produce and fruit— all the while keeping up with her…

As the daughter of a career army officer, I spent my entire childhood moving. With only a few months’ warning, we were cast to the winds, our lives given a good shake before the remaking of family life. The small pains were familiar—the echoes of a house as it emptied, the impossibility of saying goodbye to friends, the pinches and pushes on a summerwarm backseat as we turned onto a new street and sought the new house, poised to leap from the car, intent on bagging the best bedroom. All were part of the rituals of a transfer and, with them, emotions that even now make me quake. The orders, the moving date, the strictures—No, you can’t take that, and Yes, you’ll do fine in the new school. When that’s…

A candy-cane palette of red and white is especially crisp when set against a blanket of powdery white snow. The rich, red hues of ranunculus, roses, and an apple topiary bring warmth and romance to this table laden with oven-baked pastries and dressed with an ironstone tea set. A cuddly plaid throw, crimson bows and berries, fresh greenery, and white hydrangeas delight the eye with an element of surprise. Nestle in under your snow-covered rooftop, and embrace winter’s majesty. “Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love!” —HAMILTON WRIGHT MABIE The elegance of red speaks softly in winter, when hearts are aglow with the spirit of the season. Roses bring a sweet sense of nostalgia to our holiday décor when set against the purity…

AA sense of freshness and purity is ever present in the pristine Vermont air. That same authenticity characterizes the 220-year-old Norwich-based company of King Arthur Flour. This cherished institution offers flours of the highest quality and a retail store rich with baking wares, but the real heart of it is the Baking Education Center with its more than four hundred classes conducted annually. Expert bakers teach daylong, weeklong, and half-day classes. Throughout the four-day Artisan Baking at Home course, instructions on creating sourdough, ciabatta, baguettes, focaccia, crackers, croissants, and flatbreads were presented. The classroom experience included hours of hands-on time with the dough, as well as discussions about the techniques and terminology behind the recipes. Capable, helpful, and endlessly amicable, four female instructors taught, one each day. We learned shaping…

BLISSFUL GIVING Page 18: Lynn Haney Collection Christmas All Aglow Santa, $400; from Hollyhocks, 806-780-8787, hollyhocksgifts.com. Crane & Co. Hand-Engraved Holiday Greeting Cards in Poinsettia Tree, Three Geese, and Mistletoe Ball, $163 for 25; 800-268-2281, crane.com for retailers. Shades of Grey SG-39 Christmas Stocking and SG-32 36" tree skirt with 11" ruffle, call for pricing and retailers; 205-639-4554, shadesofgreyllc.com. Caskata C-634 Pine Cone Wrap Sheets, $3.50 for 1 page, C-634B Pine Cone boxed notes, $18 for 8, and C-632B Red Flower boxed notes, $18 for 8; caskata.com. for retailers. B. Shackman Company Holiday Containers in 70414 Angel Die Cut Box, 9587 Nested Santa Containers, 21200 Christmas Satchel Container, 5182 Ice Skating Animals Cornucopia, 8430 Upright Angel Box, 9760 Musical Angel Folding Basket, call for pricing and retailers; 800-221-7656, shackman.com. d.sharp…

MINIATURE SNOW DOMES Supplies Decorative objects • Glass bell jars and bases • White glue • Mica snow Instructions 1 Gather an assortment of decorative objects, such as small figurines, ornaments, and miniature bottlebrush trees. (We used bleached bottlebrush trees, a toy reindeer painted white, vintage glass Christmas balls, glittered wooden stars, and an old sleigh figurine.) 2 Arrange objects on a bell-jar base, making sure they will fit properly when the dome is placed over the scene. 3 If desired, secure objects to the base with white glue, and let dry. 4 Dust the entire scene and the inside of the dome with mica snow, cover, and display.…

A tremendous endeavor, the process of decking the halls at Wakefield-Scearce Galleries typically begins in October to prepare for a grand-opening holiday celebration in November. Adorned with hundreds of lights and an astounding assortment of ornaments, the magnificent Christmas tree on the main floor momentarily steals the spotlight from the cache of fine English antiques behind it. Brimming with packages, an antique sleigh from the early nineteenth century hallmarks the holiday season at the Wakefield-Scearce Galleries, right. Shoppers tend to linger throughout the warm and rustic rooms in the Hare and Hound section of the galleries, here and opposite page. The cozy paneled walls, rough-hewn ceiling beams, hunting scenes, and handsome antiques (including a game table with spindle-back chairs, an oak farm table, an upholstered wing chair, and a walnut…

Each December I look forward to opening a box labeled “Mrs. Baker’s Handmade Christmas Ornaments.” Every holiday season during my Akron, Ohio, childhood (and beyond), Mrs. Baker would carefully cut, sew, and adorn three felt ornaments for my two brothers and me. Through the years, our tree was always decorated with her creations of stockings, angels, gingerbread people and houses, lollipops, candles, snowmen, rocking horses, and even Christmas trees. When my brothers and I grew up, settled into houses, and had families of our own, my mother passed along to us our own stashes of our neighbor’s handiwork. Before Christmas, Mrs. Baker invited all the children and their mothers for an annual cookie party. She transformed her basement into an elves’ workshop for the event, and each child was provided…

Dazzling Décor Celebrate the wonder of Christmas with beautiful trimmings that bring enchantment to all who behold them: “Christmas All Aglow” Santa from Lynn Haney Collection; hand-engraved greeting cards from Crane & Co.; ribbon-trimmed stocking from Shades of Grey; boxed note cards and “Pine Cone” wrapping paper from Caskata; red-and-white-striped “Buckle” tag from d. Sharp; holiday containers from B. Shackman Company include “Nested Santa” gift boxes underneath the tree, as well as an array of whimsical boxes hanging from the branches; ornaments from Midwest- CBK sparkle in red, silver, and gold. Treasures to Cherish These special keepsake gifts will forever hold precious memories for mothers, daughters, and grandmothers alike. Clockwise from bottom left: Oval locket necklace in brass with tin trim is from Lotta Djossou; freshwater pearl “Patricia” earrings are…

Guided by passion and perseverance, Inge-Glas of Germany celebrates a beautiful story that, after four centuries, is still being told. Immersed in the glassblowing industry since 1596, the Müller-Blech family worked diligently to perfect the craftsmanship of mouth-blown Christmas ornaments from their Lauscha, Germany, workshop. The brilliant artistry that evolved from the family’s long lineage was halted only briefly when Russia occupied Lauscha in 1951. It was at this turning point that thirteenth-generation descendent Heinz Müller-Blech fled his homeland at the age of 14 to cross the border into West Germany, smuggling many of the family moulds and glassblowing tools with him. Today, the legendary collection contains more than 10,000 antique ornament moulds dating from the 1850s. After settling in Neustadt, Heinz worked to reestablish the business, relentlessly searching for…

In town-andcountry fashion, crisp tartan plaids covering vintage storage baskets convey an air of distinction and understated elegance. This page: Smart and sophisticated, Ralph Lauren plaid tableware and towels characterize a relaxed yet classic style. From Scotland to royal England, from fashion to home furnishings, plaid has achieved versatility by proving itself a pattern relevant for all walks of life. Commanding universal appeal in variations such as tartan, tweed, houndstooth, and madras, plaid has a colorful history that extends from the clans of the Scottish Highlanders to contemporary pop culture. Full of witty British charm—and fit for English high tea—this wildly embellished floral tableware is properly restrained with a thin band of tartan plaid. Symmetrically structured and regal by its nature, the tidy gridded pattern tames the sprawling blooms and…

MAGIC IN THE MAKING Begins on page 66 Baguettes p.70 Makes 2 loaves Poolish 11/4 cups (51/4 ounces) King Arthur All-Purpose Flour 5/8 cup (51/4 ounces) cool water 1 pinch yeast Final Dough 23/4 cups (11 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 5/8 cup (51/4 ounces) cool water 11/2 teaspoons yeast 11/2 teaspoons salt Poolish The night before you’re ready to bake, combine the flour, water, and pinch of yeast in a medium bowl, and mix until well blended. Cover the bowl tightly, and let the poolish rise for 15 hours at 70°. When it’s ripe, the poolish should be slightly domed and very bubbly and fragrant. Final Dough 1. When the poolish is ripe, add the flour, water, yeast, and salt, and stir to combine into a shaggy mass.…