In late October, I got the opportunity to take part in the first traveling MacKenzie-Childs event. If that brand sounds familiar, it’s probably because you’ve heard of it from a friend or a friend’s Mom. I first learned about MacKenzie-Childs through friends and their Moms, who have pieces throughout their home. Most of them have holiday traditions around those pieces. I have a deep appreciation for how the brand creates each piece with care and love, the people who pour their heart and soul into the company and, of course, their impeccable pieces. MacKenzie-Childs was founded in 1983 in Aurora, New York and creates beautiful products adding character, joy and personality to your home.

I’m very selective about the brands I work with. I have to resonate with their mission and storyline. One reason I love MacKenzie-Childs is you can see how much each employee or artisan cares about what they create. The pieces are handmade and you can see the unique characteristics in each one!

#MCTakesDallas Event

Normally, MacKenzie-Childs brings a group of bloggers to Aurora, New York where their headquarters are located for a trip. For the first time, they are taking that trip on the road! Since Dallas has a strong fanbase, they decided to do their first interactive experience here and I got the opportunity to be involved. Instantly, I knew it would be a chance for me to start new holiday traditions with Johnny and my family.

A full-day affair, we got to meet with executives of the brand, learn how to paint pie plates from artisans, make floral arrangements and holiday wreaths! The pie-plate was definitely the most intimidating part. I instantly thought of my Mom, who earlier this year started taking oil painting classes, and my Dad who was a stunning sketch artist before his brain injury. Being meticulous about the peonies I chose was natural since I wanted to make them proud. I remember texting Johnny a photo of my finished plate and he thought it was something professionally done by MacKenzie-Childs!

Dallas has a ton of bloggers, but it’s always so good to have a chance to interact with them on a smaller, more intimate basis. The day started off with a delicious breakfast and I got to meet some of the other bloggers and really get to know them one-on-one. It’s interactive events such as these really allowing me to learn more about the brand and connect with it. I love brands because of their story and the MacKenzie-Childs one is truly spectacular! I hope to visit their headquarters one day!

Holiday Tablescape + New Holiday Traditions

It’s my first year back home in Dallas and so many things are already changing! First, Johnny and I are building our first home and just a few days ago, Johnny proposed! One of my goals for this year is to start new holiday traditions, things we can pass on to our children one day. After being gone for years, I want to host, have friends over, cook and enjoy good food with good company. My new MacKenzie-Childs pieces will play a huge role because not only do they look gorgeous in our kitchen and dining room, but they are great for every day. Whether we are planning a more formal dinner or just casually want to make smores and drink hot cocoa, pieces from the Sweetbriar Collection and Courtly Check Collection will be with us.

Right now we have a dining table for four, but that will soon change when our home is built! We plan on hosting every holiday and I’m so excited to have family come to us versus us going to them! One piece I’m particularly excited about is this 5-quart casserole dish! Johnny and I have a mashed potato recipe we usually make on the holidays in our apartment for just us when I lived away from home. We’re so so excited to start new traditions, including making up a huge batch and bringing serving it in this dish with family and friends or even transporting it. I love how it goes from oven to tabletop or oven to the car and then to a tabletop in gorgeous style.

The holidays always warms my heart, so I wanted to include some holiday pieces in my tablescape. This white deer with gold horns is a fun festive piece and makes a great centerpiece. I also used a few of the red and green ornaments to decorate a small tabletop tree to add some color. We switch on and off between using cloth or paper napkins (usually depending on if my Dad is dining with us or not, paper is easier for him with his brain injury). In this case, we planned on using paper but I wanted to incorporate these gorgeous napkin rings. They are perfect inside the small bowl for a festive pop.