Origionally posted at DesignSpark!

It's Wednesday- Time to talk about Interiors!

When it comes to designing what goes in your Interior 

or the inside of your home, 

It's ALL IN THE DETAILS.

Today, I want to talk about using Glass Hurricanes. Glass is a nice medium to use to display just about anything that you want. It's great to because if you invest in some great Hurricanes or large vases, it is easy to use them all the time but to change them up with the Season, Holiday or just because you want to see something different. I think I said on an earlier post that you only need to get one item to transform your room. A Hurricane would be one of my suggestions. The height gives you the advantage to make a beautiful display and showcase flowers, candles or something as pretty as Potpourri.It's the perfect decorator's sweet item because they are an interior design "work horse" as: 

"Glass contains, but yet reveals."

Look at the pictures and you can see how versatile and so many great uses you can have with  one great glass container. Here are some of pictures showing the details of what I used in my Mantle article. You can buy hurricanes just about anywhere, I would suggest that you make sure when you buy one that they are a heavier glass. If it's too thin, being a larger object, they tend to break easier. I am showcasing a just a couple of our Willow House Hurricanes as that's what I have at my home and what I've made my displays with. We have even more in our current catalog, they are all very pretty.

Introducing...

The Coronado Stone Pedestal

The Coronado Stone Pedestal  is shown here with the WH Mediterranean Sage Bowl and a ceramic starfish tea light holder. Multi colored sea glass is used in the glass base and a white pillar candle placed on top. The colors and textures of all of the arrangement together leaves you with the impression of the sea. YOu can find it on page 15 of our Spring WH catalog.

This is our newest Hurricane that we currently offer in our Willow House line. I really love the Coronado Stone Pedestal because it is a bit different than the usual glass hurricane. It has a glass body, but the base is almost as big as the body and it is made out of stone with a detailed design and a white washed finish. If you think the picture is pretty, 

you should see it in person.

 The Hemingway Hurricane

We have had this product for awhile and there's a good reason why! This pretty items is just so versatile, you can use it for almost anything. Look at a couple of pictures and I hope that it helps inspire you to get a little creative too!

By the way, I've got more ideas to share about what you can do with these lovelies. But I'm going to save it for another post.

 I'll give you some more ideas too.

This first Hemingway photo shows how a red pillar candle and
matching potpourri can work from Christmas time through  Valentines Day. Find this on page 42 of our WH Catalog

Version Two Hemingway makes us think Spring with Sea Glass
and lovely soft yellow pillar candle.  You could also tie a ribbon
around the middle of this or at the bottom to give it even more detail.

Our third view makes a spectacular display with Winter branches
and potpourri on the bottom to give a base to the display. 

The Galveston Hurricane

I love our Willow House Galveston Footed Hurricanes.
The ironwork gives these just that extra touch of style.
We carry two sizes & they're on page 37 of our WH Catalog

Here are just a few of the many ideas of what you could do with a Hurricane.

If you use Potpourri, I love the Yankee Candle brand, as they have very interesting lovely scents as well as pretty objects inside of there different flavors. I love Pier One for Pillar Candles, they are very nice quality candles and although you may pay a bit more than if you go to the local grocery+ convenience store, they usually go on sale and they are really nice and last a long time.

Game Day Appetizers Score Extra Points! Crab is KING!

It seems that it's time again to post some appetizer recipes. Thursday is the day I've scheduled to pass along some great recipes.This week is Yummy! (Good thing we don't have a calorie count! Whipping cream & half & half are delicious!)This is a re-write of a post from my original blog, but definitely worth taking a look at again in honor of Super Bowl Weekend.
I have to say that I LOVE appetizers. In fact sometimes, I would rather eat appetizers than a real meal. I have come to the realization that it is because you can just get so creative with them. Several types are usually required when entertaining. The ingredients are never boring, and spices are fun and well,"Sparky" and SPICY!!! It can be inspiring to create and design an appetizer platter. Food can be a fabulous part of the edible and memorable "decorations" for a party as well.
In honor of Super Bowl Sunday- I thought I would share a couple of Appetizer recipes that I have collected over the years. My Mom Sharon called me over the holidays and asked me to give her that Yummy Hot crab appetizer recipe that I made last year for them. I had to pause for a moment because I actually could not remember which one that she was talking about. But this gave me the chance to go through some of the great recipes and so when I made a copy of them for her, I thought that I would share them with you too. If you can't make them all for the game, then try to make at least one over the weekend. ENJOY!
NEW!
Instead of a Chili Recipe, I am posting my friend Claudia's Cream of Crab Bisque-Recipe. Now, if you decide to make this recipe for this weekend, make sure that you do not waste this golden "melt in your mouth" gourmet recipe serving this soup to those who do not appreciate seafood delicacies. It's way better than Campbell's but it's a bit pricey- just make sure to enjoy every drop!

Claudia's Cream of Crab Soup

2 Lbs Jumbo Lump Crabmeat (only break apart some of the meat)
1 Sweet Onion (chopped finely)
1 stick butter (butter only)
1 bottle Clam Juice
1 can (15oz) Chicken Stock
2 qts Half and Half
1 1/2 quart Heavy whipping cream
4 Tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
2 Tablespoons Cooking Sherry
1 Tablespoon Fresh Parsley
Flour
Milk

In a large pot melt 1/2 of stick of butter, add chopped onion, saute until translucent, salt and pepper to taste. Add clam juice and chicken stock to sauted onion, stir to get all of the browned butter mixed in with the clam juice and chicken stock. Turn heat to medium, add Half and Half, Heavy whipping cream and bring to a boil, make sure to cook this slow and stir constantly. While waiting for mixture to boil, make a thickening paste with flour and milk, "you are going to have to judge this according to how thick you want your soup to be" the thicker the better. Once at a boil, add Crabmeat, 1/2 stick butter, Old Bay seasoning, Sherry and Fresh Parsley. Stir in Flour and Milk mixture to thicken, make sure to stir constantly. This soup is best to make ahead of time so the Old Bay can work it's magic and it will thicken as it cools. You can add more or less Old Bay or Sherry, it's up to your taste buds!

Serve with crackers!
PS -Claudia's Tip: Your have to go to Costc to purchase Phillips Jumbo Lump, it has the best flavor and makes the best soup, it's worth every penny and makes a big pot of soup that will go fast! Great for a party esp. Super Bowl!!

The next two recipes below are from one of my favorite little mini books printed by Oxmoor House for Southern Living called "Ultimate Book of Appetizers" The last one is a crab dip that you serve cold that was published first in Southern Living Magazine in April of 2004.
Crab Dip Recipes1-11


Crab Cakes & Lime Garlic Shrimp & Mango Salsa Recipe1-11


P.S. Our Willow House Food Mixes are perfect to keep handy for last minute guests!

We carry 3 different kinds of Specialty Dip Mixes:
Tuscan Roasted Garlic Dip Mix
Santa Fe Dip Mix
Parmesan Peppercorn Herb Dip Mixes.

Plus we offer these specialty drink mixes:
White Sangria Mix
Sangria Mix
Margarita Mixes

We also offer these Bread Mixes:
Lemon Blueberry Bread Mix and Rosemary Olive Bread Mix.

These are our Specialty Desserts:
Tiramisu Mix
Pound Cake Mix and
Cappuccino Mousse Mix.

Check them out on my web site in the Shop/Order section: http://Pamlau1.willowhouse.com Everything ships within 48 hours of our order.
Enjoy!