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Holiday Cocktail Bar Must Haves

The holiday season has arrived, and that means spending time with friends and family over good food and even better cocktails. Mix up some special drinks to serve at a holiday party or for a nightcap in front of a cozy fire. With a few staple items, simple recipes, and that perfect glass, you can add a few more traditions to your holiday festivities. 

Holiday Cocktail Bars

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Stock up on a few stable items that will get you through the holidays. Stop by Bin 201 Wine Sellers to fill your cabinet with plenty of holiday cheer! For most seasonal recipes, you won’t regret having vanilla vodka, bourbon, gin and wine on hand. And luckily Target, Whole Foods and Bed Bath & Beyond carry all of the added mixers and ingredients to shake up your cocktail game.

Holiday Cocktails

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Recipes

Add a bit of sugar and spice to your cocktail menu this holiday season. Here’s a selection of simple, crowd-pleasing recipes that are guaranteed to get you in the spirit.

If you’re looking for some bar tools that are festive for the season, check out Bed Bath & Beyond, Target and Pier 1 for a wide selection of mixers, muddlers and glassware. For a bit more of an extravagant look, stores such as Anthropologie and Paper Source are the perfect one-stop shops for unique pieces to adorn your home bar.

Holiday Cocktails

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Shake it up this year with some specialty cocktails that are simple enough to make at home. Whether it’s ingredients, shaker or fun glassware, you can find everything that you’ll need in the Annapolis Towne Centre.

 

Blog written by Kristin Dyak.

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A Crafty Christmas

No Christmas gift stays closer to the recipient’s heart for years to come than one made by the giver’s hand.  Whether you are a clever or a clumsy crafter, a little help from the shops at Annapolis Towne Centre can enable you to make something memorable for a special friend, colleague, or family member or for the whole clan.  If your creative spirit leans more toward holiday décor or if it’s your child who is the craftsperson, the Towne Centre has that covered too.

Figuring out what to make is the first and biggest step in crafting gifts or décor, and several shops at ATC offer great ideas for projects of all sizes and degrees of complexity. A stroll through the Annapolis Art Alliance’s Pop-up Shop can provide inspiration and more because its clerks are artists whose work is displayed in the shop, and they can give you advice tailored to your skill level on various projects.  The only risk to visiting the Pop-up Shop is that you might also find some excellent gifts for some of the special people on your list (but hopefully that won’t cause you to abandon your own crafty ambitions).

Image courtesy of Annapolis Arts Alliance

Target offers how-to books for a wide variety of crafts and may be the best place in Annapolis for one-stop-shopping to buy the basics to make pretty much anything.  Target has glue guns, scissors, colored paper, felt squares, artificial flowers, ready-to-decorate wreaths, acrylic and watercolor paints, all sorts of sewing items, and picture frames to show off your photography or artwork.  Target’s endless number of kid-focused craft kits can give a do-it-yourself kind of child the opportunity to make personalized gifts (some of these kits are also suitable for use by busy parents).

Image courtesy of Target

The Paper Source offers the very best quality of paper—not just wrapping paper but pretty paper for projects of all kinds and all colors, including making your own Christmas cards.  If you want to go the simple route—something that you can rightfully say you made but has almost zero risks to the assembly—take a look at the shop’s craft kits for all ages that offer projects ranging from flowers and wreaths and holiday décor to soapmaking.  If making your own holiday cards is too much of a stretch, the store has a beautiful selection of ready-made cards, simple or elegant, funny or romantic, to accompany your special gifts.

Image courtesy of Paper Source

In addition to a wide selection of holiday décor, Bed Bath & Beyond has a large assortment of flower vases and containers both for storing craft materials and for displaying your creations. For example, the store’s assortment of Mason jars provides a just-like-grandma-used-to-make touch to your homemade jams, jellies, or dried bean soup mixes.  Need some pinecones for your project?  Bed Bath & Beyond has them!

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Restoration Hardware can provide knobs and pulls for the crafter who enjoys furniture-making or repairing or if you just want to give your furniture or kitchen cabinets a fresh look.  RH also has some beautiful planters for greenery gifts and baskets that can showcase your creation.

Anthropologie offers decorative ceramic hardware for furniture that is especially nice is you want to provide some pop to your home.  Choose from the store’s assortment of pretty vases to highlight arrangements of fresh or dried flowers.

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A selection of teas arrayed in a basket or on a tray with a pretty teapot and a couple of cups and saucers can allow you to express your creativity and show your appreciation of tea-drinking friends or family members.  The Baltimore Coffee & Tea Company has tea (and coffee) selections to suit everyone’s taste, with or without caffeine.  Moreover, the shop has a lunch counter offering a tasty selection of made-to-order sandwiches, soups, and desserts.  Take this opportunity to relax, get off your feet, have a bite to eat, and pat yourself on the back for being such a thoughtful crafter!

Some might say that around the holidays the best craft gift is an edible one, and Whole Foods has the ingredients for just about any type of cookies, candy, pie, cake, quiche, bread, etc., you’d want to make.  The store also has arguably the best assortment of live greenery and fresh-cut flowers in town, ready for you to arrange and put in a vase for your host or hostess or to brighten up your dinner table or kitchen.

Image courtesy of Whole Foods

So head to Annapolis Towne Centre and get ready for hours of holiday fun!

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Holiday Shopping at Annapolis Towne Center

I long for the holidays meandering around stores with my Grandmother; touching a fabric, smelling a candle, tasting a chocolate sample, listening to holiday music being piped in to add to the festive mood. Shopping was an event. It appealed to the senses in a way internet shopping can’t. And you know what else those afternoons did? They created memories. Memories that I hold dear to my heart.

Recently, my mother and I decided to spend a few hours at the Annapolis Towne Center to recreate those days and tick off our shopping list. Here are just a few suggestions to please everyone on your list this year.

The Cocktail Lovers

Know a couple with the lovely Braxton Wine and Spirits Cabinet from Great Gatherings? Help them stock it with quality wines and spirits from Bin 201.

The Retro Gamers

Who WOULDN’T want to take a trip down memory lane with an air hockey table or standup arcade of Miss Pac Man and Galaga? Find both at Great Gatherings.

The Keepers of Your Secrets

My dogs know everything, and still love me. Naturally they deserve the best. Stop by Loyal Companion and pick up some treats, balls, collars and bully sticks for your furry friends.

The Ornament Maker

Pier 1 Imports is the perfect place to find just the right decorations that show off your festive spirit. From gorgeous new ornaments to holiday table accessories and unique gifts to seasonal accents, Pier 1 has something for everyone on your list.

The Anglers

All Tackle has everything the anglers need from rods to bait and tackle, all weather gear, a vast line of YETI items and books written by local authors. They also have a large selection of footwear and apparel to choose from.

The Resolution Maker

For those who stick to their resolutions, stop into Charm City Run and pick up their must haves to pound the pavement. Everything from new running shoes, apparel, gloves, socks and energy snacks.

The Planner

2020 is on our doorstep. Another year, and decade, to get it right. Paper Source has you covered for all of your datebook and planner needs. While there, pick up all of the holiday wrapping you’ll need to wrap up the haul you just scored in a single afternoon!

The Sunday Sauce Maker

Giolitti’s Deli reminds me of my Grandmother who religiously made Sunday Sauce. Know someone like her? Stop by and stock them up on everything you need to put together an Italian Festa!

The Cannibis Curious

Cannibis is the craze now, isn’t it? Visit About Faces Day Spa & Salon and check out their Cannibliss Organic Skincare line.

The New Mom

There is no end to the gifts that new moms deserve.

Check out Dear Mom wine from Giolitti’s – it is a no brainer; Patchology under eye patches (my favorite) from About Faces Day Spa and Salon; Pajamas and slippers from Anthropologie; and a cozy wrap from Lou Lou.

The Family

Put down the phones and play a board game as a family! Pick one up at Great Gatherings. Or, grab all of the home décor knick-knacks you need at Bed Bath & Beyond to show off how much you admire your loved ones.

The Caffeine Cravers

Baltimore Coffee & Tea Company made it easy to buy for my dyed-in-the-wool caffeine nut friends. With plenty of flavors of both teas and coffees, this stop is a must.

 

Blog written by Aimee Lubin.
All images courtesy of author.

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Your Thanksgiving Table

In the dark ages of the last century, expectations were low for anything more than a tablecloth and food as the décor on the Thanksgiving table.  Pops of color were the sweet potatoes and cranberries.  The baking turkey provided the mouthwatering scent—assuming Mom or Grandma didn’t let the pan of boiling potatoes run dry.

Decorating the dinner table is now an art known as “tablescape.”  The task is to view the tabletop as a canvas ready for a personal touch that will set the tone for the meal, provide conversation starters, and subconsciously make the food taste even better. If you Google “Thanksgiving tablescapes,” you’ll see a style spectrum bound at one end by a more formal look with neutral colors—grey, brown, gold, silver, and the palest of blue—and pops of dark green, and at the other end by the bright fall colors of a country-style Thanksgiving, with infinite variations in between.

Annapolis Town Centre provides everything the modern tablescaper needs to create a pleasing ambiance for Thanksgiving dinner. The proximity of its stores and restaurants and free parking mean that you can roam from shop to shop without stressing about time, running to feed the meter, or wondering where to get lunch.

Bed Bath and Beyond is a great place to start, regardless of where your tablescape vision falls on the spectrum.  You will find cloth or paper table linens and napkin rings that provide the basis for a fine Thanksgiving table. Pinecones and placemats shaped and colored like fall leaves are great for a traditional style. For a more formal style, maybe it’s time to upgrade your table settings. Check out the stores wide array of china patterns, glassware, and utensils.

If you are going for a traditional look, stop into Whole Foods for bright fall flowers and a pumpkin or two. Wine goes well on any Thanksgiving table, and Whole Foods’ wine team helps you choose by highlighting 24 best-in-class wines on their shelves. Also, look at the brightly colored baskets for holding wine, bread, or cookies. Across the street, Bin 201 provides additional wine selections and guidance on pairings.

Anthropologie has something for every tablescape.  For bright colors, take a look at the eartenware pottery. And if, as A hostess, you look forward to dressing up for dinner, Anthro has a gorgeous array of dresses, jackets and shawls.  For a more formal style, look at the gold-etched wine and water glasses and dried flowers in muted colors that would contribute elegance into a centerpiece.  Consider the scented candles throughout the store that would blend with the scents of cooking to create a warm atmosphere for your guests.

For bright, showy dried or artificial flowers to use in a centerpiece or garland, head to Target.  Check out their Thanksgiving-themed table linens and conversation pieces—dishes, trivets, pillows, etc.  If you envision tapered candles for your table, Target is the place to buy them.

Three shops, Smyth Jewelers, Great Gatherings, and Paper Source offer surprises that might be the very thing to complete your table.  Smyth and Great Gatherings both offer Maryland-themed ceramicware—after-dinner coffee and tea belong in mugs featuring the Chesapeake Bay!  Great Gatherings has Thanksgiving-themed serving plates on sale; Smyth has an excellent stock of silver-plated tableware to spark up any neutral color palate and will be receiving new Thanksgiving merchandise as the date grows nearer.  Paper Source is the place to go for place cards in any and all colors and for paper centerpieces.

Don’t miss the pop-up shop near Paper Source.  You’re bound to find something there for Thanksgiving – ranging from bright colored earrings to handmade pottery pieces from the work of the 29 Annapolis Art Alliance artists exhibiting there—and the selections change all the time.

Blog written by Jane Green.

All images courtesy of the author.

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