Nostalgia: A Kentucky Christmas with Marin

If anything, the holidays should be a time to reflect on our family and blessings. With everything going on in the world around us, that sentiment is only too apropos this December. With that in mind, we asked a couple of our dear friends to share the very things that make Christmastime so special for their families. 

We know Marin Fiske-Rankin as a friend and creative Events and Food Service Manager at SMU's Meadows Museum. (You may remember her handiwork from this post on the Velazquez Black Tie Dinner in honor of the collaboration with the famed Prado Museum.) Her sense of humor and sweet disposition immediately brought her to mind for this post, but once we found out she grew up on a horse-racing farm in Kentucky, we knew she would have great memories to share with us. See what makes a Kentucky Christmas so special below and check back tomorrow for a tabletop inspired by Marin and her scrumptious English and Kentucky recipes. 

Top Image: MARIN AS A CHILD ON HER HORSE, SALLY / MARIN AS WE KNOW HER TODAY | Middle Image: THE GATES AND CORINTHIA GATE ARE ACTUALLY PICTURES FROM MARIN'S FAMILY HORSE-RACING FARM | Bottom Image: NOTHING BEATS SHARING CHRISTMAS IN YOUR PJ'S WITH FAMILY IN KENTUCKY

Thank you for sharing with us, Marin. POSH friends, we'd love to hear what memories make you nostalgic for the holidays.
 

Tabletop Tuesday: Velazquez at Meadows Museum

The Meadows Museum at Southern Methodist University has always done a fantastic job curating exceptional exhibits in Dallas. Now, their collaboration with Madrid's famed Prado Museum has set the bar even higher for not just Texas but museums nationwide. In fact, the latest exhibit features important works from Diego Velazquez which art historians now believe to be the first portraits of Spain's King Philip IV. Take advantage of your close vicinity to SMU and see what even The Washington Post is calling "the most important exhibit devoted to Velazquez in the U.S. in more than two decades." (The exhibit will run through January.) We were honored to be a part of the Velazquez Black Tie Dinner, designed by SMU's Marin Fiske-Rankin and photographed by Tamytha Cameron Smith. To learn more about the Prado - Meadows collaboration, visit here.

The Velazquez Black Tie Dinner. Credits: Photography - Tamytha Cameron Photography / Event Planning - Marin Fiske-Rankin, SMU / Catering - Denise Lentz, SMU / Location: SMU Meadows Museum / Rentals: POSH Couture Rentals

 Velazquez Black-Tie Dinner Tabletop:
1. Gold Pebbled Glass Charger, Black & Gold Collection Banded Dinner Plate and B&B, Schott Zwiesel Pure Tritan Glassware, Dynasty 24 Karat Flatware.
2. Elise Cut Crystal Glassware.
3. Catering by SMU's Denise Lentz.
4. Black Lamour table linens, chair covers provided by SMU.
5. Entry table with Damask linen.
*Unless otherwise noted, all rentals listed provided by POSH Couture Rentals.