2021
FALL & WINTER LOOKBOOK
Our Core Values WE EXIST TO SERVE We believe that everyone can create beauty We believe in innovating as we honor tradition We believe there's always a moment to celebrate
THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR The holidays are always a favorite time of year for us, and after 2020, we’re ready to do them bigger than ever! We have new offerings to help deck your halls, give thanks, and get spooky at all of your upcoming events. Our holiday items take a trip down memory lane with plenty of nostalgic inspiration, from hand-crafted decor to vintage ornaments. Our fall items bring nature to your table with all of autumn’s bounty, and additions to our runners and Essentials will make it even easier to celebrate the every day. We’re especially excited about our newest napkins; with nearly 30 designs for all occasions, you can host more people around your table than ever before. When Angie Hester and Robbie Cook started this business in 2005, they wanted to create beautiful products to help people celebrate their important moments, showing that anyone can create beauty with a little inspiration. They wanted to remind people of the importance of gift giving through carefully curated items in our stores and the design of gorgeous tabletop and stationery products. This vision has remained constant through the years, and will continue to propel us forward as we grow our line. We are proud to support our community of fellow small businesses, with many of our products produced just a short drive from our Nashville headquarters. In addition to our in-house designers, we work with artists to collaborate and elevate their creations, helping a wider audience be delighted by their work. When you contact us, you reach our team of dedicated staff who are excited to give you uncommonly great service. We are a small, but mighty family, all working together to serve you best. We believe in making positive impacts everywhere we can, and part of that means charitable giving. A portion of all our sales benefits the Wonderful Life Foundation. Read more about this organization at the end of this booklet. We are so excited that every day forward brings new moments to celebrate. We are thrilled to be gathering again, to share meals and open our homes to the people we’ve missed so much. Last year was a reminder of how precious these times are, and we’re so excited to be part of your celebrations for the rest of 2021 and beyond.
Cheers to everything to come,
GIVING THANKS With so much to be thankful for this year, we wanted to add on to our much loved Harvest Story! Our Thankful Serving Papers can show off everything from appetizers to desserts, and with 18 pieces per package, your whole feast can be served in style. Our newest runner, printed on rustic kraft, shows off the sentiment of the season and lets your tables be as well dressed as your turkey. We love the warm colors and feelings of gratitude these pieces bring. We finished this story with four coordinating napkins you can mix across your buffets, bars, and more!
how to make Lace Cookies They may have a name that feels fancy, but lace cookies are a simple classic that are as addictive as they are customizable. Feel free to add other nuts, dried fruit, or coconut to the basic mixture for an updated version of this giftable treat. INGREDIENTS 1/2 cup almonds 2 TB oats 6 TB unsalted butter 6 TB sugar 2 TB brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp honey 1 TB flour 1/4 tsp salt 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted
PULSE almonds and oats in a food processor until coursely ground. MELT butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add sugars and honey and cook until sugars dissolve, then remove from heat.
MIX flour, salt, and almond-oat mixture into melted butter mixture. SPOON batter onto parchment lined baking sheets, spacing cookies generously. BAKE at 350˚F for 10-12 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through. DIP cooled cookies into melted chocolate. Allow chocolate to set before enjoying.
INTO THE WOODS The mysteries of the forest can be brought to your table with our latest fall offering. The Forest Story is the perfect balance of rustic and elegant, as at home in a cabin in the woods as it is set with your Thanksgiving china. Inspired by black forest carvings and hand blocked prints, these enchanted pieces reveal more details the longer you look. Their limited color palette makes them perfect for layering not just with each other, but anything needing a natural, grounding element on your tables.
We love our newest oversized place card, the Oak Crest, which features ample writing space for names, messages, or food labels.
This new story also has coordinating napkins in four designs, two cocktail and two buffet sized, for even more styling possibilities!
INTRODUCING: HOLIDAY NAPKINS ‘Tis the season of holiday parties! From Friendsgivings to Secret Santa, we have over 20 new designs for all of your end-of-year celebrations. We’ve been overwhelmed with how much you’ve loved our napkins, and are so grateful to be bringing them to your seasonal sips and snacks. All patterns are available in cocktail and buffet sizes, allowing you to coordinate across your entire party.
how to make Vanilla Cookies This dough is the perfect base for all of your holiday baking: it can be frosted, sprinkled with sanding sugar, studded with add-ins (we love candied ginger), or just enjoyed as-is! INGREDIENTS 2 sticks of butter, softened 2/3 cup sugar 1/2 tsp salt
1 egg white 1/2 TB vanilla extract 2 cups flour
CREAM butter, sugar, and salt together in stand mixer until light and fluffy. SLOW mixer to low speed, then add egg white and vanilla. ADD flour in batches, waiting until mostly incorporated before adding more. ROLL dough out between two pieces of parchment paper to 1/4” thickness. Refrigerate dough for three hours (you can divide the dough into fourths to make this take up less holiday fridge space). CUT as many cookies as you can, rerolling scraps as needed. If using sanding sugar, sprinkle on now. BAKE at 350˚F on a lined baking sheet for 19 - 21 minutes. Allow to cool completely before decorating.
CHRISTMAS CLASSICS Inspired by vintage transferware, our latest collaboration with artist Molly Hatch reminds us of holiday visits to our grandmother’s house, where hours could be spent looking at all the intricacies of the illustrations in the patterned edges of classic china. In addition to her work as a painter, Molly is also a talented ceramicist—her passions for serveware and illustration come together perfectly in these new pieces, following the tradition of her China Blue and Jardiniere stories with their bright colors and dense pattern work. Christmas China’s heirloomesque patterns get a modern edge with pops of our signature seafoam, softening the traditional Christmas color palette. We’re so excited for your traditions to include these new classics.
Use our Santa Gift Tag to make a quick ornament—the perfect way to end your Christmas countdown!
how to Make an Advent Calendar The holiday season is one of the most treasured times of the year—but sometimes it can go by so fast! An Advent calendar is a way to take time to enjoy every day in the countdown to Christmas, giving you something to look forward to with each small gift. We made this calendar using two of our new placemats for a festive look, but it can be customized to fit your holiday decor using whatever papers you have available. Wondering what to put in the pockets? While chocolates are classic, small toys, sweet notes, and miniature sips and snacks (hot chocolate mix and a nip of peppermint schnapps, anyone?) also make great gifts throughout the season. MATERIALS NEEDED
12 H&C placemats, pencil, scissors or hobby knife, ruler, strong adhesive (glue or framer’s tape), H&C runner, painter’s tape, washi tape 8.25”
MARK the back of your placemats with pencil to measure the sheets needed to construct your gift pockets; you will get two per placemat sheet. Each rectangle should be 8.25” x 11.75”.
CUT your rectangles with scissors or a hobby knife and set aside.
11.75”
Cut a length of runner that will cover most of the door where you’ll be hanging your calendar, plus a few extra inches.
cut here
FOLD your pockets using the diagram below; repeat with all papers for a total of 24 pockets.
Fold corner down to meet bottom edge
Unfold and repeat with other corner
Unfold to reveal creases
this is a pocket! this... Push sides in toward middle—the creases will form a pocket at the top; flatten
to this...
to this!
Fold bottom of middle piece up to crease; unfold and tuck behind using creases you just made
this is where the gifts go! Rotate pocket 180˚
Fold top points down to meet in the middle
Open to fill with gifts
HANG your runner on the back of a door using painter’s tape—we folded the extra length over the top of the door and taped there for extra security.
ATTACH your pockets to the runner using glue or framer’s tape. Feel free to add extra decoration like our Eight Tiny Reindeer Bunting!
FILL each pocket with a small gift or treat, then secure pockets closed with a strip of washi tape across both flaps. Let the countdown begin!
CITRUS & SPICE Our newest addition to the Winter Botanical Collection invokes Christmas traditions of the past, handmade decorations, and the bounty of the winter season. Lush swags of holly and magnolia serve as a backdrop for winter’s harvest, and these paper goods are truly evergreen. We love the warmth of holly berries, pomegranates, oranges, and the cloves and star anise used to create pomanders bring back memories of simmering spices. The natural elements make this story ideal for use all winter, not just the holiday season—think fireside gatherings with mulled wine while watching the snow fall. Pomanders have long been thought to bring luck, so why not bring this ancient tradition into your home all winter long?
how to make Mulled Wine This classic drink is the perfect way to warm up a winter night— and it will make your house smell fantastic! INGREDIENTS 1 bottle of red wine* 3 cups apple cider 1/2 cup apple brandy 1/4 cup honey
3 oranges 2 cinnamon sticks 5 whole cloves 3 star anise
ZEST and juice one of the oranges. Slice the remaining into rounds for garnish. COMBINE wine, zest, juice, cider, honey, and spices in a large pot and bring to a boil. If you have one, put the spices into a cheesecloth pouch for easy removal.
REDUCE heat to low, then add the brandy and continue simmering for at least 30 minutes; cooking longer will blend the flavors further. STRAIN whole spices before serving; garnish with orange slices. *We recommend a cabernet sauvignon or syrah, but any red wine with a slight fruitiness will work great.
how to Make a Citrus Garland Brighten dark winter days with bright pops of citrus! This technique will work with any citrus fruit, and will make your home smell amazing while you craft. We’re especially fond of blood oranges for garlands for their rich color, and they’re easiest to find in winter during their growing season. If dried properly, orange garlands and ornaments can last for years, just be sure to store them in a cool, dry place. MATERIALS NEEDED
citrus fruit, baking sheet, wire cooling rack, fishing line, darning needle SLICE your fruit into rounds, no thicker than ¼”. Pat dry with paper towels to remove excess juice and speed up the drying process.
PLACE wire rack on a baking sheet—this will allow airflow around your slices and make them easier to remove later.
BAKE at 200˚F for at least four hours, depending on the thickness of your slices. Flip the slices every hour to help them dry more evenly—this also lets you check that nothing is burning! REMOVE from oven to cool when slices are dry and no longer sticky. THREAD your needle with fishing line and attach dried slices to form a garland.
BONUS CRAFT: CITRUS SLICE ORNAMENT Use your darning needle to poke a hole through one of your slices, then thread with ribbon. Tie a bow to make a loop, then hang wherever you need some winter spirit— we love how the slices get a stained glass look in the light, so be sure to hang where they can shine!
BORN TO RUN: ONE RUNNER, THREE WAYS Our latest designs have us feeling crafty (or should we say krafty?) with how versatile they are—we have three new kraft runners to build the perfect foundation for your fall and winter gatherings. Our beloved classic stripe is finally available on kraft paper, and this chocolate brown ink will warm up your tables for all of your colder nights.
Whether it’s Thanksgiving supper or another fall fete, the Into the Woods Placemat brings the outdoors to your table with its lush pattern of foliage, mushrooms, and acorns.
Poinsettias only come out once a year, so why not enjoy them a little longer with a festive placemat? Kraft paper provides a natural background for the holiday season’s bright and abundant florals.
Citrus, spice, and everything nice! We love the ‘Tis the Season Placemat for cozy gatherings all winter long. Pomanders and orange slices add a brightness to grey winter days, and this story pairs with our Winter Botanical Serving Confetti for extra flair on your tables.
A PORTION OF ALL SALES AT HESTER & COOK SUPPORTS
While most people can empathize with the emotional struggles of caring for a child with a life-threatening diagnosis, the overwhelming financial burdens faced are frequently overlooked. These families often teeter on the brink of financial collapse due to mounting expenses paired with increased time away from work. Treatment, prescription, and travel costs can quickly consume a family’s budget. The Wonderful Life Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2009 by Angie and Robbie Cook, offers direct assistance to families experiencing financial hardship in conjunction with life-threatening illnesses. Hester & Cook donates a portion of all sales to the foundation, and we are committed to supporting families with children affected by cancer and other serious conditions. For more information or to donate, please visit wonderfullifefoundation.org.
WHERE TO SEE OUR NEW COLLECTIONS DALLAS TOTAL HOME & GIFT MARKET Dallas, TX • Patrick & Company, Suite 2927 June 23 – 29 ATLANTA MARKET AT AMERICASMART Atlanta, GA • Building 2, Floor 9, Showroom 903B - 905 July 13 – 19 LAS VEGAS MARKET Las Vegas, NV • International Market Center Showroom C-107 August 22 – 26
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For samples, images, or other needs Press Contact: Macie Wessels maciewessels@hesterandcook.com