The Hallmark star ploughshare what it ’s like to be a guest in her house , what she does to sense at dwelling when she ’s away , and a peek at her next big career move .
While Hallmark star Alison Sweeney was deport and raised in Los Angeles , she ’s of late made the move to Arizona with her husband and teenage baby . The move has been more awful than they could have ever dreamed , Sweeney says , partly due to the profuse rose garden that came with the habitation , which has sparked a new gardening hobby for her .
Hosting is another of Sweeney ’s favorite activities , so it ’s no wonder she makes it such a treat to be a Edgar Guest in her home . The actress , producer , director , and generator spoke with Better Homes & Gardens to partake in her hosting must - dos , how she creates a home while away on bent , and her next movie on Hallmark Mysteries .
Credit:Alison Sweeney | Design: Better Homes & Gardens
Alison Sweeney’s House Rules
A principle that Sweeney says takes antecedence over all others : Take your shoes off when you enter the house . “ My daughter and I are always at the stable natter horse , so our brake shoe can not be trusted to derive inside , ” Sweeney says with a gag .
Besides this simple common good manners , Sweeney articulate that guest should only do one thing : Feel at abode in their house , no rule use .
“ We want our guests to think we ’re super cool and normal [ laughs ] , so we tryto not have any rulesfor our guests , ” she say .
Credit:Alison Sweeney
learn on for more of her must - dos while host ( or being hosted ) in the Sweeney menage .
What’s a great gift to bring as a guest?
I always love a nursing bottle of vino , that ’s what I bring in as a talent when I ’m a guest . Being from California , I ’ve been exposed to some nifty wine . My friends and I have traveled to draw of vineyards , and I bonk a wine that tells a story . My friendChad Melvillehas a winery and makes amazing wine . I love rip out the wine-colored that I ’ve tasted at his vinery and partake them with my booster when they ’re visiting .
What’s your go-to meal for family?
If I had to pick a dearie , it would be chicken tortilla soup . It ’s so fond and substantial , I just make love it . I top it with shredded cheese , avocado , homemade tortilla strips , cilantro , and a few crisped - up , chopped jalapeños .
Alison Sweeney | Design : Better Homes & Gardens
What about when guests are coming over?
We care to flap out the ruby carpeting for invitee . My husband barbecues filet mignon or New York strips and I ’ll make popovers , twice - bake potato , and a salad . We like to have a fully - carry bar so everyone can prefer what they require to salute .
How do you make guests feel special while they’re in your home?
We be intimate to host and have hoi polloi over , and we sleep with to place the scene . We have speakers throughout our house and we seek to make and play playlists based on what would be beneficial for the Guest coming over . I have a go at it spending time making them . We also light candles , even if they ’re battery - powered . We like to have a lot of different lighting that ’s low - lit , rather than harsh overhead aliveness .
I also strain to be middling flexible with guests . We want our guests to feel at household — if they wake up early , we want to verify we have breakfast stuff available for them . If they ’re lactose illiberal , we require them to have the right coffee creamer . We teach them how to practice the coffee berry machine , so they can make anything they ’d like , wake up up whenever they want , and do whatever they like .
Alison Sweeney
What makes your house feel like home?
Our dogs . We have two rescue dogs and when you spread out the door and they run up to meet you , that ’s just the best feeling ever .
How do you make yourself at home while away on set?
When I travel for work ( most Hallmark motion picture are filmed in Vancouver ) , I lend photos of my family with me . I put them in flashy , small frames and put them wherever I ’m outride .
My home is no different — photographs of my family and friends are everywhere around the house . Whether they ’re of a past tripper or empty-headed brass of the kids , I want guest to see a glimpse into our spirit when they ’re in our home base .
What’s your design style?
We definitely list towards compound - style . My hubby and I love a traditional and classic flavour over a New look . I screw formula , I eff fabrics , and I love warming up a room with drape , curtains , hold blankets , and carpeting . My aunt was an internal graphic designer , so I feel like she really inspired me .
Do you prefer neutrals or colors?
If you walked throughout my home you would emphatically find both , but if I had to pick — coloring material !
In the Garden
When Sweeney and her hubby buy their newfangled Arizona home , it came with a flourish rosaceous garden that had been planted by the premature possessor . Out of regard for the original nurseryman , Sweeney adjudicate to carry on maintain the garden , but had no idea how passionate about it she would become .
I know the challenge of it all . I would have never expect myself to like gardening like this — it ’s so rewarding when the plant are blooming and I can say , ‘ I did that ! ’
“ I have this rose garden , and it ’s my favorite affair about the whole house . I pour a loving cup of coffee berry in the morning and take the air around the garden , trim the rose , and take a few to put in a vase inside the theatre . I just bought stuff today to put back a few of the industrial plant and to fertilize them to get them ready for bounce , ” Sweeney say . “ I make out the challenge of it all . I would have never wait myself to care horticulture like this — it ’s so rewarding when the plants are blooming and I can say , ‘ I did that ! ’ ”
Sweeney on Screen
Sweeney is back on television with the next ( and 9th ) Hannah Swensen installing , One Bad Apple : A Hannah Swensen Mystery , which transmit on April 5 on Hallmark Mysteries . Sweeney ’s character , Hannah Swensen , is a bread maker who owns the local bakehouse and coffeehouse but turns into an amateur detective when crime strikes her small township . Sweeney wrote , executive produced , and star in this latest movie , with Victor Webster ( her formerDays of our LivesandThe Wedding Veilco - star ) join the cast . This is the first of the series that Sweeney compose the script for .
“ I ’m a narrator at heart , ” she says of her fresh role as a screenwriter for the secret film . “ I love being a part of the whole narration and bringing the whole story together . It ’s a dream come true for me . Every single movie , I feel so grateful and I love every single part of it . ”
