What is so Exciting about Tablescaping?

Before I became distracted by the "blog of note" thing, I had been contemplating what I find so exciting about setting a creative dining room table. After you get so many visitors, you begin finding yourself posted about all over different forums on the net. I visit the forums just to see what they are all saying about me. Admit it, so would you. :) You have to have a thick skin to do so. Sometimes the things they are saying isn't all that nice.

Some of you make your husband look at this blog so you can prove that my sickness is worse than yours! The post that really made me laugh out loud while sitting alone at my computer was the lady who said she thought she never met a dish she didn't like, until she saw some of mine! I am still chuckling as I write this. My personal feeling is that some of those ugly ducklings turn into swans when the table is completed.

I have always had the need to create things, like quilts or other crafts. But a quilt takes a very long time and a ton of effort. Sometimes I just have the urge to do something creative in a short time. I can do that by setting a table. It's very fun & creative to take an inspiration piece of fabric and see what sort of table emerges.

I think the main reason I like doing tables is that I get my creative kick without making anything that I have to find a place to store. I just pull items from around my home and put them back where they came from when I am done. When I finish a huge quilt, I have to find some place to store it. I am pretty much out of room for any more large quilts.

During the summer I am a perennial garden addict(Yes, I do believe I have an addictive personality). The garden gives the same fleeting pleasure. It's a ton of work, but I am rewarded with the beauty of my labors for a few months and then everything is gone until next year.

Tablescaping allows me to take my three hobbies and combine them. I use quilts for tablecloths and flowers for centerpieces. Last winter I started making mini quilts to use as table runners. Now I can continue my quilting hobby without having to make big quilts.

Last winter I started designing table runners around dishes. Here are the two I have completed.

I thought as long as I am making a runner, it may as well be one that I will use. I have not yet used them in a tablescape.

My goal in '09 is to do a table with every different dish pattern I own. That should keep me going for quite some time!