Tablescaping

Christmas Table 2011

2011-12-12T17:49:00.000-05:00

Next Saturday I am hosting a dinner party for my inlaws. I wanted to do a table that coordinated with my bronze/green Christmas tree:

Since I work full-time I had to begin preparations over the past weekend.

I set a fairly simple table with a very easy centerpiece of pinecones and green glass & silver mesh balls. I nestled six votive candles among the greens.

These amber glasses are circa 1974.

I like this table. I like the simplicity and how it blends so nicely with the bronze/green Christmas tree.

I also set a second table as I am having 11 guests and they won't all fit around one table. I don't have enough of the same dishes, etc., so I did this table differently, yet not glaringly so. I still used pine cones in the centerpiece and green plates.

I reversed the glassware/napkins colors. The pink tablecloth goes with the pink hydrangea tree as this table sits right next to that tree.

If you don't read my main blog, you can see more of my Christmas 2011 decorating by clicking here.

My Top Five Posts according to Blogger Stats

2011-10-30T16:18:00.025-04:00

Today I had time to explore my stats and I thought I would show you my top five posts and the tablescapes of each. First here are the Blogger stats:

Black and Yellow Fun Tablescape:

I was a little disappointed that the table that got the most views was not even one I designed. You can see more of this one by clicking on the heading text above the pic.

#2 Black, White and Red Rose Table:

This classic table is also one of my favorites so I was not surprised to see this as #2.

#3 It's a Jungle Out There:

I have done other jungle tables that I like better. I guess having the word "jungle" in the post header caused the search engines to pull up this one when people googled. Now I am wondering where that fabric went! It would have been perfect for a recent animal handbag I made.
#4 Black, Silver and White Tablescape:

Another classic color combo. I like this one, too.

#5 Valentine's Table 2009:

Hmmmm...these selections are interesting to me. Four of the five tables have black as a prominent color. People must like black.

Overall I have done a lot of tables that are more interesting than these.

Have you ever checked to see your stats to see what your top 5 posts are? I wonder if you were surprised, too.

Purple, Grape Hyacinths and Tiger Plates

2011-05-26T16:36:00.004-04:00

I made this grape hyacinth bouquet outside on my flower arranging bench.

Don't you think this would have made a great table?

Unfortunately after I made the bouquet, I didn't have time to set an entire table. Maybe next year.............

Where I Store it All--Well, Most of It--OK, at least 3/4th's of It

2011-05-24T16:11:00.000-04:00

I have shown this area before, but I recently spent six hours (over two days) removing everything from these cabinets, rearranging the shelves, washing all of them and then putting it all back (not exactly all...I did donate three boxes of dishes that I felt certain I would never use to a thrift store---I am not a hoarder...I am not a hoarder). Now it all fits better and I can find what I want and I can get it out easily.

I am not going to talk about every shelf, but will highlight a few of my favorites. I am very fortunate to have this large area solely to indulge my dish hobby.

Here are the first two units (I have four of these): I used to have all the shelves the same size, but noticed some buckling of the shelves, so I decided that I needed to put most of the super heavy plates on the bottom where there is more support. That meant I had to remove the four little silver thingies that hold each shelf and re-adjust them all. . . major ordeal....let me tell you...

In the first section notice that I made the last area very small. I wanted to be able to have a shelf all by itself for my super big heavy meat fork and knife set. It is a beautiful set, but it used to be on the bottom of about a dozen other trays and was way to difficult to get to, so I rarely used it.

Just look at those beautiful ducks engraved on the handles! Now I can easily pull it out--wonderful!

One shelf is dedicated to my Tiara glass. I have loved this amber-colored dishware since the 1980's (when everyone else hated it--perhaps they still do, but I still love it).

Here are the other two shelf units:

Some of you may be wondering what all the white stuff is sticking out of the dish stacks. Some of it is paper toweling and some is felt. I use both to prevent scratches.

I put another skinny shelf on the top of the end section for big heavy relish trays. Shelf #2 is full of small relish trays. You would think we eat a lot of relish around here--LOL.

The third shelf holds most of my pedestal servers--cake plates and footed bowls.

The bottom shelf holds white milk glass plates and my collection of those vintage crystal star plates (can't think of the proper name right now--maybe Federal Star or something similar--anybody know?).

I cannot tell you how good it feels to have this job done. I had DH take the 3 boxes to goodwill right away so I would not be tempted to grab more items back. I did grab a few before he left.

Like these tarnished silver plated items:

I sent at least 6 silver plated items to Goodwill. These two called out to me just before they left, so I took them out of the goodwill box and spent a few minutes cleaning them with silver cleaner. They did clean up nicely, don't you think?

It feels so good to have this major task completed!

Orange & Purple Tulip Tablescape

2011-05-23T13:13:00.002-04:00

When I made this bouquet, I knew I had dishes that would work perfectly for a spring lunch.

I tossed on a purple tablecloth:

added purple glasses and orange napkins,

a purple-ruffled dinner plate and topped it with an orange flower-shaped plate. Another very simple table for two.

It was perfect for a big spinach/chicken/mandarin orange salad.

Yum! I wish I was just starting lunch all over again!

Parrot Tulip Tablescape

2011-05-20T14:10:00.001-04:00

I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to finally have some garden flowers for centerpieces. I have decided to cut tulips each week and do a quick easy table to match.

These tables are the 10-minute variety. You won't find me working all week on a table. As an empty-nester, I only have to set weekday tables for two (sometimes only one). Even my more elaborate guest tables are less than one hour. I have too many other things to do and I bet you do, too!

But just because we lead busy lives, does not mean we have to sacrifice a nice dinner table. I already had this bright parrot tulip centerpiece on the table.

All I had to do to complete the dinner setting was find some matching dishes. Since the flowers were in a cobalt blue vase, it was an easy choice-- cobalt blue dinner plates. The red/white flowered salad plate went with the flower theme.

My favorite red-flowered bowl glasses seemed to work just fine.

I recently made the chalkboard section of this menu pig, so I decided to use him, too. If guests were coming, I would have changed his tie to somthing with red and yellow (tiny details really impress guests). :)

Quick and simple for a weeknight meal!

There is no need to sacrifice a pretty table when they are this easy to do. Bon Appetite!

Cinco de Mayo Tablescape

2011-05-03T17:12:00.001-04:00

I love to work with bright colors, so this was another fun table.

I have had the fabric for years, but never seem to remember it for Cinco de Mayo. I was thrilled that I finally remembered to use it.

I was happy to find dishes in almost the same colors as the fabric.

The sombreros I used as napkin rings look a tad too blah for me. They were a last minute addition. I had no time to embellish--they really could have used some bright ribbons tied around the brim.

The bright yellow daffodils from my garden worked well with the big paper flowers that I hung upside down from the chandelier.

Don't you just love these paper flowers? My friend at work made them. She is the Food & Beverage Director and she needed big flowers for one her bar parties. These were sitting in the liquor room for the past year and she let me borrow them for last night. I think they made the entire table pop!

Are you wondering what that yellow snake-like thing is?

We like hard shell tacos and that thing is what holds them upright on the plate. I use them everytime I have tacos. After I had put them out, I realized that I had the stand alone shells, so I didn't really need them.

DH likes his on a wedge of lettuce sans shell.

We really enjoyed our quick Mexican dinner at this fun table. The only thing missing were the Margaritas!

I am linking to Tablescape Thursday today.

Mikasa Leopard Dishes and Pink Polka Dot Tablescape

2011-05-01T07:58:00.001-04:00

I know this is my second table in a row to use leopard dishes, but I wanted to show how versatile they are. I wanted to try pink polka dot and leopard.

I think I like the combo. What do you think--have I totally flipped?

The end settings have a gold and a pink glass and the center settings have gold/green glasses. I like to use different colors on the two ends. I originally used all green because I started with a very wild tablecloth (I will show that at the end of this post).

The little pink birdhouses with cheetah skin tops are whimsical name holders. I have found that people just love to see their name on the dinner table.

It also alleviates guests standing around and asking where they should sit.

This is the tall candle in the center.

Here is the original tablecloth that inspired the color scheme. I love this animal print/floral tablecloth!

Unfortunately it was just too busy (even for me!) and I had to take the whole table apart to swap it with the solid pink cloth you saw above.

Maybe I could use the leopard dinner plate and top it with a solid color............I do have some solid orangish salad plates shaped like a flower......I wish I would have thought to try them before I tore this table apart!

I am Linking to Marty's Tabletop Tuesday. So head on over there with me to see what everyone else has for this week.

May next table will be a Cinco de Mayo table -- I love working with those bright colors!

Now What Can I do with This?

2011-04-29T16:10:00.000-04:00

Believe it or not, this pile of stuff is the beginning of my next tablescape. I should have time to post about it later this weekend.

I hope you will check back to see if I can do anything with it--you have to admit it's an electic bunch of stuff!

I am Liking This!

2011-04-27T17:39:00.002-04:00

If you follow my other two blogs, you know that quilting is one of my serious hobbies.
After work today, I started to make a placemat for the Mikasa leopard dishes.

I still need to add some batting and quilt it, but I think this mat is going to be purrrfect for these big
cat-print dishes!

I will do and post a full table after I finish making 4 of these placemats. In the meantime, I am still working on the hot pink/leopard table. I have not really done any "work" on it, but I have given it a thought or two. :)

Mikasa Leopard Dishes Tablescape

2011-04-25T18:49:00.002-04:00

I love these chic animal print dishes. This is the first set of square dinner plates I have owned. I like how the soup bowl is round, but the dinner and salad plate are square.

I angled the salad plate to give each setting more interest.

I tried some brown-handled flatware, but in the end, I decided that my gold flatware worked best with these dishes.

I had fun making my own wine label.

I just printed it on an Avery label and stuck in over the original label of this white wine... just a little touch that makes your dinner party more special. Notice that tree on the right side of the artwork?

That tree inspired my centerpiece. I was having some difficulty coming up with a centerpiece to go with these dishes. I wanted to use only items I already had. While looking out the kitchen window I noticed the Sedum Autumn Joy and thought, why not give it a try.Do you see the resemblance of the tree and this dead sedum Autumn Joy that I picked from my garden? I added some dead silver artemesia to give it a bit of spark. Seriously, this is a bunch of dead flowers that overwintered in my garden-- I would normally toss these on the compost heap! It's amazing what can be done with just a bit of thinking outside the box!

What a stroke of luck--I had glasses that seem to be made for these leopard dishes!

Just look at the perfect color of that martini glass stem!

I added the small gold liqueur glass because it matched the gold-beaded place mat and the flatware.

I also made a menu - it's amazing how easy all of this is with computers!

Did you notice that I added jewelry to the lotus candle holder next to the menu? Jewelry is not just for the body. I use it all the time on my tables. I used one of my favorite necklaces on the wine bottle. Did you catch that? Look at the wine bottle. I wear that necklace all the time!

Just for kicks, here is a sepia-toned picture of my table.

This table was so much fun! I am planning to do another table with these same dishes.

I am thinking leopard and hot pink! I think these Mikasa leopard dishes are going to be very versatile. I may even do a third table and mix them with my zebra dishes.

I received these dishes from Lifetime Brands, Inc. a nationally branded kitchenware, tabletop and home décor resource. They asked me to set a table and do a candid post about their dinnerware. I have done exactly that and I hope you enjoyed seeing these unique dishes.

I have linked to Marty's Tablescape Tuesday at a Stroll Thru Life. Check out all the inspirational posts over there.

Mikasa Leopard Dishes

2011-04-24T16:24:00.000-04:00

Last week I was contacted by someone who had seen my zebra table and asked if I would like to do a tablescape with these Mikasa Leopard dishes.

Are you kidding?

I immediately emailed them back and said, YES, I would love to attempt a tablescape with these gorgeous dishes!

The company said they would be sending the dishes out immediately. I half expected it to be a scam.

But lo and behold in less than a week these dishes arrived. I was thrilled. They are a good quality stoneware from Mikasa. At the moment I have no idea how I will set the table, but I will post later in the week with the tablescape I come up with. So please stop by later this week to see what I do with these dishes.

Black & Red Polka Dot Tablescape

2011-02-21T16:25:00.000-05:00

Here is another table that combines my two hobbies of quilting and table setting. I made six of these quilt blocks called Dresden Plate -- so fitting for what I am using them for!

They are often made in pastels and usually sewn into a quilt like the one on the left (picture came from this site on quilt history).

The ones I made are far from pastel and I decided to use mine for place mat/chargers to start a table in red and black. Here are my black and red polka dot Dresden Plates at the beginning of this tablescape:

When I am finished you will only see the tips of these chargers.

Here is the table as I am setting it. I like the look with just the salad plates, but I need to cover them because I am serving soup, so I need soup bowls. Once the soup is finished, I am happy to know that everyone will see this before the salad is brought to the table.

Here is the completed table with the soup bowls.

I am not really sure where the soup spoons go, so I just put them where I thought they should go since they will be the first utensil used. I really don't even care where they should go. This is not exactly dining at the White House, so who cares about proper etiquette--no need to get stressed over something like that.

Here is a side view of the place setting:

and a close up of one of the silver balls.

If you look very closely at the silver coffee pot, you will see a reflection of me taking the picture!

And that's all. I am not into taking 15 or 16 pictures of my tables. I think once you see the whole table, you've really seen all you care to see.

Happy tablescaping!

Valentine's Dessert

2011-01-22T16:19:00.000-05:00

It's too early to do a Valentine's Day table, but I found the perfect dessert for people who don't bake and want something easy, yet impressive for V Day. I thought I would share just in case any of my readers want to use this idea.

This picture is thanks to Woman's Day magazine.

Is this impressive looking or what?

You can go there by clicking here to get the full recipe.

Books on the Art of Entertaining

2011-01-05T17:25:00.001-05:00

I have a pretty big collection of cooking/entertaining books. About 15 years ago I attended an estate auction of a deceased 90+-yr old woman and I bought a few boxes of her cookbooks. She was in a book club (many of the books were labeled "book club edition").

Many appeared to have never been opened, like this one from 1960 titled, The Art of Serving Food Attractively. There are none of the beautiful color pictures that we are used to today in this 51-year old book. In fact there were only a few black/white drawings, like this one showing how to make bologna and cheese sandwiches look good--what fun!

This book was published in 1992, but is still in black/white.

It has a suggestion for a reunion patchwork cake:

I work with people who plan parties, but I have never had a reunion serve a cake like this!

This book published in 1983 is one of my favorites:

It has a buffet that I have been wanting to do for years--but never have. It's now on my bucket list--seriously, before I die, I want to do this sandwich buffet table for Halloween:

Have you ever seen a cuter way to serve a sandwich buffet than this? It looks very easy to me.

One of my more current entertaining books is this one from Christopher Lowell--you can tell it's fairly current because he uses the word "tablescapes":

He has wonderful color pics and sets the type of tables we are all setting today. Look, he even used zebra fabric on this one!

What about you--do you have any favorite entertaining books?

Simple Zebra Tablescape

2010-12-29T16:10:00.001-05:00

When I saw this tapestry fabric yesterday, I immediately thought of my zebra salad plates --see the plate in the right hand corner?

After 4 hours of sewing and about 20 minutes to set the table, I ended up with a totally new look for my dining room:

I made six chair covers to match the plates. They also go nicely with the new green color that we painted the dining room this fall. I immediatley set a quick table so I could see how it would look. I really like the chair covers! I am always thrilled when I spend hours making something and I actually like the finished product. So often, that is NOT the case.

I even got to use my blah pea-soup-green napkins--they rarely go with any table. But for this one, they were perfect!

I think it's a fun change for the new year. If you look in my header, you can see these same plates used with a 1950's aqua-rimmed dinner plate. Who would have thought zebra plates would be so versatile?

I also bought a neutral home-dec fabric yesterday to make another set of chair covers. I can't tell you how much fun I have with chair covers. They are so easy to make-basically just a big pillowcase. I already have a gray set, which I use quite often.

Do any of you make chair covers?

Update: I removed the cedar greenery and redid the candles with bows and zebra fabric.

Christmas Table for Two 2010

2010-12-20T16:24:00.000-05:00

Since I have a busy week of work and holiday preparations, I decided to set my Christmas table for two when I got home from work today. I set a small table for two right in front of my Christmas tree. It's a very simple table that DH and I will use to enjoy a cozy meal later this week.

Of course, I had to use my big red wine glasses.

The tiny table had room for just one chunky candle wrapped in a piece of birch bark I found in my yard this fall.

Here is a flash shot of the green and red plates I used.

I used sparkly gold beaded chargers. The denim stockings that I have on my tree hold the dinner napkin.

I added a red striped candy to tie in the candy theme of the tree.

It was a very quick and easy table that will add a little bit of cheer to our holiday.

Sunflower and Blue Jean Stocking Christmas Tree

2010-12-05T16:35:00.000-05:00

This year I decided to do a very country Christmas tree.

It is loaded with gingerbread men, sunflowers and blue jean stockings.

I also used three different textured green balls, real lollipops, and a few different candy-themed ornies.

Now I need to come up with a tablescape to coordinate with the tree.

Stay tuned to see what that will be!

Thanksgiving Tablescape

2010-11-23T17:06:00.000-05:00

Last week I made this 'Give Thanks' banner. I decided to put it on my dining room cabinet.

I added a lot of pine cones and grapes to my fall leaf garland. I even put some on the opening knob of the cabinet.

Tonight I set my Thanksgiving table to coordinate with this cabinet.

I used my turkey soup tureen as the centerpiece.

This tall metal candle holder was also adorned with grapes and fall leaf garland.

I used my favorite vintage dishes -- 'Windsor Fruit'. These dishes just say "Thanksgiving" to me. You may have noticed that I also used them in my header, which is a Thanksgiving table from a couple of years ago.

The gold beaded chargers provide some sparkle. I love sparkle!

These green/gold candles seemed to work with this table.

So now my table is all set for the big feast!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Ants are Welcome at this Table

2010-07-21T05:18:00.000-04:00

I did not think I was going to get the heavy metal ants I ordered last month. Two weeks ago I got an email that said they were out of stock for the season. Then last week I got an email that said they had shipped!

We are grilling steak tonight. I thought I'd set a quick picnic-type table. I went out to my gardens and picked some flowers

and put them inside a picnic basket. Then scattered the ants around.

Dessert was homemade chocolate chip cookies--it looks like the ants like them, too.

Here is the complete table setting for just the two of us.

I can't wait to use these ants for a summer dinner party. I think they will be quite the conversation starters!

Denim, Dasies & Daylilies Tablescape

2010-07-15T09:34:00.005-04:00

For this quick table, I went out to my garden and cut down some daisies and daylilies. Then I took this blue jean handbag, that I made last spring

and inserted two heavy glass containers full of water.

I plopped the flowers in, did a little tweaking and ended up with this bouquet:

I used my blue onion salad plates to incorporate a little pattern and my butterscotch glass chargers because they matched the eye of that little yellow daylily in the front.

I used my white-flowered red wine glasses, blue-stemmed water glasses and chunky white candles.

For very little fuss, I had a unique summer dinner table.

Can I Come to Lunch?

2010-06-26T17:12:00.000-04:00

I just ordered 8 of these tablecloth weights.
Are they not adorable?
They should ship next week. I cannot wait to do a deck table with them!

Aqua, Chartreuse & Purple Tablescape

2010-06-14T16:40:00.001-04:00

I did an impromptu table Sunday morning inspired by a grilled meal of BBQ chicken and this aqua watering can. As the table was progressing, I decided I needed a third color and thought purple would be a good accent.

At last summer's closeout sales, I picked up this M. Stewart watering can and a box of assorted colors of candles in tin holders. What a surprise to find candles that matched perfectly--not only the aqua, but the chartreuse too!

I knew my aqua-rimmed Pyrex plates would be a match. I had forgotten about the green striped plates--another great match.

I was thrilled to have aqua watering can napkin rings, too!
I had painted these a few weeks ago when I was painting junque for my garden. You can read all about it here.

I went out to my garden and cut down some hosta leaves and a few flowers for the watering can:

And the table was finished.

Pretty quick and easy. We nibbled on the carrots/celery and grapes while the chicken cooked.

I forgot to get a picture of the BBQ chicken. Trust me, it was delish! As was this strawberry topped pound cake.

Oh, My, 35 pictures of the Same Tablescape in One Post!

2010-04-14T13:40:00.006-04:00

I've been browsing some tablescape blogs and noticing that the amount of pictures people are posting is way more than it used to be. I visited one recently that had over 35 pictures of the same table!

It was a nice table setting, but I lost interest after the first five. They all looked the same. There was no writing prior to each picture to let me know what I should be looking at that was different than the picture above.

I've been noticing this trend for some time and wondered if anyone else has noticed the same. I've always enjoyed the write up almost as much as the pictures. I like to see a sentence or two about what inspired the table, where the dishes came from, how the author came up with the creative centerpiece, etc.

So what do you all think? Love the pics, don't care about the descriptions, or prefer fewer pics and more writing?

I Used Strawberry Whoppers™ and Sterling Silver in my Easter Tablescape

2010-03-21T12:30:00.000-04:00

It's an unlikely combination, isn't it? But the soft pink of the candy worked well with the table.

I've incorporated a lot of my hobbies in this table, like the wooden bunny I painted purple to match the quilted table runners that I made. I also painted one chocolate brown because it reminds me of all those milk chocolate rabbits I used to get for Easter.
There are lots of real eggs on this table that I colored & decoupaged. These little boy bunnies hold eggs with quilt patterns. A blue jean bunny wearing a pink bandana skirt sits atop the back chair.
I made the chair back toppers in the log cabin quilt block design with pink bunnies in the middle.

I've had these bunny napkin rings for quite some time. I am always happy to see them again because they are just so darn cute!
The centerpiece is my big hurricane candle holder filled with Easter grass and a small egg tree.
Easter tables are always such fun to do, don't you agree?

Pink, Black & Silver Valentine Table

2010-02-04T05:50:00.000-05:00

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so since I have no time to do a write up on this one, I will leave you pictures equal to 6,000 words.....Oh, I wish I had caught that crooked candle before I posted this one!

Floating candles in a giant martini glass for the centerpiece.

A Romantic Table for a Cold Winter Day

2010-01-30T17:55:00.004-05:00

I used the red, black and white table runner to set the theme.
I had no flowers, so I used only candles atop silver candlesticks for the centerpiece.
A silver pot poured coffee into milk glass coffee cups.
Paul Revere bowls were used for the salad.
A gold-rimmed creamer was used for salad dressing.
A plate of chocolate-covered strawberries for dessert.
A coconut and chocolate strawberry. What a treat on a cold January day!

It's Time to Do a Valentine Table

2010-01-22T05:21:00.000-05:00

I need to come up with an idea for this year's table. I've been looking
at a few past tables to get ideas.
Right now I am leaning toward the black/white/red combo. It's more contemporary and I am on a clean lines kick lately.

I could use my big red goblets and a new red, black, white runner I have. I think I have a plan..............I will probably do the table this weekend.

Olive Green & Cranberry Tablescape with Cardinal Accents

2009-12-30T14:24:00.001-05:00

My latest table challenge was this recently completed table runner.

I decided a light blue tablecloth would set it off nicely.

I chose these vintage olive green dinner plates -
Madeira pattern from Canonsburg Pottery Company. I would guess they were made in the mid 1950's. I am a sucker for solid color dinner plates with intricate rims. This ornate basket weave embossed rim fits the bill. They worked nicely atop cranberry chargers.
A cranberry salad plate completes the setting.

I bought these rather drab olive green napkins earlier in the year.

They work perfectly with the Maderia plates. Once again I've used the big cranberry red goblets. They work with so many of my tables.

For a centerpiece I used the money plant (lunaria) and the silver branches I had on the top of my Christmas tree (I love to recycle!). I just went outside and cut a few sprigs of cedar (an advantage of living the country life) and attached some red cardinals--very quick and easy.

This runner makes a nice table for a cold winter day.

A Classic Christmas Tablescape

2009-12-12T08:31:00.010-05:00

I don't often do red, white and green at Christmas. I have a lot of it, but I have been trying out other color schemes during the past ten years.

Earlier this fall, I made a red, white and green table runner, which was the inspiration for this table. I wanted to use it with a set of four candy-themed dessert plates I bought at the end of last season.

So this morning I went down to the basement and pawed through some old boxes of holiday decor to see what I could find to set a classic Christmas table.

I found these Santa napkin rings that I just loved (and still do).

I had forgotten I owned this cute salt and pepper shaker set.

The stemware - one clear crystal and one green.

The centerpiece is a hurricane filled with green/red/white glass ornaments.

Ah, traditional colors do bring out the Christmas spirit, don't you think?

Blue and Silver Tablescape to Celebrate the Season

2009-11-28T05:03:00.000-05:00

I finished my Christmas decorating. My favorite spot to see the tree is from the dining room,

where I just set a cobalt blue and silver table. These shiny silver and blue trees make a very easy centerpiece.

I am looking forward to serving individual pizza/pasta casseroles tonight.

They will be a nice change from the Thanksgiving fare we have all been eating for the past two days.

Autumn Sunset Tablescape

2009-10-27T15:25:00.013-04:00

The colors in this runner remind me of an Autumn sunset.
I chose a dark green tablecloth, dark red charger and dark green dinner plate.

This was topped with a reddish rust leaf embossed plate. The setting was quite dark.

But when I added the orange flower top plate and some gold flatware, the whole table brightened.

Goblets with fall leaves were perfect for this seasonal table.

I went out into my yard and clipped some maple tree branches and some burning bush sprigs to fill a pumpkin for the centerpiece.

Three gold/dark red chunky candles at different heights completed this table.

Friendly Spooks

2009-10-18T18:34:00.004-04:00

I've got a table full of friendly spooks!

Some of them may look scary, but they just like to tease.

Look! That ghost just flew up to sit on the black cat's tail.

I hope they don't get into all kinds of mischief when I go to bed tonight.

Isn't Halloween fun?

The Blogs--They Are A'Changin'

2009-10-14T19:35:00.002-04:00

I have not checked my main email account for over a month.

I really only use email for my blog, which is a yahoo account. I am not one who sends multiple emails every day.

A few years ago on my main email I set up some google alerts for certain topics that I was interested in. When I began posting about tablescapes, there was almost nobody else posting about the topic, so I set up an alert for tablescapes. About once every couple of weeks, someone other than me would post about tablescapes.

Then I started making table runners and set up an alert for that.

Now there are tons of people posting about both every day. I really should delete these alerts because I don't have time to read so many.

I guess I was on the cusp of something big and never knew it! I should have found a way to profit from it as I notice many other new bloggers have. Now and then I receive emails from companies on the web who want me to advertise their stores. They will give me a gift to use for a giveaway. I ignore them all. As far I am concerned their emails are spam.

Ads on blogs turn me off, but it does not seem to bother anyone else. I noticed that some of these new bloggers even have a separate page to entice paying advertisers by boasting about how many hits a day they get, etc. Every day I see more and more of them having give-a-ways from the same advertisers who emailed me. People flock to comment to get in the drawing. The blogger links to the advertiser's site numerous times in the post and gushes over how wonderful their products are. I find this a huge turn off, but it seems to be the way of future blogging. I can't imagine that these bloggers are making much money. Maybe I am wrong. Perhaps they are raking in the dough and I should lower my standards and do the same thing.

Is it just me or are you guys noticing a change in blogs? If you are, does all the advertising bother you? I have seen sidebars with at least a dozen advertising links. Is anyone really making any money with this advertising?

I would love to hear what you all think about this.

Golden Wheat Vintage Tablescape

2009-10-10T17:29:00.001-04:00

Quite a few years ago, when I was in my prime dish collecting stage of life, my sweet husband stopped at a garage sale and bought me a box of dishes. He was so excited when he brought them home to me.

Many of you will remember these Golden wheat plates from the 1950's.
This particular set has a gold band around the edge and this set is in almost perfect condition.

The gold band is not even worn. As you can see by the above photo, there are no wear marks on the backside of the plates. I don't even think this set was used. My DH made a great buy!
I decided that these plates needed a dark rimmed charger and changed to my brown metal set.

These plates just say "autumn" to me, so I used some gourds,fall-colored candles and a scarecrow for the centerpiece.

Dh loves when I use this set. He is so proud that he found them for me.

You just have to love a man who gets excited finding a set of dishes for his wife!

Black and Orange Tablescape but Not Quite Halloween

2009-10-05T05:51:00.000-04:00

I love to bring out the pumpkin dishes for autumn.

The pumpkin vase is filled with cannas from my deck that are not fully opened. I had to bring them in due to freezing temps.

I love the little spiders on the orange candles.

More spiders...cute and creepy at the same time.

The Vaseline candlesticks pull in a bit of the yellow from the runner as do the center of the dahlias that I also cut down from the deck containers.

All in all, I love this table!

Over the weekend I made a new runner. Since I was eager to try it out, I swapped it with the existing runner. I also changed the centerpiece flowers.

I like this runner, but I like the first one best. I will probably like this one more when I use my fall leaf plates and glasses. I do love that the cookies I made go so well with the table!

Butterscotch & Black Tablescape

2009-10-02T17:11:00.002-04:00

I think this fabric is beautiful and makes a great tablecloth.

I decided to try a black and butterscotch table. These chargers were the start.

After adding a black dinner plate, I decided to use these Tiara glass salad plates for some sparkle.

Libby's Gold Leaf glasses provided a touch autumn ambiance.

One dahlia floats in a water-filled Tiara dessert cup on each salad plate, providing a bold splash of color.

Lots of amber votives and

two tall black tapers provide the candle light.

I think my next table will be totally different with this runner.

I made it last year and it's one of my favorites.

The Table is Done

2009-09-18T04:48:00.000-04:00

When I said in my last post that I might need to go under the cover of darkness and clip some foliage from the planters I did at work, I was only joking. I would never go in the night and steal someone's flowers!

I did the planters I was talking about. I snip them regularly to maintain their shape. So while I did snip a few sprigs from those containers, it was not something I did in the dark. I snipped them off as I left work at 3:00 p.m. Just want to clear that up...LOL.

If any of you follow my main blog, Perennial Passion, you know I have a lot of flowers of my own. When I got home yesterday, I went out on the deck and snipped off a few of my own Tropicanna® leaves.

I spent a few moments considering what I would use as the container for my centerpiece. I wanted something small enough so that my table runner would show (after all, I don't do all the work to make these things just to cover them with a huge centerpiece!). I finally decided to use this elevated bowl. It's big enough to hold all my foliage, yet still show the table runner.

I began with some Tropicanna® and some Tropicanna Gold® leaves that I clipped from my deck.

I like it already! These leaves are perfect with this runner. Then I added the coleus 'Sedona' , the ipomoea 'Sweet Caroline' & ipomea 'Blackie'. (Ipomea is sweet potato vine)
Look at that. I decided I did not even need any flowers. I think all the gorgeous foliage is enough. I guess there are a few flowers since the coleus is blooming.

I love this centerpiece! I can't believe how I was inspired as I got out of my car at 6:30 am. and walked past the planters!

I told you I would probably add a second glass and I did. . . a martini glass filled with Vodka and Sweet & Sour Margarita mix.

I call it a Margaret-tini. Not only is the drink the perfect color for this table, but it is very delicious.Once I got the idea for the centerpiece, this table fell into place.

I am happy with it.

Some Tablescapes are Harder to Do than Others

2009-09-17T06:36:00.015-04:00

I never go out and buy items just to match whatever table I am doing. It all comes from my bargain-sleuthing stash of items.

My latest table runner is a tough one to match to any dishes I own. I think these items are as close as I am going to get:
Black dinner plate, purple salad bowl, orange appetizer plate, black napkin and purple goblet. I am likely to add another glass to the place setting, but I am still not in the mood, so this is as far as I got last night.

At the moment I have no hint as to a centerpiece. I think I have used this runner once before, but I don't want to look back to see what I did. I like to see if I end up using different items.
For some reason this container I planted at work is beginning to inspire a centerpiece...... Don't you think that dark purple sweet potato vine and those green veined leaves of the canna and the orangish foliage of coleus would go nicely? Hmmmmmmmmmm.....perhaps some after dark snipping is in order..............
Stay tuned.........

The Red Dahlias Died so the Red/Purple Tablescape Needs to be Changed

2009-09-16T06:15:00.001-04:00

I was not in the mood to change it all tonight, so I just removed everything and found a table runner that I plan to use next--lime green, orange, purple and black.

To cozy up the room for autumn weather, I put the chair backs on and then draped the matching covers over. The silver chargers go nicely with the chair backs, so I put them on, too. I have no idea where I will go from here. I will let it sit a day or two until the urge moves me to finish.

Stay tuned to see what I end up doing with this one!

We Interrupt this Blog for a Very Important Message

2009-09-14T06:29:00.004-04:00

If you are in need (O.K. if you want) some new napkins, run right out to
Wally's World and snatch up this bargain.

4 napkins for $2.00! These are Damask, 18 in. x 18 in. and the new autumn line from BH & G. You could not buy the fabric and make these for .50 each. Do you think they are mismarked?

As you can see, I bought 8 napkins. I am sure you will see them soon on a fall table.

Red, Purple & Gold Tablescape

2009-09-10T19:09:00.024-04:00

Remember the red plates from my last post that I chose not to use? Well, when I got home from work this afternoon, the purple dahlias were quite wilted so I decided to toss them out and change the table to something that would work with those red plates.

As is the usual case, I have little idea where I am going when I start a table. For this one, I knew only that it would be purple and red.

I started looking for chargers and came across these very formal round gold beaded charger type placemats. I liked the formality of the mat on the crinkled taffeta tablecloth. So gold will be my third color.

They are large enough to "double" charger, so I did with a red one. The first dinner plate I auditioned was pure white milk glass.,,,too white....I needed something with a rim pattern. The only patterned rim plates that I thought would work were these red/burgundy plates with some white in the rim design. You won't see much of this plate when I am finished.
I added these Fire King plates just for the gold edge. See how you don't see much of the red plate now?

You can see the big white space does not work. This is where the red salad plates come in. Ta da...this is almost what I had in mind.
They cover most of the white, leaving just enough to perk up the gold rim, but I think I now have too much red!

After a little thinking and searching the table setting cupboards, I found these gold Tiara dessert dishes.
I think (once they are put on straight)they will be just what I need.

My 20-yr. old gold QVC flatware will be perfect for this table.

The glassware had to be these big red goblets--the red/white pattern fits nicely with the red/white of the dinner plate.

A small gold liqueur glass completes the glassware for this table.

Now I need a centerpiece--I grabbed a gold compote
and went downstairs to get my old "flowertree" vases ( love those old vases!).
They are great when you have a limited number of flowers. I went out to the deck and cut down all the red dahlias I could find--one for each little vase. My flower supply is getting pretty limited.

The centerpiece still looked too sparse.
I wanted only red flowers, but did not have any more.........now what?

Ah, how about some of this green mint?

Perfect!
It adds just enough contrast and also has a light minty pineapple scent. I also chopped a handful of green tarragon to fill a small vase.
These Rembrandt dahlias have a touch of purple in the center, which blends nicely with the tablecloth.

Now it's off to the napkin boxes. I opened three boxes looking for some purple napkins. In the third box, I found these very formal green napkins.
I held them over the table and decided they would be better than purple as they would tie in the green color of the mint I added (and I didn't feel like looking for a better choice---life is too short to fret over a napkin color-this one will be fine).

I still needed a little something purple so the purple tablecloth would make sense. Luckily I had two purple candles, which I think do the job.
The table is complete.

Now I have done two very different tables with this piece of fabric and neither is the Halloween table I had intended it for.

Purple & Dusty Blue Tablescape

2009-09-07T13:10:00.000-04:00

A Saturday morning trip to the fabric store turned up this great purple fabric that was the starting point for my latest table.

I really had a Halloween table in mind when I saw the fabric, but since it's not yet October I had not planned to use this cloth for a few weeks.

While putting away my napkins from the previous table, my eyes were drawn to a purple-printed napkin.
I pulled it out of the storage box and tossed it on the table.

By the way, this is my latest napkin storage system.
These boxes hold over two dozen different sets and they are so much more convenient. I can see the different colors so easily now.

Back to the table:

The dusty blue in the (very) boldly-patterned napkin brought to mind some dusty blue plates I have and the color scheme of blue and purple was born.

I thought I would try to match the darker reddish shade of burgundy for the salad plate.

I could probably make these plates work, but after putting them all on and looking the table over, they were not making me sing with excitement.

They are too red.

I went back to the cupboard to find something else. I spotted those wild animal plates I bought in July. Hmmm....maybe they would give the punch I wanted. They are a purple color.

With the chunky purple-stemmed goblets holding the napkin, I am liking the direction the table is taking. Did you notice how different that napkin looks once it is in the glass? The big print is gone and you only see the blend of colors.

I do feel like the tablecloth is a bit more formal looking than I want, so I decide to try a placemat. I don't often use placemats with charger plates, so I was skeptical.
But once they were all on, I liked the added texture the placemat gave.
I think the swirl-handled flatware adds even more texture.

For the center of the table I went out to the deck and cut some purple and pink dahlias for my amethyst vase.
I added a few more vases to fill out the table center. One one side I floated a 'Park Princess' dahlia in a small bowl.

I tied the vase and bowl together (literally) with a pearl necklace.

Two burgundy red candle holders with blue tapers completed the table.

I think this new tablecloth is going to be quite versatile. I still plan to use it for a Halloween table in October.

I had a Tulip for Dinner

2009-09-02T05:39:00.001-04:00

I was alone for dinner tonight, so I decided to fuss a little and came up with a new twist on a simple ham/cheese sandwich.

This fussy sandwich is not really something that my dear husband would appreciate, so tonight was the perfect time to make it.

Some people can't imagine doing something like this just for themselves. I think I deserve a little something special -- and if nobody else is going to pamper me, then I have to do it myself!

Doesn't this look much nicer than two pieces of bread cut in half?

It was very quick to do.

I used a tulip cookie cutter to cut the bread, ham and cheese. then I stepped out on the deck and cut some chive stems.

I washed and dried them, then searched the refrigerator for something to accent the sandwich with. I was looking for olives, but didn't have any. I decided sweet pickles would work. I just cut them into leaf shapes.

The orange plate was a nice background. I had to have a medium dark plate--white would not show off the flower and a dark plate would not show the dark green leaves.

I put a few potato chips around the plate....gotta have that chip crunch with a sandwich.

I ate my light dinner while reading a book on Halloween decorating.

It was a most enjoyable meal.

Vintage Fruit Tablecloth

2009-08-28T19:21:00.004-04:00

This is my favorite vintage tablecloth. The cloth is in lovely shape with vibrant colors.

I put the cloth on the table and then tried to find items to use. The first glasses that came to mind were these heavy purple-stemmed goblets. I also knew the centerpiece would start with this item. But now what?
My original thought was to add flowers to the centerpiece. After looking at the cloth for inspiration, I decided on a simple arrangement of fresh peaches and faux grapes.
Then I pulled some light yellow plates, purple salad bowls and a different fruit-themed salt & pepper shaker for each place setting.
I used a couple of fruit candles along with some votives on the opposite side.
I added a purple/red napkin under each salad bowl and the table was complete.

It took about 15 minutes to do this table.

Aqua & Orange Tablescape

2009-08-20T04:07:00.000-04:00

The tablerunner I made a few weeks ago was the beginning for today's table.

I had these dishes in mind when I made the runner.
A trip to the glass cabinet revealed some Atlas Capri dot aqua glasses that were a good match.

Unfortunately they are not stemmed, but the color is right one so I used them. I really need to find some aqua-stemmed glasses.

I was not in the mood to make a flower bouquet today, so I just grabbed the big hurricane candle from the top of the curio cabinet. I was hoping I had some orange napkins and sure enough I found some. They went inside the glass to add height. The candle needed a little spiffing up so I added some marbles.

I used napkin holders to hold a computer-printed menu. It added another layer to the place setting without obscuring the flower shape of the plate.

I like the peach tablecloth with this runner. I added a small aqua candle holder on each side of the big one and the the table was ready for dinner.

Thanks for stopping by.

Enjoy all of the other tables today.

at Susan's blog

Pink and Black Polka Dot Tablescape

2009-08-18T06:46:00.000-04:00

This length of fabric was the inspiration for this table.
Of course, my black dinner plates and pink salad plates were no brainers.

I was glad I remembered these handmade rose napkin rings that I have had for about twenty years, maybe more. I don't know who made them, but the workmanship is wonderful.

Once again I went to my garden for the centerpiece.

I only had three of these miniature calla lilies, which made a nice focal point in this bouquet.
I used black-stemmed and pink rose candles.

Full table before the napkins were added.

After the napkins. (I used a flash on this one and it washed out the colors)

Dining is and always was a great artistic opportunity."
Frank Lloyd Wright

Pink and Yellow Vintage Tablescape

2009-08-14T10:04:00.000-04:00

Here's another summery vintage tablecloth that I really like (I like them all).

The matching place setting.

An old Tiara glass in the most beautiful shade of green.

I fiddled around with the napkin until I came up with this fold. I needed a fold to fill the huge opening of the soup cup and something that did not stand too high.

Once again the centerpiece is flowers from my own garden in a whimsical light yellow teapot. I love how the yellow dahlias look so much like the yellow daisies in the tablecloth.

I even incorporated this lovely weed at the bottom of the centerpiece. A lot of my flowers aren't as pretty as this weed!
And the full table.

Red, Pink, Burgundy and Black Tablescape

2009-08-11T05:06:00.000-04:00

This time of the year I base my tables on what is blooming in my garden.

Red and pink dahlias were looking good today, so that is what I designed this table around. I decided to use my floral tree vases. Anybody remember these?

They were pretty popular when they came out a couple decades ago. They stack up and you just stick a flower or two in each hole.

After I did the bouquet, I decided a pink tablecloth would be nice. I added Burgundy chargers and then started looking for the place setting pieces.

I don't have any solid red dinner plates, so I chose one with a Burgundy pattern, topped with a pink plate and a black octagon salad bowl.

Then I added red and pink glasses.

I decided to use a pink napkin . At first I tried in in the black salad bowl, but I liked it better in the red glass. The red wine glass is pretty formal and I though this fringed edge napkin added a bit of playfulness.

I decided to use a red candle for the top of my centerpiece.

Then I added a few small red/white votives,

which completed this dinner table.

Vintage Tablecloth and Polka Dot Vases

2009-08-08T15:41:00.000-04:00

It's been about a week since I first showed you the polka dot vases I bought at a flea market and told you I would be using them with a vintage table cloth. This is the full tablecloth--a beautiful blue and green floral with just a touch of golden yellow.

Here's the cast of characters for this table.

Well, it was the full cast until I decided that I needed to incorporate a bit of that golden yellow color. I was ecstatic to find that my yellow glass chargers worked perfectly with that color.
So even though chargers were probably not used when this tablecloth was new, I decided to use them today.

This morning I went out and picked some garden flowers for the centerpiece. I used only green and bluish purple for the bouquet. I am thrilled with the results.

Here is an overhead view of the flowers. I must say I was a tad nervous hanging upside down from that chandelier to get this shot. :)

Since the tablecloth is so busy (and beautiful), I used a minimum of accessories. I wanted the cloth to be the star so I inserted a navy blue napkin under the dinner plate so as not to interfere at all with the cloth. I used one blue and one green glass to coordinate with the plates.
When I was doing this table, I thought it would be perfect if I had a dessert dish in the same color as the charger. All I could think of was my amber Tiara glass dessert dishes. They are way too heavy for this table. So I decided that it was fine without a dessert dish.

While doing this post, it suddenly struck me that I have four light gold dessert dishes. I immediately ran to my dish cupboard and got those dishes.

Almost exactly what I was thinking I needed. It would be perfect if the stem was just a tad shorter. But I have to use what I have.

Now the table is finished.

I am off to begin dinner preparations. Stir-fried chicken is on the menu tonight.

Vintage Cloth and Polka Dot Vases

2009-08-03T04:59:00.000-04:00

I went to a Farmer's Market on Saturday and found these two polka dot vases. As soon as I saw them, I thought of this tablecloth that I already owned.

When I got home I pulled out the tablecloth to see if the vase colors would work. I was thrilled to see that they were perfect.

So from two green and blue polka dot vases at a Farmer's Market, another vintage tablescape idea was born. Time ran out over the weekend, but I will do one soon.

Vintage Hydrangea Tablecloth Tablescape

2009-07-31T20:13:00.002-04:00

I seem to be in the vintage tablecloth mood. I love this old hydrangea tablecloth. I used blue dinner plates and pink salad plates that are both a pretty good match to the colors in the cloth.
I tried a couple of different glasses and finally decided on these two.

I try to use this hydrangea tablecloth when I have fresh hydrangeas to use for a centerpiece. I clipped these three from my garden.
I put just one hydrangea in each container. Did you notice these are the same candle holders turned vases that I used last weekend?
The pink rose candles are just about the same shade as the fringed-edge pink napkins.
It's a quick summer table that would be perfect for a ladies luncheon.

On the Wild Side

2009-07-27T18:56:00.000-04:00

Remember the somewhat wild salad/dessert plates I showed you yesterday? Well this is the cloth I chose for a table based around those dishes.
It's pretty calm. But I think this table runner will perk it up a bit.

I think the turquoise animal print in the stars will work nicely with my turquoise-rimmed dinner plates atop the dark brown metal charger. Then I added the wild print plates which are the star of this table.

I thought these candle holders would work nicely, but not as candle holders. I wanted to use fresh flowers, but I already had a huge candle for the center of the table. So I decided to use these holders as fresh flower vases.
They worked great with one on each side of the centerpiece.
I added some metal orbs around the candle.
I chose these glasses to carry on the brown/gold tones.
When the glass was filled it worked nicely with the orange flowers.

The table is large and I used the end to stack the coffee cups so they were available when dessert was served.

Sunday Morning Vintage Breakfast Table

2009-07-26T18:02:00.002-04:00

I pulled out this vintage tablecloth for breakfast this morning. It's over 50 years old and still in great shape. Even the colors are still vibrant.
It also went nicely with the big bouquet of lilies I made yesterday.
I used my golden yellow marbled glass charger.

Then I spent a moment studying the tablecloth colors to decide which color dinner plate to use.

I opted for dark green.

Then topped the green with some old Royal china.

It was a quick and cute breakfast table.

After breakfast I noticed a blueberry stain on the tablecloth. I thought I would tend to it immediately with this stain remover that I have used successfully on many clothing items.

Big mistake!
The chemicals immediately ate right through the fabric. I mean like instantly.

There was no hole here before I tried to remove the stain. This lovely old tablecloth has survived over half a century and I ruined it in less than one minute. *Big Sigh* I can't bear to throw it away. I am thinking I can still use it if I cover the hole with a big bowl of fruit or something.

Tonight I plan to use these new wild plates for a dinner table. I will post it in a few days.

I hope you all enjoy the remainder of your weekend.

Is there any color cobalt blue does not go with?

2009-07-23T05:53:00.003-04:00

I have been so busy in the garden, that I have not done a new table in the last month.

I thought I would show a few of the different tables I have done with the same cobalt blue dinner plates.

I find it amazing how easy it is to incorporate the cobalt color with my tables.

I think cobalt, pink and orange would be a good combo. I don't recall doing that one before, but I can't really be sure. Perhaps I will try it this weekend.

Do any of you have a picture you have done of that color combination?

Cobalt Blue and Green Tablescape

2009-07-08T13:03:00.007-04:00

My latest table was inspired by this table runner that I made a few weeks ago.

I pulled out my big martini glass vase and filled it with matching marbles and some water.
I then went outside and cut down all the white peonies that I had left in my garden.

After a good swishing of each peony head in a bucket of water (to remove the ants/bugs), I started filling the vase with them. The marbles worked great to hold the flowers in place.

I used a cobalt blue dinner plate and a green salad plate atop a heavy silver charger. The blue Chinese patterned egg cup was added to hold a flower at each place setting.

I wanted to put a peony in each egg cup, but I ran out of them. So I took a walk around the yard to see what else would work. All I could find was a bright yellow daylily.
I decided I liked the bold punch of color the dayliles added.

A cobalt glass holds a crisp white linen napkin in one of my favorite folds.

To bring in more green, I added a small green wine glass.

A few cobalt blue bottles will be great to hold beverages. I added crystal toppers in each bottle.

Here is a smaller pic in case the big one is cut off on your screen.

Thank you for stopping by to see another of my tablescapes.

Ella's Rooster Tablescape

2009-06-17T19:36:00.000-04:00

These are dishes from Bob Timberlake, called "Ella's Rooster".

I designed and made a table runner to coordinate with the dishes.

I pulled out some of my favorite poultry pals to grace this table.

There are roosters, hens, eggs and a couple of "The Little Red Hen" books. Remember that story?

Most women seem to relate to it.

I think it will be the perfect table for a homemade chicken pot pie dinner. If one of those hens would cook the pot pies, I would be very happy to help her eat them!

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy all of the other tables today.

at Susan's blog

Pink, Black & Silver (the tablescape used in my header)

2009-06-10T17:34:00.003-04:00

This table started as just black and silver.

I thought it needed a color punch, so I changed to pink salad plates and pink glasses. Then I rolled a smaller pink napkin inside the black linen napkin.

There--now we have a little pizzaz!

I had a tough time trying to make a centerpiece. I can't wait until my flowers start producing. About mid July I have no shortage of materials for centerpieces. In the meantime, I decided that these dried allium seed heads from last year's garden would do just fine with the addition of a few curly sprigs of twigs.

With the addition of pink, I could use one of my quilted star table runners.

It's nice to have a secondary hobby (quilting) that complements my table setting hobby. I can make all sorts of one of a kind items for my tables.

I always love sparkle.

These ice cubes fit the bill nicely. I just tossed a few on the table.

I am taking these pictures very early in the morning and the color does not always come out true with the camera flash. Have you ever noticed that?

I like to drape a can light over a chair and use it for extra brightness. If I use a couple of these lights I don't even need to use the flash.

The silver wine glass would be used for one of these mini desserts I showed in a previous post.

I would have the desserts in the goblets when the guests arrived. After they sat down, they would simply move it to the side and their napkin would be available to place in their lap. I like settings to be functional. I would not place a silver wine glass in the center of a setting if it had no part in the dinner service.

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy all of the other tables today.

at Susan's blog Have fun!

Aqua, Gold and Cobalt Blue Summer Table

2009-06-02T05:43:00.006-04:00

I brought out this fabric to test it for a table runner binding. It did not work for the binding. When I went to put it away, I admired the print and wondered if I had any dishes that would work with it.

I threw it on the table and went to my dish storage cupboards.

What a pleasant surprise to quickly find these:

Turquoise, gold and cobalt -- all the colors in the fabric.

The turquoise handled bowls are very old McCoy pottery pieces which I just love. The plates are just Wally World purchases. I always check Wally's markdown aisle and often pick up a new color of plates there. Usually I will just buy the dinner plates or the salad plates and mix and match. I find an eclectic table much more interesting than a matchy matchy table, don't you?

I went out to the deck and clipped a handful of flowers. I love summertime when I have everything I need for a centerpiece right out on the deck. I just needed to find a vase. I didn't have to look far.

I decided to use some capri dot glasses that were right in my cupboard for vases. These glasses are from the 1950's. I love these, too (I guess I just love a lot about this table).

I like floating one pink star dahlia in these short glasses.
I think it turned out very summery looking.

This is a table I did at the end of last Summer.

Here's one I did a week ago. It's just a simple spring unch in my tulip garden.

Please visit all the other inspiring tables.

at Susan's blog Have fun!

Black, White and Red Rose Table

2009-05-28T05:12:00.001-04:00

I did not do a table this week, so I thought I would post one of my old tables that I have not used for Tablescape Thursday.

This simple table is one of my all-time favorites.

The red, black and white color combo is a classic.

It was inspired by a rose bouquet from my husband and a garage-sale box of milk glass that I brought up from the basement to redo my curio cabinet.

What really made the table pop for me was when I removed some rose petals and scattered them all over the table.

Although I didn't do this one for Valentine's Day, I do think it would make a great table for a romantic Valentine's dinner.

Don't forget to check out all the other creative tabletops

at Susan's blog Have fun!

Not Your Granny's Table

2009-05-20T19:24:00.000-04:00

Last month I went to a big church sale and I bought some old dishes with a yellow rose decal. They were probably a grandmother's Sunday dishes.

Today I used them for the first time.

My inspiration was this fabric.

I was not sure which of these two chargers I would use.

After trying both with my 1950's aqua-rimmed Pyrex dishes, I chose the dark brown metal chargers. I knew my Hazel Atlas Capri Dot glasses would go nicely with the tablecloth.
I added the rose decal dishes and a covered rose decal dish with small bowls for cut up fruit. Then I went outside and picked 3 tulips (I didn't have any roses or I would have used them) to add to a potted plant for a centerpiece.

My breakfast table was complete in about 15 minutes.

Don't forget to check out all the other creative tabletops

at Susan's blog on Thursday. Have fun!

Fruit Among the Stars Tablescape (or Black, Gold & Blue Tablescape)

2009-05-13T19:44:00.002-04:00

This is the last of the trio of table-runners I recently made.

This table had a rocky beginning. I started with a blue tablecloth and black dinner plates. I tried these fruit salad plates, which I thought would be great considering the fruit theme.

Nope.

It just doesn't do it for me. I really need sunflower yellow salad plates to coordinate with that vibrant yellow in the runner. But I don't have any.

I tried a couple of other salad plates. I was getting frustrated. Then I remembered that I do have sunflower-yellow dinner plates. I could use black salad plates instead of black dinner plates.

Voila!

Now that's more like my vision for this runner. Now I am not that happy with the blue glasses, which I used to bring in the blueberry color in the runner. I didn't like the previous glasses either. So I study the runner colors to see what I might have that would work better.

Red to the rescue!
These big bulbous beauties work with so many of my tables. I love when I make a purchase that turns out to be incredibly useful. I still needed more blueberry color so I inserted blue napkins.

I added a pear and some gold stars to each plate to bring in more of the fruit among the stars theme.

For the centerpiece I used a bouquet of carnations & baby's breath that DH brought home today. I inserted picks of sugared pears and grapes.

I used blue taper candles (again to bring in the blueberry color) and clustered beaded plums at the base.

Here you can see the fabric I am trying to coordinate with.

Inside the end runner stars I put one gold rose candle.

Amber salt and pepper shakers (to match the flower vase) and black-stemmed water glasses completed this table.

I bet you would never guess what was served on this colorful table.
Well, don't even try to guess. I will just tell you -- Enchilada Chili. Yes, all this for a bowl of chili! Of course, it was served in matching black octagon-shaped bowls and garnished up to make it more special.

"What is Enchilada Chili?" you ask. Well, when you taste the chili and the broth is lacking in flavor (too much water added), you toss in one package of McCormick Enchilada Sauce mix and you have turned your dull boring chli into a very flavorful enchilada chili!

Don't forget to check out all the other creative tabletops

at Susan's blog on Thursday. Have fun!

Citrus Punch sans the Citrus Tablescape

2009-05-06T19:26:00.000-04:00

Today's table began with the same basic elements as last week's black/white/silver table. I just changed the table runner and the salad plates. Quite a difference already, don't you think?

Then I started pulling from my stemware collection to find complementary hues.
I chose these three colors of green and yellow.

Then I decided that the white tablecloth was too white and detracted from my citrus theme.
I found this peach-colored tablecloth that I liked better. It was all wrinkled so I had to iron it. Then I removed everything from the table, tossed on the new covering and reset it all (it only took a few minutes).

I used the little golden yellow liqueur glasses on top of the salad plates.

Who drinks liqueurs at dinner?

I am sure some people do, but not anyone in my world.

Still I think that these little glasses are so darn cute that I just have to buy them whenever I see a color that will go with dishes I own.

Just because they were made to hold a shot of booze, does not mean they must do so.

At least not on my dining table.

These little golden beauties became teeny tiny flower vases for daffodils from my garden. I love having a little bouquet at each place setting. They can be set to the side once dinner is ready to be served.
I used green napkins under the salad plate.

In a perfect world, I would have had dozens of oranges, limes and lemons to fill a tall glass container for the center of the table.

Unfortunately my world is not perfect and all I could find was this green candle holder that is too small. But the nice limey yellow Vaseline candle sticks worked great with lighter yellow candles. Just imagine that there is a tall glass holder full of citrus fruits and that my candle is not leaning to the side . :)

I added a couple of little lime green votives.

which completed the table.

The food brought in a bit more orange with the carrots flanking a savory crescent chicken roll. The green of my freshly-picked chives were the perfect garnish (if do say so myself).
I just love having food garnishes growing on the deck right outside my door. Next to these chives, I have some pineapple mint which should be up and ready soon.

Don't forget to check out all the other creative tabletops

at Susan's blog on Thursday. Have fun!

Black, Silver and White Tablescape

2009-04-29T19:38:00.001-04:00

I've had the dining room table sitting half finished for about five days. I was too busy sewing over the weekend to finish it. I am creating a table around one of the runners I recently finished.

In just a short time,

it went from this,

this. Each place setting is a black octagon dinner plate and a milk glass salad plate atop a silver charger.

I love how the star candle created this shadow. I have alternated white stars with silver rose candles (because I only had 2 star candles). I would have used all stars because they work so well with the 3 big star candles. I used quite a few big chunky white candles down the length of the runner.

A combination of white and black stemware was used.

I like to make sure all my guest are comfortable, so I used reclining dining chairs.

Just kidding! I tilted them back to get a better shot.

The napkin is a very formal crisply-ironed white linen with beautifully-detailed edges.

These candlesticks normally hold tapers, but today I wanted the chunky look.
An octagon coffee cup will hold the coffee or tea poured from these family silver pieces from the 1950's. I usually like to do fun contemporary-type tables, but this time I went more formal and traditional.

This is the first of my trio of new runner tablescapes.

I've made three table runners in the past couple of weeks. Here are the other two that I plan to use.

I bet the next two tables will look quite different than the traditional, calm, serene, one of today's post.

As always you are in for a treat discovering table artists at Susan's place.
Don't forget to check them all out

at Susan's blog on Thursday. Have fun!

Red, Orange and Yellow makes a Bright Table for the Spring Season

2009-04-19T13:45:00.011-04:00

div>I started this table with a wavy striped sun gold tablecloth. Those wavy stripes would give me a headache if I had to look at them for very long. Luckily the other elements will cover and break the waviness of the first layer. I needed something bright, but without a pattern so it would not detract from the pinwheel table runner accented with buttons that I made last week
Everything else on the table was selected from the table runner colors. It was quite easy for me to find items in those colors. I started with my red chargers.
I added golden yellow dinner plates.

I topped the dinner plates with orange flower-shaped salad plates.

I decided that gold-toned flatware and red goblets would look nice on this bright table.

I noticed that the dining room wall print has all of the same primary colors as the table. I did not even plan this table around the print. Sometimes it's effortless......

I had this yellow teapot filled with flowers sitting in a different room. I just moved it here and had a centerpiece with no work at all. I tossed the complementary chair covers on the chair backs and the basic elements were all set.

I decided that these big yellow plaid napkins (really dish towels that I bought years ago to use as napkins) would work well. I wasn't sure where to put them until I remembered that I had purchased some gold watering cans to use for this purpose at least year's end of summer sales. I was pretty surprised that I remembered where I had stored them!
I think they worked nicely. I added two cookies in the watering can for just a touch of sweetness to end the meal.

And there you have it...a quick colorful table to celebrate the season.

Doesn't the spinach salad look good on the orange plate?

I think I will get a lot of use from these plates.

Don't forget to check out all the other creative tabletops

at Susan's blog on Thursday. Have fun!

Vases can be such Fun

2009-04-17T05:24:00.007-04:00

Every table needs a centerpiece and flowers often work well. I think the vase is a very important element of the table design. I have many, many vases and things that I love to use as vases. Here is a sampling:

I have dozens of old pottery vases. This one always adds a burst of color to the table.

Anything that holds water can be used as a vase. Like this old ceiling light bulb cover:

In fact it does not even have to hold water. If a glass will fit inside, just fill the glass with water. Like this birdhouse: Or this ceramic chicken:

Or this garage sale metal container:

This animal print "purse" was found in the Walmart markdown bin for only $2.00!

How about a veggie-decorated pitcher for a veggie bouquet?
Here it is again with pears and dahlias.

Here's a real pretty amythest vase that I love to use.

Here's a collector head vase that I also love:

Another garage sale purchase:

As you can see there is no shortage of vases at my house!

If you think you are a little short on vases, just think outside the box
and begin experimenting with anything that will hold water or a glass full of water. You may be amazed at what you find.

Red, Aqua, OLIVE and PINK--now that's a different combo!

2009-04-09T05:04:00.001-04:00

But I really do like it.

I just picked up all the colors in this inspiration fabric, beginning with the brown charger.

I was looking for my light pink napkins when I came across this one. Hmmm, I think it will work fine.

The centerpiece is live flowers with a trio of green candles behind.

Did you notice the orbs I recently purchased? I inserted them right into the floral bouquet.

This was another fun table created around a piece of beautiful fabric.

Don't forget to check out all the other creative tabletops

at Susan's blog on Thursday. Have fun!

I am having quite a problem visiting sites this week. Music tends to kill my computer. If there is music and other moving gadgets on the same site, I am pretty much done for. This is what I get when I try to get to the page to visit everyone.

Does anyone else have such problems with music? I notice more and more people are using it, so I am guessing everyone else has newer computers and are not bothered by it.
An internet friend gave me a great idea to copy all the names and email them back to myself. That way I eliminate having to go back. Even if I don't get booted off, it takes a good 5 minutes for the page to load. If I can get there again, I will do that so I can get my tablescape fix for the day!

A Bowl of Oatmeal Became a Gourmet Breakfast

2009-04-05T18:36:00.008-04:00

With major holidays I set at least two different holiday tables. I have a small round table that works nicely for breakfast.

Even though I only needed one bowl and a fruit cup for our breakfast of oatmeal, toast and fruit, I spent a few minutes to set a nice table.

I used a quilt I just finished for the tablecloth because it was in pink and purple.

Two wooden bunnies decorating their egg tree form the centerpiece with alphabet blocks spelling out a holiday greeting.

Note the framed quilt blocks behind the Easter bunny centerpiece. They are leftover from the quilt, so I could not ask for a more perfect match.

I filled pink-stemmed dessert dishes with fruit and tied some carrots around the stem. The carrots are the same as those the bunnies in the center of table are holding.

And so a bowl of oatmeal became a very enjoyable breakfast!

It's a Jungle out There!

2009-04-01T07:06:00.001-04:00

An animal print vase, binoculars, & a safari hat serve as the centerpiece for this big game hunter's table of mostly amber and black.

A handful of tropical undergrowth from the rain forest floor fill the vase, shooting out across the table center.

The backside of the centerpiece shows the animal skin vase a bit better.

The pointed napkin fold is inserted inside a napkin ring and then placed in the dessert dish for added height.

The party favor sits atop the plate--it's filled with chocolate wrapped candies for each guest to take home.

A few fresh flowers sit to the side in amber-colored vases.

Cheers!

A black-stemmed champagne flute holds the refreshing orange liquid. "What is that colorful cocktail?" you ask.

It is not alcoholic at all. In fact it's very nutritious and delicious. It's

It was the perfect color for this table. What entree would you serve at a safari table?

How about wild roasted boar? At least that was my entree.

O.K. so it was roast loin of pork -- close enough. :)

Don't forget to check out all the other creative tabletops

at Susan's blog on Thursday. Have fun!

The Last Thing in the World I Need

2009-03-31T16:24:00.007-04:00

.....is more dishes.

But who buys only what they need?

I have been on the lookout for orange plates. I am in love with orange lately. Orange plates are not all that easy to find. So when I saw these I ordered six of them.

I can't wait to get them next week. They are 8.25 inches in diameter. I am hoping they will work with a lot of the orange runners and chair backs that I already own.

While searching through my table runner pictures, I came across this unfinished picture of last year's deck quilt. I think it might make a good table runner for these plates. Can't you just see a lime, aqua and orange table?

I found two more that would work:

and this

and this

Now I am feeling really good about this purchase. I can see I will be using these dishes a lot!

Easter Tables are Always so Happy Feeling

2009-03-29T09:01:00.013-04:00

I did my Easter table today. Don't Easter tables make you feel happy? How can you not feel happy with the colors and fun stuff that usually go on them.

I started with a pink tablecloth and silver/gray chargers.
I considered tossing a lace cloth overtop the pink (which is what I usually do).
I decided to embrace the pinkness this year because it matches the pink bunnies on the chairbacks that I tossed on next.

Then I had to decide on plate colors. I knew I was using pink salad plates, but didn't know if I should use blue or yellow dinner plates.

I decided to use both and alternate the blue and yellow.

Next I decide to use purple glasses and purple candles.

I love these carrot candle holders that I have had for years. Here is the front side:
and here is the backside: Are they not the cutest? The bunny has eaten his way right through the carrot!

My napkin rings are cute little bunnies,

I have used a number of egg holders with my decoupaged real eggs in them. There are three different styles of egg holders.

For the salt/pepper shaker, I used these.

I scattered a few bunny couples around the table. These two are my favorite.

They are fresh flower vases!
I like this set, too.

I bought them at a craft fair about 15 years ago.

The centerpiece is an egg tree with more of my decoupaged eggs.

This corner holds an Easter train set.

Now I have to go carry all the empty boxes back down to the basement. This tablescaping can be a lot of work!

Cobalt Blue, Rust & Olive Green Tablescape

2009-03-25T05:08:00.001-04:00

This mosaic oriental lady was the inspiration for today's table.

I started with a cobalt blue dinner plate on the backside of the vivid star table runners I showed in my last post. No chargers - but oh, how I wish I had olive green chargers! Mental note to keep an eye out for such (though I have never seen olive green chargers).
These rust-colored salad plates formed the second, and what I thought would be the last layer.

I fanned a rust napkin in cobalt stemmed glasses.

What could make a better centerpiece than my recent 70% off oriental bust vase filled with tulips that my sweet husband presented me with when I came in the door from work? I guess the tulips also inspired the table. If he had not given them to me, I would not have had to find a vase and not done a table at all.

I also scattered some votives in lotus flower holders and three higher levels of candles in the back corners.

I think that pretty much finishes the table. I snapped a few pictures to do this post. I thought the table looked a little bare and needed something. After looking at the lady again, I decided I needed to add a bit of olive green.

I think that finishes it off nicely. The coffee cups and saucers not only provide the green color, but will be used to hold the egg drop soup.

Don't forget to check out all the other creative tabletops

at Susan's blog on Thursday. Have fun!

Where did all the Stars Go?

2009-03-21T05:13:00.003-04:00

Once again my quilting hobby provided the inspiration for a table--this time by a star-studded table runner (actually two runners) for the center of this table. The runners are set atop a white tablecloth (which is really a bed cover. I can't remember if I wrote about how I acquired it in this blog or one of my others.). It looks like a lot of stars, but as the table progresses, the stars become less and less.

Just adding the chargers and dinner plates hide 4 of them. For this table I picked up on some of the different colors in the stars. I used the butterscotch chargers and blue plates to match the background of the runners.

Then I put a rust-colored salad plate atop.

For napkins I combined two--one gold and one rust-colored to tie in with the salad plate. They went into gold-colored glasses. My favorite place for the napkin is in the glass. It adds needed height to hte table.

My little outside the box item on this table is the addition of a string of red peppers and garlic to this live Christmas cactus. I needed to pull in more color than the green. I inserted the whole plant into a blue stoneware pot that is the same blue as the dinner plates.

Once it's finished, you only see one star atop each dinner plate.

Kinda makes me wonder why I put so much work into making all those star blocks!

Purple & White with a Touch of Silver Tablescape

2009-03-17T05:14:00.004-04:00

This is a very simple table for a delectable meal of lobster chowder.

The touch of silver is in the charger and the rose candles. The purple glasses were purchased about two years ago. I rarely use them because I find them way too heavy. I like a nice lightweight stemmed glass. But they are beautiful and I do need purple for this table. I used vintage white linen napkins with nice decorative edges.

The centerpiece is a tipped over amethyst vase with dried allium heads and live daisies (leftover from my St.Patrick's bouquet from last week). Wet floral foam holds everything in and keeps the daisies perky.

The background china cabinet holds silver, so it makes a good backdrop for this table.

Don't forget to check out all the other creative tabletops.

at Susan's blog on Thursday. Have fun!

St. Patrick's Day Tablescape '09

2009-03-11T20:02:00.001-04:00

May your blessings out number
The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.

~Irish Blessing

Talk about a tablescapers dream -- a trio of green glasses and plates that just happened to be the perfect shades of green for the inspiration tablecloth.

These beautiful green glasses were a wedding gift in the early 1970's. I have always loved them.

While looking through the napkin cupboard, I found another perfect shade of green--be still my racing heart! (I never remember what napkins I have, so it's a thrill when I come across one that works so nicely)
Gold flatware and chargers are the accent color to all the green. The Vaseline candlesticks were almost perfect for that yellowish-green stripe in the tablecloth. I would have preferred a big bouquet of florist-colored green and white flowers with shamrocks sticking out for the centerpiece, but I worked with what I had on hand, which was this depression-green covered votive holder.

Here is the candlelit table. You may notice that I put the napkins on the plate in this pic.

I couldn't decide which napkin placement I liked best. I do like them on the plate, but ultimately they went back into the glass. I will use the V-shape on the plate another time.

Now I wonder which jacket I should wear to dinner?

These are two green jackets that I purchased last week. Even they match the table!

Thanks for visiting.

Update: I came home from work today and my dear husband presented me with a bouquet of flowers. They were just what I had in mind for the centerpiece.

Don't forget to check out all the other creative tabletops.

at Susan's blog on Thursday. Have fun!

An Inopportune Time to be Inspired

2009-03-09T18:25:00.000-04:00

This morning I was in the basement going through my fabric bins in search of fabric to work on a quilt when I found this animal fabric on the bottom of one bin.

After a few minutes rummaging, I looked up and on a shelf right near the fabric bin I spotted one of my favorite vases -- an animal print glass purse.

It immediately occured to me that the vase would go nicely with the fabric. I rummaged back to the bottom of the bin and removed the fabric.

Don't you think they go nicely together?

I brought them upstairs thinking I could do a table with these two pieces as my inspiration.

As I was beginning to cut my quilt fabric, I was still thinking of the table I might design. I thought my butterscotch glass chargers would be great with the fabric. My original thought was to use my brown Hull plates.

After cutting a few more pieces of fabric, I decided that my black dinner plates would be better. I dropped everything and went to get a butterscoth charger and a black plate to see if I was correct.

Oh, I am liking it!

Unfortunately I am in the midst of doing my St. Patrick's Day table so I can't do anything with these until sometime later in the month.

Afraid that I would forget about this inspiration, I decided to blog it, thus preserving everything I thought about.

How did I ever live without a blog?

Vintage Beer Steins and Modern Plaid

2009-03-03T05:24:00.005-05:00

This Knowles china is called "Modern Plaid".

I bought it many years ago.

I never cared much for the modern retro look in china. I always felt it too stark with a somewhat harsh feeling. But something about this china drew me in and I purchased it anyway.

It sat in the back of the china closet for a long time. Now and then I would look at it and try to determine if I actually liked it or not. The retro look has been growing on me and last year I decided I liked it enough to design and make a coordinating table runner.

Because of its informal nature and the brown stripe in the plates, I used a brown Hull pitcher filled with yellow flowers as the centerpiece and scattered a few amber glass votive candle holders across the runner. I omitted the chargers (though now I wish I had used my dark brown metal ones). While overseas in the 1970's DH bought a set of logoed beer steins from different countries.
I have never heard of the beers, but the logos are interesting.

I decided that beer went well with an informal meal. I had a few bottles of new beer and decided to use a different bottle at each setting. I like the look of the bottle next to the stein. It also gives people the option of drinking right from the bottle, which is what most of the men I know prefer to do.

What meal would you serve with this? How about a big juicy cheeseburger, tossed salad and roasted potato sticks? YUM!

Thanks for visiting.

Don't forget to check out all the other creative tabletops.

at Susan's blog. Have fun!

A New Taylor Smith Taylor & Carrollton China Combo

2009-02-25T18:44:00.000-05:00

I have always thought this Carrollton floral china was a fresh, pretty pattern. It has a thin silver rim which is in pretty good condition considering this plate is probably sixty years old. It was most likely the "good" china and was rarely used. What a pity to own something so lovely and never use it. I bet its previous owner would like knowing that I am taking good care of her china and get a lot of enjoyment from using it.

This green rimmed Taylor Smith Taylor china has a very similar center cluster of flowers. I think the gold overlay on the rim really makes this pattern a knockout.

I decided to try the two together. I auditioned a gold charger, a butterscotch charger and a silver charger. I chose the silver because I thought it gave a softer appearance to the place setting. I think I have just discovered a new combo that I love!

For glasses I chose my new green martini glasses that I bought at the dollar store last week for $1 each. They were perfect. I paired them with a smaller pink glass.

I am not in love with the pink glass. I think it is too bright and chunky. I changed it for this more refined mellow yellow glass and liked it much better.

The centerpiece is an amethyst vase with painted allium heads from my garden. They are too white, but it's all I could come up with. There a few other purple bottles scattered about. The light blue napkin picks up on the same blue color in the flowers on the china.

I used two tablecloths. The pink seemed to light on its own and the green too dark, so I did an overlay which worked nicely. The bird candlesticks are the same creamy porcelain as the china and I believe about as old.

Do any of you have these same dishes and know how old they are?

Thanks for visiting. Don't forget to check out all the other creative tabletops.

at Susan's blog. Have fun!

Aqua & Rusty Red Tablescape

2009-02-23T05:54:00.000-05:00

With my new nursing, chauffeur, and snow shoveling duties, I did not have time last week to do a table for Tablescape Thursday. Yesterday I had a bit of spare time and decided to do a table.

Aqua and red is such a trendy combo right now. I have seen a number of weddings in that color scheme. I decided to use it for a table.

I used a black napkin. Decorators say that every rooms needs a bit of black. I tend to agree and I also think the same applies to tables (and I was not in the mood to look for a different color).
I put the napkin under the dinner plate.

I have been doing that a lot lately. On my next table I will have to do a special fold.

I used one red taper candle in a small crystal candle holder so as not to obscure the pinwheel.

I was gifted with a bottle of this Triple Shot Expresso vodka. It's a vodka that tastes like strong coffee. I removed the cap and used my Mikasa crystal topper and bottle coaster.

Doesn't that look much prettier? It makes a nice after dinner sipping drink.

I decided that the wooden centerpiece looked too heavy so I swapped it out for the big Margarita glass. I can't tell you how many times that garage sale glass has come in handy for a centerpiece.

All in all I think it turned out to be a cheery table for cold February dinner.

Sneak Peak at my Easter Table

2009-02-17T05:53:00.003-05:00

I just finished piecing six of these bunny blocks. I pinned this one to the chair to see if the size is right. It is.

Now all I have to do is line them and they will be ready for my Easter table. At this point I don't know what else I will be doing, but you can be sure the dishes will have the same colors as these new chair backs.

I would say it's going to be a pastel Easter at my house!

Aqua and Chartreuse Tablescape

2009-02-10T05:24:00.002-05:00

This is the Green Appletini table from this previous postwith the addition of one other color. In this case it's aqua. I added an aqua glass and a small aqua rimmed plate.

The tablecloth is the same. Doesn't it remind you of a 1920's flapper dress?

I bought these two ornaments in the after Christmas sale at Big Lots ($3 for the box
of 2). I plan to use the aqua one in a tree top arrangement next year. I also bought the fabric for a tree skirt, but Christmas is months away, so I am having a little fun using it for tablescapes.

I anchored the aqua finial in a candlestick. Flanked by two silver candles it became the centerpiece.

I scattered aqua marbles around to bring in a bit more of that color.

With just those few changes, I have a different table.

Would you call that green chartreuse? I am not sure...

Check out all the other tablescapers at Susan's blog on Thursday . Have fun!

I Finished the Runner and Matching Chair Toppers

2009-02-08T18:49:00.001-05:00

After a couple of hours work very early Saturday morning, I completed the set. This afternoon I stripped down the table so I could get an idea of how it was going to look.

I think with the right table cloth it has possibilities.

I finished the back side of both the runner and the chair throws with a less wild black fabric that I think I will be able to use for a lot of different tables.

I like to make these reversible so I can get double use from them.

I was pretty excited when I pulled this fabric from my bin. I think it is exactly what I need for the table cloth.

If you are an attention to detail person, you may notice that it is the very same pattern as the orange print in the runner. Now I just need to figure out what to use for dishes. I had a busy weekend with no time to even consider the rest of the table. I am not even sure I will get to it this week, but at least I had enough fabric to get everything made.

I Predict a Wild Table in my Near Future

2009-02-06T18:41:00.003-05:00

Last week I was working on (and finished piecing) a very bold table runner in orange, purple, lime green and black.

I had a little pile of leftover fabric and after work tonight I decided to make some matching chair toppers. So far I have only made two of them, but I am already getting excited about designing a table to go with it all!

Is this wild or what? LOL.

When I started the runner, I was thinking of a Halloween table. I don't think it necessarily has to be Halloween, do you? (I had to just toss it on an extra chair because the table is all set for the Valentine's Day)

All I know at the moment is that I will be using my black octagon dinner plates and probably my lime green salad plates.

After that, who knows?

It should be fun though.

A Little Excitement to a Dull Work Day

2009-02-05T19:22:00.000-05:00

Shortly after noon today a co-worker brought a bunch of boxes to my desk. I could tell from the return label that they were supplies I had ordered......well, all but one of them.

I lifted the box puzzled about what it could be.

"Another clothing order?" he asked. I order almost all of my clothes on line and he is used to bringing up those boxes.

"No," I said. "The box is too big." Then it hit me. It must be the rooster bowl that I recently won by commenting on Laurie's bargain hunting blog. I was pretty excited to get it opened. I was not disappointed. Look how beautiful the bowl is!

That's one of the chickens from my own coop checking out the new addition. :)

I decided to display the bowl above my kitchen sink.
Laurie sent a very lovely handmade card with a fabric center of flowers.
Inside the card was yet another rooster! I just love him! He is full of colored rhinestones and has a wire hanger.
I hung him on my kitchen china cabinet.

Laurie, thank you so much for everything. I love it all.