I’ll keep this short, but I feel the need to  remind everyone who loves decorating: There is a reason the manufacturers put the warning “Do not leave candle unattended” on their products!!! After our lovely Labor Day Eve dinner party (see “Summer Breeze” under the Summer tab), I decided to keep the candles burning so that we could enjoy it for a bit longer after doing the dishes. My husband and I had not been in the house for more than a minute after clearing the dishes when I  saw the reflection of flames in the window. We dashed out and, luckily, extinguished the fire within 30 seconds before it spread to the house. The wind had kicked up and blown the linen over the flames. The only casualties were the table linen, 3 of the centerpiece items (the linen fused to the sides of the glass), the top of the table, and my pride. We could have lost our home or, more tragically, our lives.

Please, please, please be careful! Evening tablescapes are fabulous with tons of candlelight, but candles can be dangerous if you don’t watch them closely! I learned that the hard way!

Please join Susan and some of the other tablescapers for more 2010 Tablescaping Bloopers!