Mikasa Giveaway

March 29, 2011April 7, 2012 / Alycia Nichols / 29 Comments

My wife has been sick for several days, so I am filling in for her this week.

I know there is at least one guy on here from Tablescape Thursday (Bill?) who she talks about all the time, so I need your support, man. Check in and let me know you’ve got my back. These are uncharted waters for me. I can’t give color commentary like my wife does, so this will be unedited exactly as she wrote it. I’m sure Alycia will be better in time for the big announcement on Friday, and she will be back to her old self and here next week with a new post.

Mikasa "Daylight"

You still have a chance to win this Mikasa “Daylight” gift set!!!!!!!!!
I blogged about it last week and posted photos of two very different settings I created to showcase its wonderful versatility.
Now YOU can win this fabulous 5-pc. place setting for six!!!
It’s TOO easy! Here’s all you have to do:

Leave a comment and become a follower of this blog, Tablescapes at Table Twenty-One. Both current and new followers will be eligible. Scroll to the bottom of this post, or click here to become a follower.
Post photos of your best spring tablescape on the Mikasa Facebook page. Be sure to mention on their Facebook page that you are a part of this fabulous giveaway!!!

The contest for this incredible Mikasa “Daylight” gift set runs through Wednesday, March 30, 2011, 11:59 p.m. (CDT). I will select and announce the winner here on Friday, April 1, 2011. (No foolin’!) The winning tablescape will then be featured here on Tablescapes at Table Twenty-One the following week with a link to your blog! So design & photograph your best spring tablescape, and enter to win!
Hurry…the clock is ticking!!!

I also invite you to stop by and visit all the amazing tablescapes at Susan’s Tablescape Thursday event at Between Naps on the Porch! Lots and lots of very talented tablescapers there!

Mikasa “Daylight” Giveaway!

March 22, 2011July 29, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 80 Comments

This is one of the most exciting posts I have ever created!!! I hope YOU are excited, too, because you have a chance to win a Mikasa “Daylight” gift set!!!!!!!!! It is just TOO pretty….I fell in love with it the moment I saw it!

First, the business end of the giveaway. Rules for your chance to enter and win are:

Leave a comment and become a follower of this blog, Tablescapes at Table Twenty-One. Both current and new followers will be eligible. Scroll to the bottom of this post, or click here to become a follower.
Post photos of your best spring tablescape on the Mikasa Facebook page. Be sure to mention on their Facebook page that you are a part of this fabulous giveaway!!!

That’s it! That’s all! It’s just that easy!!! The contest for this beautiful Mikasa “Daylight” gift set starts right now and runs through March 30, 2011, 11:59 p.m. I will select and announce the very lucky winner here on Friday, April 1, 2011. (Wouldn’t it be nice to get a GOOD April Fool’s Day surprise for once?!!) The winning table will then be featured here on Tablescapes at Table Twenty-One the following week with a link to your blog! So put your creative thinking cap on, pull out all the stops, design & photograph your best spring tablescape, and enter to win! I can’t wait to see all the fabulous entries!!!

Now…pictures of not one, but TWO very different set ups I created using this incredibly versatile pattern.

DESIGN #1

The first design pairs the apple green found in the dishes with lucious purple, and it is suitable for breakfast, brunch or a spring luncheon.

On a crisp white table linen, I started with a Pier 1 “Natural Flower” placemat and a plain white porcelain charger. While my chargers look great with this ensemble, Mikasa has a fabulous charger in the”Daylight” pattern that would look even better! Atop the charger is the “Daylight” dinner plate.

The final layered piece is the “Daylight” soup bowl. Off-centering the bowl allows you to show off the design on both pieces. Simple glassware and flatware lets the dishes be the star. (Mikasa has crystal glasses in this pattern, though, that would really make your table special!!! Their “French Countryside” or Wallace “Butterfly” flatware – both available through Mikasa.com – would be a hit here, too!)

My husband insisted that the table needed place cards, so I fashioned these using plain white tent cards to which I added a leaf design and piece of natural twig to complement the dishware. OK, Ramon…you were right again! Whatever, man! 🙂

It’s officially spring according to the calendar, but it’s still a bit chilly out. To bring nature in, the centerpiece contains lots of outdoorsy elements including a weathered metal birdcage filled with spring flowers from the nursery. When the weather warms a bit, I’ll plant the flowers in containers on the porch (if I can keep them alive that long!). A Hobby Lobby grapevine wreath on a Pier 1 iron stand adds further texture, color and dimension to the display.

I bought this cool clear gazing ball at Z Gallerie last year.

A pair of these pretty white birds were a recent purchase from Michael’s.

African violets in white ceramic pots anchor the ends of the entire centerpiece.

Bells of Ireland from St. Patrick’s Day are still thriving, and they go very well with this color motif. Pots of chartreuse pothos would also be an excellent choice.

The salad/dessert plates and cup & saucer sets are magnificent! The saucer color just blows me away!

There are many, many additional tabletop and serving pieces in the “Daylight” collection. You can bet your bottom dollar I will have several on my birthday and Christmas wish lists!

DESIGN #2
The second look I put together is geared toward the dinner hour to show, in the Mikasa website’s own words, how the “Daylight” pattern is “perfect for casual and formal entertaining alike.” The Asian influence created here was suggested by my stepdaughter in a moment of creative clarity while working on her chemistry homework. Thank you for the suggestion, Robyn!

This is a much simpler, pared down look that really gives the dishes the starring role.

In many Asian cultures, drinks are not often served with meals. Therefore, I decided to forego stemware for this setting. Starting again with a white table linen, I topped that with a bamboo placemat. Notice how the placemats are turned vertically to hang off the table for the side guests and horizontally for the end guests. This was just a measure for added visual interest on my part. The same white porcelain charger from the first setting was used although, again, the apple green of the “Daylight” charger would look even better. Here I imagined a meal served teppanyaki style (a la Benihana) with a salad, soup (served from the buffet in back), and then the grilled entreé.

Chopsticks are traditionally and correctly placed to the right of the dishes on a chopstick rest, but I liked them here on the edge of the plate instead. For those who have not yet mastered chopsticks, Mikasa’s “Rockford” stainless flatware is the perfect substitute!

I used plain white cotton napkins, folded to resemble a Japanese obi (sash). A fortune cookie rests atop each napkin. According to Wikipedia, “fortune cookies have been summarized as being ‘introduced by the Japanese, popularized by the Chinese, but ultimately they are consumed by Americans.'”

I wanted the centerpiece to convey a feeling of tranquility and simplicity. A bamboo tray lined with smooth river rock and neat rows of square votive cups is my version of that. Tall square vases filled with blooming cherry blossom branches flank the lighted piece with a few additional votives placed on each end.

The tranquil Asian theme is carried over to the buffet. A matching bamboo tray holds cups and saucers ready for tea after dinner. A neat stack of soup bowls with Pier 1 miso spoons awaits a healthy portion of egg drop or sweet and sour soup. (If you want to go more authentic, Mikasa has a beautiful 10 oz. rice bowl in the “Daylight” pattern!!! There is also a fabulous 20 oz. rice bowl for serving!) The teapot shown here is from Pier 1, but…you guessed it!…Mikasa has a stunning tea pot in this gorgeous leafy pattern! (On my wish list, Ramon!)

So….that was a lot of pictures!!! I hope you were able to get a little inspiration from these diverse settings. I will feature other table settings using the “Daylight” pattern in future posts when I can finally get outside in the fresh air!

Remember…to enter: just leave a comment and subscribe to follow this site below, then hustle on over to Mikasa’s Facebook page to “Like” Mikasa and post your most enlightened spring tablescape! I will announce the winner on this blog (no fooling!) on April 1! Happy tablescaping, and good luck!

Last, but not least, I’m linking to Susan’s Tablescape Thursday again this week!
Join us, won’t you?

Blushing Bridal Shower

March 16, 2011July 29, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 53 Comments

I want to say a great big THANK YOU to all of the people who have sent emails requesting specific ideas for upcoming events! While I’m not able to do pictorials on each and every one, I hope the emails and photos I’m able to send to you are of help. Keep ’em comin’! Right now is a great time since our personal social calendar has slowed a bit!

Meanwhile, I have created a very special idea table for a very special occasion. In honor of the blushing bride, her maid-of-honor requested ideas for a do-it-yourself table that could easily work with the existing dinnerware and other set-up items provided by the venue. To get an idea of what that could look like, I set up a tablescape depicting an easy DIY pink and white wedding shower/luncheon. A huge shout out to Cindy King at The Stanley Historic Event Space in downtown Lee’s Summit, Mo., for allowing us to come in and use her beautiful space for our demo table.

Photo by Sheri L. Grant

The maid-of-honor wants all 24 guests to sit at a single table, so we put two 6-ft. tables end-to-end and draped them with floor length white linens. This demonstration seats 12, so simply double it. I recommend the use of floor length linens whenever possible for “dressy” events. When entertaining at home, you can get away with lap length, although it’s nice to go all the way to the floor if you can. Affordable floor length linens in many colors and sizes can be purchased at online stores such as Linen Tablecloth.com. (Beware, though…the customer service at LinenTablecloth.com sucks!)

Like The Stanley, many venues have soaring ceilings. Unlike The Stanley, however, not all venues’ ceilings look the greatest. To “fill up the dead space” without overwhelming the table, try using a tall, airy centerpiece as demonstrated in these 20″H white glass vases. So as not to deliberately draw attention to the unattractive ceiling, though, do not exceed half the height to the ceiling for your centerpiece. The idea is to psychologically cut the eye’s interest off at the top of the arrangement. Using branches like fresh curly willow, which is both popular and easily obtained, keeps the look light and see-through. (Another example of this is seen here.) This is also a good place to add touches of the prevailing color. Again, a few branches with blooms dispersed amongst the curly willow will easily and inexpensively achieve that goal. You’ll also want to bring color closer to the table which can be achieved by using smaller vases of the same color with compact bouquets. In this instance, we used pink sweetheart roses.

Photo by Sheri L. Grant

If your venue has windows, carry the flavor of the table to those windows with additional bouquets. Depending on the look you want, use either short and compact bouquets as shown above to achieve this more demure look or, for a more dramatic feel, taller arrangements that have the same wispiness as the tall ones on the table. Displaying arrangements in the windows gives guests a little hint of what’s to come as they approach the building. Just be careful not to totally obscure the view. That’s part of the charm and attraction of a room with a view!

Photo by Sheri L. Grant

For a clean, classic look, it’s all about repetition. With this particular look, everything must be lined up perfectly so that photos present the table in its best light. See here about measuring.

Photo by Sheri L. Grant

Most venues provide as a part of their package either round or oblong dining tables with basic white, black or ivory linens. Not all venues provide floor length as a standard, but can provide them with an upcharge. White plates – usually round, but sometimes square in these modern times – are also a staple, as is plain flatware. To make the most of it, work with the colors provided by adding lots of a complementary color of your choice. Here, pink is the bride’s signature color. It is repeated in the florals, the napkins (for which a nominal upcharge of about $1.50 would likely be applied), and the menus for maximum punch. The napkin fold here is kept simple, across the plate and uniformly dropping over the side. Although this fold is simple, a ladies’ luncheon is the perfect time to experiment with fun or lavish styles.

Photo by Sheri L. Grant

Standard clear glass stemware is also a staple at most venues. Not to despair…as long as it has a classic shape, it will have plenty of appeal!

Photo by Sheri L. Grant

The oblong table used by most venues are only 30″ wide, so space is at a premium. To make the most of the available real estate, try combining your menu and place card as seen above and place it on the plate. DIYers can create something on your home computer or use pre-made note cards. The pink floral theme is continued on the front of this card in the shape of a heart.

Photo by Sheri L. Grant

To avoid monotony, add an unexpected but coordinating color in either tiny bits or in one big wallop. Here, a cake plate stacked high with bright green Granny Smith apples in the dead center of the table does the trick. Decorating with fruit is an easy and cost effective way to add color, texture and contrasting shapes to your tablescape.

I hope this helps! Pink and white wedding decor is my all-time favorite, so this was fun to do. Best wishes for a magnificent bridal shower! More tablescapes using curly willow on this site:
“Copper Zen”
“Welcome Back, Joel”
“Autumn Blues“

Upscale Irish

March 13, 2011February 8, 2018 / Alycia Nichols / 50 Comments

I have a confession to make: I’m not Irish. What….this surprises you?!??!!! OK, every year I share a little corn beef & cabbage with friends of Irish descent, try with absolutely no luck to learn an Irish jig, and sometimes even put on a “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” t-shirt (mostly just for the smooches from my husband!). But that’s all part of the fun. Like they say, “On St. Patrick’s Day, everybody’s Irish!” Well, this year I have been challenged to dig a little deeper. A lady who prefers to remain nameless here wrote to me via Facebook asking if I could help her with ideas for “an elegant, upscale St. Patrick’s Day dinner party.” Hmmmmm….elegant and St. Patrick’s Day. Not two terms you usually hear in the same sentence. Here’s the trick to it: Ms. Anonymous is of Irish descent and entertaining her non-Irish future in-laws at her home for the very first time. The in-laws, as I understand it, are a bit…shall we say…reserved. The mere mention of green beer would send them into a tailspin! So, the challenge was to come up with a table that could demonstrate pride in her heritage (after all, the futures did insist that the 17th was the only day they could meet for dinner while in town!) but still embrace the formality the occasion will demand. After nearly 10 days of wracking my little pea brain for ideas, my friend Jim Mooney – owner of Midwest Embroidery (who, by the way, is the most fabulous fabric guy in the world!) – randomly sent me an email with gorgeous images of the Emerald Isle. The photos took my breath away. Further, they inspired me – along with the hauntingly beautiful strains of Garth Brooks’s “Ireland” playing over and over – to create the tablescape that I hope will help Ms. Anonymous win points with her future in-laws. Thanks, Jim! And here we go!

The mood is set for a lovely evening with festive traditional touches including the color that best represents the so-called Emerald Isle: emerald green, of course!

When I think of Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day, I think of a lot of gold alongside the green. On a crisp, white linen I stacked a gold leafed glass charger and an American Atelier “Florentine Gold Scroll” dinner and salad plate. To top it off, emerald green-stemmed dessert bowls from Old Time Pottery.

These Pier 1 wine glasses with clear stems supporting an emerald green bowl seemed a perfect representation of the occasion’s prevailing color. The gold design around the rim is similar to that around the china. I bought these stems at the same time I bought these that I used for one of my Mardi Gras tables this year.

Starched white cotton napkins are closely hugged by these gold and green “Rock Spray” napkin rings from Pier 1.

The center of the table is adorned with tall gold candlesticks alternated with simple free-flowing bouquets of Bells of Ireland and orchids. I considered pots of shamrock, but decided on this airy floral combination instead because of the height and tinge of sophistication it lends. Ms. Anonymous, you may want to go with slightly fuller arrangements since you are seating for 8 and have a larger table.

My husband actually suggested that I use these emerald green votives in place of the gold mercury glass ones I had selected. Good goin’, Ramon! It really does work better! Your eye for this stuff is kinda starting to scare me, dude! 😉 I picked these votives up at Old Time Pottery last year.

After dinner, I suggest a digestif of Bailey’s Irish Cream. It can be served in tiny glasses such as these, or in rocks glasses (Irish crystal, of course!) over ice. Single-serve bottles of Bailey’s adorned with a green ribbon make a great favor for each guest!

OK….so this is my version of “Upscale Irish” for a St. Patrick’s Day dinner party. Ms. Anonymous, I hope you will be able to glean something useful from it, and I wish you much success with your dinner party! Thanks for the challenge…it was a doozy!

Other posts on this site with tables suitable for St. Patrick’s Day:

“Apple Green Luncheon“
“Moss & Manzanitas“
“Ready for My Close-Up, Mr. DeMille“
“Rolling Fields of Green”

I am joining Cuisine Kathleen’s St. Patrick’s Day Blog Crawl on March 15th. Just click the banner below to check out what some other very talented tablescapers are doing to celebrate the wearin’ o’ the green!

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“Ireland”
lyrics by Stephanie Davis, Jenny Yates, Garth Brooks

They say mother earth is breathing
With each wave that finds the shore
Her soul rises in the evening
For to open twilight’s door
Her eyes are the stars in heaven
Watching o’er us all the while
And her heart it is in Ireland
Deep within the Emerald Isle.

We are forty against hundreds
In someone else’s bloody war
We know not why we’re fighting
Or what we’re dying for
They will storm us in the morning
When the sunlight turns to sky
Death is waiting for its dance now
Fate has sentenced us to die.

(chorus)
Ireland I am coming home
I can see your rolling fields of green
And fences made of stone.
I am reaching out won’t you take my hand
I’m coming home Ireland.

Oh the captain he lay bleeding
I can hear him calling me
“These men are yours now for the leading
Show them to their destiny ”
And as I look up all around me
I see the ragged tired and torn
I tell them to make ready
‘Cause we’re not waiting for the morn.

Ireland I am coming home
I can see your rolling fields of green
And fences made of stone.
I am reaching out won’t you take my hand
I’m coming home Ireland.

Now the fog is deep and heavy
As we forge the dark and fear
We can hear their horses breathing
As in silence we draw near
There are no words to be spoken
Just a look to say good-bye
I draw a breath and night is broken
As I scream our battle cry.

Ireland I am coming home
I can see your rolling fields of green
And fences made of stone.
I am reaching out won’t you take my hand
I’m coming home Ireland.

Yes I am home Ireland

We Were Forty Against Hundreds…..

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

March 8, 2011July 29, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 37 Comments

Bienvenue! Laissez les bon temps rouler!!!
(Welcome! Let the good times roll!!!)

We will be shakin’ our bon-bon and having a grand ol’ time in celebration of Fat Tuesday tonight! Our trusty butler, Geoffrey, even plans to get in on the fun which is so against his staid British upbringing! 🙂

I’ve been busy all morning preparing a slightly more formal table than the way we celebrated over the weekend. The same amount of debauchery, however, is expected as for any Mardi Gras celebration!

I elected to allow the natural wood of the dining table anchor the setting. Over the bare wood I crisscrossed lengths of shimmering purple, green & gold netting.

Each place setting started with a deep purple cobbled charger from Burlington. The china was purchased several years ago at Pier 1. Add gold toned flatware and my trusty Godinger “Chelsea” collection stemware.

Purple gemstone napkin rings from Z Gallerie hug the sheer organza Pier 1 napkins. Here you are better able to see the cobbled texture of the chargers.

The centerpiece is made up of several pieces. First, in a Godinger “Dublin” hurricane, is a mass of free-flowing fresh greenery. I wanted a kind of “messy” look to play off of the more formally arranged carnations beneath it.

Clusters of beautifully fragrant royal purple carnations rest in diminiutive crystal vases.

At each end of the dining table are Godinger “Dublin” cut crystal candle holders.

Graceful purple birds with soft green bellies and long, sweeping tails perch high above each gold candlestick. The birds were purchased wholesale many years ago, but this is the first time I’ve had an opportunity to use them.

One of my favorite parts of decorating is the chance to create something new by combining various elements. The very boxy gold-toned candlesticks are softened by the addition of these bobeches dripping in crystals.

The buffet area is the perfect place to extend the festivities from the dining table. Purple, green & gold mirror balls stretch the length of the buffet with a strand of the same colored beaded garland. On one end of the buffet, a Harlequin doll stands guard over the assorted candies in cut crystal containers.

On the opposite end, a mini bar of soul-satisfying bourbon, scotch and brandy in cut crystal vessels awaits thirsty guests along with fun feathered masks.

I don’t much care for store-bought King’s cake, so I am substituting these lucious homebaked cinnamon rolls. The smell of cinnamon wafting through the house is wonderful!!!

This Beverly Clark cake server with the regal crown on the end is the perfect utensil for cutting and serving the King’s cake!

I didn’t create menu cards for our buffet this evening, but we will dine on a traditional gumbo starter followed by fried catfish, red beans & rice, candied sweet potatoes, collard greens and cornbread. After all, that’s what Fat Tuesday is all about! I wish you and yours a joyous and festive one!

Other Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday tablescapes on this site:
“Mardi Gras Lite“
“Mardi Gras Mojo”
“Mardi Gras Madness”
“Celebrate Mardi Gras!”
“The Peacock Effect”

In the browsing mood? I hope you will take the time to visit Susan and the other tablescapers at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday!

Mardi Gras Mojo!

March 7, 2011February 1, 2018 / Alycia Nichols / 24 Comments

Poor, sad, pitiful me. I lost my Mojo a couple of months back. I was moping around, sleeping too much, couldn’t concentrate, no pep in my step. To the rescue: My good friend, Rene! The postman delivered a box FULL of Mojo straight from her door to mine: What seemed like hundreds of little curled strips of paper with the word “MOJO” in various colors! What a clever pick me up!!! So to that end, I dedicate our Mardi Gras tablescape from this past weekend to my sweet friend, Rene. Thanks for helping me get me Mojo back!

With just four of us to celebrate the weekend before Fat Tuesday, the space in front of the fireplace seemed just right. I wanted to have as much sparkle and shine and decadence as possible for this tiny table to make it really stand out. I started with these gold fleur de lis chargers I bought at Tuesday Morning 10+ years ago. They don’t get much use, but they sure are fun! To allow the fleur de lis design to stand out, I chose clear dinner plates and see-through green salad plates. Of course, goldtone flatware was in order.

Keeping with the standard Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and gold, I chose purple stemware with gold embellishment for the water glass and a brilliant emerald green wine glass, both purchased from Pier 1 about 7 or 8 years ago. The clear stems give them a cohesive look.

Cotton napkins in a rich aubergine are gathered with these fabulous jewled napkin rings from Z Gallerie. Hard to tell by the picture here, but they have a fabulous color-on-color Harlequin design.

I bought these painted Harlequin ceramic masks from the clearance bin at Tuesday Morning about ten years ago.

Ah! My motivation! They make a perfect little embellishment at each place setting!

Inexpensive multi-colored sequinned fabric works great as a table topper over a deep green full-length linen.

Something kind of fun was to use these sturdy iron chairs loaded down with fun Mardi Gras-inspired decor. Each chair received a beaded seat pillow, purple for the gentlemen and gold (of course!) for the ladies!

These votive holders are covered in purple feathers (yes, feathers!) and finished off with a band of pretty beads at the top.

So here’s a lesson in “I don’t have any extra money to spare but need the right color vase”101. I took a clear glass cylinder and gently mounded yards of shimmering purple organza into it. I LOVE the effect! It seems to give the vase movement and depth as well as the intended color change. A 6-ft. length of purple, green & gold bead garland drapes from the top of the vase, tucked just inside the rim, all the way down into a pool of Mardi Gras beads.

I’ve pulled back the feathers to better expose the Harlequin ornament (a 25 cent after-Christmas purchase from Tuesday Morning) that merrily dances on the side of the centerpiece.

The crown of the centerpiece is this exquisite profusion of purple, green and gold glittered feathers. (When there’s no money in the budget for flowers, feathers are a great stand-in!) I just started tucking them in, and the end result was what looks to me like one of those Sunday-go-to-meeting hats some of the fancy ladies wear!

Our meal for this occasion was a shrimp boil. I had something completely different planned and already printed on the menus, but our dishwasher went on the fritz a few hours before our guests arrived. It was then a choice to either use (and have to wash by hand) 5 or 6 pots for the original menu or just switch to the one-pot-Wonder. I think I made the right choice!

Have a Fabulous Fat Tuesday, everyone!
Other Mardi Gras tablescapes on this site:
“Laissez Bon Temps Rouler“
“Mardi Gras Lite”
“Mardi Gras Madness”
“Celebrate Mardi Gras!”
“The Peacock Effect”

Welcome Back, Joel!

March 2, 2011July 29, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 48 Comments

Our young friend from the country of Benin in Africa, Joel Ayatode (pronounced AH-ya-TOW-day), came back to the States this past week. Just as we bid Joel adieu with a farewell dinner last September when he returned to his home country (Summer Breeze), we wanted to do something casual but fun to welcome him back again. His wife, Loretta, offered to do the cooking. ‘Nuff said; game on! 🙂

Teetering on that edge between winter and spring, I dressed the table with elements that reflect this “seasonally challenged” time of year. Looking in the yard, we have both bare trees and the heads of early spring flowers emerging. We’re starting to hear the birds chirping at daybreak, too.

We have all seen these versatile ivory plates from TJ Maxx. I use them frequently because they can so easily switch from one mood to another…kind of like the weather in the Kansas City area! The design also seemed to complement the flowers in linen’s the tree branches.

I bought these oil rubbed bronze napkin rings at Pier One a couple of years ago. I’ve never had a chance to use them until now. I didn’t want to go all Hitchcock and overdo the bird theme with this table, so it is the only other aviary reference besides the table linen.

To keep the look of the table’s center consistent, I used plain clear glass stemware.

Simple banded edge stainless flatware is used so as not to conflict with the busy pattern of the linen.

This is another table linen that I made!!! When I saw the fabric, I just had to have it! I found the deep mustard color very attractive, and the birds in the nearly naked branches reminded me of the fickle change of seasons.

This 15.5″ low glass container was used to offset the dead center of the tablescape. Smooth river rock in the water reminded me of a brook. Votive candles nicely reflected off the water, reminding me of how the stars shine on the nearby lake. A simple arrangement of tulips – a sure sign of spring – in the center added height, color, and visual depth.

Keeping with the clear glass used in the center, I filled these narrow cylinders with tulips. Placing two small vases on each end rather than one seemed more interesting than a single larger vase.

To mimic the linen pattern and to add lots of height to the center arrangement, I used curly willow branches in tall glass cylinders. This added to the natural, outdoorsy feel.

The simple addition of 15 clear glass cylindrical votives subtly lights the buffet adjacent to the dining table.

After a wonderful and VERY filling meal prepared by Loretta’s loving hands, it was time for dessert. While this had absolutely nothing to do with the theme of the dinner party, I just thought it would be fun to honor our special guests with their monogram on the cake and cupcakes I made! These old arthritic hands could barely squeeze the icing out! 🙂

L to R: Incredibly patient husband Ramon, very helpful stepdaughter Robyn, our guests of honor Joel & Loretta Ayatode, and Robyn’s sweet & comical longtime friend Kamille Jefferson. (Joel’s eyes look a little tired in this photo. Poor thing was suffering serious jet lag from the 15+ hour trip!)

Pudgy little ol’ me just before the guests arrive. Notice how I placed the watermark on the photo to try to cover up my problem area! I’ll need much bigger lettering than this!!! 🙂

More tablescapes using curly willow on this site:
“Blushing Bridal”
“Copper Zen”
“Autumn Blues“

I hope it’s much closer to spring where you are today! Thanks for stopping by, and don’t forget to check out the work of all the other incredibly talented tablescapers at Susan’s Tablescape Thursday!