Autumn

Sunflower Simple

/ Alycia Nichols / 44 Comments

Before my tablescape, the winner of the silver pedestal bowl giveaway is……….

 
Linda at A Toile Tale!!!

Congratulations, Linda! We all look forward to seeing how you use this beautiful piece in an upcoming tablescape! (Ramon pulled your name and – typical husband – had no idea how to pronounce the word “toile.” I just gleefully watched him struggle with it for a few seconds before I finally came to his rescue! 🙂

Thanks to everyone who entered, and don’t despair….there will be another chance to win another silver lovely in the near future. Watch for details! It’s going to be a biggie!!! Meanwhile…

I have finally given in to autumn with this simple, casual, budget-friendly fall tablescape. As the evenings get cooler, meals like chili, beef stew, soup, and corn chowder become the entrée du jour!

We live about 15 minutes from the border of Kansas, The Sunflower State. How could I own an umbrella like this and not do something that pays tribute to our next-door-neighbor? 🙂

These Maxcera “Terra Cotta Sunflower” dishes purchased from TJ Maxx a couple of years ago are very popular for an autumn tablescape, but I’ve only recently had a chance to use them. I like the ruffly edges, the fun design, and the bold color. An open-weave square Pier 1 placemat anchors the place setting. Off-centering the bowl lets the plate design show in full.

A bold mustard-colored napkin from Bed Bath & Beyond lies beneath the non-traditional placement of stainless flatware. You may have noticed that the dessert fork is placed off-center at the top of the plate.

I think I bought these dark green stems at Pier 1 several years ago. Hard to remember…my mind is failing me. Anyway, they nicely pick up the green in the dishes and keep the table from getting too monochromatic yellow. Whenever a beverage bottle is nice enough, like these S. Pellegrino classics, I like to make it a part of the tablescape.

Two towering centerpieces are made up of mustard yellow ceramic pots topped with garden obelisks from Hobby Lobby. Simple, slow-growing “Teddy Bear” arborvitae from the nursery are plopped in for color and texture. (Click HERE to see another tablescape using wrought iron obelisks.)

Although sunflowers would have been the obvious choice here, I often like to pull for the underdog which in this case is something smaller but complementary: simple yellow alstroemeria in tiny green glass vases.

Tiny yellow glass votive holders add a little atmospheric light.

A sunflower bowl from T.J. Maxx holds crackers for the evening meal.

Casual…simple…sunflowers!

Please join me and lots of very talented tablescapers from around the globe for Susan’s weekly blog party, Tablescape Thursday. Have a happy week, and congrats once again to Linda at A Toile Tale!

One Shoe Can Change Your Life!

/ Alycia Nichols / 53 Comments

Just a reminder…
If you have not already entered, you still have until 7:00 a.m. CDT tomorrow (October 18, 2011) to let me know you’d like to have your name dropped in the bowl for the silver pedestal bowl drawing. If you missed that post, click here for details! Good luck!!!
The winner will be announced tomorrow afternoon!

UPDATE 10/19/11: Click here to see the winner!!!

I love to hear from readers asking for tips!!! This week I set a table based on a reader request for a “shop-’til-you-drop” table. I’ll fess up and say that I pulled one idea from a real-life table I created several years ago for a few friends to enjoy a light supper after an all-day shopping excursion. The sign (bought at Stein Mart) says it all!

This one goes out to my husband who has always let me shop ’til I drop!

IMG_2177WMI like to double or even triple linens for a fuller skirt and to add lots of dimension and color to the table. Here I used just a black full-length with an ivory cotton overlay, but a bit of red peeking out between them would have been nice, too.

Once the linens are set, the rest is cake! Not a lot of time for fussing over the table when you’re just back from a day on your feet in the shopping trenches. Easy but elegant is the way to go!

Jet black dishes reflect in the mirrored shine of a sleek silver charger. Basic white dishes are a must for easy decorating options, and I feel the same about black. Black is a neutral that never disappoints and that presents light-colored food beautifully.

A fun little menu at each place setting is always appreciated by guests. The fare on this menu (a replica of the one I created for my little get-together a couple of years back) is mostly food that can be made ahead of time. I brought in a little red fabric with these black-edged red silk napkins from my friend, Monica.

One shoe can change your life, and that includes these fun little pewter shoe place card holders! Sorry..I have NO idea where I bought these little gems, but I’m sure something similar can be found on the Internet.

Sexy and sleek Mikasa “Elegance – Black” iced tea stems brazenly pilfered borrowed from my Mom are the perfect match for the place settings! Their shape, style and color are reminiscent of the sultry “little black dress” we all have in our closets.

IMG_2180WMHampton Smith “San Remo” stainless flatware finishes out the look. The Baroque detailing on them keeps the mostly black place setting from going flatline.

IMG_2182WMThe unusual hatbox centerpiece is the star of the table! It’s easy to assemble and reminds me of merchandising elements used on the shelves of chic boutiques.

What says “shopping” better than shoes, shoes, and more shoes? Uh….nothing! Duh!!! I bought these cool square shoe/hat boxes (usually displayed on the shoe shelves in my dressing room) at Gordman’s a few years ago. I think they have that Doris Day/Holly Golightly/Marilyn Monroe (or Tony Curtis!)-in-“Some Like It Hot”-look from the 1950s. (Still not sure what I’m talking about? Click here to see Susan’s take on this iconic look from her 9/14/11 post on Doris Day Movie Fashion Style.)

Filled with sumptuous red roses, hypericum berries, and trailing seeded eucalyptus, the shoe/hat boxes are a fun alternative to a ho-hum vase. (The florals are actually in water-filled vases hidden in the boxes. You can give the little vases of flowers to each guest afterwards as a take-home favor!)

IMG_2168WMA trio of multi-level candle lamps are created with A-line black shades over silver candlesticks. A small LED candle buried inside provides subtle, sexy light as the shadows fall.

Actor James Brolin (now married to Barbra Streisand) once quipped, “Any girl that’s got a $500,000 table and $5 shoes, I’m in love with.” Uh, Mr. Brolin…do you not understand that we’ve gotta have both?!?!!? 🙂

So…..the table….easy enough? I hope so! This look would also be well-suited to a ladies luncheon (sans the candlestick lamps) or even a fun bridal shower, especially if the bride is gifting her attendants with shoes for the ceremony!

Don’t forget to join me at Susan’s Tablescape Thursday to see what the other tablescapers out there in blog land are up to this week!

Thanksgiving 2010

/ Alycia Nichols / 19 Comments

This time last year was difficult at best as my son struggled to recover from yet another major surgery precipitated by yet another bout with Crohn’s Disease. He was temporarily sprung from the hospital to enjoy the day with us, but he was unable to partake of the meal. Instead he received nourishment from the portable I.V. strapped on like a backpack. He took it like a champ. This year, although still not quite 100%, he is able to eat, eat, eat!!! I have prepared his favorite pecan pie just for him!

 

The “grownups” table for 12 set up in our living room has a little glitz and glam going for it. A seasonal rich chocolate brown table linen anchors the setting.
To offset the deep brown and add sparkle, I used lots of cut crystal that was sure to reflect the tiniest bit of light. Two crystal epergnes with gold trim are the crown jewels of the table. (Scroll further down this page to “Shake Your Tail Feather” to see this epergne used in a different tablescape, or click HERE to see it in a Christmas tablescape.)
The flowers in each of epergne include scads of seeded eucalyptus mixed with orange carnations and deep burgundy leucadendron. I opted for ivory metal case candles to avoid drips on the linens.
The smaller arrangements on this table are in cut crystal rose bowls with a pattern similar to that of the epergnes. Added to these arrangements are sprigs of russet-colored alstroemeria.
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A patterned gold charger and ivory dinner plate are topped with rich chocolate napkins in a traditional fold. I gilded a handful of leaves (Lord knows there are plenty around to pick up!) and added an ivory mini pumpkin to plop on top. The leaves and pumpkins are repeated at intervals down the length of the table.
Longchamps crystal stemware again mimics the pattern of the floral vessels. Faux mother-of-pearl handled flatware completes the place setting.
I scaled back a bit on the amount of food this year, but I don’t think the menu disappoints. There’s a little something for everyone! The quote on each menu is from a book my husband received as a gift called “Gratitude”.
 
 
 The fireplace mantel receives a lightweight treatment of Longchamps crystal mini vases filled with the same flowers as I used on the table. An array of shiny gold-colored candlesticks with ivory candles (watching them like a hawk!!!) fills out the arrangement.
The children’s table is not so fancy. It’s mostly about utility here, with a shot of “ooh wee!” tossed in by way of the centerpiece. A simple ivory linen is topped with a fun runner.
Each child’s place setting consists of a pumpkin-colored melamine dinner plate topped with a colorful floral paper napkin. Everyday stemware and flatware round it out. (I want the kids to learn to use stemware as opposed to regular glasses. I don’t worry so much about breakage when I use these relatively inexpensive everyday stems.)
 
 
The centerpiece has all the same flowers as on the adults’ dining table presented in a wooden & metal planter. The floral arrangement is flanked by two metal treasure chests spilling over with apples and grapes. The framed menu is for the benefit of the lucky adult who draws the short straw and gets babysitting duty! 🙂

I wish for each of you a safe, happy, loving and warm Thanksgiving holiday!

Autumn Orchids

/ Alycia Nichols / 6 Comments

I recently created a few buffet and centerpiece floral arrangements for my friend, Angelynn, who is a caterer here in the Kansas City area. She wanted something with autumnal colors but appropriate for a business occasion at the KCPL Building in Kansas City’s Power & Light District.

All arrangements were created in clear glass cylinders of varying sizes. On the guest sign-in table, this asymmetrical arrangement of fresh mums, leucadendron, and a few curly willow tips was just right. Votive candles and smooth black river rock help to extend the circumference of the arrangement.

There were several areas of soft seating around the room. This is the arrangement as guests entered the reception space using a 39″H clear glass cylinder. Six-foot fresh curly willow is paired with tall stalks of leucadendron and dendrobium orchid stems anchored by greyish-white smooth river rock. The river rock is further extended onto the table, peppered with votives and orchid blossoms.

Another soft seating area on the other side of the room got a variation on the theme of the entry piece. This cylinder is created by submerging stalks of leucadendron and orchid stems, once again anchored with river rock and surrounded by votives. Tip: Both orchids and leucadendron can survive without water for several hours, so if you don’t want the burden of drying out tall floral vessels, feel free to skip the wet stuff!

High boy tables along the window areas have a simple fall mum in a clear glass globe with a few river rocks for added interest and texture. These definitely must have a bit of water to survive!

The buffet arrangements are comprised of tall glass cylinders with lots of 6-ft. fresh curly willow, a few stalks of leucadendron, and two 6-ft. faux orchid stems anchored with river rock for counterbalance and visual interest.

On the guest tables, two different but complementary centerpieces using the clear floral vessels, orchids, mums, leucadendron and river rock with a couple of votives. I did add a couple of quarts of water to these arrangements after getting everything else on the table to reflect the votives dancing nearby.

Anna’s Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Angelynn Barge Howell, Proprietor

 

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I am pleased to join the busy Style Sisters for Centerpiece Wednesdays!

Morocco for Two

/ Alycia Nichols / 13 Comments

Thanksgiving Day is almost here! Hooray!!! Before the hungry guests descend upon the house and the busy shoppers start slugging it out in the department store aisles, it’s time to take a deep, calming breath and just relax. What better way than to snuggle in with your honey with lots and lots and lots of candlelight!!!

 

The last few weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind. I decided to slow things down a bit and spend a quiet evening with my husband without all the distractions of the outside world with a much needed at-home respite! I wanted to convey romance, peace and calm, so this setting did us both a world of good!

 

 

 

When called in for dinner, my husband was met with a bevy of candlelight on the stairway adjacent to the library.

 

We have dined in the library only one other time with other people. Tonight, it was just the two of us in our big leather club chairs. (To see more tablescapes in the library, click HERE, HERE, HERE , HERE , HERE, HERE and HERE.)

 

 

I’ve grown a bit weary of strictly autumnal decor. I kept the fall color palette but spiced it up with this fabulous Moroccan-style throw for the table topper with a solid black skirt. The beading on this throw is magnificent, and I really like the design. (That big ol’ reproduction Louis XVI vitrine in the background is slowly but surely becoming our home’s 3rd bar!)

 

 

 

It’s a little tough to discern by the photos, but the chargers are actually a rich bronze color. The dinner and salad plates are solid black. The classically folded silk napkins – a splurge for sure! – mimic one of the colors of the throw. My beautiful Hampton Silversmiths “San Remo” flatware and Godinger “Chelsea” collection crystal stemware rounds out the place settings.

 

With such a tiny table and so much pattern, it was hard to imagine candlesticks along with the intentionally very slender black centerpiece vase. (Notice I used a single orchid stem to keep it streamlined. Smooth black river stones anchor the orchid in the vase and keep the monochromatic black illusion alive so as not to take away from the throw’s design.) I opted for these cool copper jeweled boxes from Pier 1 into which I just dropped a clear votive candle. Just the perfect amount of romantic illumination!

Autumn by the Embers

/ Alycia Nichols / 19 Comments

 

I want to dedicate this post to the memory of my dear friend, Delia Young, whose life was senselessly cut short at the tender of age of 67. Without getting into graphic detail, Delia’s body was discovered by a maintenance worker in her townhome in the gated community where she lived this past Monday, the victim of a robbery/homicide. Delia, who lived alone since her husband passed away, was incapacitated and recently confined to a wheelchair. Her incomprehensible demise was vicious and ruthless.

Delia Young was a wonderfully motivational woman with a gift of gab. She was a teacher, a leader, a workhorse and a gracious lady all in one. Along with my husband and best friend, she “pestered” me into starting a blog and teaching a Communiversity course on the art of tablescaping.  Delia lived a distinguishable life with great pride, persistence, dignity, and deliberation. Those enviable personal qualities, along with her incomparable smile, are among the treasured memories I will keep in my mind and my heart. So, unto that end, I devote this post to my “fancy friend”, Delia, and promise to make her proud in heaven.

For My Fancy Friend,
Delia Young

There is nothing that speaks of a chilly night’s relief like the warmth of a crackling fire. I wish we had a fireplace in every room of the house! But since we don’t, I tuck furniture away in Ramon’s office (thanks, honey!) and set up intimate dining in our casual, cozy family room.

On any given night, especially in the cool weather months, I’m a firm believer that you can never have too much candlelight!

 

 

It’s fun for us to linger in front of the fireplace over dinner and dessert with another couple. The food is always hearty, the conversation is relaxed and witty, and the wine bottle is bottomless! We’ve been entertaining a lot over the past year, and this little table for just the four of us was a nice change of pace.

 

I used rich rust-colored metal chargers, rustic avocado green (does that description date me?) plates and soup bowls, brown cotton napkins and simple faux mother-of-pearl flatware. To keep the tablescape from looking blah, I used a fanciful print cotton table linen with a plain ivory underskirt. The centerpiece floral was loosely constructed, using complementary colors. The ivory centerpiece pillar candles rest atop rustic…dare I say it again…avocado green candlesticks.

 

I thought it would be kind of fun to put a faux artichoke votive holder at each place setting.

 

Ramon gets very antsy about all this fire, but I love it! It’s so soothing and everybody looks better by candlelight!!! (After that near disaster in September, I watch candles like a hawk!!!) The tapers set against the mirror double back the look for depth and extra light. The side votives extend the mantel piece and provide an additional level of light. (Varied levels of light is infinitely more interesting to the eye than a static level!)

Hollywood Fright Night

/ Alycia Nichols / 20 Comments

Who says just because you’ve passed on to “the other side” that you can’t dine in luxury?

Join these legendary ladies of Hollywood’s most spine-tingling, edge-of-your-seat, wet-your-pants movies for a ghoulish yet stylish midnight supper. They’re just dying to have you for dinner…literally!!! Among the once shining stars on the guest list: Carrie White (Carrie, 1976), Regan Macneil (The Exorcist, 1973), Annie Wilkes (Misery, 1990), Kayako Saeki (The Grudge, 2004; The Grudge II, 2006 and The Grudge III, 2009), Baby Jane Hudson and Blanche Hudson (Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, 1962), Peyton Flanders (The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, 1992), Norma Desmond (Sunset Boulevard, 1950), and the elusive Mrs. Bates (Psycho, 1960).

No graveyard soiree for these former stars of stage and screen!

 

Because mystery men from their Hollywood heydays have fresh flowers delivered to their graves each week, there are plenty to decorate the table. Because I learned my lesson from the fiery centerpiece disaster on a windy night last month AND because the ladies get enough real fire in hell (we assume that’s where all these dastardly divas are spending eternity!), I used LED candles all around.

 

 

For each special lady, a black napkin folded into the shape of a clutch bag with a carnation embellishment. Of course, nothing but silver and our best crystal will do!

 

Creepy crawly friends check out the table arrangements.

 

Two gnarled branches of a manzanita tree grace the center of the table with gleaming silver candlesticks, cut crystal votive holders, and an array of cut crystal vases filled with pink carnations and roses.

 

Oh, no! There’s a big bloodsucking bat coming toward you and a snake in the branches!!! A couple of the ladies must have brought their agents along!

 

Ooooh! And there’s a sneaky spider. Another lady must have brought her publicist! The mouse is surely her long-suffering but faithful assistant!

 

 

Carrie is present in the form of a skull, still wearing her prized prom queen tiara. The bloody “brains & spinal tissue” oozing from her neck is fashioned from fresh red cockscomb (celosia argentea, also often referred to as Brain Celosia.)

 

Hey!  How did this guy from “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” crash the party???

 

The view from Carrie’s seat of all the candles in pitch darkness.

 

 

The view looking up from hell. 🙂 See the eerie full moon above?

Other creepy tablescapes on this site:
Serpents & Skullduggery
Ravenous Raven Graveyard Feast

 

It’s the Great Pumpkin!

/ Alycia Nichols / 14 Comments

Those of you who know me know I love to eat! Luckily, so do many of my friends! We enjoy dining like the Europeans: slowly and with purpose. For this casual 3-hour dinner on the deck, the pace fit the menu and the colors are all about the season!

Inspired by Charles Schultz’s wonderful classic cartoon, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”, I created this autumn tablescape for a few close friends who just wanted a quiet but fun evening.

 

Each place setting featured a rusty, almost orange-colored metal charger that I picked up at Tuesday Morning several years back. Brown rimmed yellow stoneware from Pier 1 was perfect for our entrée. Pumpkin colored melamine dishes from Target took on the salad, and brown rimmed green soup bowls were there for a delicious chunky tomato soup with crabmeat which could have been a meal in and of itself!

 

Taking full advantage of my newly purchased David Stark book, Napkins With a Twist, I pulled together this fun fold with this colorful cotton napkin from Stein Mart. The fold is incredibly easy to do, despite all the resulting nooks & crannies. Each napkin is topped with a mini pumpkin and faux autumn leaves. (See this napkin used in another fall tablescape HERE.)

 

My husband was not fond of the place cards/menus I created at the last minute (he’s a critic now!), and on second glance I think I could have done better. Desperate times called for desperate measures! The evening’s fare was printed on the back of each place card.

 

The centerpiece was a complete, total, and shameless rip off of the cartoon with the massively proportioned pumpkin surrounded by sumptuous mounds of fall leaves! I perched the pumpkin atop a small stand to lend a bit more height and drama.

 

I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or not, but it’s getting dark much earlier now so I’m able to actually light candles before guests come out for dinner at 7:30.

 

Two sides of the centerpiece were flanked by various seasonal gourds. Putting the gourds on two sides only elongated the centerpiece and kept it from looking too rounded.

 

It’s hard to tell in my amateur photos, but the entire centerpiece was subtly illuminated from underneath using these miniature LED votives. Hiding them throughout the leaves provided a soft glow to the entire piece.

 

Further illumination was provided by multi-hued pillar candles from Pier 1 placed on the 2 sides of the pumpkin not decorated with gourds. The tri-level orange wooden pieces were purchased a few years ago at Hobby Lobby and added to the tablescape just to add narrow vertical interest.

 

I really like these candles that boast four different but complementary hues.

I count myself lucky to be joining the ladies and gentlemen for The Style Sisters’ Centerpiece Wednesday and Susan’s Tablescape Thursday!

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Ap-pear-ently Autumn

/ Alycia Nichols / 16 Comments

This has been a really busy week so far, but never too busy to sit down over a leisurely dinner with hungry visitors! While I enjoy the opportunity for pageantry afforded by the rich hues of fall, sometimes “simplicity” is a welcome watch word.

Just because it’s a weeknight, doesn’t mean the table has to be boring.

 

These are simple place settings using humble stoneware, but dressed up just a little bit. I bought the oak and maple leaf faux wood chargers last season at Crate & Barrel, although now I’ve seen something very similar at WalMart! Could have saved myself…..ugh! I don’t even wanna do the math on that one! The mustard dinner plates are from Pier 1, and the avocado soup bowls from Target. I like the golden bubble stemware from Marshall’s so much that I’m sure I’ll use it over and over in the coming months!

 

The multi-hued striped napkins and the bronze oak leaf ring through which they are casually pulled are both from Pier 1.

 

 

 

I’m always so happy when I can pull a quickie centerpiece together with things I already have around the house! I constructed these nearly 4-ft. tall structures using dark wrought iron obelisks I purchased a few years back when I thought I wanted to train ivy to grow on them. (Click HERE and HERE to see other tablescapes using these obelisks!) Faux evergreen mounds sit atop wood & metal planters purchased at a going-out-of-business sale earlier this year. The finishing touches are yellow berry garland & Bosc pears.

 

 

These oak leaf floating candles were purchased at Pier 1 several years back, as was the table runner. The candles have a nice, subtle clove-like scent and are a wonderful complement to the charger and runner designs.

That’s Tuesday night dinner…with an upgrade!

I am pleased this week to once again join Susan and all the dynamic & talented women (and men!) for Tablescape Thursday, and The Style Sisters for Centerpiece Wednesday. Also, if you missed it, click on the “Fun Stuff” tab above for our first entry in the Tea Time Tuesday event hosted by Lady Katherine Tea Parlor. Have a wonderful week, and GO CHIEFS!!!

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TEA TIME TUESDAY

Simply Bittersweet

/ Alycia Nichols / 9 Comments

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I am glad fall has arrived! I so enjoy entertaining in summer, but there’s just something about fall that can’t be beat. Probably something to do with the rich colors and fragrant, warm food!

With the chill of the season in the air, I’m entertaining outside less and less now. I’ve invited a few friends over for a casual dinner and a sappy movie. Nothing fancy, just pure fun tonight! I fashioned the main part of the extended centerpiece to mimic something I recently saw in a Pottery Barn circular. Quick, simple, speaks to the season. The addition of the smaller hurricanes lends more presence to the overall centerpiece. Votives add another level of light.

 

These multi-hued placemats from Pier 1 are among my fall favorites. The chocolate brown acrylic chargers are from Target and the bone colored 10 Strawberry Street stoneware plates were a bargain at Tuesday Morning. I went all European and did the French treatment on the flatware placement (tines and bowls down) even without a fancy monogram to show off!

 

Look  closely and you’ll see that the cotton napkins from Pier 1 are two-toned! I separated one color from the other with a fun wooden pumpkin napkin ring, also from Pier 1. I kept the fan fold of the napkin a bit more relaxed to match the feel of the evening.

 

 

Pier 1 sold this fabulous stemware a couple of years back, and I just can’t get enough of it! Each piece is so sturdy, and the wave of contrasting colors is very pleasing to the eye. The orange, cream and brown fit perfectly into my dining room color scheme. Gotta run! My popovers are done! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!!

A few other autumn tablescapes you might like to visit on this site:
“Casual Fall Harvest Dinner”
“September Harvest Breakfast“
“Pumpkins & Peacocks”
“Wondrous Wheat”
“Pheasants & Peacocks”
“Best Laid Plans”
“Serape High Style”
“Sunflower Simple”
“Raining Orchids”
“September Wine”
“Autumn Blues“

 

I am delighted once again to share in this Tablescape Thursday with Susan and all my friends at Between Naps on the Porch. If you want to enjoy lots of fabulous tablescapes, hop on over there (after looking here, of course!) to see the work of people from all around the world! Just click on the link to your right.