Pink Plaid & Posies

April 1, 2012June 18, 2018 / Alycia Nichols / 57 Comments

I’ve created a bonus tablescape this week so that I can participate in The Tartan Parade co-hosted by blogger buddies Babs (Upstairs Downstairs), Sarah (Hyacinths for the Soul), Delores (Vignette Design), and Alison (The Polohouse). Stop on over to see the other fabulous and fun tartan plaid tablescapes! I’m also linking up with the fun weekly party, Pink Saturday. If you like pink like I do, you’ll love this party!

I wore a plaid uniform nearly every single day in grade school and high school, so a tiny masochistic vestige of tartan plaid clothing remains in my closet. I don’t, however, own much of anything that is plaid in the way of decorating. When I found these pink plaid salad plates, though, I knew I was in like Flynn! (Or “Flint”, depending on which camp you belong to!) I could do a Spring tablescape in pastel pink plaid for the Tartan Parade! I decided to dress the table accordingly using various shades and widths of pink ribbon in a woven plaid design.

I liked the way the ribbon treatment came out over the white full-length table linen, so I just kept running with it! (My husband – the infamous “Tablescape Whisperer” – wanted me to do the entire table in this ribbon plaid treatment. He must be trippin’! ;-))

A white ceramic charger (Old Time Pottery) is topped with a plain white Corelle dinner plate. The pretty pink plaid salad plate is topped with a neat little bowl from Pier 1 that cradles the napkin.

A white cotton hemstitch napkin is gathered up with a bright pink glass napkin ring from Bed Bath & Beyond.

International Silver’s “Danish Princess” flatware rests comfortably atop the ribbon treatment. You can see more clearly here the use of two shades of pink ribbon.

Everyday clear glass stemware from Old Time Pottery is perfect for a pared down Spring luncheon without a lot of frills.

Using two shades of Gerbera daisies lends depth to the bouquets plopped into a parade of curvy white ceramic vases from Michael’s.

What’s a Springtime luncheon without a little take home gift for your guests? Again, two shades of ribbon to make it look just a little more interesting.

So there you have it! A Spring (or Summer!) luncheon (that would also work well for Mother’s Day, a birthday, baby shower, bridal shower, or to celebrate a friend who has battled breast cancer) in pink plaid with posies! I don’t think you’ll ever see this plaid in a Scottish kilt, but I think it works for lunch!

Other light & airy tables in pink on this site:
“Peonies & Pearls“
“Princess Pink Birthday“
“Showered in Pink“
“Breast Cancer Awareness Month”
“Blushing Bridal Shower”
“Just Us Girls”
“Chocolate Traditional”
“Days of Wine & Roses”
“Daisy Crazy“

I’m also hooking up with “The Tablescaper” for Seasonal Sundays this week! Check it out to see a variety of tablescapes and ideas for Spring and Easter!

Daffodillyicious Tablescape

March 21, 2012June 24, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 55 Comments

Last night brought a close to my first class series, “The Art of Tablescaping – Buffet Styling” through Longview Community College. It was a night I simultaneously dreaded and happily anticipated. All told, I think it went pretty well for my first time at bat, and I’m looking forward to starting the second class series,
“The Art of Tablescaping – Sizzlin’ Summer Soirées” on June 12, 2012.

Photo by Sheri L. Grant

To cap this first class series off, everyone grabbed a little snack to munch on while enjoying a slide show of the wonderful buffet tablescapes created by each student. (Cobalt blue martini glasses from Pier 1.) They really did a good job, and their work really showed they had been paying attention! The evening ended with a sit-down awards dinner at a colorful Springtime table specially prepared for these fine ladies. Sure, a buffet meal would have been apropos, but I wanted them to relax after all the hard work and effort they put into their individual tables.

It may have been raining cats and dogs outside, but inside was all about sunshine and blue sky! The Tuscan-style table was decked out in bright cobalt blue and yellow. This would also be a wonderful tablescape for a Spring wedding rehearsal dinner or birthday, and would work just as well outdoors as inside!

Full-length white linens provided a blank slate for the brilliant colors on top. A lemon yellow cotton placemat from Bed Bath & Beyond, turned to drop vertically off the side of the table, hosted a white ceramic charger (Old Time Pottery) and beautiful “Mirandela” dinner plates from Pier 1, topped off with a white-rimmed yellow salad plate from Old Time Pottery. (Click HERE and scroll down to “Sun & Sky” to see these “Mirandela” dinner plates used in a luncheon table setting.)

Bright yellow cotton napkins from Bed Bath & Beyond are cinched at the waist with bold cobalt blue napkin rings (Tuesday Morning) that look very much like jewelry. The flatware is Hampton Silversmith’s “Patriot” in the mirrored finish.

The cobalt blue stemware is from Pier 1.

Scoops of whipped butter in miniature silver Revere bowls and tiny salt and pepper shakers fill in gaps down the table center.

Heavy cobalt blue votive holders bring both color and light to the table’s surface.

Aside from daisies, I just can’t think of a happier flower than the daffodil! Three chunky cobalt blue vases filled with the sunshiny yellow flowers are flanked by silver Revere candlesticks.

Congratulations to the first Art of Tablescaping “graduating class”!!! Desta, Denise, Linda S. 1, Linda S. 2, Marie, Natalie, and Ty…you ladies did a fantastic job! Thank you for making it fun for me, and I hope you have acquired some techniques, skills and knowledge that you can carry with you for a lifetime of buffet-style tablescaping!

To see more posts on this site using cobalt blue:
“Peony Power“
“Brilliant Italian“
“Blue & White 30th Birthday“
“Summer Blues & Greens“
“Surf & Turf Dinner“

For more information or to enroll in “The Art of Tablescaping – Sizzlin’ Summer Soirées”, contact the Community Education Department at Longview Community College, 816-604-2030.

Please be sure to join me for Tablescape Thursday again this week. I’m also joining a new blog party this week over at Cuisine Kathleen’s called “Let’s Dish“. Check it out!
Happy Spring, everyone!!! 🙂

The Cake Studio

February 7, 2012July 27, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 8 Comments

I was in the business of designing and coordinating lavish weddings for a lot of years. During that time I befriended some of the most talented cake artists this tri-state area (and beyond!) has to offer. (I’m no fool…I like cake! 😉 ) Just in time for Valentine’s Day, but perfect for ANY AND ALL occasions, allow me to introduce you to two gals with the most awesome baking and design talent around! (Sorry…no scratch and sniff/taste available!)

Photo by Sheri L. Grant

Owners Rebekah Foster (The Cake Studio) and Michelle Rice (Iced Art) have a really fun, eclectic style that translates into stunning, picture-perfect cakes. With their fabulous confections and the bright coral walls of the shop as a backdrop, I dropped in a wedding tablescape depicting a formal dinner look made contemporary by the combination of black and hot pink.

This tablescape’s place settings have sentimental meaning. The gold leafed glass chargers were a gift from my sister. The intricately designed octagonal “Jacobean” by F. Winkle & Co. salad plates were a gift from my mother (also used in a very different tablescape “Peaceful Peonies”), and the highly embellished flatware is “on loan.” (Seriously…does Mom really think I’m giving this back???)

Photo by Sheri L. Grant

The BB&B black polycotton napkins are folded to accommodate a place card or menu and banded with simple hot pink ribbon.

I could drink out of these glasses every day!!! Delicate pink crystal bears an etched design of meandering vines. I picked these up at Marshall’s and would really like to find more of them! (See this stemware used again for an Easter tablescape, “Pinky Peter Cottontail”.)

This magnificent centerpiece, created by Dana Nigro at Village Gardens in Blue Springs, MO is a remnant from my days as an event designer. The sturdy manzanita branch is dotted with pretty hot pink flowers and dazzling crystals. This truly was the center of the tablescape, with everything else being built around its simple beauty.

Photo by Sheri L. Grant

Iron candlesticks and treasure chests bursting with hot pink peonies rounded out the decorative centerpiece to complete the tablescape. I went with white rather than hot pink candles to maintain a bit of formality and so as not to overwhelm the look with too much of a good thing.

The three amigas: Michelle Rice (Iced Art – Cakes By Design), Rebekah Foster (The Cake Studio), and little ol’ me! (Photos by Sheri L. Grant)

Other pretty pink tablescapes on this site include:
Days of Wine & Roses
Peonies & Pearls
Chocolate Traditional
Platinum & Pink Valentine
Blushing Bridal Shower
Easter Floral
Easter Bloom
Pink Plaid & Posies
All A’Bloom In Pink For Spring
Pretty In Pink
Showered In Pink
Easter In Pink & Grey
French Poodle
Peony Power
Fairy Princess Party
Fairy Tale Wedding Shower
Blurred Lines With Shades of Pink
Tea Roses
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Pretty In Pink, Wicked In Spurs – Breast Cancer Awareness
Bald Is Beautiful – Breast Cancer Awareness
Pink & Purple Chocolate Christmas
Au Revoir!

Chocolate Traditional

February 7, 2012August 7, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 80 Comments

I couldn’t let this season of romance get away without posting a tablescape using chocolate brown & pink!!! It works not only for Valentine’s Day if you’re hosting other couples, but for a bridal shower, ultra feminine birthday celebration, or – with a few key tweaks – a celebration honoring a breast cancer survivor.
(Click on any photo to enhance/enlarge it.)

Spurred on by last week’s pinning episode with all the little rosettes, I decided to wake this plain chocolate brown linen up with a strip of pink & brown edging. Again, not willing to try my hand at whip stitching, I simply used exposed pearl head pins to affix the edging to the hem. It all tied in nicely.

A silverplate charger and my sister’s Noritake “Whitebrook” china are topped with a simply folded pastel pink napkin from Bed Bath & Beyond. A small silver bell rests next to the hostess’s place setting. While it would normally be used to summon staff during dinner (as if I actually have staff! 🙂 ), this bell is to signal that it’s time for all the couples assembled at the table to steal a kiss!♥

I have a lot of stemware, but one of my favorites is Godinger’s “Chelsea” collection.

Another favorite collection is the International Silver “Danish Princess” flatware my Mom gave me. Here the dinner knife rests on a silverplate knife rest.

Silver hearts hold a place card by Artifacts.

No Valentine’s Day party is complete without a little chocolate something-something!

I bought these silver epergnes quite a few years ago. They are the companion piece to the 4-lite epergne shown as a buffet piece HERE. I really like the detailing. The white silk shades simply slip over the custom-made metal case candle (outfitted with a peg votive holder) and rest on the affixed bobeche. I can also swap out the custom candle/shade option for real tapers or remove the center bowl and use the piece as a 3-lite candelabra! Quite versatile!

I think I bought this silver covered casserole at Tuesday Morning about a billion years ago. I have used it both for food presentation and florals.

What’s a Valentine party without a ton of sweets on a dessert buffet? The aroma of all the chocolate is intoxicating! (I’m one of those odd women who does not care for the taste of chocolate, but I LOVE the smell!!!)

Coffee service is set up using the Elegance Silver coffee urn I purchased years ago. A pretty silver Victorian sugar scuttle with its tiny scoop is perfect for sweetening coffee (when a dip of your sweetheart’s finger won’t do the trick. 😉 )

On the opposite end of the buffet are Godinger silver petit four stands filled with all kinds of goodies. The silver pastry tongs have beautiful Baroque detailing.

I am so excited about this new acquisition!!! My goofy/loving cousin, Dee ;- ), got this silver Lazy Susan from our sweet friend, Doris, whose exceptionally good taste shows like a Derby prize winner. You should see this chick’s house! Anyhooooooo….Dee used it to display sweets at her recent 30th wedding anniversary party and then sent it home with me! I feel like passing out cigars to celebrate my new baby!!! Thank you, Dee Bug! Thank you, Doris!

Über feminine lacy paper dessert napkins are weighted down with my Lladró “Angel Lying Down” figurine, a gift from a client a few years back.

The corner tea cart, bought by my Mom in the 1950s from the swanky House of Modern and given to me a few years ago, is a handy-dandy extension of the buffet. A fun pink moscato is iced down in a silver champagne bucket, also given to me by my Mom. The salad course will be served with forks iced to perfection in this silver mini champagne bucket that is also perfect for a split of champagne if you’re dining alone! (Icing the fork tines is a great way to keep your salad greens crisp just a little bit longer, especially in summer! Just watch the look on your guests’ faces when the fork is presented like this! If you’re not lucky enough to have “staff”, the hostess should personally present the bucket for each guest to take a fork.) See another cool way to ice forks down by clicking HERE and scrolling down to Tip #3! This is also a fabulously fun & fancy way to present dessert forks or spoons!!!

I am joining Susan’s Tablescape Thursday again this week, and I also hope you will stop by the Valentine Blog Party hosted by Bargain Hunting & Chatting With Laurie on Friday, February 10. Pop in to get tons of decorating ideas for your Valentine’s Day party from tablescaping bloggers with romance on their minds all around the world!

♥♥♥Happy Valentine’s Day from me to you!!!♥♥♥

Other Valentine’s Day posts on this site you might enjoy:
“Love’s Arrow“
“Peonies & Pearls“
“Days of Wine & Roses”
“Diamonds Are a Material Girl’s Best Friend”
“Should Have Put a Ring On It”
“Queen of Hearts Card Party”
“Be Still My Heart”

Other posts in chocolate brown & pink:
“Au Revoir”
“Just Us Girls“

Peonies & Pearls

January 25, 2012April 9, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 87 Comments

Living in the frigid Midwestern portion of the U.S., I tend to forget that not everyone spends Valentine’s Day swathed head-to-toe in wool. There are my Southern friends (although this year may not be the warmest for them), my West coast friends (like my old high school buddy, Gisele, who constantly taunts me on Facebook about the great weather they’re enjoying!), and my blogger buddies on different continents like Suzy Q chillin’ at the beach house in Western Australia. Those folks are livin’ the good life: no ice to chip off the windshield, no snow to plow, no “wind chill index” in the forecast, no heating bill that rivals the National Debt.

So…it is to you my toasty February friends that I dedicate this ode to Valentine’s Day in the warmth of the sun. I had this little number in my cache of posts and thought it perfectly indicative of the kind of Valentine’s Day table one could create should they be so lucky as to live in milder climes. (It could be easily set up indoors, too!)
(Click on any photo to enhance/enlarge it.)

I think I may have have been cotton candy or Dubble Bubble in a former life. Not because I’m sweet (ha! Lord knows that’s not it!), but because I just love pink. When I photographed this table last summer, I remember feeling all girly and giggly and size 6. Yes, ladies, pink can actually DO that for you! 🙂

I started with a sticky sweet pink full-length cotton tablecloth. Gold-leafed glass chargers from my sister are topped with gold-rimmed white dishes from Pier 1.

Pretty pink poly-cotton napkins from Bed Bath & Beyond are gathered with faux pearl napkin rings from Old Time Pottery. The trick here was to give the napkin ring a more substantial look by doubling them.

Simple goldtone flatware and, of course, a little something-something from Godiva packaged in gold and neatly tied up with ribbons and seed pearls.

Cristal d’Arques “Longchamps” stemware is reasonably priced as far as crystal goes, and it’s multifaceted body catches the rays of the sun just right.

I used faux peonies here, but you can certainly imagine a fresh armful of the fluffy pink mop heads as your centerpiece! The design on the mammoth crystal barrel harmonizes perfectly with the stemware. Lofty gold candlesticks with pink candles surround the crystal.

Swans are a long-standing symbol of love and fidelity due to their perennial and monogamous relationships. These lovely Limoges salt cellars both literally and figuratively bring spice to the table.

Remove a couple of place settings, and this becomes a romantic table for two. This Pepto pink tablescape would also work very well for a special birthday, an upscale baby shower, a wedding celebration, a sweet Mother’s Day dinner, or in observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

I’ll be joining Susan again for Tablescape Thursday. I hope you’ll stop in to see the romantic tables other tablescapers from all around the world have to offer!

Other tablescapes on this site suitable for Valentine’s Day:
“Love’s Arrow“
“Showered in Pink“
“Roses In October”
“Days of Wine & Roses”
“Chocolate Traditional“

Another tablescape using peonies:
“Peaceful Peonies“

Happy Birthday, Barf!

November 1, 2011July 27, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 60 Comments

You know how kids pick at each other and give each other a lot of grief, but then grow out of it in later years? All that applies to my sister and me…except the growing out of it part. I lovingly bestowed the nickname “Barf” on my big sister about 40 years ago, and it just kinda stuck. Barf this, Barf that, Barf the other….regardless of the name on her birth certificate, to me she is simply “Barf.”

Barf and her sweet friend, DeEtta, visited Kansas City a little over a week ago on their way to Columbia, Mo. Barf is an October baby and was on her way to an annual October babies celebration with other family & friends. Because she was turning 100 or 150 or something like that on this birthday, she was pooped out from all the driving. So we held a jazzed up little “come-as-you-are” birthday dinner party at our house.

Everyone was dressed comfortably and casually, but I wanted to do something kind of swanky for the table. Barf and DeEtta had already traveled quite a distance from Minnesota and still had another two hours to drive after dinner to get to Columbia. I wanted the table to be something she would enjoy but that would also be easy to put together since I was feeling particularly lazy. So I went with spiffed up basic black.

Silver metal chargers and Noritake “Spectrum” china are my “go to” pieces that take a lot of guesswork out of the whole thing.

Black napkins folded into a neat little square with an orchid bloom for a shot of color.

The menu card has a photo of Barf at 6 months old. Wasn’t she a cutie patootie? (Speaking of patooties, I tried to cover hers a little here with my watermark! :-)) Creating these menus was my favorite part of the whole set-up!

I went with J.A. Henckels “Bellaserra” flatware…just because. 🙂

Another great “go to” is my Mikasa “Jamestown Platinum” stemware. I love it for its timeless beauty, its incredible versatility, and the way it feels in my hand. It’s perfect!

I bought these cool triple-decker bling mirrors a while back at Hobby Lobby. Yes…Hobby Lobby! They’re very sturdy and reflect a lot of light. While they are meant to be hung on a wall, I decided they would make much better centerpiece trays. The neatly lined votive candles and 25″ metal case candles (much safer taper if you don’t want candlewax everywhere!!!) double back in the mirrors. My Dad was quite intrigued with the design.

Mirrored cylinders hold a mix of bright green cymbidium orchids, dusty miller (rescued from the back yard before the frost got to it!), and raw coffee bean clusters.

I wanted something lush for a buffet piece that leaned toward fall without screaming it out loud. “Peacock White” flowering kale had both just the right color and texture I wanted mixed with the dusty miller, cymbidium orchids, and raw coffee beans. This heavy 4-light silver epergne (also seen here filled with mounds of baby’s breath at the “Princess Pink Birthday Party“) is a great buffet or centerpiece item, and it has a removable bowl for easy arranging and cleaning.

Candles and a small floral on the china cabinet.

L to R: Mom, Me, Daddy, DeEtta, and the Birthday Girl…Barf!!!

I’ve done a lot of teasing here (as always, because what are sisters for? ;-)), but I really do love my sister. She’s a very warm, kind, giving person with a heart as big as all outdoors. Yes, she’s weird and goofy…but she’s mine.
Happy Birthday, Barf! 🙂

Note: This would make a great New Year’s Eve tablescape, too!!!

Other tablescapes on this site using a mirror centerpiece include:
“Shake, Rattle, & Roll ‘Em!“
“Happy Birthday, Barf!”
“Hooray For Vodka!“
“Breakfast at Tiffany’s“
“Contemporary Christmas – Fire & Ice”
“Roses In October”
“Princess Pink Birthday Dinner“

As is always my distinct pleasure, I am joining Susan and the other talented tablescapers from around the world for Tablescape Thursday this week. Won’t you come along?

Princess Pink Birthday Dinner

February 2, 2011April 25, 2018 / Alycia Nichols / 48 Comments

Last Friday before all the snow fell upon our fair city (a full 12 inches where we live!!), I hosted a Sweet Sixteen X 2 birthday dinner for my best friend’s daughter-in-law. Pink was the “reigning” color of the evening.

A pink, black & white evening of celebration in honor of “Princess” Stacy’s 32nd (Sweet 16 x 2!) birthday. (Elements used for this royal tablescape would also work very well for a pink, black & white bridal shower or wedding. With a little tweaking, it would also be perfect for a Breast Cancer Awareness Month luncheon or dinner.)

A pink birthday party takes on a new air of sophistication when after-five black, rich silver tones, and lots of “bling” work alongside. A black table linen is the foundation for this tablescape, topped with white rhinestone-studded chargers. My favorite Noritake “Spectrum” china sits atop yet another beaded silver charger. Black cotton napkins from Bed, Bath & Beyond with a sheer silver underlay from Pier 1 “crown” the place setting. Of course, I had to pull out the “Royal Danish” sterling, and the silver crown place card holders and diamond cut Cristal d’Arques Longchamps crystal stemware were the perfect finish! (I added a little temporary pink “bling” to the top of each place card holder.)

I found these fabulous crown napkin rings at…you guessed it!…Z Gallerie!!!

I made the menus using heavy black paper topped with fabulous rose petal pink paper I found at Hobby Lobby. I printed the menu in color on plain white paper and then blinged it out with faux gemstones to give it that purely regal look!

I bought these sweet pink rose balls at a wholesale place and blinged them up a bit with “diamond” head stick pins. Each ball sits atop a slender silver candlestick with a bobeche dripping with crystals to give it a little extra “ooo la la.”

Photo by Sheri L. Grant

To bring color closer to the table deck, I used these pretty little multi-hued rosebud kissing balls that I made several years ago when I was feeling kind of crafty/bored. Again, I added rhinestone stick pins for this occasion.

Rhinestone candle holders are perfect on this table! The “crowns” hold a Swarovski crystal-studded pillar candle from Kaos, while each of the rectangular holders brings another level of light closer to the table. All of the centerpiece items reflect nicely in the black framed door mirror. (Also used HERE.)

Photo by Sheri L. Grant

I don’t always change the decor on top of the rustic china cabinet in the dining room, but this time was an exception. Another style of rhinestone candle holder and another larger homemade rose kissing ball shared the stage with my usual iron cross and a bevy of mercury glass votives.

A confection bar fit for a princess!

OK…so I’m a sucker for baby’s breath!!! I can’t help myself!!! This just looked so great in this ornately carved silver epergne. (I purchased 14 of these epergnes wholesale for my fine rentals business several years ago and just haven’t been able to part with them!) I replaced the candle lamps that came with the epergne with plain white metal case candles. The little wooden princess signs were purchased at Hobby Lobby, and I affixed lots of “bling” to the crowns on them for a sparkly 3-D look.

Pretty pink confections on the candy bar include M&Ms, Tootsie Rolls, Hershey’s kisses and heart-shaped marshmallows in clear glass apothecary jars. Engraved silver tags identify the various candies. Sheri, the birthday girl’s mother-in-law/my best friend, baked the pink-sanded sugar cookies that just somehow kept leaping up into my mouth. 🙂 Party favors in pink organza bags were displayed on a silver beaded-edge stand. Each guest went home with the organza bags stuffed with candies and cookies, plus a vial of exclusive perfume.

What proper princess doesn’t have something with her initial prominently displayed? For Princess Stacy, it was a silver cake plateau full of luscious pink cupcakes! This tasty confection was served alongside a mini martini glass (Crate & Barrel) filled with strawberry ice cream.

Photo by Sheri L. Grant

The guests checking out the dining room before dinner.

L to R: Sheri, Kelly, Chris, Angie and Princess Stacy

This tablescape would also work incredibly well for Valentine’s Day, to honor a breast cancer survivor, a bridal shower, or as head table for a very blinged out wedding!

Other pretty pink tablescapes on this site include:
Peaceful Peonies
Days of Wine & Roses
Peonies & Pearls
Chocolate Traditional
Platinum & Pink Valentine
Blushing Bridal Shower
Easter Floral
Easter Bloom
Pink Plaid & Posies
All A’Bloom In Pink For Spring
Pretty In Pink
Showered In Pink
Easter In Pink & Grey
French Poodle
Peony Power
Fairy Princess Party
Fairy Tale Wedding Shower
Blurred Lines With Shades of Pink
Tea Roses
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Pretty In Pink, Wicked In Spurs – Breast Cancer Awareness
Bald Is Beautiful – Breast Cancer Awareness
Pink & Purple Chocolate Christmas
Au Revoir!