Oopsy Daisy!

August 30, 2011July 8, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 71 Comments

Planning a summer luncheon? Hey…summer is NOT over yet! I’m hanging onto it for dear life! The proof is in this sunny yellow, green and white table that is perfect for a birthday luncheon, the girls getting together, or even a casual bridal luncheon or shower with a Gerbera daisy theme!

Even with the hot August sun blazing overhead, a summer picnic on the deck is a perfect time to gather with friends.

Got ugly or very generic outdoor tables like I do? Your most important table decor friend is a full-length white cloth that covers the top and legs with grace and style!

There are no fresh flowers used on this table, but you don’t miss them at all with the profusion of Gerbera daisies peeking out from underneath clear glass plates! A triple stack of colorful placemats makes each place setting really stand out. Clear stemware goes great with the plates. All placemats and the plates are from Bed Bath & Beyond.

A maverick place setting like this calls for a fun twist on the flatware placement! The flatware is from TJ Maxx.

A fun napkin fold mimics the petals of the daisy. The napkins are from & Bed Bath Beyond.

Grass in rustic pots brings color, texture and movement to the table.

No money for fresh flowers and too early in the day for candles? Well, something has to make that centerpiece pop! I used my trusty 31″H clear glass cylinders paired with colorful paper parasols from Hobby Lobby. Just plop ’em in! They look great and provide much-needed shade on a warm afternoon!

If you missed “Candle in the Wind” – my tribute table in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales – you can see it here. Beautiful fuchsia flowers, lots of silver…simple, but befitting the memory of a princess!

Other tablescapes on this site using paper parasols:

“Tropicana”
“Daisy Crazy“

Thanks for stopping in, and please join me as I visit Susan and the other tablescapers at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday!!!

Pinky Peter Cottontail

April 11, 2011July 29, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 58 Comments

My best friend – a gal whose decorating style might best be described as eclectic – asked me to create a “simple” Easter brunch/luncheon tablescape. Simple, huh? You guys are killin’ me with the “simple” tables!!! I love to load a table up, make it groan under the weight of all the pretty eye candy. Why, oh why must I create a “simple” brunch tablescape??!?!?! It’s just not natural!!!

OK…I’m finished whining now. Without further ado, I present to you a “simple” Easter brunch/luncheon tablescape that, by the way, is pretty cost-effective to duplicate!

The simplicity of this Easter brunch tablescape starts with the repetition of a specific element: Easter bunnies.

I started with a soft pistachio “Spring Meadow” table linen from Bed, Bath & Beyond. It has an almost damask look about it which created a bit of formality without getting too stiff. Each place setting starts with a white ceramic charger, topped with a soft pink napkin to create a color buffer between the charger and the white Corelle entrée plate. The salad/dessert plate is Lenox “Butterfly Meadow – Swallowtail”. A white ceramic floral bowl that will be used for the inevitable fruit compote starter is from Pier 1.

I found these realistic faux chocolate bunnies at Hobby Lobby several years ago. Of course, the real thing will work just as well and serve as a perfect take-home treat for young and old alike.

This is the way it all stacks up.

Because I was tickled with the pink on the centerpiece bunnies, I wanted to play that color up as a predominant accent for this tablescape. This pink tinged stemware works beautifully and dutifully for serving juice and mimosas.

“Danish Princess” silverplate flatware is formal but approachable. A “simple” table doesn’t always have to mean wholly unadorned.

I bought these ceramic egg cups in several different pastel colors last year from Crate & Barrel. They are great for displaying colorful Easter eggs! Here I use eggs that are of the same color and have been decorated alike to add a bit of (repetitive) consistency around the table.

I found these adorable paper hydrangea Easter bunnies at Village Gardens in Blue Springs, MO. I love the pink in their tails and ears!

I created the hefty centerpiece using brilliant pink cyclamen, sinewy Vinca vine, and fun spikes that will later be planted in my flower garden. The flowers, all still in their nursery pots, are nestled into a metal basket and covered with Spanish moss to hide the mechanics. I like the mix of textures and shapes. The flowers in the centerpiece coordinate with those on the buffet.

While the soft pink geraniums (tucked into another green metal basket) and frosty white kalanchoe are not the same flowers used on the table, they readily complement them. Elements that “complement” trump those that strictly “match” any day of the week in my decorating book! Get double use out of these flowers by planting the geraniums in beds or pots outdoors for summer long color. The kalanchoe – available in red, pink, yellow or white – are colorful, highly textural, easy care indoor succulents.

These cute ceramic characters extend the bunny theme from the table to the buffet.

Creamy white pitchers for serving mimosas and juice are tied in with the table bunnies’ pink bows. This ombre ribbon, edged in white, has hues ranging from the deepest pink in the cyclamen to the softest in the napkins. Ribbon is an inexpensive way to extend a color scheme, especially for an Easter table.

So there you have it! A “simple” spring tablescape for an Easter brunch or luncheon that can be easily mimicked with items you may already have at home. As for you, sweet Sheri, you can always borrow it all if you want!

Other posts featuring Easter tablescapes on this site include:
“Easter Brunch”
“Easter Floral”
“Informally Formal”
“Spring & Easter Around the House”
“Spring Into Easter”
“Easter In Pink & Grey”
“All A’Bloom In Pink for Spring”
“Easter Bloom”
“The Party She Deserves”
“Carousel Colors”
“Barton’s Easter Brunch“

I’m joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch again this week!
Check out what a bunch of talented ladies & gentlemen are up to in the world of tablescaping!

Little Black Dress

April 5, 2011July 29, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 35 Comments

I’m back this week and feeling pretty good now. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to drop me a note of encouragement during my illness. I felt very much loved! And my husband extends his thanks for your patience with him as well. I’m afraid to ask just what that means! 😉

Congratulations once again to the winner of the Mikasa “Daylight” Giveaway, Marlis Bennett of Creative Journeys!!! All the entries were beautiful and creative, and it pained me deeply that only one person could win. But since those were the contest rules, Marlis was awarded the grand prize and I tip my hat to her. Enjoy, Marlis!

This week’s tablescape is in response to Angela who requested help via Facebook with designing a sleek, sophisticated, uncluttered and inexpensive tablescape for entertaining a prospective client. Tall order, Angela! All that and inexpensive??!?!! Well, here ya go…my interpretation of what that might look like.
(Photos taken in low light for dramatic film noir effect!)

I considered what I wear when I’m looking to convey sleek sophistication, and nothing fills that bill like a little black dress! So the table is dressed in a sultry black linen.

Accessories? I usually put on either pearls or understated diamonds and finish off the look with a dramatic slick of juicy red lipstick. There’s my inspiration for this black and red tablescape!

Sleek silver chargers are topped with an inexpensive crystal clear dinner and salad plate (the diamonds) from Bed, Bath & Beyond. Simple and cost effective clear water and wine glasses keep pace with the simplicity of the place setting. (I buy these in bulk from Old Time Pottery and Pier 1.) A simply folded black napkin rests on top of the stack to quietly bring the drama of the black closer to the surface of the tablescape.

Sleek, unadorned J. A. Henckels “Bellaserra” stainless flatware finishes each place setting.

Here’s where that slick of ruby red lipstick comes in: brightly colored tulips submerged in glass spheres, anchored with black river rock. Smaller, similarly shaped votive holders extend the candlelight from the floaters in the floral arrangements. A little river rock is added to the bottom of the votive holders for design consistency. (River rock in various colors can be purchased at craft stores like Hobby Lobby and Michaels. The same goes for the glass spheres which can be used for myriad tabletop designs. Both are on sale for 50% off about every 6 weeks, so watch the sale ads and pick up twice as much for the price!) Flowers submerged in glass vases allows for an impressive look without the expense of the numbers needed for full bouquets.

The uncluttered design on the table continues on the buffet surface with just the bare necessities. For as much money as you save on the cool red and black tablescape, you can afford to serve a little caviar during cocktails. Nothing complements a little black dress like caviar and champagne! 😉 (My friend enjoyed this caviar – despite the availability of my well-stocked wine fridge – with a bottle of Yoo-hoo after I photographed it. I’m sorry, but no matter how hard I try I just can’t get with the whole raw fish thing! And to wash it down with a Yoo-hoo is just gross…and weird!!!)

A simply arranged vase of tulips sidles up to a mirrored charger of Mikasa’s leggy “Sophia” tall sherbet glasses.

I picked up these cute linen cocktail napkins at Bombay Company before all the U.S. retail outlets closed. They are perfect for dabbing away the remnants of a sip and a nosh before dinner.

More tablescapes on this site using clear glass globes:
“Autumn Blues“

Well, Angela, this is my take on a slick black tablescape with red accents. While you are planning to use it as a spring tablescape, it would also be great for a fabulous New Year’s Eve tablescape, or any time of year with a quick change of flowers. I hope this helps to get your own table ready for the big night! Good luck to you, and please let me know how it goes!

More tablescapes on this site using tulips:
“Welcome Back, Joel”
“Informally Formal”
“The Bluebird Special”
“Easter Floral”
“Peachy Keen Breakfast Tablescape“

Linking to Susan at Between Naps on the Porch on Wednesday after 9:00 p.m. for Tablescape Thursday! Hope to see you there!

And the Winner is…!

February 16, 2011July 27, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 20 Comments

As a kid growing up and then as an adult on into my 40s and 50s, I can’t remember ever missing a presentation of the Grammys. Come what may, I’d park myself squarely in front of the television set, ready to “ooh!” and “aah!” at all the luminaries in attendance. I knew every word to every song and would – a la Beatles-first-come-to-America – scream and cry with joy whenever a cutie pie took the stage. It was all so magical. And then came the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, and I was nowhere to be found. I didn’t even DVR it. What’s the point? I have no idea who 90% of the people are, I find many of the outfits abhorring, I took the antidote for “Bieber Fever” before it became an epidemic, I’m not gaga for Gaga, Nelly’s “It’s Getting Hot In Here” means something completely different to a menopausal woman like me, and most of the “music” just sounds like a train wreck to my ears.

I set this vignette up with the seating at the Golden Globe Awards in mind. The guests all enjoy dinner at a beautifully set table and then remain seated there for the awards program. For an occasion such as watching The Grammys, I think it’s perfectly appropriate to set the table up near the television in the living room or family room. Guests can then remain seated at the table for the show or retreat to a nearby sofa.

I started with a black floor-length linen. A red table runner mimics the red carpet that celebrities walk prior to the broadcast. Heavy glass gold-leafed chargers anchor the place setting. My sister-in-law Zatina’s whimsical black and white dinner plates are rimmed with piano keys, and the salad plates are dotted with various musical instruments tumbling across a meandering gold staff. Gold flatware shines against the black linen.

Gold painted Christmas ornaments in the shape of musical notes are used to further “jazz up” the place setting. They stand up easily in the recesses of the napkin fold.

I borrowed a couple of ideas from a table I created for an at-home event a few years back. One of those ideas was martini tasting during the appetizer and/or salad course(s). Cristal is often served at fancy awards dinners like the Grammys, but jet-setters might enjoy something a little different like this. Since each glass only holds about 2 ounces, guests are still lucid enough to enjoy the rest of the evening!

This is another idea I recreated from an at-home event we hosted a few years back. Each guest’s menu was placed in an envelope as if its contents held the name of the winner. Upon opening the envelope to retrieve the menu, the “surprise” was little musical note confetti. I made these menus on our home computer, affixing a red strip of paper across the top of each to again resemble the red carpet.

Finally, the centerpiece. I wanted to do something that was easy, inexpensive, and that created an ambience fit for a star. Nothing says “ambience” like candlelight, and by simply floating candles in glass cylinders at different heights and adding a few votives, I think the mission was accomplished.

This was a fun “idea” tablescape to do! Thanks again to my sister-in-law, Zatina, who presented me with the challenge. I’ll give you your dishes back. I promise! 😉 I hope this table will serve as inspiration for future parties (Grammy night, early supper before the symphony, late dinner after a concert, musical tablescape, etc.).

Rock on, Zatina! I hope you like it!

Other Black & Red tablescapes on this site include:
Little Black Dress
Year of the Rabbit 辛卯

This week, as I proudly do every week, I am joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday. After checking out the photos from my Grammy Night table, boogie on over to Susan’s place to see the work of many talented tablescapers from around the globe.

Shake, Rattle & Roll ’em!

January 19, 2011July 27, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 9 Comments

A black, white & silver table brings to mind an evening of elegance, often contemporary in nature. It can also work for evoking thoughts of sheer simplicity. But can it also work for a Bunco dinner party?!!?!!? This week, I answer a subscriber’s request for a game night dinner party table!

Last week, new subscriber Novetta Washington wrote in asking me to put together a dinner party table for her Bunco group. After a little research on what exactly Bunco is (no…I didn’t know!), I came up with this understated, relatively inexpensive table using black & white (to mimic the colors of dice) with a silver accent. Who says you can’t go a teensy bit glam with dinner before getting to the down and dirty of the game? 🙂

It was a little bit strange to set a table knowing that no one would actually be sitting down to eat at it, but it was fun just the same! With the weather as icky as it is right now though (7 more inches of snow predicted to fall over the next 24 hours!), I’ve not planned any dinner parties of my own to set up. So this was perfect timing, Novetta!

For those of you who don’t know what Bunco is, it’s a fun parlor game played with dice. It’s quite popular (I apparently live a very sheltered life!), and requires no particular skill as it is purely a game of luck. I wanted to give Novetta and her friends a chic, decidedly contemporary table to start off their evening with colors that would get them excited about the upcoming games. I started with a plain black tablecloth. The place settings began with two square chargers – one in silver with rounded corners (kinda like dice!) and one in black. A white rounded-edge B. Smith With Style dinner plate (again…shaped like dice!) was topped with a round black salad plate (resembling the dice dots!). I used simple clear glass water and wine goblets to break up the black & white landscape just a bit. (Black & white polka-dotted plates and/or flatware would be another fun – albeit more casual – option for this tablescape. Likewise, a pop of color like deep red or purple or orange would be cool, too!)

Each place setting gets a menu with a pair of dice on it, the only overt reference to the theme. (Certainly a few dice tossed down the center of the table would be fun, too!) Even though the table has a sophisticated air to it, that doesn’t mean you can’t get playful with the menu. Notice what I would suggest for dessert!

I like to play with the flatware arrangement when I can, and this is an opportune setting to do just that! Simply banded stainless flatware is laid out with the forks atop a plain white cotton napkin in a perpendicular fashion for a little visual interest.

The lowly “baby’s breath” has gotten a bad rep from its extended misuse as a sparse filler for roses by the dozen. Used en masse like this, however, baby’s breath/gypsophila is a knockout! I used million star gypsophila which boasts very dense clusters. Placing the gypsophila in plain black powder-coated glass urns shows it off museum-style and keeps with the black & white theme. I suggest keeping the look of the gypsophila kind of wild and untamed as shown here. For a wedding or more formal tablescape, you might want to temper it a bit more. (FYI, gypsophila is so well-priced…you can buy it for next to nothing!)

I set these milky white votives down the length of the table in the style of dice dots.

A simple $3 door mirror from Old Time Pottery makes a sleek, sophisticated table runner that doubles back the striking images of the candlelight and florals. I used a mirror with black trim that melded nicely with the table linen and allowed just the shiny surface to take center stage.

The suggested menu included Chicken with Olives (olives…black dots!) and concluded with a fun dessert of chocolate fondue with marshmallow “dice” for dipping. Simply dip a Q-tip in black food coloring and dot onto marshmallows! Or, if you want a more 3-D look, use black icing. If you have coffee service after dinner, dotting sugar cubes in the same way is a cute way to make it special.

Well, Novetta and friends, I hope this will give you some inspiration for your next Bunco gathering. Cocktails, a nice sit-down dinner, then on to the gaming tables! Have fun, and please send pictures of your next party to me at table21tablescapes@gmail.com!

Other tablescapes on this site with baby’s breath arrangements include:
“Ideas for Throwing A Winter Dessert Party“
“Fete Noir et Gris“
“Princess Pink Birthday Dinner“

Other tablescapes on this site using a mirror centerpiece include:
“Roses In October“
“Happy Birthday, Barf!“
“Hooray For Vodka!“
“Breakfast at Tiffany’s“
“Contemporary Christmas – Fire & Ice“

It is with great pride & pleasure that I once again join Susan and the other tablescapers at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday. After checking out my entry, please pop over and take a peek at what everyone else is up to this week!

Autumn by the Embers

November 3, 2010July 25, 2017 / 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!)

Tee Mit Hans Dresden (Tea With Hans Dresden)

October 4, 2010July 31, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 12 Comments

This is the story of how a little girl’s curiosity (and hard-headedness!) got her into deep trouble, but became a lasting memory. I want to thank my Mother for (1) letting me live after what I did on that fateful day some 46 years ago; (2) sharing with me the story of how she came to acquire this lovely tea set, and; (3) passing it on to me for a memory I will always cherish.

It isn’t often I get to share afternoon tea with friends, but when I do it is held near and dear to my heart. For this particular occasion, it was to celebrate recent accomplishments by each attendee. (An engagement, a retirement, and a new career. Hence the champagne & Godiva chocolates for all!!!)

My mother was gifted with this lovely Hans Dresden set back in the 1940s. My father’s nephew, who served in the U.S. Armed Forces, picked it up for her during his tour in Germany just before the city of Dresden was severely damaged by British & U.S. bombing. Little did anyone know of what great sentimental value this set would be some 65 years later.

I purchased these lovely embroidered cotton luncheon napkins years ago while on my honeymoon in New Orleans.

Let me explain/confess something. (Uh-oh…this takes me back about 45 years!) My mother had the entire set with coffee & tea pots, cups, saucers, dessert plates, and ashtrays! (Don’t give me that look! Smoking was perfectly acceptable…even encouraged…by some of Hollywood’s biggest stars “back in the day.”) As a child, much like now, I loved to play house. Despite many admonitions, I decided one day to play with Mom’s Dresden set. The result: the clumsy hands of a 6-year-old were no match for the delicate china. I irreparably broke several pieces of the set, and other pieces – like the pot above – were chipped. When my Mom gave me this fractured but nonetheless loved set a couple of years ago for my own collection, we had a good laugh…quite contrary to her reaction when I ruined it 46 years ago!!!

I did not prepare the sweets for this get-together, but I am grateful for the local pastilerias that did!

The centerpiece was composed of simple alstroemeria arranged in a tall, milky glass trumpet vase flanked by two smaller arrangements.

This was a wonderful afternoon spent with wonderful women – my mother included – who by all accounts forgive my past transgression of putting Hans in harm’s way.

Footnote: I saw this very set – in mint condition – on WorthPoint the other day. I was too afraid to look at how much it would be worth today had I not so tragically trashed it!

Other teatime tablescapes on this site include:
“Tea Roses“
“Coming Up Roses“
“Hello, Dahlia!“

This week for the first time ever, I am pleased to join Lady Katherine and all the fine ladies for Tea Time Tuesday. If you enjoy fine tea accoutrement, exquisitely set tea tables and ladies’ gatherings as much as I do, please check out other bloggers’ photos & stories on her site!

Pears and Pine Cones

September 18, 2010July 29, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 6 Comments

It was a dark and stormy night, and….wait. This isn’t a mystery novel. It’s a dinner party! Sure, it was dark and stormy, but inside all was cozy, a little bit casual, and a whole lot of fun…even with a power outage that hit right after I snapped the above photo.

Humble clear glass hurricanes take center stage enveloped in wreaths of grapevine and pinecones, spiked with fall berries. The pine cone theme is gently repeated in the salad plates.

This is one of my favorite salad plate patterns! With a motif that is suitable year-round, this pattern from Pier 1 is not just for the birds! Paired with unembellished white dinner plates, a mustard-colored napkin ties the suite together. A simple gold charger and Revere style flatware lends a stylish touch. A crunchy, sweet Bosc pear – one of autumn’s many gems – is tonight’s guest favor.

I am head over heels with these chunky amber goblets from Z Gallerie!!! They are perfect any time of year, but especially in fall as the leaves begin to turn a similar color! The clear stem on the goblets opens the door for the colorless wine glasses.

On the buffet behind the dining table are a pair of obelisk centerpieces I used again for the “Ap-Pear-ently Autumn” tablescape.

This is the first of many autumn tablescapes to come. This season will feature everything from soft and subdued (tonight), to haunting beauty (Halloween), to sheer elegance. The rich hues of the season allow for so many decorating opportunities, and I look forward to sharing a few of my interpretations with you! And just so you know, I’m not real big on Halloween, but this year I’m going to give it a try just the same!

Cheers, everyone, and best of the fall season to you and yours! And don’t forget to visit the new “Table Tips” section for lots of nifty ideas!