Sunflower Simple

October 18, 2011May 3, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 44 Comments

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

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!

Under a Paper Moon

August 1, 2011August 16, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 60 Comments

I’ve still haven’t regained my mojo to the point that I can create, so this week I am sharing photos from a birthday dinner party last summer.

Sultry summer nights with a few close friends means casual dining under the stars…and a few colorful paper moons! My friend doesn’t like anyone to “fuss over” him, so a casual outdoor tablescape was totally in order.

This easy, breezy table starts with a white cotton linen. Next is a length of cheery lime green, turquoise, aqua & white floral fabric. The place settings are kept relatively simple so as not to fight with the strong pattern in the table covering. Clear acrylic square dinner plates in turquoise from Target are topped with sheer green salad plates to allow the pattern to shine through. Each place setting is topped with a turquoise square glass votive holder. White flatware from TJ Maxx and a white cotton napkin with a fun Tuesday Morning turquoise & green stone ring doesn’t get lost in the linen pattern. The centerpiece is very simple: a trio of Home Goods aqua glass candlesticks with fat white candles illuminate the evening’s festivities.

Fanciful turquoise and lime green paper lanterns float easily above the dining table, lending color and movement to the night. (I will never forget teetering like a tightrope walker at the top of that ladder as long as I live!)

So there you have it: casual summer dining in its simplest form.

For more posts using paper lanterns on this site:
“Cupcake Colors”
“Butterfly Kaleidoscope”
“Blue & White 30th Birthday”
“Easter Brunch”
“Fairy Princess Party for Little Girls”
“Chinese Takeout”

Thank you for stopping in!
Meet me again this week for Tablescape Thursday with Susan and the other tablescape fans over at Between Naps on the Porch!

Apple Green Luncheon

April 20, 2011July 29, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 61 Comments

Thank you to all the new subscribers who have come on board in the last couple of weeks! I welcome you!!! And for those who have been around for a while, you know I thank you and appreciate your continued subscription!

I wanted to post what will be our Easter brunch table, but it’s too early for me to get started on it. I won’t start building it until Friday. I’ll post it next week, for sure! Click here if you missed the Easter brunch tablescape requested by a reader last week.

Meanwhile, I am so happy to be able to post a fun and colorful apple green luncheon tablescape. I apologize that I don’t have a person’s name to identify with this post request. The request came in about 2 months ago, and I am just getting around to sharing these ideas. I’m sorry it is coming so late, and I hope it is still useful!

If you’d like to see another tablescape using green, click here!

I have had lots of requests for pink & green tablescapes, but this is the first for an apple green & white tablescape. What better way to interpret that than with actual green apples!??!?!

Spring luncheon tables are always so much fun to create! This one is great for a spring or summer luncheon, indoors or out. (It could also work well in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day with a little tweaking!) I started with a crisp white cotton linen. Next comes a gorgeous Pier 1 apple green and white cotton placemat with a fabulous houndstooth pattern. Just for fun and a little added dimension, a clear acrylic square is set atop the placemat. Next comes a simple white ceramic charger, a clear luncheon plate, and finally a plain white salad plate from Corelle. An apple green cotton napkin from Bed, Bath & Beyond adds color to the dish arrangement. The stack is topped off with a Granny Smith apple under a miniature clear cloche bell jar from Hobby Lobby. Clear everyday stems for water and limeade along with contemporary J.A. Henckels “Bellaserra” stainless complete the look.

The centerpiece consists of three separate elements. First, for height, is a pair of clear square floral cylinders filled with Granny Smith apples and fresh Bells of Ireland, topped with a puffy green-tinged hydrangea head. I have used faux hydrangea and apples here for demonstration purposes, but the real thing looks absolutely incredible! If you go all fresh (and I sure hope you do!), fill the container with water to totally submerge the apples and Bells of Ireland stem. Submerged fruit and floral arrangements are so cool!!!

The second and third components of the centerpiece are small clear square votive holders with clumps of cheery green viburnum and a densely packed white kalanchoe plant from the flower nursery.

On the buffet behind the table is the beverage and dessert. Limeade served from a fancy glass decanter such as this makes it look a little more special. I bought this one wholesale some years ago, but check out places like Pottery Barn, Costco or even K-Mart. Float lime slices, Granny Smith apple slices, or a combination of both.

If your luncheon includes gifts for an honored guest, ask your other guests to wrap them in colors that correspond with the luncheon colors. Add a few random florals throughout the gifts for more color and texture so they look to be a part of the overall look and tie in with the table florals.

If you can spring for white chairs to gather ’round the table (ladder back cane chairs or garden chairs), consider weaving a length or two of apple green ribbon through the back of each just for fun.

Well, there you have it. Again, I am so sorry not to be able to say who exactly requested this tablescape. Please step forward and remind this old head, will you? 🙂 It was my distinct pleasure to work this up for you, and I truly hope it lends some inspiration for your summer luncheon. Let me know how it goes!

I am gleefully joining my fellow tablescapers at Susan’s Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday. Won’t you please join us anytime after 9:00 p.m. this evening?

Have a Happy Easter, everyone!

Frosty the Snowman

December 22, 2010November 20, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 37 Comments

ME: “Hi. I’m Alycia”

GROUP: “Hi, Alycia!”

ME: “I’m a tablescaper for adults.” (Group collectively gasps in horror. OctoMom and Kate Gosselin both reach for their cells to dial 911.)

There you have it! The truth is finally out. When it comes to tablescaping with children in mind, I’m like a man in Victoria’s Secret at closing time on Valentine’s Day: I haven’t got a clue and I’m desperate at best! Yes, I have a child for whom I threw parties of all kinds when he was growing up, but I never felt quite comfortable with the whole process. Kids are fickle. What’s “fly” today is “whack” tomorrow. (Even those terms are probably “whack” by now!) Who knows what will make me the cool grandma?

This week I am challenged…and I do mean CHALLENGED…with creating a tablescape for a group of “tweeners.” (For those of you like me who would have to look that up, that means kids at that age somewhere between little kids and teenagers. Middle schoolers, I suppose.) These kids don’t want to be babied, but they’re not ready for a glass of wine with dinner, either. They don’t believe in Santa Claus, but they still have a bedtime curfew and have to be reminded to wash behind their ears. You get who I’m talking about. So…..

Here’s the result for a tweeners’ Christmas luncheon to be held here on Thursday! Pity these children, for I assure you…I know not what I do! 🙂

Frosty sits in his sleigh at the front door to welcome our young guests!

Cheery red, snow-white and chimney black are the predominant colors used for this “tweeners” Christmas luncheon.

Each place setting consists of a black acrylic charger topped with a white plate, a frosted snowflake, and a cheerful red & white Hallmark salad plate in one of four designs. A happy little snowman with a sprig of seasonal greenery tops it all off. White cotton napkins, everyday stemware, and simple white flatware complete the setting.

I used these same red buckets over the summer for a picnic. For these photos each is filled with faux snow, but we’re expecting frosty weather to move in so each will be filled with the real thing to keep the Coca-Cola icy and refreshing. Using foods or containers with coordinating hues (like the red, white & black of the Coca-Cola bottle) is a great way to add color to the table.

Shiny black buckets with tasty candy canes are decorated with faux snow and shimmering snowflakes that are smaller versions of the snowflakes at each place setting. The buckets are placed on opposite ends of the table.

The tablescape is filled with 2 sizes of decorated miniature trees, bright red lanterns from Pier 1 , and more snowmen all on a carpet of cottony “snow.”

Snowmen in the lanterns, clad in jaunty black & white gingham scarves, are surrounded by mounds of snow and other seasonal elements.

On the outside of each lantern are additional snowflakes that resemble falling snow. Styrofoam “snowballs” are scattered about the blanket of glistening snow.

I bought a dozen or so of these tabletop trees in 2 sizes a few years back. A couple of years ago I handwired in all of the red & gold ornaments which took several hours and a couple of tubes of arthritis cream! 🙂

The luncheon table is fun for the young people with all the red & white. The miniature trees decked in red & gold coordinate perfectly with the red & gold-laden lighted greenery on the buffet behind the table. After the luncheon, we adults can enjoy the buffet decor on into the evening with the help of warm multi-level candlelight.

A few other winter tablescapes on this site include:
“Kaleidoscope Christmas”
“Merry & Bright – Multi-Color Christmas”
“Christmas Through the Red Door”
“Life Is A Cabaret – New Year’s Eve”
“Waking Up to Christmas – Bedroom Decor”
“Black, White & Red All Over Christmas”
“Christmas 2012 – Red, Black & Silver”
“Checkered Christmas”
“Pink & Purple Chocolate Christmas”
“Sugar High Payback”
“Contemporary Christmas”
“Gentlemen’s Winter Retreat”
“Cranberry Christmas”
“Cranberry Christmas Squared”
“Get Me To the Church On Time”
“Christmas Progressive Dinner”
“White Hot”
“Winter Brunch”
“Really Red Christmas“

I am once again this week pleased and proud to join Susan and tablescapers from all over the world for Tablescape Thursday. After you check out my photos, feel free to slide on over to get more great tablescaping ideas!

Home of the Lions!

November 11, 2010January 31, 2018 / Alycia Nichols / 15 Comments

This past week was such an emotionally difficult one with the passing of my dear friend, Delia Young. To the rescue were our dear friends who moved from Kansas City to the Detroit, Michigan area a couple of years ago! Ramon and I stepped on a plane bound for Michigan on Friday morning…no small feat as I am terrified of flying. There was no way, however, I would have missed out on visiting with our very special and incredibly gracious hosts…even if it meant I had to fly to get there!

The special treatment started at the front entry of their lovely lakeside home (above). It just got more and more special as we were treated to an inspired tablescape created by our hostess, Rene, to herald our arrival and declare the team spirit that runs deep.

Rene put her creativity to work to put together this incredible tablescape to get Ramon and me into the Lions spirit for the Sunday game!

The team colors of Honolulu blue, silver, black and white were all incorporated into the imaginative place settings with the placemats, team napkins and helmets, and chargers.

The cute miniature cars pay homage to both the Ford Motor Company which is headquartered in Dearborn, a suburb of Detroit, Michigan, AND to my sweet hubby who is a plant doctor at the Ford Assembly Plant in Missouri.

Rene thought of absolutely everything when putting this tablescape together, including this hilarious depiction of the Lions crushing the New York Jets!!! She and her imaginative friend, Karen, conspired to create the ultimate centerpiece with this bronze-come-silver lion. They actually came up with the brilliant idea to dust the bronze lion with silver cake dust to sync with the Lions’ official colors!!! Is that not the greatest??!?!?!!

The menu included a feast fit for a King of the Jungle! (I actually turned down dessert at one of the city’s toniest restaurants to get back home to Rene’s pear upside-down cake!)

Rene thought of everything! The Beef Wellington even had a puff pastry “L” for Lions on it! (This was her first attempt at Beef Wellington, but had I not seen her prepare it with my own eyes, I would have sworn it was catered! Magnificent!!!) For the record, I officially gained 4 pounds from Rene’s wonderful cooking over the three days we were there!

Our lovely and very thoughtful hostess surveys her handiwork.

Ramon and I are still staunch Kansas City Chiefs fans (forever!!!), but thanks to our gracious hosts we have a special place in our hearts for the Motor City and home of the Lions!

Other sports-themed posts on this blog include:
“Hometown Pride – Kansas City Chiefs“
“The 19th Hole – Golf & Forever Love“
“Boys of Summer“
“Football Tablescape – Kansas City Chiefs In the Red Zone“

I am so happy to share my thoughtful friend’s creation with everyone who visits my blog and that of the Style Sisters’ Centerpiece Wednesday and Susan’s Tablescape Thursdays! Enjoy!!!

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!)

It’s the Great Pumpkin!

October 20, 2010July 25, 2017 / 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!

Ap-pear-ently Autumn

October 6, 2010July 26, 2017 / 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!!!

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!