Autumn White Wedding

October 4, 2011February 1, 2018 / Alycia Nichols / 94 Comments

I recently received a request for ideas on an autumn wedding. Not that I have anything against fall colors, but sometimes it’s fun to march to the beat of your own drum. Try instead an autumn rehearsal dinner, bridal shower or wedding reception using the more unlikely colors of white, cream and chartreuse with touches of earthy brown for good measure. (For more wedding table ideas click here!)

If the weather is still warm enough in fall to do an outdoor wedding event, go for it! When you set up outdoors, the sky is the limit where your decorating options are concerned!!!

A full-length ivory table linen is topped with a satiny brown runner to add color and dimension to the tabletop. The place settings are fairly traditional with glossy silver chargers and ivory dishware from TJ Maxx. (One huge no-no is to use items that will upstage the reception decor on “The Big Day.”)

The napkin (Bed Bath & Beyond) is very simply folded across the dinner plate and tucked beneath. A white mini pumpkin is centered on each napkin. While a faux pumpkin is used for this sample setting, I suggest using the real thing. Mini pumpkins can be purchased at the grocer this time of year for around 50 cents apiece, and they make a great little take-home gift. (Or you can take the leftover pumpkins to bling them up and use them in a fall arrangement like here.) If you know a calligrapher or someone with exceptional handwriting skills, ask them to pen the names of each guest onto the pumpkins! Cooler yet….have them inscribe the monogram of each guest. That’s really different and kinda fancy to boot! 🙂

Keep the flatware along the same line of formality as the rest of the setting. The design on this flatware is similar to the pattern on the rim of the dinner plate. I went with Cristal d’Arques “Longchamps” crystal that offers a lot of bang for your buck.

Long tables offer an opportunity to do so many cool things with the centerpiece!
A mix of high and low arrangements fill out this 12-ft. table. For even longer tables (so cool to see 18-, 24-, or even 36-ft. tables!!!), add more high ones to balance it out. For this table, I used a little wrought iron number I bought earlier this year. It’s reversible…or at least I made it that way by accident! Lesson learned? Play with your toys…don’t just use them the way they were displayed at the store!!!

This is the way it’s used here, but it’s actually upside down and missing some parts!

This is how it’s supposed to look. I finally figured out what all those “extra” mystery pieces were for!

I outfitted the top of the centerpiece with a grapevine wreath bought at Hobby Lobby. I secured it with floral wire. Next came lots and lots of flowers including chartreuse and creamy white hydrangea, white roses, and a few orchid blooms. (Sprigs of green hypericum berries, unripened coffee beans or unripened raspberries would really look slick and add more texture, too!) Hydrangea quickly wilts, so the trick is to put the water vial on the end of the floral stem immediately AFTER it is inserted into the wreath so it doesn’t wiggle loose. (Took me half the doggone wreath to figure that one out! :-() Use floral tape to secure the vials to the twigs so they don’t poke out or fall off during dinner…which would be highly embarrassing! Tuck in bits of fabulously bright chartreuse reindeer moss to help hide the mechanics of your arrangement, and finish it off with a plump white pumpkin. (Hint: When you go wreath and pumpkin shopping, take the centerpiece you’ll be working with along to make sure the wreath is the right size and that the pumpkin won’t overwhelm or topple it.)

The ugly little spindly legs on the bottom part of the centerpiece are camouflaged with mounds of florals accented with reindeer moss and a white mini pumpkin.

A mini pumpkin rests comfortably on a cushy bed of reindeer moss. I like the moss to look a little bit messy as nature would have it.

The side globes hold a single orchid bloom atop more reindeer moss.

The smaller components of the extended centerpiece correspond with the main piece. Iron candlesticks with fat pillar candles are flanked by small rose-filled globes stuffed with reindeer moss to keep a consistent look.

This same concept could easily apply to a winter wedding by swapping out the pumpkins with oversized ornaments. The look also works well indoors so long as the height of the centerpiece doesn’t interfere with overhead lighting, fans, etc.

I’m hooking up with my pals at Susan’s Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday again this week. If you’ve never visited, you really must! Lots of talent out there!!!

A special shout out and great big thank you to Angie over at Echoes of Laughter who helped me figure out how to get rid of the bothersome “no reply” feature when I leave comments on other blogs. Teamwork paid off!!!

Breast Cancer Awareness Luncheon

September 27, 2011July 27, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 137 Comments

Finally! After months of “entertaining drought” I finally got the chance to do something at home again!!! Thanks to two dear friends who so generously provided all the food and libations, I was able to host my most cherished annual
Breast Cancer Awareness Luncheon.

This is always a very intimate event, but one of the very biggest in my heart as the same friends gather each year to celebrate the battle won for one of us.

Again this year we dined out on the deck, basking in the sunny warmth of a perfect 72 degree autumn day.

A generous layering of brown, pink and white linens is the starting point.
I chose to use an 85″ x 85″ square top layer over the round ones beneath to provide a little more visual interest.

Glossy silverplate chargers are topped with deep chocolate brown and white silver-rimmed “Delfina” china from Z Gallerie. (Click here and view “Just Us Girls” to see this china used in another pink, brown & white tablescape.)

Soft pink cotton napkins are fashioned into replicas of the much-recognized pink ribbon that is the international symbol for breast cancer awareness.

Godinger “Dublin” highball glasses are used to serve pink lemonade, while two Cristal D’arques goblets await wines served with the appetizer and entrée.

“Royal Danish” sterling silver flatware.

Pink organza bags of Good & Plenty licorice candies are a sweet treat for each guest.

I used an adjustable height bust form from my dressing room as the foundation for the centerpiece.
I chose to keep her uncovered so as to “expose” us all to breast cancer awareness.

A fragrant combination of fresh roses, hydrangea and Gerbera daisies along with some faux pink wisteria creates a dramatic “head” on the bust form centerpiece that symbolizes flowery, upbeat thoughts! (I wired together the flowers, then just removed the bust form’s cap and stuck the stems down the neck. Easy peasy!)

As many ladies do for luncheon, this bust form is adorned in a triple strand of pearls. The necklace peeks out from beneath a pink ribbon arranged to mimic the international symbol.

Clumps of fresh and faux flowers are arranged on a large silver tray at the bust form’s foot.

To bring a touch of autumn to the table, I bought 4 mini pumpkins from the local grocer (just $.50 each) and spray painted them in Krylon’s “Ballet Slipper.” After a day of drying, I painstakingly (and I do mean painstakingly!!! :-() blinged out the pumpkins by adding tiny pearlescent beads purchased at Hobby Lobby. I used clear Elmer’s Glue for those on top and a great little newly discovered product called Zap-A-Gap on the sides. (I strongly recommend wearing gloves when working with this stuff. Even nail polish remover wouldn’t get it off my fingers!!!)

A small side table dressed in pure white linen offered sweet pink lemonade on a silver tray and two kinds of chocolate dessert cookies on silver beaded edge pedestal trays. A diminutive bouquet of pink roses and a Gerbera daisy was arranged in a tiny Mikasa “Petit Points” crystal vase.

After the luncheon, each guest went home with a pumpkin and this note to remind her to get that all-important mammogram. Additional bling pumpkins were delivered a few days later to beloved neighbors.

Please be sure to schedule that yearly mammogram, ladies! (Guys, encourage the women in your life to go! And as for you fellas, uh….prostate check!!!) It could be – as with my friend who was diagnosed early – a true matter of life and death.
Choose life. Get that mammogram!

More tablescapes on this site using shades of pink that could serve to honor Breast Cancer survivors:
“Showered in Pink”
“Pinky Peter Cottontail”
“Pleasant Under Glass” go to page & scroll down
“Au Revoir” go to page & scroll down
“Coming Up Roses” go to page & scroll down
“Just Us Girls”
“Tea Roses” go to page & scroll down
“Princess Pink Birthday Dinner”
“Pink Plaid & Posies”
“Peonies & Pearls”
“Blushing Bridal Shower”
“Pretty In Pink” go to page & scroll down
“Peony Power“

Join us, won’t you, for Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch and Bev’s “Pink Saturday” at How Sweet the Sound! And don’t forget to check us out on BeBetsy.com!!

Blessings, thanks, peace & love to Liz at Infuse With Liz
for helping me to spread the word!

Autumn Blues

September 20, 2011October 5, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 109 Comments

This week – September 22 to be exact – I celebrate one year of sharing my craft with all the other tabletop enthusiasts who look forward to Susan’s Tablescape Thursdays at Between Naps on the Porch. I have made some incredible connections through my association with this group, and it has been a wonderful journey down a road paved with the exchange of neat ideas. Beyond that, it has been an experience that has created truly supportive and caring friendships with people I have never had the pleasure (yet, anyway!) to hug in person. I am further beholden to all of you fabulous folks who have so graciously become a follower. You guys rock, and I thank you!

A happy and very unexpected extra this week: I discovered this morning that I am the winner of Yvonne’s StoneGable Giveaway!!! The prize is English Transferware from Nancy’s Daily Dish!!! Thank you to Yvonne for hosting the giveaway and to Nancy for her incredible generosity!!! I feel like Melissa McCarthy at this year’s Emmy Awards!!! 😉

I have posted some fairly over-the-top tablescapes the last several weeks. This week I am toning it down just a bit for a more laid back summer-into-fall transitional tablescape that is easy to replicate and that I hope you will enjoy.

This tablescape is one that would work well for an intimate evening with close friends or sharing a meal with another couple. It deliberately strays from the trappings of a traditional autumn table so that it can simultaneously represent the official close of summer.

The full-length table linen transitions from summer white to a deep ivory. A pretty April Cornell table runner from TJ Maxx brings color as well as the only floral element needed to the table. The runner’s brown background captures the essence of autumn while the varying shades of blue keep a foothold on the last bastion of summer.

A deep brown charger is topped with creamy ivory dishes with a scalloped edge from Pier 1. (These were purchased 6 or 7 years ago.)

The menus were created on my desktop computer using a soft blue lightweight cardstock backed by a deep brown heavier weight. The pages are secured using simple silver brads purchased at Hobby Lobby.

Beneath the menus are April Cornell napkins folded in the easy “Double Ring” style as illustrated on page 17 of Denise Vivaldo’s book “Perfect Table Settings“. This easy napkin fold allows the menu to enjoy a cushioned pedestal rather than lying flat. This particular fold just happened to yield a really interesting design!

The flatware is a faux mother of pearl from Target.

While using the same pattern of stemware for a setting is lovely, it’s often just as pretty (and sometimes prudent!) to mix the colors and patterns. Here a single deep blue stem from TJ Maxx dutifully breaks the monotony of the clear glass at its sides and mirrors the blue in the runner, napkins and menus. The trick when mixing is to identify some fundamental element of the stemware that either matches or complements.

Individual salt & pepper shakers are always a nice touch.

Sometimes simple is better, and in this case that certainly rings true. The centerpiece is composed of a clear glass globe set atop a very traditional lacquered wood stand from Old Time Pottery.
(To see another tablescape using glass globes, click here.)

Fresh curly willow nestled in the bowl resembles the meandering vines found in the runner and napkins. To achieve this simple, inexpensive (and totally reusable!) look, wind fresh curly willow tips tight enough to slip past the mouth of the bowl. That’s it! The willow will stay green for several days and darken gracefully with time. It’s beautiful either way. I store several bowls with the willow still inside it so that I don’t have to buy fresh every time!

One of my dearest friends, Monica Goodwin, gave me these fabulous (and very heavy!) carved candlesticks for Christmas one year. I like the height they provide without taking up a lot of space. Here’s another fun little trick: If you prefer chunky pillar candles as seen here instead of slim tapers, simply use a bit of Cling or other floral adhesive to temporarily adhere the candle to the top of the candlestick to steady it. On particularly breezy evenings I suggest taking the safety measure of using LED pillar candles as seen here.

Well, that’s another one for the books! Thank you again to Susan, my blogging colleagues, and all of you who stop in each week to let me know how I’m doing.
Happy Almost Fall! 🙂

More tablescapes on this site using curly willow:
“Copper Zen”
“Welcome Back, Joel”
“Blushing Bridal“

Won’t you please join Yvonne, Nancy and the rest of us for Tablescape Thursday again this week? You’re always a welcome guest!

September Wine

September 13, 2011April 25, 2018 / Alycia Nichols / 98 Comments

Not to take anything away from anyone else, but I honestly think I have the best neighbors in the world. They are kind-hearted, generous of spirit, supportive, talented, and an absolute hoot to boot. When I asked my next-door-neighbors to the east of us if I could borrow their tree-filled back yard for a photo shoot, they generously obliged and even helped out with the 7-hour process. The lady of the house pitched in with styling the table, and the neighbors behind us came over to help with breaking it all down. Such sweethearts!!!

After all that work, we deserved a good meal and a crisp, refreshing glass of September wine!

Given the sultry temps we continue to experience in the Midwest, it’s hard for me to break out the pumpkins just yet. This late summer/early autumn tablescape (what I like to call “summer adjacent”!) has rich, deep hues tempered by creamy ivory in the full-length underlay, background of the overlay (a 6-yard length of fabric purchased from a remnant table several years ago), candles and other tabletop elements.

No charger used here so as to allow more of the overlay design to show. Clear glass dinner and salad plates from Bed, Bath & Beyond are the perfect choice to do just that! Clear chargers – perhaps with a colored edge – would work great here if you have them.

Click here to see another fun way to use clear glass plates.

Two-tone cotton napkins from Pier 1 are folded to expose a generous portion of both colors thanks to my neighbor, Barbara, who also nailed the placement of the napkins on the plate. The menu is simply deep ivory lightweight cardstock embellished with grape clusters that pick up the pattern & color in the overlay. Leaves I plucked from Barbara’s sycamore tree resemble a grape leaf.

Clear glass stemware for lots of wine tasting during dinner! Inexpensive all-purpose glassware can be purchased on sale at stores like Pier 1 or Old Time Pottery.

Lightweight and versatile faux mother of pearl flatware from Target.

Breadsticks are displayed in clear glass stemware.

The much-maligned clear glass hurricane sleeve is actually one of my best decorating friends. I have them in various sizes, and I find they can dress a table up in a heartbeat. Here a mix of 24″H and 17″H hurricanes from Pottery Barn create the desired high/low look. The 2 outside hurricanes are placed in huge metal-banded wooden bowls that are filled with fruits and a profusion of faux leaves that mimic the design in the fabric overlay. Centerpieces using fruit continue to be a favorite of mine for autumn tablescaping. (These black seedless grapes from Costco were inexpensive and SO tasty!!!) An ivory pillar candle elevated on a bronze candlestick provides a subtle glow.

Click here for “Simply Bittersweet”, another table using varied hurricane sizes.

A side table dressed in a full-length ivory linen holds pre-dinner party sips & nibbles.

Flavorful cheeses are displayed under multi-sized cloches.

Wines are displayed on a wine barrel Lazy Susan from Pottery Barn.

I like to think of different ways to display simple things. Loaves of crusty bread take center stage in an ivory-napkin lined stone urn.

Suggested chairs for this table: dark wood chiavaris with an ivory pad.

Check out “Brilliant Italian” for another wine-inspired tablescape!

I’ll be joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for the 160th Tablescape Thursday, and I hope you will, too!

Hello, Dahlia!

September 9, 2011July 31, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 25 Comments

I don’t think I have ever posted on a Friday, but I’m feelin’ frisky this week…so please indulge me! This is just a little extra something-something that I didn’t want to let slip through the cracks.

After peeking at this post, I’d like for you to take a moment to visit my blogger friend Vernice’s site at We Three Dogs & Me. Vernice put together a very touching patriotic tablescape that, as we inch closer to the disturbing anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America, reminded me of how many lives have been sacrificed in the scant 235 years our nation has existed. She includes memorabilia from WWII, our nation’s costliest war in terms of human life in which over 100,000 American lives were lost. So if you get a moment, please peek in on Vernice’s blog post entitled “Independence Day”, dated August 31. (Scroll down 3 posts on her home page!)

Without further ado, I give you “Hello, Dahlia!” which was actually shot last year but never published. I set this up for a little before-shopping excursion so we could get our energy levels up! 🙂 This table would also be nice for ladies’ teas or luncheons.

Floor-length layers of white and scorching hot pink linen cover the table which is set for coffee and sweets.

Each of the four place settings is set with Noritake “Spectrum” china and “Royal Danish” sterling flatware. The napkins – truly a favorite in my collection – sport floating images of hot pink dahlias which, like summer in which they bloom at their heartiest, will soon begin to fade with the approach of cooler weather.

Dahlias are an excellent cut flower and come in a variety of colors, sizes, and varieties. They present beautifully in clusters as shown here or interspersed in a variety bouquet. Cut the stem off, and they are gorgeous floaters!!!

The florals are displayed in an silver antique reproduction tussie mussie. The cool thing about this tussie mussie is that it comes with its own decorative stand that automatically turns it into a vase! I have used the stands as candle holders on occasion. I wish I could tell you where to purchase these lovelies, but I bought them many years ago wholesale and have no idea where! (Same goes for the pretty silver cake stand in the photo below. Sorry!)

My trusty silver coffee pot all shined up and waiting to serve!

I hope you enjoyed this little “hiccup post.” Like I said….feelin’ frisky! Have a great weekend! 🙂

Other teatime posts on this blog include:
“Tea Roses“
“Coming Up Roses“
“Tee Mit Hans Dresden“

If you’d like to see more photos of tables suitable for ladies’ luncheons and teas, click here or on the Fun Stuff tab above and scroll down!

Raining Orchids

September 6, 2011July 21, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 117 Comments

Yes, I am going to be stubborn about this. SUMMER IS NOT OVER YET!!! Temperatures have cooled from the horrific triple digits in most parts of the United States to something that feels like autumn, but I assure you it is temporary. It’s a fluke. A hiccup. An anomaly. The autumnal equinox doesn’t start until September 23 for countries in the Northern Hemisphere, so for the next two weeks I’m going to party like it’s 1999!!!

The one concession in my quest to savor the last days of summer will be a move toward deeper colored flowers. A profusion of richly hued orchids (accented with Asiatic lilies on the lamps) are the star of this September/late summer tablescape.

I decided to go with relatively simple pieces down low on the table to allow the higher pieces to fully shine. Standard white full-length poly-cotton table linens are topped with braided edge gold chargers. The gold-banded white china here is from Pier 1.

The white cotton monogrammed napkins are laid upon the plates with a simple fold. Each is topped with a stem of orchids. Because my wallet is lighter than usual these days and this is a demo table, faux orchids are used here. I would, however, recommend the real deal for guests. Orchids can last for hours and hours out of water under temperate conditions.

Bright gold flatware with a barely there pattern is right in line with the simple design.

The stemware is from Godinger’s “Chelsea” collection. I tend to serve a lot of beverages before, during and after dinner, so my table is almost always loaded down with various drinking vessels. Clusters of gleaming crystal always looks great!

Crystal decanters filled with the spirit-du-jour always look pretty. These were a great buy from Tuesday Morning.

The center floral on this 12-ft. long table is a glass cylinder filled with 6-ft.H orchid stems. I arranged the stems to appear to be “raining” over the center of the table. (Click here and scroll down to “Autumn Orchids” to see another way to use these super tall orchid stems in glass cylinders!)

I am a big fan of bringing the indoors out for a little air. Almost everything you love inside your house will look twice as great outside! These lampshades are from our dining room where the palette is predominantly orange.

The lamp base here is constructed of a simple clear glass 31″H cylinder. (Glass cylinders can be your very best friend!! Click here and scroll down to “Love and Orchids” for another great glass cylinder & orchid combo!))

Suspended from the lampshade frame and “raining” into the glass cylinder are garlands of bling along with silk orchids sewn onto fishing wire. I hot glued a rhinestone to the center of each bloom to give it a little more “oomph!” and amp up the sparkle within the glass base.

This offers a glimpse as to how the lamp looks in pitch darkness. I used an uplight turned upside down to project light downward into the glass cylinder. Click here or on the Table Tips tab above, and scroll to Tip #29 to see how this lamp is constructed for this total effect. (For more candle lamps on this site, see “All A’Bloom for Spring“, “Should Have Put a Ring On It“, “It’s All About Me!“, and “Just Us Girls“.)

Join me at Susan’s place, Between Naps on the Porch” for Tablescape Thursday!

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!!!

Candle in the Wind

August 29, 2011July 5, 2013 / Alycia Nichols / 37 Comments

This Wednesday will mark the 14th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. I, like many people, vividly remember where I was and what I was doing when the news first broke. Like millions of others, I watched as her grief-stricken sons walked that painful walk behind the lily-draped coffin in her funeral procession. In a loving tribute, Sir Elton John – though deeply pained by the untimely death of his dear friend – found the wherewithal to write and then sing at the funeral a remake of his original hit “Candle in the Wind”.

A little over ten years later in 2007, Sir Elton John was the featured act for the grand opening of Kansas City’s Sprint Center. My Mom and I were among the lucky 16,872 souls to witness his stellar performance from the Sprint Suite, mere yards away from the stage. With it being so close on the heels of the ten-year remembrance of Diana, I couldn’t help but think of her.

So this week as a little something extra, I’m posting photos of the table I set up for a little pre-concert dessert & coffee at my house.

Click here and scroll down for more lovely tea tables!

A full-length white linen hosts the Easterling china my Mom gave me a few years back. White cotton napkins are encircled with staid silver rings. The only flatware needed was a spoon for stirring our tea or coffee.

Diets be damned! Rich chocolate candies and assorted cookies were on the menu. The etched silver cordial cups are also from my Mom.

Sherry is served from a cut crystal decanter purchased years ago at Tuesday Morning.

I have absolutely no idea what the intended use of this beautiful velvet-lined silver cache is (jewelry, perhaps?), but I have always used it as a tea caddy to present tea at the table.

A cluster of tightly packed and highly fragrant fuchsia carnations made a sweet and simple centerpiece. The candles displayed in tri-level silver candlesticks flickered wildly against the evening sky and paid tribute to Diana on this fittingly breezy evening.

I got this fabulous silver urn at Tuesday Morning many years ago. The reticulated lip and base along with the ornate engraving captured my attention. Without question, this urn had me at hello!

And so, with that I remember a great song performed by a great singer in loving memory of a great humanitarian: Diana, Princess of Wales, “The People’s Princess”.

Thanks again for taking me to the concert, Mom!

Please remember to join hostess Susan and all my tablescaping blog buddies at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday!!!

Lemonade From Bill

August 23, 2011July 21, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 79 Comments

I NEED TO THROW A REAL DINNER PARTY!!! It has been so long! Even if all I serve is beans and weanies…I’m going through serious withdrawals here!!! I know it’s weird, but I can’t just dream up these tables without a target guest or group in mind. I was stumped a couple of weeks ago until I remembered something my friend Bill from Affordable Accoutrements said to me a few weeks ago. If you are not familiar with Bill’s blog, I encourage…no, I INSIST that you pop over there to bathe in his immeasurable talent. Anyway, I was all down in the mouth and Bill tossed out that old adage about turning lemons into lemonade. When he said it, I swore I could hear the theme music from “The Twilight Zone” in the background because I was drinking lemonade at that very moment! Coincidence? I don’t think so. Serendipity? Perhaps. Was Bill spying on me despite the fact he lives hundreds of miles away? I got up and pulled the shades just in case. 😉

So, Bill, I took your sage advice as I set out to create a casual, lemony summer tablescape!

Another example of making lemonade out of lemons: These crazy standard outdoor tables are only 30″ wide. (I need to have a serious talk with the manufacturers!) The narrow dimensions would not allow for the placemats to set properly, so I zig-zagged the seating. I have done this before, and it actually works quite well in practice. You’d be surprised how much your guests appreciate the extra elbow room (think gnawing on ribs or cracking shellfish!) and are still able to chat comfortably with one another. This layout adds a little more visual interest, too!

The weather finally cooled enough to get out on the deck. Such a shame when we think the mid-90’s is “cooler.” Thankful for the opportunity, though, I took immediate advantage!

I am so fond of the look a full-length table linen provides. It adds a touch of subtle formality to the most casual table. The base white table linens here are enlivened with lots of sunny, bright yellow. A dark woven placemat from Pier 1 is topped with lemon-laden “Lemon Orchard” dinner plates also from Pier 1. Simple yellow cotton napkins from Bed Bath & Beyond hang in a simple vertical fold off the plate.

Contemporary J.A. Henckels “Bellaserra” flatware complements the square plate.

Amber stemware with a yellow undertone is set European style at the head of the setting. The champagne flutes are from World Market, and the bubble glass water stems are from TJ Maxx.

Simple clear water carafes are dressed up a bit with a lemon slice.

Tiny bouquets of pale yellow sweetheart roses are placed between place settings.

Yet another reason to close my shades is that Bill’s post last week featured an end centerpiece, too! I think we’re telepathically sucking each other’s brain! Either great minds think alike, or crazy loves company! 🙂

I echo Bill’s sentiment that an end centerpiece is a great way to balance things out when you have more table than place settings on an oblong table. By placing the smaller arrangements down the center as I did with the sweetheart roses, the theme is repeated but in not such a dramatic fashion. Another advantage of an end centerpiece: Sometimes you have a tall centerpiece arrangement that would go great with your dishes but is better suited for a round table. No problem…put that bad boy on the end! Also great for centerpieces that would otherwise obstruct your guests’ view during dinner conversation.

I borrowed the tall yellow ceramic vase from our master suite. I had a massive matching bowl that was broken…check that…obliterated in the recent move. 😦

I bought the creamy yellow tureen from Pottery Barn a couple of years ago. It was marked all the way down to $12. I cradled it like the winning touchdown football at the Super Bowl until I was able to make my way to the check out counter to confirm the unbelievable price! The mix of yellow and cream-colored roses are displayed here in two clear ginger vases as well as clustered in bunches atop stacked cake stands. This is such a lush look and easy to achieve when you haven’t the time/energy/skill/inclination to fuss with an arrangement.

Lemonade out of lemons! Thanks, Bill! I made it through another week!

Both Bill and I will be joining Susan and all the other fabulous tablescapers at Between Naps on the Porch this Thursday for Tablescape Thursday. I hope you’ll join us. There is an awful lot of talent out there! You can also find me at BeBetsy.com!

Thank you for stopping in!

Show Me State Dinner

August 16, 2011June 29, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 57 Comments

This post is dedicated to my Mom, Senator Yvonne S. Wilson (Retired)

If the past couple of months have taught me anything, it’s that LIFE HAPPENS. Everything you know – or think you know – can change in the blink of an eye. Even though I know better, for some reason I forget that from time to time, and I procrastinate. For the entire time my Mom served in the Missouri House and Senate, I put off hosting a dinner for her and her colleagues. I threw her birthday parties, parties for the Governor’s Ball, parties for the Legislator’s Ball…heck, I even put my decorative touch on her retirement party. But never in all that time did I engineer an intimate sit-down dinner that would allow her to enjoy a relaxed evening with just a few of her colleagues in the comfort and quiet of home. Bad, bad daughter!

Could have, would have, should have….didn’t. Here’s a look at the “Show Me State” dinner that never was!

I take my cue from “For the Royal Table – Dining at the Palace” by Kathryn Jones. Love this book! Yes, I realize this country does not have a monarchy. Borrowing tidbits of style and protocol from the palace, however, lends a touch of ceremony that I think my Mom deserves. If this were the real deal, I would most definitely rent gold ladderback chairs for the occasion.

Homage is paid to our great state with Missouri’s official seal.

Nearly every party I have ever thrown in my Mom’s honor has been in hues of pink and green. This one in red & white, however, takes on colors consistent with those of our national and state flags. (Crimson and cream are also the colors associated with my Mom’s sorority, Delta Sigma Theta. Close enough!)

Royal Scotland china sits atop goldleafed glass chargers.

Linen dinner napkins emblazoned with the state seal.

I would undoubtedly want to serve several courses. The table, therefore, would creak under the weight of goldplated flatware ~~brazenly pilfered~~ borrowed from my Mom and Dad’s house. (It’s her own fault, really. She needs to learn to frequently change the locks and alarm code! :-))

Borrowing another idea from “For the Royal Table”, the menus are simple and staid. The outside bears the State seal in gold. The inside bears the same seal as a watermark located between the date of the event and the place in which it was held. (Sorry, no castle here…just a lowly subdivision!) The dessert would include our official State nut – the black walnut – and, of course, all wines would be from local wineries.

I chose these water glasses because they have a very courtly look to them, and the embellishments complement the design on the china. The wine glasses, from my Mom’s collection, are etched with the state seal.

Our official state flower is white hawthorn blossom which is a member of the great rose family. Red roses grace the table, however, because I could not find white hawthorn blossom at any local nursery. Go figure. These are displayed in simple glass vessels made a bit more special with the addition of a beautiful crystal bobeche. Who says bobeches are just for candlesticks? Not me! Go on and bling up those vases!!!
(Click here and scroll to Table Tip #24 to learn how to easily strip thorns from roses.)

In 2003 the Norton/Cynthiana grape was adopted as Missouri’s official grape. My parents used to grow them in a small orchard on their property. They are prized by many Missouri vintners who produce lush dry premium red wines of world-class quality and distinction. Again, unable to get my hands on any Norton/Cynthianas close to home, I settled for their juicy cousins displayed in beautiful gold and crystal compotes borrowed from my Mom. The Limoges salt & pepper cellars are a gift from my Mom.