Days of Wine & Roses

February 1, 2012April 9, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 68 Comments

Wine and roses. I like them both.
The former perhaps a bit more than the latter…but I digress.

Valentines Day is the perfect time to break out the wine, the roses, the chocolates…and the pink!!! Yes, it’s another pink Valentine’s Day table, but this time it is mixed with a deep, delicious burgundy.
(Click on any photo to enhance/enlarge it.)

This simple but sweet mix of modern and traditional could be easily transformed from a Valentine’s Day tablescape to one for a wedding, bridal shower, birthday, or to honor a breast cancer survivor.

Each place setting has a pretty floral placemat adorned with vintage roses. The placemat from Pier 1 is reversible. (Click HERE and scroll down to “Pretty In Pink” to see how they were used with the reverse side.) The white charger is from Old Time Pottery, topped with a modern B. Smith square dinner plate. Mercury-colored heart-shaped salad plates purchased years ago from Big Lots complete the stack. A soft pink napkin works to separate the white-on-white of the dishes.

For each guest, a favor they are sure to enjoy…a box of chocolates simply wrapped in shiny white paper and tied with a gossamer pink ribbon.

Another bit of modernity is interjected with the J.A. Henckels “Bellasera” flatware.

I was thrilled to find this Pier 1 stemware finally hit the clearance shelf at 70% off! It’s traditional shape is kissed at the bottom with mercury-colored glass that lends a sultry modern look.

Fluffy heart-shaped biscuits are served up on a little paper lace. The Crate & Barrel appetizer plates are the perfect size for it.

The table decor is an extension of the silver, burgundy and pink elements at each place setting. Tri-level silver candlesticks hold pink tapers, and a trio of white ceramic bud vases from Michael’s merge – courtesy of a length of Ombre ribbon – to form a pedestal for a pink & burgundy rose ball.

I used these white swan gravy boats from Pier 1 as candy dishes at each end of the table. Swans are a symbol of love & fidelity which makes them a perfect choice! (Plus, I had no time or money to go out searching for actual candy dishes!) They are flanked by a nosegay of roses & hydrangea in the same vases used for the centerpiece.

I love the look of a stark white full-length linen, but this time I wanted it to better reflect what was going on up top. I remembered a bunch of tiny silk rosettes purchased years ago from Hobby Lobby. (They are now harder to find and much more expensive than the 9¢ apiece they were ten years ago!) Because I’m not a wizard seamstress like my next-door-neighbor, Barbara, who would have whip stitched these on in seconds flat, I took the time to pin each rosette. (Whatever, Barbara! Move on! Get over it! :-)) I made sure to gracefully position the 4 corners of the tablecloth to showcase the rosettes there. Kind of reminds me of the train of a wedding gown…which is why this would make a great table for a bridal shower or wedding, too!

The buffet repeats the colors and theme used on the table. Multiple bottles of wine are gathered on a silver platter with a pink pillar candle to illuminate the glass. A variety of white ceramic dishes holds candies, homemade sugar cookies decorated with silver dragees, cupcakes in rose-patterned paper holders, and a white layer cake with raspberry filling. (There is no close-up of that cake because that bad boy started to slide in the warmth of the room!) Miniature versions of the burgundy & pink rose ball used for the centerpiece bring a little more color and texture to the buffet.

For a person who isn’t all that into Valentine’s Day, I think I’ve gone the extra mile this year! More tablescapes suitable for a Valentine’s Day celebration include:
“Peonies & Pearls”
“Be Still My Heart”
“Diamonds Are a Material Girl’s Best Friend”
“Queen of Hearts Card Party”
“Love’s Arrow“
“Roses In October”
“Chocolate Traditional”
“Should Have Put a Ring On It“

I want to give a big shout out and thank Courtney over at “Courtney Out Loud” for featuring a little piece about my favorite spot in the house to relax with a cup of “tea.” (Uh huh, yeah…seriously…Jack Daniels makes tea now! Ooohh…my nose is growing! ;-))

I will be joining Susan and the other lovestruck tablescapers from around the world for Tablescape Thursday this week. Be sure to tune in to see what they’re up to!

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!)
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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“

Love’s Arrow

January 18, 2012August 7, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 34 Comments

I’m not sure why, but I’m not a big fan of Valentine’s Day. Don’t get me wrong…I’m all for romance, and smoochin’, and huggin’, and all that stuff. I just don’t get very excited about the day set aside to celebrate it. Maybe because every day is Valentine’s Day around our house! 🙂 That being said, I still think it’s important to gussy up a table for your loved one if you plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day at home, so here’s a “cute, cozy, easy to put together, budget-friendly table for two” as requested by blog reader Estella.
(Click on any photo to enhance/enlarge it.)

The color that always gets hearts beating is red♥♥♥! I started this table off with a full-length red linen topped by a quilted damask square.

Setting up by the fireplace seems to be both romantic and practical. On the romantic side, it symbolizes the love you have burning in your hearts for one another. Plus, everybody looks better in the glow of amber light! On the practical side, February is still chilly in many areas, so your tootsies will stay nice and warm. Furthermore, if your sweetheart gifts you with a toaster, or a lamp, or something equally disturbing that may as well have “Just Kick Me In the Crotch and Leave Me Down By the River to Die” written on it, you don’t have to get up to get rid of it…just toss it right into the fire! 😉 If he gives you something really crazy like a coupon to a weight loss center or Botox clinic, feel free to toss him in, too! Swish! Three points!

This place setting starts with a shiny silver charger topped with an Easterling “Majestic” dinner plate. A silver heart salad plate finishes off the stack, accompanied by Mikasa’s “Jamestown Platinum” stemware and International Silver “Royal Danish” flatware.

A white napkin is folded accordian-style and slipped into a silver napkin ring. I tucked old-fashioned pearl- and rhinestone-studded stick pins on either side of the napkin ring for a little added bling. The fully-blown red rose also has a little bling to make it stand out more. (Remember our discussion about the stupid gifts? Stick pins….I’m just sayin’! ;-))

More full-blown red roses are tucked into a bath of sparkly acrylic “ice” and water for the simple centerpiece that takes less than 10 minutes to assemble. The “ice” can be purchased at just about any arts & crafts store like Hobby Lobby or Michaels. (Click HERE to see another floral arrangement using acrylic “ice.”) A more budget-friendly flower choice (especially during February when the price of roses is sky-high!) that provides comparable impact would be fluffy red carnations.

A smattering of mercury glass votive holders add ambient light and give the “ice” in the centerpiece a little extra shimmer. If the fireplace is hot enough for you without the votives, consider using submersible lights in the “ice” instead. Submersible lights can be also purchased at an arts & crafts store or through your florist.

All kidding aside, I hope this helps in your planning, Estella. I’ll be back next week with another Valentine’s Day tablescape that has a few more bells & whistles. Meanwhile, I hope you will join me again this Thursday at Susan’s Tablescape Thursday. I’m sure there will be lots of Valentine tables on display from talented bloggers around the world!
♥♥♥

Other tablescapes on this site that would work well for Valentine’s Day:
“Should Have Put a Ring On It“
“Chocolate Traditional”
“White Hot“
“Showered In Pink“
“Little Black Dress”
“Peonies & Pearls“
“Days of Wine & Roses“
“Coming Up Roses”
“Au Revoir”
“Platinum & Pink“

Hoarding: Buried In Dishes & Decor

January 17, 2012July 1, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 96 Comments

Hi! My name is Alycia, and I’m a dishaholic.
An organized one, but a dishaholic just the same.
(Disclaimer: These photos were taken while Christmas decorating when everything was in relative disarray. I promise you…my OCD behavior includes neatness!)

www.tabletwentyone.wordpress.com I’m just going to come out with it: I LIKE STUFF!!!!!! I like dishes and stemware and flatware and linens and all the accessories that can dress up a table, and I like to be able to shop my own home for it when I need it. I’m not ashamed of it…although perhaps I should be. 😉

When I owned my fine rentals business there was no shortage of available space to store all my pretty things. Back then I didn’t have dishes, but there was PLENTY of other “stuff.” In addition to basement and attic storage in my shop, I had warehouse space the size of 5 single-car garages. Any overflow was kept at our home.

Well, now I am retired. I sold a lot of the rentals in a huge, frenzied sale. Of course, I kept a serious stash for myself, and that stash has to be kept somewhere! Several readers, including Paula B., Marchita S., and Jackie H., recently asked where on earth I keep it all, so I dedicate this very photo-intensive post to them! 🙂

Ready to see where I keep it all? Hold on to your hats…it’s going to be like walking through a Coney Island carnival fun house! Let’s start on the main floor of the house…

OK…not too bad. This is a logical place for dishes: the china cabinet in the dining room. The 3 little drawers on the bottom contain place card holders. But I have 83 styles/patterns of dishes…where are the rest?

Then there are the 8 drawers of the dining room buffet loaded with flatware, serving utensils, placemats and specialty napkins. Still not too bad. Let’s move into the foyer.

The drawers of this apothecary chest in the foyer hold about half of my 76 sets of napkin rings (that help jazz up 90 different styles of napkins!). Let’s step over into the library….

Our reproduction Louis XVI vitrine houses crystal, silver and about half of the 24 sets of flatware in my collection. Moving on to the family room area….

The bar in the family room displays a few stemware sets and stores several pitchers down below. I have 84 different sets/styles of glasses and stemware, although I tend to use 5 or 6 favorites over and over.

Four 2-shelf cabinets under the family room bookcases store most of my 41 sets of chargers. And we’re walking, we’re walking…….

Several cupboards in the kitchen serve as storage for dishes and stemware as well as a modest collection of salt & pepper shakers. There are only 2 shelves dedicated to our “everyday” dishes and drinking vessels. How much lip do you think I get from my husband for THAT? 😉

What is supposed to be a broom closet right off the kitchen stores another round of china as well as teapots and serving dishes. I’m bored with this floor. Let’s move down to the lower level.

There’s just no way to photograph the entire storage area in a single photo, so Sheri did the best she could. We still didn’t get a photo of the 40+ Rubbermaid tubs stacked ceiling high on the east wall in this room.

My husband and I put in pegboards that work pretty well for a lot of things. More wreaths are stored on hooks in the sump pump room.

Smaller see-through storage containers hold little stuff that can get away from me in a hurry if I’m not careful.

Did I mention that I have a LOT of candles (LED and natural wax)…and ribbon??? Most of the ribbon hangs here, but there is additional curling ribbon in a Rubbermaid box that couldn’t fit on the wall.

I love these stackable drawers! I have several of these in the storage room filled with about half of the 45 different kinds of votive holders I have collected over the years. I usually buy votive holders in quantities of at least 12 per, but I have basic ones that come in quantities of 50-75+. I’m getting claustrophobic! Let’s get out of this room and move into the downstairs living space.

This case is filled with all my dishes and stemware with Mexican flair.

The downstairs bar area has 9 cabinets and multiple drawers, all filled with dishes (mostly melamine), stemware, casual flatware, and serving bowls & platters.

Two closets on the lower level, including the sump pump closet, store Rubbermaid boxes of decorative supplies. OK….let’s make that long trek up to the top floor!

Another apothecary chest in the hallway on the top level of the house stores more napkin rings and place card holders. I corral the napkin rings in Ziploc bags to keep them from getting all jumbled.

I can’t even begin to show all the storage nooks in my office/studio, but here are a couple…

A corner curio holds a stash of some of my larger pieces of crystal, while the adjacent closet has 5 multi-drawer cabinets filled with invitation and menu-making supplies and sewing supplies that are rarely used due to my complete lack of hand/eye coordination. 🙂

Several otherwise unused closets in the house, like this one in the guest bedroom, are great for storage. I currently have about 150 linens, many of which are tagged, bagged, and hung in this closet according to color. The shelves and floor are used to store various tabletop accessories, an actual tabletop, and boxed stemware.

Another case filled with dishes.

And, of course, the obligatory underbed storage (under every bed!) for more linens, napkins and 56 sets of placemats.

A bank of cupboards in an adjacent room holds yet more stemware and dishes. Let’s step across the hallway…

Wait! I’ve changed my mind!!! Are you sure you want to come in here??? I don’t know…it’s pretty crazy!!! Well, OK…here we go! Don’t say I didn’t warn you!!!

This is where I do floral arranging with faux flowers for some of my posts when my money’s so funny it has its own sitcom. 😉 I couldn’t get a shot of the area where I arrange the flowers, but the faux florals are mostly stored in here along with lots of silver candelabra and floral vessels like the one Linda of A Toile Tale won back in October. Oh…did I mention I’ll be giving another one of those away soon? Stay tuned!

The clothes closet in the master suite is a great place for storing stuff including stackable drawers of cloth napkins. My husband reinforced the brackets for the overhead storage on both sides to prevent an avalanche.

The pass-through area between the bedroom and my dressing room has lots of storage opportunities with these great built-ins! (My poor husband!)

Now let’s enter another crudely built little storage closet we had built into empty attic space a few years ago. The sign says it all!

This room stores many of the things I would have a COW over if they were to get broken. I know it looks a little messy in this photo (I was in the midst of Christmas decorating, remember!), but believe me…it is incredibly well-organized!!! Most boxes are stored two deep and as high as the pitched ceiling will allow.

And just how, you are asking yourself, does this weird woman keep up with all of this? The answer is quite simple: FlipAlbum!!! (And the fact that I have an uncanny ability to remember exactly where I store things!)

FlipAlbum is a customizable computer catalog that looks and works just like a real book! I use the Vista Pro edition (currently selling online for $159.95), but there is a free version, as well. It took me awhile to initially set it up with everything I had, but now I easily maintain it by simply making entries each time I return from shopping! I’m up to 2269 pages…and counting!!!

Everything is organized by both automatically generated Index and Contents sections (where you can just click on the line to go directly to a page!)…

…as well as a convenient thumbnail overview section! (The thumbnail section is generated automatically with each page you create, and you can flip directly to a page just by clicking on a thumbnail!)

You can create chapters! (I currently have 39 color-coded chapters ranging from dishes to floral vessels to baskets and beyond!)

You can create pages within the chapters with as many or as few photos as you like! I photograph things as I bring them home and add a brief description along with the quantity in stock as well as, when necessary, dimensions.

So….if your eyeballs haven’t popped completely out of your head by now, that’s my pitiful little story! What’s yours?

Don’t forget to join the arguably much more sane tablescapers and me for this week’s Tablescape Thursday!

Peaceful Peonies

January 10, 2012March 20, 2021 / Alycia Nichols / 68 Comments

Chinese New Year is January 23, 2012. I love the colorful pageantry associated with this holiday! Last year I created a traditional Chinese New Year tablescape using lots of red and gold with black accents. (Click HERE and scroll down to “Year of the Rabbit” to see last year’s post.) This year, now tired of all the red used for Christmas decorating, I went rogue with a fiery hot pink.
(Click on any photo to enhance/enlarge it.)

One of the great things about this particular tablescape design is that the Asian influence is somewhat understated, thus rendering it suitable for various contemporary-styled occasions such as rehearsal dinners or ladies luncheons (sans the candles, of course). The two-tone linen combo of sizzling hot pink over the more neutral black immediately draws the eye in.

To demonstrate how the same dishes can create an entirely different atmosphere depending on the accessories, compare this setting to that of “Let Them Eat Cake” from a post last year. (Click HERE and scroll down to “Let Them Eat Cake“.) A gold leafed glass charger and gold-rimmed white china from Pier 1 are topped with a an F. Winkel & Co. “Jacobean” salad plate. The vivid coloring and busy pattern of the chinoiserie salad plate are just the right combination to accent the plainer underplates and bring in the black, gold, hot pink and white.

I had my eye on these Buddhas from the moment they hit the store shelves at Z Gallerie last year. I must have chewed half a pound of fingernails waiting for them to go on clearance, hoping there would be enough left over. Jackpot! Got all I needed at 75% off!!! Here they hold a gold mercury glass votive.

My “old reliable” goldtone flatware works well here with its subtle pattern.

I opted for crystal stemware with gold rims, but opaque black stemware like Mikasa’s “Elegance-Black” would work well, too.

I felt the need to break up that searing hot pink surface a bit more. I achieved this by folding the black poly-cotton napkins from Bed Bath & Beyond into a long chevron and placing them beneath each setting, allowing them to extend downward over the pink linen.

I almost always use either white or ivory candles, but I’m getting bolder in my old age! 😉 Long black tapers are set into a trio of 20″H goldtone candlesticks to add height and color down the table’s center.

Black powder-coated ginger jars hold a mix of pink peonies, white alstroemeria, and star blossoms. (Florals used here for demonstrative purposes are faux, but I encourage the use of natural flowers for actual entertaining. If, however, all natural flowers are out of your budgetary reach, try mixing realistic fauxs with fresh. The key there is realistic fauxs that blend well!)

Lined up on each side of the centerpiece are four gold mercury glass votives to add ambient light at the lowest level.

The notably restrained buffet decor is a giant black ginger jar flanked by a pair of the same F. Winkel & Co. plates as used on the table. Florals from the table are extended by simply plopping 3 peonies into a shallow black bowl.

2012 is the Year of the Dragon, so printed menus with the Chinese symbols for dragon – 龙年 – or a dragon watermark, or menus in the shape of a dragon would be another element to make this table special. Specialty stores may carry oversized ceramic dragons which would be a great addition, too! (Or go check out Grandma’s attic for them. These dragons, as well as panthers for some odd reason, were all the rage in contemporary 1960s homes.) A nice substitute for the peonies would be deep pink carnations, orchids or, depending on availability, pink plum blossom branches which symbolize luck. If your budget allows for it, rented bamboo chiavari chairs in black would be the crowning touch!

More tablescapes using hot pink on this site:
“Daisy Crazy“
“Hello, Dahlia“
“Let Them Eat Cake“
“Hollywood Fright Night“

Another tablescape using peonies:
“Peonies & Pearls“

Thank you for stopping in! I hope you’ll join me again this week at Susan’s place for Tablescape Thursday! You can also catch me at BeBetsy.com!

Winter Cardinal

January 3, 2012July 29, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 58 Comments

Christmas is over and the new year is well underway, but I’m still diggin’ the spirit-lifting spurts of bright red around the house. Even though snow has mercifully dodged us thus far, it is January so the trees are bare and the feel of winter definitely abounds.

I was sick (yes, again!) last week and spent a lot of time staring out the window planning my escape. I saw the most beautiful cardinal perched on a low-hanging branch for what seemed like an eternity and a fleeting moment all in one. She was a striking creature in her shockingly red coat and heavy-handed eyeliner. She brightened an otherwise dreary winter’s day with her brilliant color and gave me inspiration for a winter tablescape.
(Click on any photo to enhance/enlarge it.)

I bought these 222 Fifth “Winter Cardinal” dinner plates on clearance at TJ Maxx awhile back. The same thought that struck me while looking out the window is what attracted me to these plates. The tiny speck of red, while miniscule by comparison, is the star of the flat white plate with its silvery, sinewy, naked trees. (Click HERE to see another red, white & silver winter tablescape.) To add a little drama, I went with a double dose of contemporary square chargers in silver and red from World Market. Turning the top charger at a slight angle allows the red on bottom to just barely peek out…kind of like the cardinal in the tree. (Click HERE or HERE & scroll down to “Year of the Rabbit” to see other tablescapes using doubled square chargers.)

The contemporary lines of J.A. Henckels “Bellaserra” stainless works well with the setting.

The slender tube-like fold of a red cotton napkin is secured with a silver napkin ring.

Each place setting is punctuated with a square glass votive filled with waterlogged cranberries and topped with a fragrant white carnation. (For more tablescape ideas using cranberries, click HERE or HERE.)

Another shot of red revs up the stark white linen via the TJ Maxx table runner. I double-folded the center part back to lend more of a 3-D look with just the decorated ends exposed. The barren silver trees on the runner are a nice companion to those on the plates, and it could just as easily find its way into a Christmas tablescape.

I love the look of pavéd carnations! This simple arrangement of easy-on-the-budget white carnations is anchored by acrylic “ice” chips for a wintry look and topped with cranberries for color. My husband said the square shape makes it look like a layer cake with whipped cream, which would make it perfect for a birthday party, shower, or anniversary! He’s right, but I think he just wanted cake! 🙂 (Click HERE to see another post using acrylic “ice.”)

The buffet behind the dining table gets an austere, yet somewhat theatrical treatment. A square glass floral container filled with more acrylic “ice” chips holds dramatically arched branches coated in silver paint. Peering from within is a lone cardinal. Another glass container is filled with fresh cranberries for the requisite shot of color. Votive candles dance the length of the buffet.

Champagne anyone?

I am thrilled to join my fellow tablescapers as we start this new year together at Susan’s Tablescape Thursday. Come along this Thursday, won’t you?

White Hot

December 27, 2011April 7, 2012 / Alycia Nichols / 32 Comments

Planning a table for an low-key, intimate New Year’s Eve dinner party can be a little tough. We had a super sparkly table last year, and I am considering a similarly blinged out table for this year’s celebration. (Click HERE to see last year’s post, “Ringing in the New Year.”)

For those preferring something a bit more subdued before the noisemakers come out, here’s an idea table that just might fit the bill.

I am and always will be a sucker for a full-length white linen for most semi-formal and formal settings, unless you have a table with a pristine finish or interesting design.

I used some of my favorite TJ Maxx creamy white dishes with scrolled rims atop the polished silverplate chargers, but just about any nice white dishes will do.

International Silver “Royal Danish” sterling flatware adds to the formality of the place settings.

Godinger‘s “Chelsea” collection crystal stemware.

White linen napkins pulled through heavy crystal napkin rings from Z Gallerie‘s 2010 collection.

Simple silver spheres to hold place cards.

Reflective silver 14-inch, 5-branch candelabra dripping with crystal bobeches grace the center of the table. If you have concerns about fire safety like my husband does after THIS fiery fiasco last summer, reduce the risk by using metal case candles (also referred to as mechanical candles) such as these from Paradise Candles. Not only do they up the fire safety ante, but they save your nice linens from wax drips.

If Christmas broke the bank for you, alstroemeria is a good economical flower choice. Here, a single bunch from the florist is divided and arranged in classic silver julep cups.

The clean, polished look is finished off with scattered cut crystal votives.

This look is also appropriate for a bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, adult birthday or a little something special on Christmas Eve.

I’ll post this year’s actual New Year’s Eve dinner party tablescape next week…if I can decide exactly what I want to do with it! 🙂

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU AND YOURS!!!

Winter Brunch

December 26, 2011July 28, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 44 Comments

Christmas Day dinner at my son and his girlfriend’s house was so much fun!

Perhaps a little too much fun! (I’m getting too old for all this frivolity!) 🙂

On the day after Christmas, my husband and I shared a leisurely winter brunch with our overnight guests. This was a great way to kick off the day before making rounds to connect with other visiting relatives.

A casual mid-morning brunch in the breakfast nook was easy to put together. This would work really well for a New Year’s Day brunch, too, with Bloody Marys or some other such “hair of the dog.”

I have had these Eddie Bauer Home pine cone dishes for about 7 years but have only used them a couple of times. What is wrong with me??!?!?! They are perfect for any time during the winter season. I really like the deep green rimmed with gold.

A white cotton napkin simply folded and drawn through the handle of the coffee mug works well for this unassuming brunch table.

Gold-rimmed crystal flutes serve up a cranberry & champagne breakfast cocktail.

Man, oh man…this goldtone flatware has really gotten a workout this Christmas season! Natural pine cone place card holders were my first and only choice!

I considered a small floral for the centerpiece, but this faux snow-dusted pine cone, berry and greenery arrangement borrowed from the living room worked out just fine.

Just as we finished brunch, the sun was overtaken by rain clouds that opened up for a brief period to cleanse the air. I think it was to wash all that reindeer smell out of the air from Christmas Eve! (Although all we got was coal. And not just a lump of coal….a whole truckload! What does that tell you?) 😉

Hope you had a very Merry Christmas filled with joy and happiness. Here’s wishing you a safe and happy New Year!!!

Don’t forget about Susan’s Tablescape Thursday this week. I’m sure you’ll find lots of beautiful Christmas-themed photos that will make you smile!

Really Red Christmas

December 21, 2011January 20, 2012 / Alycia Nichols / 29 Comments

This isn’t a tablescape, but I thought you might like to see the decor around the main floor of our home for Christmas 2011. I didn’t have to spend one thin dime (lucky me, because I don’t have one to spare!), but I had a ball rifling through all the decor stored in crates that I have either never used or haven’t worked with for a while. We may have had to scale way back this year, but I think it’s pretty…and very, very red!!!
(Click on any photo to enlarge it. Photos by Sheri L. Grant.)

Upon entering the front door, this is the view up the stairwell. I love lots of candlelight! This works beautifully for Christmas or even for a candlelight wedding anytime of year. These are all LEDs for safety’s sake, of course!

At the very top of the stairs is this goose from the family room all dressed up for Christmas.

The banister in the front entry hall is adorned with lighted wreaths hung with the same gold polka-dotted red velvet ribbon used inside and out this year. The poinsettia by the front door was a gift from our neighbor.

I dressed the dining room to replicate as closely as possible the same decor I used for the children’s Christmas party earlier this season sans tableware. (Click HERE to see the children’s party post.) I also added a few wreaths to dress it up a bit more.

Across the hall in the library is a reproduction Louis XIV vitrine that we use as another bar. It is dressed in lighted greenery that reflects beautifully behind the crystal decanters.

On the opposite side of the room is a secretary with multiple Christmas trees and lighted greenery on top.

Our faithful servant, Geoffrey, is delighted (NOT!) to serve up a Christmas cocktail!

Back out into the foyer heading into the family room is a narrow table with two small decorated trees laden with red lights that cast a warm glow on the family photo in the center.

The family room window has a large grapevine wreath dripping with red berries, oversized ornaments, and frosted pinecone greenery.

Furniture has been moved all around (and some completely out!) to accommodate a modest tree. The reindeer and mantel greenery are the same used in the centerpiece for our cul-de-sac Christmas Progressive Dinner. (Click HERE for that post.)

I don’t know about you, but I don’t mind being a bit naughty at all! Mae West once quipped that “Good girls go to heaven, but bad girls go everywhere.” 😉

The bookshelves are treated with pinecone greenery dotted with shiny red ornaments and berry-filled grapevine wreaths. Another goose is all decked out for the holidays, and one of my favorite photos with my parents enjoys a special place of honor near the tree.

This is a photo of the tree when I first received it. My Mom knew it wasn’t in any way, shape, or form dressed the way I would like it, but she recognized that it was just the right size I needed so she bought it for us. So it went from this BEFORE…

…to this AFTER. We had considerably less floor space to work with this year, so a smaller tree was the solution. I ditched most of the ornaments that came with the tree, so it is now drizzled with red ornaments and berry clusters illuminated by soft white lights. I was surprised by just how many red ornaments I have amassed over the years! The “skirt” is a length of artfully scrunched gold silk fabric.

A smaller version of the reindeer by the fireplace stands guard atop the television armoire.

Moving from the family room into the kitchen, a large hurricane lantern is decorated for the holidays.

Centered in the window of the kitchen’s eating area is another grapevine wreath similar to the one in the living room. This one, however, is adorned with just a gossamer gold bow.

I spend many tedious hours at the kitchen sink, so a little tree flanked by drying red chili peppers cheers the area.

With the über crappy year we’ve had, it would be easy to simply throw up our hands, stuff our faces with Krispy Kremes, and be total Scrooges.

We choose instead to put it all behind us and forge ahead…because what matters is that through it all, we have each other.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Get Me to the Church On Time!

December 20, 2011July 29, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 68 Comments

All I can say is, “Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to squeeze this in during this busy, crazy holiday season!” (Click HERE if you would like to see all of our indoor Christmas decor for this year.)

A Christmas bridal shower and wedding presents an opportunity to include the flavor of the holiday season without overdosing on it. With this shower, held in the evening, I made a valiant pass at it using some tried-and-true techniques and design elements.

A flowing white cotton full-length linen is the start of an elegant table. The red chargers I have relied upon this season were a great start to a stylish place setting. The red charger (Target) is topped with a decorative gold one from Old Time Pottery. (Click HERE or HERE to see this same technique used with different dishes and silver chargers.) No-name dishes I bought in the early 90s at a discount department store are still a treasure to me today with their traditional holly design.

I just love it when things work out. I went with our linen napkins bearing the first initial of our last name that coincidentally (again, thank you, Lord!) is the initial of the last name the bride will take as her own this weekend. The colorful beaded napkin rings were a steal last year at Old Time Pottery for just 99¢ each!

A mix of gold-rimmed clear (Tuesday Morning) and cherry red stemware (Pier 1) is illuminated by the glow of abundant candlelight.

My old standby goldtone flatware worked well to round out the place setting.

Stock Christmas cards create a menu with the theme of the evening, “Get Me to the Church On Time!” I used this same technique last year HERE for our Christmas season kickoff dinner.

One more “thank you, Lord!” in that I was able to reuse the cranberries used HERE. I created a similar version of this centerpiece made up of various sizes of cylinders parading down the table with vibrant orchids for a beautiful summer engagement party. Click HERE and scroll down to “Love and Orchids” to see that table. Floating cranberries and candles in the cylinders provides multi-level color and ambient light. Full-blown roses with sprigs of bright red berries and holly finish the look.

That’s it! I’m sure the wedding will go off without a hitch, and this will be a Christmas to remember!

Please take a little break from all the hustle & bustle of the season to join the party at Susan’s Tablescape Thursday again this week. There’s so much incredible tablescaping talent out there!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOURS
FROM ME AND MINE!!!