Easter Bloom

Easter Sunday is just a few days away now, and here is one final table that I hope can be of help to someone in search of last-minute ideas.
(Click on any photo, then click again to enlarge/enhance it.)

INSPIRATION: Wreaths with pale pink & yellow Easter egg-like beading that I bought 8 years ago and have never used.

INSPIRATION: Wreaths with pale pink & yellow Easter egg-like beading that I bought 8 years ago and have never used.

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IFI started this demure Easter table with a full-length pure white tablecloth from LinenTablecloth.com.

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Flatware, rim shot, lace plate collageEach place setting begins with a pink, green, yellow and white striped cotton placemat from Pier 1. (I used these reversible placemats on this side in “Pretty In Pink” – a birthday luncheon for my Mom – and on the flip floral side in “Days of Wine & Roses”.) A white ceramic charger from Old Time Pottery is topped with the inspiration for this table: a wispy pink & yellow beaded wreath that has a very “Easter-y” look about it. The dinner plate is creamy, buttery yellow stoneware purchased at a local grocer last autumn (for just $1 each!!!), and the lacy white salad/dessert plate is one of my favorites from Pier 1. “Danish Princess” silver given to me by my Mom looks smart and adds just a touch of understated formality to the table.

Egg cup, napkin, beaded wreath collageThe pretty petal pink napkins and the celery green silver-banded napkin rings that adorn them are both from Bed, Bath & Beyond. I wanted to pick up just a little of the green in the placemat through the napkin rings. The white egg cups are from World Market.

Stemware collageIf this stemware seems at all familiar to you, it’s because the pink patterned stem graces the Home page of my blog. The green goblets are a part of one of my favorite go-to sets from Dollar Tree. (If you can get a goblet that will work as hard for you as these green ones do for me year-round for just a buck each, buy every one you can possibly fit in your storage closet!)

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IFTIP: I’d like to call your attention to the dried curly willow branches running along the two long sides of the centerpiece florals. This is a way to easily (and very economically!) visually corral your centerpiece. It has the same subconscious visual effect as placing the florals on a tray or setting them on a runner.

Floral (table) collageLook at the effect of the willow branches…how they lend a truly organic feel to the overall look of the centerpiece. These evergreen topiaries are faux, but you could certainly use real ones and plant them later. (Unless you live in the Kansas City area where it seems like the snow is NEVER going to melt!!! 🙂 )

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Bunny collageI used these fun paper hydrangea bunnies in another Easter tablescape two years ago. They have such a fun and feminine quality that I really like. Something I like about these is that they are both cream and white which allows me to use them with either shade.

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Rabbit floral, tie & geranium collage

IFThe buffet has plenty of space on it for food, but I wanted to dress it up just a little. On one end is my stone bunny, Barton. Barton last made an appearance in another Easter tablescape two years ago as well as on an Easter brunch buffet table last year. This year, Barton has switched up from the usual eggs on his tray in favor of pretty pink carnations surrounded by a bed of white waxflower. He’s sporting a pink Ombre ribbon tie that Ramon put on him like a proud Papa. 🙂 Nice knot, huh?

I want to wish you and your family the very best of this Easter week,
and may you be blessed always by the grace of God.

Tablescapes suitable for Easter breakfast, brunch, luncheon or dinner on this site:
“Easter Floral”
“Barton’s Easter Brunch”

“Easter Brunch”
“Pinky Peter Cottontail”
“Carousel Colors”
“The Bluebird Special”
“The Party She Deserves”
“Rolling Fields of Green”

I’m joining the following blog parties this week, and you’re invited along!
Marty’s “Tabletop Tuesday
Cuisine Kathleen’s “Let’s Dish!
Susan’s “Tablescape Thursday
The Home Girl’s “Festive Friday Fiesta

UPDATE: This post was featured as the most viewed entry for The Home Girl’s blog party!

Find this and other fun posts from my blog at BeBetsy.com!

Easter Floral – Purple, Pink & White

This is nuts! It’s St. Patrick’s Day already, and Easter Sunday is just 2 short weeks away!!! I really feel like we’re in a time crunch, so I’m just going to jump right to it!

Starting this week, I will begin each post with a photo of the inspiration for the tablescape. I hope this will help novice tablescapers to expand your creative thinking skills.

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This week’s inspiration: a pack of cocktail napkins with purple & pink tulips that I spied at the grocery store!

Last week’s table was serene and subdued. This week’s is its polar opposite so get ready for an over-the-top color explosion, baby!!!
(Click on any photo to enhance/enlarge it.)

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Flatware, Napkin, Stemware, Egg Cup collageI started with a full-length white tablecloth (LinenTablecloth.com) and topped it diagonally with a reversible Easter egg-colored striped cloth. I used this same topper on the flip side for an Easter buffet table last year. Rose-colored chargers from Michaels (picked up for the bargain price of just 49¢ each last year!) are the foundation of the place setting topped with a white Corelle dinner plate, a Bordallo Pinheiro green cabbage salad plate, and a Pier One white floral bowl. A pale green napkin from Bed, Bath & Beyond peeks out from beneath the plate. The stemware is the ever-familiar Dollar Tree green goblet paired with a beautiful purple number from T.J. Maxx. The flatware is International Silver “Danish Princess”, and each place setting is finished with a pink, purple or yellow sparkled egg in an white egg cup from World Market.

DSCN2418WMThe centerpiece – a melange of figurines and florals – runs the entire length of the table.

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Bunny collageI love these super feminine twin bunnies all dressed up in their Easter finery! I have named them Hilary and Henrietta. 🙂 I arranged their bunny ears to look as though they’re a bit wind-blown in the Spring breeze!

Table floral collageThe main table floral is pulled together in a wire basket with woody green accents. Heads of cabbage are joined by a bunch of perky pink larger-than-life faux tulips set to give it an asymmetrical look. The basket is surrounded with pots of pink and purple African violets and white ceramic vases of tulips and hydrangea.

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Buffet floral collageI’m back to my old dramatic tricks with these over-the-top floral arrangements on the buffet behind the dining table. Oversized pink tulips and cabbages spill from curvy white glass vases (T.J. Maxx) to create quite a stir!

Floral chair collageThis room is truly about florals!!! The seat of this child-sized chair has been replaced with a moss ball cut in half and topped with faux florals to mimic those on the dining table.

Tea cart collageThe tea cart holds a Ralph Lauren white ceramic cake stand with pierced edges I picked up at Tuesday Morning a few years back. The white tea pot is from Home Goods. Last, the whole inspiration for this tablescape: paper cocktail napkins with pink & purple tulips.

China cabinet collageAnother Ralph Lauren cake stand on the china cabinet holds glittered Easter eggs.

That’s one Easter tablescape down, one to go!
For more Easter inspiration on this site visit:

Easter Brunch
Pinky Peter Cottontail
Barton’s Easter Brunch
Carousel Colors

Before I get out of here, I’d like to say thank you to The Home Girl for featuring my tablescape, “The Party She Deserves”. It was the most-viewed entry for her blog party, Festive Friday Fiesta, last week. That sure put a smile on my face!

Come party with me this week at:
Cuisine Kathleen – Let’s Dish!

The Tablescaper – Seasonal Sunday
Between Naps on the Porch – Tablescape Thursday
A Humble Creation – A New Creation
The Home Girl – Festive Friday Fiesta

Check out this and other posts from this site on BeBetsy.com!

Showered in Pink

Early this spring I hosted a wedding luncheon/shower at our home. The guest of honor is a huge fan of pink and green (my kind of gal!), so a pink and green spring tablescape it had to be!

IMG_0667WMThese photos were taken before the rental company arrived with the white chiavari chairs that really helped to further feminize the overall look. I wish I could have gotten a photo with the chairs around the table!

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img_0680wm.jpgWhite ceramic chargers from Old Time Pottery are topped with “frilly” square luncheon plates from Home Goods. My much-loved “Victorian Toile Rose” salad plates by Maxcera finish off the stack. (The rose plates were a hit at my Mom’s 81st birthday luncheon, for a Mother’s Day Luncheon, and for a ladies’ tea.)

IMG_0674WM“Chelsea” collection crystal stemware by Godinger.

International Silver “Danish Princess” flatware.

IMG_0678WMThe starched white cotton napkin is tucked into a silver napkin ring adorned with a pale green butterfly. Decorating with butterflies is so much fun in spring and summer!

The place cards are tiny silver wedding bells used in a tribute to the bride-to-be after lunch.

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The centerpiece was made up of a series of cherub statues with this larger one in the middle. Their bowls are filled with fresh roses, orchids and hydrangea. The fresh ivy I had wasn’t long enough to add the drama I wanted, so I substituted faux strands. Although it seems quite apparent in these photos, the faux ivy was barely noticeable.

IMG_0691WMTwo smaller cherub statuary held a profusion of roses along with a bit of viburnum and a couple of orchids tucked in for good measure. I lost one of these lovelies to decapitation during the recent move! 😦

I bought this fabulous rosette ribbon earlier this year. I love the texture and the look of it intertwined with satiny green. Very girly!!! I’m sure you’ll be seeing more of this in upcoming posts used in various ways!

The dining room buffet served as the ideal resting place for the tea service.
(Tip: If your hydrangea are a teensy bit droopy, improve their posture by carefully threading a length of heavy gauge floral wire up the stem.)

IMG_0722WMThe buffet was also a handy spot for the gifts. My gifts for the bride-to-be matched the table decor with pink and green ribbon over glossy white paper. A fanciful butterfly adorned each. When a guest who came early to help with the food arrived without having wrapped her gift, I quickly popped on a bit of green ribbon and added a couple of butterflies so it fit right in!

For lots more wedding related tablescape ideas,
visit the “Wedding” tab above!

More tablescapes using soft pink on this site:
Breast Cancer Awareness Luncheon
Pleasant Under Glass
Pretty In Pink
Au Revoir
Coming Up Roses
Just Us Girls
Princess Pink Birthday Party
Tea Roses
Fairy Princess Party
Bald Is Beautiful
Pretty In Pink, Wicked In Spurs
Easter In Pink & Grey
All A’Bloom In Pink for Spring
Pink & Purple Chocolate Christmas
Fairy Tale Wedding Shower
Pleasant Under Glass
Mother’s Day Luncheon In Pink
Springtime In Paris
Pink Plaid & Posies
Days of Wine & Roses
Blushing Bridal Shower

Please remember to join me along with the other dishaholics at Susan’s Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch!

Pinky Peter Cottontail

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

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

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

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

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

This is the way it all stacks up.

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

IMG_0508WM“Danish Princess” silverplate flatware is formal but approachable. A “simple” table doesn’t always have to mean wholly unadorned.

IMG_0511WMI bought these ceramic egg cups in several different pastel colors last year from Crate & Barrel. They are great for displaying colorful Easter eggs! Here I use eggs that are of the same color and have been decorated alike to add a bit of (repetitive) consistency around the table.

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IMG_0513WMI found these adorable paper hydrangea Easter bunnies at Village Gardens in Blue Springs, MO. I love the pink in their tails and ears!

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

IMG_0538WMWhile the soft pink geraniums (tucked into another green metal basket) and frosty white kalanchoe are not the same flowers used on the table, they readily complement them. Elements that “complement” trump those that strictly “match” any day of the week in my decorating book! Get double use out of these flowers by planting the geraniums in beds or pots outdoors for summer long color. The kalanchoe – available in red, pink, yellow or white – are colorful, highly textural, easy care indoor succulents.

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

IMG_0545WMCreamy white pitchers for serving mimosas and juice are tied in with the table bunnies’ pink bows. This ombre ribbon, edged in white, has hues ranging from the deepest pink in the cyclamen to the softest in the napkins. Ribbon is an inexpensive way to extend a color scheme, especially for an Easter table.

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

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

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

Coming Up Roses

 As I work to soak up every last bit of warmth Mother Nature has to offer, I continue to entertain on our deck. Last week offered a seesaw of daytime highs, and this 74 degree afternoon seemed perfect for a cup of warm mulled cider in place of tea to go with our (bakery) apple strudel and very lively conversation.

If I could dress every tea time table in pink and white, I would! There is nothing so feminine as the soft color of pink!!!

I had not used these wonderful Maxcera “Victorian Toile Rose” dishes since my Mom’s birthday party in early spring. With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it still seemed appropriate to introduce lots of pink into the tablescape. (Click here to see a slightly more over-the-top table for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. You can also click visit “Princess Pink Birthday Dinner” and “Pretty in Pink” whose color scheme and elements are also appropriate.)

I just love little touches like this!

This “Danish Princess” silverplate design is among my favorites and such a great match for the very feminine dishware.

Each delicate cotton luncheon napkin was rolled and “tied” with a garland of euonymus from the yard.

The gorgeous pink roses were sent earlier in the week from former clients commemorating their six-year anniversary. (It’s so nice to be remembered. I was truly touched by the gesture!) I’m very glad to have had the opportunity to share their beauty and wonderful fragrance with friends. The roses are displayed in a Godinger crystal rose bowl with the classic “Olympia” design.

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

 

Even though apple cider was on the menu this past week, I am so happy to once again join in with the discerning women at Lady Katherine’s Tea Parlor for Tea Time Tuesday!

TEA TIME TUESDAY

Tea Roses

I have a close friend who is a 14-month breast cancer survivor. Because October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and because I love my friend dearly, I held a pink ribbon & roses high tea in her honor. The weather cooperated (thank goodness!) and graced us with 78-degree weather at 4 p.m. so that we could enjoy high tea on the deck.

We know that many people confuse high tea (heartier fare served later in the day) with the more delicate afternoon tea, which generally includes lighter food offerings at an earlier hour. My friends and I LOVE to eat, so a high tea seemed most appropriate

 

Ultra-feminine pink & white is always a favorite for high tea, afternoon tea, and ladies’ luncheons, no matter the time of year. For the month of October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it seemed perfect! Today’s table is draped in floor length soft pink cotton and topped with a white mock quilted/damask linen.

 

This pretty, contemporary place setting uses Silvestri “Sculpted Rose” dishes. I like the kidney bean shape of the snack plates with the indentation to hold the cup firmly in place. The soft colors and profusion of roses balances out the decidedly heavy construction of the plates. The flatware is “Danish Princess”

 

The cups – used on this day for both soup and tea – are surrounded by doves.

 

These white cotton luncheon napkins are among my favorites. The corner design is so subtle. A simple length of pink ribbon adds color and again pays homage breast cancer awareness.

 

The tea set is so much fun! A combination of roses, doves and girlie ribbons make the set a favorite.

 

Indeed there was plenty to drink today! A champagne toast to start (and finish!) in honor of the breast cancer survivor present, iced tea with a slice of Granny Smith apple for color and flavor, and wonderful hot tea with apple & cinnamon to sip as the afternoon wore on and the air cooled.

 

As high tea calls for a heavier fare, these hearty tea-sized turkey & herbed cheese sandwiches on croissant with homemade broccoli-cheese soup fill the bill.

 

Crunchy, sweet butter cookies shaped like pretzels taste wonderful with the cinnamon-apple tea!

 

Fragrant pink roses in simple silver julep cups adorn the table. Each guest received a nosegay with a ballerina-tied pink ribbon as a parting gift, a reminder to stop and smell the roses AND to do that necessary breast self-exam each month.

To my sweet friend and to ALL breast cancer survivors and fighters, may you stay in the pink for years to come! And in memory of those who lost the battle, including my great-aunt Genevieve, this one’s for you.

Other pretty pink tablescapes on this site include:
Peaceful Peonies
Days of Wine & Roses
Peonies & Pearls
Chocolate Traditional
Platinum & Pink Valentine
Blushing Bridal Shower
Easter Floral
Easter Bloom
Pink Plaid & Posies
All A’Bloom In Pink For Spring
Princess Pink Birthday Dinner
Showered In Pink
Easter In Pink & Grey
French Poodle
Peony Power
Fairy Princess Party
Fairy Tale Wedding Shower
Blurred Lines With Shades of Pink
Pretty In Pink Birthday Luncheon
Coming Up Roses

Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Pretty In Pink, Wicked In Spurs – Breast Cancer Awareness
Bald Is Beautiful – Breast Cancer Awareness
Pink & Purple Chocolate Christmas

 

TEA TIME TUESDAY I am pleased as pink punch to once again join Lady Katherine and all the lovely ladies (and gentlemen!) in her tea parlor for Tea Time Tuesday. For those of you who enjoy fine tea time activities, just click on the link!