Good Monday Morning!!! Hard to believe we are into October already, but I’m rollin’ with it! Sunflowers, sunshine, apple cider, pumpkins, football, and warm & hearty breakfasts are top of mind this time of year.
A 1-minute video!⬇
If you’re like me, you like to study the details. Still pics ahead for you guys!
A simple breakfast doesn’t mean you can’t go bold! A massive floral piece at one end of the dining table is a big wake-up!
Cock-a-doodle-doo!! A pair of ceramic hens add a little breakfast time flair.
Casual acrylic chargers from Hobby Lobby play host to lovely cocoa brown & white Z Gallerie dishes. The sunflower “napkins” are dish towels from Dollar Tree.
A big ol’ basket of assorted breakfast pastries to please every palate makes a great edible centerpiece! The Home Goods sunflower table runner pulls the basket, floral arrangement, and place settings together as one.
Breakfast is served!
Are you looking for more ideas for breakfast or brunch? Take a look at these posts!
I DO NOT like to jump the gun on seasons. I take each one as they come, savoring the best of it and slogging through the worst toward the light. But I do believe seasons are “sectional” with early, mid, and late portions. So before I start hauling out the pumpkins and corn stalks, here’s a little something-something for late summer/early fall.
And for those of you who, like me, like to closely study details on still photos…
Shades of plum and blue-violet are tempered with white, luscious peach, and citrus green. I’m not quite sure why I went with the blue & white chinoiserie. It just felt right.
Each place setting starts with a gold leaf glass charger topped with a purple Bormioli Rocco glass charger. I used gold-rimmed white china to temper the depth of the purple tones. Gold flatware compliments the stack.
Starched napkins in deep, moody eggplant are wrapped up with a shiny golden ring.
Of course, bowls of plums had to be included!
I SO loved this floral arrangement and hated to disassemble it!😖 The faux flowers came from many sources including Nell Hills and Charmed House Interiors in Kansas City, Petals & Potpourri in Blue Springs, McKeever’s grocery floral department and Cameron’s Home Furnishings in Lee’s Summit near where we live, and Hobby Lobby (those berries hanging off the side). Massive arrangements like this are moved to a side surface after guests have ooh’ed and ahh’ed over it before the meal is served.
This white-painted pheasant has been with me for a good while and looks great under the floral fronds.
This will be among the final pics of my beloved Louis XVI reproduction vitrine as I have sold it. It has been a faithful servant for more than 20 years. Here it plays host to a dessert setup with a Nell Hills basket backdrop.
A side chest is treated to an arrangement of coleus, hydrangea, and plums in a mini silver ice bucket.
With temperatures headed back into the upper 90s and near 100 over the next few days, it’s tough to get into the fall mood. This “fall lite” works for me!
Like shades of purple? Here are a few other posts on this site you may enjoy!💜
Lawd, have mercy…where’s my funeral home fan??? I don’t know about you guys, but I’m about “summer’d” out!🥵 It has been hotter than a jalapeño‘s armpit with humid, icky conditions here in the Kansas City, MO area all summer…except for the times it was pouring near record buckets of rain. While I’m in no particular hurry for winter’s chill, I am ready for something different. So as the Labor Day weekend approaches, I’m anticipating and celebrating summer’s last hurrah.
Summer’s Last Hurrah – Alycia Nichols, Tablescapes at Table Twenty-One
And if you prefer still shots to video…⬇️
Each place setting is grounded with a one-two punch of a red, white & blue striped placemat topped with an easy, reedy woven brown one.
I cannot tell you how thrilled I am with this year’s Dolly Parton line at Hobby Lobby! For a citified country-adjacent gal like me, it’s right on target! Dishes boasting deep red poppies with blue & white accents, these sweet floral napkins…Yes, please! The blue-rimmed chargers and flashy red pedestal bowls are also Hobby Lobby finds.
Poppy napkin rings from Bed Bath & Beyond many moons ago.
Ya ain’t really country unless ya like your Mason jar of tea sweetened with half a pound of sugar. Or at least that’s what my Kentucky born and bred great-Grandmother used to tell me. Hence the “country adjacent” description I’ve assigned myself as I defiantly stir in my Splenda.🤣🤣🤣
Somebody come get Dorothy and Toto out of the poppy field!
I can sit down with a whole pie and a quart of vanilla ice cream and just GO. TO. TOWN!!! (Again, as my great-Grandmother would say!)
All the usual country picnic fixins including peanut oil-fried chicken (seriously…is there any other way?), and the juxtaposition of heavenly biscuits and deviled eggs.
Now y’all KNOW I have to have my “adult beverage” of the Kentucky bourbon variety to help make suburban life bearable!🥃 I love it here in the heartland, but a “little nip” every now and then sure helps me love it even more! A napkin from the Dolly Parton line at Hobby Lobby pairs nicely with a placemat to line my bar cart.
Whatever you do this Labor Day weekend, please be safe! If you would like to see more ideas for picnics, check these out:
Have you ever tried the grownup version of an orange Dreamsicle? The one with whipped cream vodka, orange juice, triple sec or Cointreau, and cream or half & half? To beat this ongoing heat to a pulp (See what I did there? Pulp? Get it?😉), I whipped one up…at breakfast. Don’t judge me. It contained 2 of the 5 food groups.😜
Here’s a fun luncheon or dinner tablescape where a grownup Dreamsicle might be more appropriately enjoyed! (Faux flowers used here, but real ones would kick it up a BIG ol’ notch for guests!)
I first used these fun open tulip salad plates in 2010 for a Mothers Day tablescape, “Tulips in the iHop Hour”, referring to my Mom’s penchant for eating so early on Sundays. I’d not used them since, so this is as good a time as any. I’ve set them with plain white dinner plates and juicy orange Bormioli Rocco “Inca” glass chargers. My Mom’s Towle “Calypso” flatware and recently acquired orange stemware from Home Goods add a nice finishing touch.
Red-orange and white (faux) ranunculus in a curvy white ceramic vase.
Bright orange (faux) tulips are prominently used across the table.
Brilliant orange (faux) poppies add color and texture.
What’s a meal without dessert?🍰
Reticulated dessert plates look almost like old-fashioned doilies.
The pièce de résistance…Dreamsicle cocktails by the pitcher! Here’s the Pinterest recipe I most often use: Dreamsicle Martini
Do you love the color orange as much as I do? Here are a few more posts featuring this energetic color!🧡
If you’ve not seen the latest Julian Fellowes installment, “Downton Abbey: A New Era”, don’t worry…no spoilers here. I waited until it came out on Peacock this week to watch myself and would have been grievously disappointed if the surprises had been tarnished.
This is just my way of once again paying homage to the sublime series and subsequent movies that have been so entertaining as I binge-watched in the comfort of air conditioning throughout this blistering hot summer.
The Crawley family may have (often reluctantly) transitioned from the blithely unrestrained indulgences of the Edwardian era to the slightly less buttoned-up/pre-Stock Market Crash Roaring Twenties, but they still dine in a refined manner. I tried to capture the essence of that poised manner with gleaming silver chargers and flatware, fine white china, cut crystal stemware, and crisply starched hemstitch napkins.
This silver epergne is perfect for a lush centerpiece of fruit and flowers.
The vitrine holds all the service pieces including an inherited butter server. With an army of footmen no longer en vogue, who on earth will bring it all to the table?🤷🏽♀️
Obsessed? Maybe.🤔 Entertained? Absolutely!😀
If you’re into formal table settings, you might like these:
We recently hosted two lovely young couples for an authentic (as close as I could get it!) Italian meal. As one of our guests is a native Italian🇮🇹, I wanted the setting to reflect the unfussy style of their region of birth…with my own twist, of course!😉
White on white with wisps of green was the perfect palette to allow the food to look its best. I made copycat Garozzo’s Restaurant dipping oil (you Kansas City area folk know what’s up!😋) and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for each place setting.
Individual wine carafes at each place setting so each person could enjoy their favorite. And we drank A LOT of wine that night!🍷🍷🍷🍷😵💫
The faux olive branch centerpiece was a showstopper as guests arrived. It was later moved to a side surface and replaced with a massive platter of pasta for family-style self-service. I sure wish I would’ve had time to photograph that thing! I had meatballs the size of my fist on there!😜
I was tempted to buy plain white cups and saucers for after dinner espresso, but my Mom’s gold & white Dresden won out in the end. Turns out it was a hit as it precipitated deep conversation about world affairs and deceased parents.
I’m pretty sure I ate my weight in bread that night!🥖🥖🥖 Fresh herbs from my own deck garden (and oregano pilfered from my neighbor, Barbara!😇) were used for everything I cooked.
This was the starter that was placed on the table once the centerpiece was moved. Bowls of nuts went alongside the olives already on the table.
If you’d like to see a couple of other posts on this blog with an Italian theme, check these out:
I’m so glad you stopped by! Please drop me a “Ciao!” below if you’d like! And I’d be pleased as pink punch if you would follow me on Instagram! Have a great week!!!!
This post dedication the memory of actor James Caan who passed away last week.
The neighbors’ lilac bushes are in full bloom now, and I’ve got at least 3 of the 7 Deadly Sins goin’ on over it.🫤 I can’t just run over and go all Edward Scissorhands on their property, so I suppose I must reconcile myself to the next best thing.🙄
Some prefer mini-movie clips, but some (me included!) prefer still photos to study all the details. So I will, whenever possible going forward, provide both a nutshell clip and photos for your convenience! Whatever suits you best!🙂
A massive vase like the center one isn’t practical during the meal, but it makes quite an impression when guests first view the room. Relocate the larger vase to a predesignated area just before guests are seated to provide an unobstructed view across the table.
White “doily” chargers from Hobby Lobby lay the foundation for the generous stack of dishes. Lilac Matceramica dinner and salad plates embossed with a “lace” rim play host to the royal purple glass compote and white lacy service plate from Pier 1. My Mom’s Royal Danish flatware seems right in step with the place setting.
Napkins folded into a nice tight rosebud design are nestled into the compotes.
A trio of glassware in varying hues of purple and green.
The centerpiece is visually connected by a purple, green, and white woven runner. The towering center floral spills over with faux greenery (Kirkland’s) and lilacs.
Pretty purple (faux) tulips from Home Goods in a white glass vase from Hobby Lobby.
Green glass vases cradle a mix of (faux) lilacs, citrus green button mums, and hypericum berries.
Diminutive milky white glass vases from Hobby Lobby filled with (faux) agapanthus blooms in a lovely shade of purple.
So there you have it! Another celebration of Spring…even if the fragrance of lilacs must come from a Bath & Body Works wallflower plug-in!🤭
If you would care to see more posts in shades of purple or purple & green on this site:
Anyone else a big fan of pink magnolia trees?🙋🏽♀️ I’m finally getting one planted soon, and I’m so excited! Meanwhile, these faux branches do the trick!
This pink and green tablescape is perfectly suited to a relaxed girls’ night, a birthday celebration, or any celebration for the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority!
The generously proportioned deep green glass vases were a Home Goods purchase years ago. Paired with the faux magnolia branches and a bit of Spring greenery, they make a huge impact at first sight. Should you have access to natural pink magnolia branches, this is a terrific way to add a lot of bang for no bucks!
The playful tone on tone design on the Montclair Collection plates is joyful and relaxed. Their modern square shape against the muted silver chargers keeps things light.
Pretty pink napkins, offset to the side, are cinched with pink “pearl” rings. The napkin ring beading takes its cue from the plate design. The flatware is sleek and simple.
Loose gazing balls and votive candlelight add shine and movement to the centerpiece.
The lovely pink stemware has a design very similar to that of the plates.
The vases on the dining table are purposely arranged to form a gentle arch that plays peekaboo with the buckets of tulips and ranunculus on the vitrine behind it.
To see the green vases paired with the green plates in a whole different way, check this out:
My Mom often recounted the story of how she and Daddy met back in the early 1950s. He was at work and saw her cruising past in her sleek powder blue convertible. It was love at first sight…for the car AND the lady driving it. Both of my parents are gone now, but I often think of that story. When I saw these fabulous powder blue ceramic vases at Cameron’s in downtown Lee’s Summit, MO, I knew my Mother’s Day table in Mom’s memory would haveto include them along with her exquisite Royal Danish flatware. I miss you so much, Mom, and I think of you every. single. day.
Each Martha Stewart for Wedgwood “Conservatory” place setting is anchored by a plain white charger.
Dinner rolls are neatly tucked into the rear side of napkins arranged in the cream soup bowls from Nell Hill’s.
Mom’s Royal Danish flatware has always been a favorite of mine, and I cherish it.
Godinger “Chelsea” iced beverage and Cristal D’Arques-Durand “Capella” wine stem.
I’m enjoying experimentation with faux flowers these days. The blue thistle here is from Petals & Potpourri in Blue Springs, MO. The tulips are from Home Goods, and the greenery and Queen Anne’s lace from Kirkland’s.
I kept the flowers fairly soft in color to complement the color of the vases. This could easily become an Easter tablescape with a bit of tweaking.
The white glass vases with pink and yellow (faux from Nell Hill’s) ranunculus blooms tucked in are from Hobby Lobby. They complement many elements on the table.
Dessert and coffee service on the vitrine with Mom’s favorite lemon meringue pie. She couldn’t bake ’em, but she sure loved to eat ’em!
One of my favorite birthday parties celebrating my Mom’s 85th…
Mom and me…and yes, we both just happened to show up in blue!
There are a few Mother’s Day celebrations featured on my blog including:
Last week’s post was the exuberant, quite colorful, more casual styling for celebrating the Kentucky Derby. Today, with only days to spare before the big race, I offer a more formal version that despite the gilding and crystal is still somewhat relaxed in its overall style.
An overhead shot of the centerpiece focuses on the sumptuous assembly of red roses and the gold-tone candle holders from Very Violet Boutique in downtown Lee’s Summit, MO. (Just a side note to those of you in shopping distance: Very Violet has now closed and sent all inventory next door to sister store Ivy & Sparrow.)
It is the run for the roses, so adding a few here and there (or a lot everywhere!) is quite appropriate . For demonstration purposes these are from my faux collection, but I urge you to incorporate fresh if at all possible.🌹 🌹 🌹
I found this fabulous horse head at The Painted Sofa in downtown Kansas City, MO.🐴 If you plan a visit to the KC area, The Painted Sofa is an exciting, expansive, must-see shopping destination! Three full floors of fabulous furniture and furnishings!
From the bottom up: “raggedy edge” gold glass charger and Ciroa black & white buffalo check from Home Goods intermingled with regal red & gold Royal Scotland pieces.
My sister (her given name is Berishia, but I’ve always lovingly called her Barf!) gifted me with several yards of Derby-themed fabric a few years back, but life got in the way and I never had anything done with it. This year my exceedingly talented and thoughtful neighbor, Barbara, fashioned these gorgeous napkins from some of it. See how she even thought to use red thread on the hem? Gorgeous detail!!! Thank you, Barbara!!!!!!!!
Need a little take-home gift for guests? Gold-painted horseshoes make a wonderful paperweight! I dressed these up with a simple mix of simply tied ribbons tucked into very fancy black card sleeves. (The sleeves are leftovers from my 60th birthday party invitations.)
Gold-rimmed iced beverage glasses from Nell Hill’s in Kansas City, MO paired with Cristal D’Arques -Durand “Ashville Gold” champagne flutes.
After dinner you simply must have a sliver of Derby Pie and/or Bourbon Butter cake! A generous host or hostess will wrap up an extra slice of each for you to enjoy with coffee next morning.😉
There is no Derby celebration complete without the requisite mint juleps served in traditional silver cups. Create an extra special ambience by transferring good bourbon into a fancy crystal decanter.
On the side I created a fun arrangement in a white Nell Hill’s chinoiserie pot with an ivy topiary, luscious red roses, and another gold horseshoe. The 2 miniature horse heads from Hobby Lobby complete the side table decor.
So that’s it for this year’s Kentucky Derby! These ideas can be easily used for any equestrian event with just a few tweaks.
Here are a few other Derby tablescapes on this site you might enjoy:
Tablescapes at Table /Twenty-One 