Better Kansas City Morning Show

April 1, 2013March 15, 2014 / Alycia Nichols / 48 Comments

I’m just back from making my third appearance on the “Better Kansas City” morning show here in Kansas City! Even though I have to get out of bed before dawn to make that long drive into the city, it’s totally worth it when everything comes together. Sheri and I were able to get this morning’s table up in less than 45 minutes, so I even had a few moments to actually study my script!

The look for today’s show is similar to the one I did back in mid-March, “Rolling Fields of Green“, which captures the versatility of a table that can transition from Easter to Spring and right on into summer.

I mentioned fellow blogger Vernice of We Three Dogs & Me during the segment. Vernice is a very special over-the-miles friend who is very dear to me and who recently celebrated her 82nd birthday. Listen for her name, and then drop by her blog if you have a moment. Vernice puts her heart and soul into her tablescapes, and she always appreciates a visit!

A few pics that Sheri snapped….see if you can figure out what I forgot!
Horrors!!!! Too late to turn around and go back home!
(Click on any photo, then click again to enhance/enlarge it.)

Starting the table set up…moving much faster than this photo depicts! 🙂

Getting closer to completion…and running out of breath!

Who’s letting me play with sharp objects??!?!?!?

Place setting. Have you figured out what’s missing yet?

All done! Off to powder my nose, slip into my high heels, and take a breath before air time!

The finished table is created with a full-length white linen from LinenTablecloth.com topped with a moss runner, gold glass chargers from Costco, white dishes with scrolled edging from TJ Maxx, Godinger “Dublin” crystal stemware, lots of moss balls, faux cabbages, evergreens and spring florals in rustic pots.

Reviewing the script with producer, Sherie (not to be confused with my best friend, Sheri, who was on set taking photos of me!), before the show.

Cameraman Chris is the best! He always gets my good side…even if he has to search for hours to find it! 🙂

Lovely producer’s assistant, Lauren, gets me mic’d up.

On the set after the show with co-host Lisa Holbrook

On the set after the show with skinny (I’m so jealous!) “Better Kansas City” co-host Lisa Holbrook

Many thanks once again to producer Erin Cansler for inviting me back! I had a blast and a half!

Thank YOU for stopping by, and I’d like to invite you back for my regular weekly post tomorrow!

I’m linking up with Tablescape Thursday!

Rolling Fields of Green – St. Patrick’s Day Tablescape

March 13, 2013February 8, 2018 / Alycia Nichols / 68 Comments

A million-and-one thanks to blog party hostesses Marty at A Stroll Thru Life (155th Tabletop Tuesday) and Jessica at A Humble Creation (A New Creation link party #3) for featuring my tablescape from last week honoring fellow blogger Vernice at We Three Dogs & Me! I am honored, flattered, and tickled petal pink! 🙂

A portion of this post is featured in the January 2015 issue of “Kansas City At Home” magazine along with an interview regarding trends for entertaining at home!

“They say Mother Earth is breathing
With each wave that finds the shore.
Her soul rises in the evening
For to open twilight’s door.
Her eyes are the stars in heaven,
Watching o’er us all the while.
And her heart, it is in Ireland
Deep within the Emerald Isle.”
(Opening lyrics of “Ireland“,
lyrics by Stephanie Davis, Jenny Yates, Garth Brooks)

This year’s St. Patrick’s Day dinner party tablescape has a very organic quality about it, mixed with a little pot o’ gold glitz. It started with a full-length white tablecloth (LinenTablecloth.com) as the foundation. Beautiful rippled glass champagne-colored chargers purchased from Costco a couple of years ago lay beneath creamy white dishes from T.J. Maxx. Godinger’s “Dublin” crystal (what else for St. Patrick’s Day?!) and goldtone flatware round out the place setting.

I tend to use more subtly symbolic decor when decorating for St. Patrick’s Day, hence the moss, cabbage, evergreens (all symbolizing the rolling green fields of Ireland) and gold accents (the pot of gold, of course!). Florals and greenery are assembled in a tightly gathered parade of creamy, rustic stone & earthenware pots (symbolic of the many fences made of stone in the Irish countryside) that I placed on a moss table runner. Gold mercury glass votives dot the centerpiece, and a few extra moss balls show up on worn golden-colored stands tinged with verdigris.

TIP: Using lots of pots or vases in the same color family creates a harmonious look down the length of your table. You can connect the centerpiece even further by placing everything on a runner or tray.

The buffet behind the dining table is very simply dressed with a pair of antique white stone urns topped with evergreen mounds, a trio of gold mercury glass votives, and a tray of “Dublin” rocks glasses to serve a wee bit o’ Brendan’s Irish Cream after dinner.

Other posts on this site with tablescapes suitable for St. Patrick’s Day:
“Upscale Irish”
“The Party She Deserves”
“Moss & Manzanitas”
“Ready for My Close-Up, Mr. DeMille” (buffet)
“Apple Green Luncheon”

I am proud to participate this week in Cuisine Kathleen’s “5th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Blog Crawl“. Head on over there to check out lots of tables wearin’ the green! I am also taking part in Marty’s 156th “Tabletop Tuesday“, Susan’s “Tablescape Thursday” and The Home Girl’s “Festive Friday Fiesta“.

“Ireland, I am coming home.
I can see your rolling fields of green
and fences made of stone.
I am reaching out.
Won’t you take my hand?
I’m coming home, Ireland.”
(“Ireland” chorus)

After the Hunt Tablescape – Gentlemen’s Winter Retreat

November 7, 2012July 16, 2013 / Alycia Nichols / 52 Comments

Deer hunting season officially began in the great State of Missouri on November 1. While it’s not my thing (I’d much rather spend time hunting dishes!), I know there are a lot of people – men in particular – who really enjoy hunting for sport. Seems kind of silly to me with Costco just a few miles away. Anyhooooooooo……. 😉

For one of my “Winter Wonderland” tablescaping classes this semester, I created a gentlemen’s tablescape for after the hunt. Whether it’s a hunt for deer, a hunt for that little white ball you hit with a very expensive stick for 18 holes, or a hunt for that perfect Christmas gift from Tiffany’s (hint, hint!), this is a table I think many gentlemen would enjoy to unwind with a hearty meal…in a civilized manner! (This might also work well for a man’s birthday in the winter months!)
(Click on any photo to enhance/enlarge it. Photos by Sheri L. Grant.)

Set up in our little library, this 48-inch round table is dressed in a full-length black linen that is topped with a piece of wonderfully soft and washable black, brown & white plaid fleece from Hobby Lobby. The fleece tablecloth conveys warmth, while the plaid pattern reminds me of the flannel shirts guys often wear under their camouflage jackets.

Each place setting starts with a wood slice charger. These wood slices are sold in the woodworking section at places like Hobby Lobby and Michael’s for about $10 apiece (but use those valuable 40% and 50% off coupons to save $$$!), and they really work well with outdoor themes or rustic tablescapes. Every slice is a little different, and that’s what makes it really cool! The oblong shape allows more of the beautiful wood to show under a round or square plate. I used black ceramic plates – a combo of Dollar Tree and Target – to complement the masculine black under linen.

A brown leaf-shaped bowl from Pier 1 is perfect for a little venison stew or rib-stickin’ chili. Hampton Silversmith’s “Patriot” flatware has a substantial shape and weight for the masculine hand.

“Over the lips, and past the tongue. Look out, stomach! Here it comes!”
There’s nothing like a little whiskey on the rocks for sipping before dinner. These miniature bottles of Jack Daniel’s fine Tennessee whiskey are great for individual servings at the table or as a take-home “favor” for the guys. (Believe me, if you gave these as wedding favors, they would NOT be left sitting on the table!!!) While meat-and-potatoes guys aren’t usually given to fancy fixings, the substantial weight and cut of Godinger’s “Dublin” crystal will have them feeling like kings of the hunt or Titans of the boardroom or Gordon Gekko…whatever floats their boat. 🙂

Men tend not to favor a lot of fussiness, so I used a miniature evergreen tree and simply adorned it with this stuff I found that looks kind of like twiggy barbed wire…if that makes any sense at all. It was just enough on the tree to lend a rugged, wintry feel without making it look too Christmas-y. The base of the tree is finished off with (naturally shed) antlers and a smattering of pine cones. No votives or candlesticks here. Guys don’t care that the amber flame is flattering to their skin tone, and they sure aren’t lookin’ for romance around this table!

The vitrine in the library is a perfect place to set up bar for refills. The deck of the vitrine is very humbly decorated with pine boughs. The urns on either side of the vitrine are topped with huge moss balls for a decidedly pared down masculine look.

On top of the secretary on the wall opposite the vitrine is this great find from a few years back. There is no way an actual deer head was coming into this house!!! This grapevine deer head wreath, however, is perfect for the occasion and lends a sort of lodge look to the room.

“Next it will be brandies in the smoking room. Now they retreat into a cloud of smoke and congratulate each other on being masters of the universe.” (Quote from “Titanic” – Rose to Jack after dinner in the first-class dining room.)

To see 9 more winter tablescapes on this site, visit the “Winter” page.
For additional winter posts on this site, check out:
“Sugar High – Payback!“
“Cranberry Christmas – Squared“
“Cranberry Christmas“
“Winter Brunch“
“Christmas Progressive Dinner 2011“
“Get Me to the Church On Time“
“Winter Cardinal“

Many, many, many thanks to fellow blogger/super sweetheart Cuisine Kathleen for the wonderful T.J. Maxx/Home Goods gift certificate I won on her site a couple of weeks ago! I am hoarding it for later use at after-Christmas sales. I’ll let you know what I buy!

Join me as I visit Cuisine Kathleen for “Let’s Dish!” on Wednesday anytime after 6:00 p.m. CST, the Style Sisters for “Centerpiece Wednesday“, and Susan for “Tablescape Thursday” anytime after 9:00 a.m. CST on Thursday!

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!

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

March 8, 2011July 29, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 37 Comments

Bienvenue! Laissez les bon temps rouler!!!
(Welcome! Let the good times roll!!!)

We will be shakin’ our bon-bon and having a grand ol’ time in celebration of Fat Tuesday tonight! Our trusty butler, Geoffrey, even plans to get in on the fun which is so against his staid British upbringing! 🙂

I’ve been busy all morning preparing a slightly more formal table than the way we celebrated over the weekend. The same amount of debauchery, however, is expected as for any Mardi Gras celebration!

I elected to allow the natural wood of the dining table anchor the setting. Over the bare wood I crisscrossed lengths of shimmering purple, green & gold netting.

Each place setting started with a deep purple cobbled charger from Burlington. The china was purchased several years ago at Pier 1. Add gold toned flatware and my trusty Godinger “Chelsea” collection stemware.

Purple gemstone napkin rings from Z Gallerie hug the sheer organza Pier 1 napkins. Here you are better able to see the cobbled texture of the chargers.

The centerpiece is made up of several pieces. First, in a Godinger “Dublin” hurricane, is a mass of free-flowing fresh greenery. I wanted a kind of “messy” look to play off of the more formally arranged carnations beneath it.

Clusters of beautifully fragrant royal purple carnations rest in diminiutive crystal vases.

At each end of the dining table are Godinger “Dublin” cut crystal candle holders.

Graceful purple birds with soft green bellies and long, sweeping tails perch high above each gold candlestick. The birds were purchased wholesale many years ago, but this is the first time I’ve had an opportunity to use them.

One of my favorite parts of decorating is the chance to create something new by combining various elements. The very boxy gold-toned candlesticks are softened by the addition of these bobeches dripping in crystals.

The buffet area is the perfect place to extend the festivities from the dining table. Purple, green & gold mirror balls stretch the length of the buffet with a strand of the same colored beaded garland. On one end of the buffet, a Harlequin doll stands guard over the assorted candies in cut crystal containers.

On the opposite end, a mini bar of soul-satisfying bourbon, scotch and brandy in cut crystal vessels awaits thirsty guests along with fun feathered masks.

I don’t much care for store-bought King’s cake, so I am substituting these lucious homebaked cinnamon rolls. The smell of cinnamon wafting through the house is wonderful!!!

This Beverly Clark cake server with the regal crown on the end is the perfect utensil for cutting and serving the King’s cake!

I didn’t create menu cards for our buffet this evening, but we will dine on a traditional gumbo starter followed by fried catfish, red beans & rice, candied sweet potatoes, collard greens and cornbread. After all, that’s what Fat Tuesday is all about! I wish you and yours a joyous and festive one!

Other Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday tablescapes on this site:
“Mardi Gras Lite“
“Mardi Gras Mojo”
“Mardi Gras Madness”
“Celebrate Mardi Gras!”
“The Peacock Effect”