golf centerpiece

Last week I brought you Confectionery Christmas, one of the three “fantasy” tablescapes I set up for “Garlands & Gatherings”, a fundraising brunch benefiting Hope Haven of Cass County, MO. This second table runs in a completely different direction with strong, more traditional colors and the pattern that is very often associated with both the Christmas season AND golf: tartan!
(Click on any photo, then click again to enhance/enlarge it.)

You may or may not know that the game of golf has Scottish origins, and that was the inspiration for this golf-themed Christmas tablescape. Tartan is most particularly associated with Scotland (Rod Stewart anyone? 😉 ) and was therefore a sure bet for bringing color and pattern to this traditional table for four. If you have avid golfers in your family or social circle, a tablescape like this could be right up their alley!
(NOTE: The 48″ table used for this demonstration is considerably smaller than most households’ dining room tables. Your finished creation would be better spaced out.)

Each place setting is grounded by crisscrossed tartan table runners from Tuesday Morning in red, black, green, and white with touches of gold thread. Goldleafed glass chargers separate the runner from the red, gold & white Royal Scotland china. (You can see this same china used for Missouri Show Me State Dinner and Christmas Through the Red Door.)

This was one of my favorite parts of the tablescape: a resin replica of a golf bag from the men’s section in Hobby Lobby used as a vase for a nosegay of red spray roses, green hypericum berries, green Pittosporum, and a tiny branch of privet berries. The bouquet is centered in a miniature grapevine wreath that adds texture to the setting.

Gold-rimmed stemware is a nice complement to the setting, as is gold-toned flatware.

I created menus using our home desktop computer. Black cardstock frames white cardstock embellished with printed tartan ribbon. A 3-D effect is achieved by hot gluing a miniature wreath to the center of the top ribbon.

I wanted so much to recreate a version of the “golf club tripod” centerpiece I did for the dedication of my Dad’s memorial garden reception buffet table, but I was afraid it might not be able to withstand the day’s activities. So…

…I finally threw in the towel and switched from a wobbly trio of 9 irons to a sturdy 3-legged iron stand centered in a snow-kissed faux pine wreath with a smattering of gold mercury glass votives around the perimeter. Same effect with a much-reduced chance of catastrophe. (Safety first!) I topped the iron piece with an oversized red ornament ball and then embellished the body with two greenery/ribbon swags. I made the bows using tartan wire-edged ribbon that complements the table runners, red/gold/green wired ribbon for contrast, and black organza ribbon. The result was a very lush and dramatic centerpiece.

Chairs for this table are dressed in bright red stretch chair covers from LinenTablecloth.com. Notice how I chose to lower the black stretch sash to look more like a “belt” than a “bra” on the chair. Here is also where you can plainly see the contrasting red, black, and white linens used to create a layered look for the table that looks great with the tartan runners.

Finally, a golf club embellished with the same tartan ribbon and greenery used in the centerpiece. A pair of these propped up at the entry of your event or tied into a wreath would look great!

Another golf-themed tablescape on this site:
The 19th Hole

Other tablescapes incorporating black in the Christmas theme:
Black, White & Red All Over
Frosty the Snowman
Checkered Christmas
March of the Penguins
Woodland Men’s Tablescape

Later this week, I’ll post a final fall tablescape, and then next week bring you the final installation from the “Garlands & Gatherings” event. Meanwhile, you can click on any of the photos to the right for additional Christmas-themed tablescapes!

Blog parties I’m linking up with this week include:
Between Naps on the Porch – Tablescape Thursday
Rustic & Refined – Table It!

Tablescapes at Table Twenty-One, www.tabletwentyone.wordpress.com: The 19th Hole – Golf & Forever Love, DADDY IN HIS GOLF CAP

INSPIRATION: My Dad’s lifetime love for the game of golf, and our eternal love for him.

I don’t want this post to be a downer, but we are fast approaching the one year anniversary of my Dad’s death. My Mom, husband and I went to his “condo” (mausoleum) at the cemetery to visit over the Memorial Day weekend. We kept it light, brought his favorite golf clubs along, and just tried to remember the good times. In his honor, I set a very casual tablescape for the Memorial Day barbeque at our house. The threat of storms forced us inside to eat, but this is a tablescape that would be ideal for a golf banquet, Father’s Day, a fun birthday for the avid golfer, or for just getting together after hitting the links.
(Click on any photo, then click again to enhance/enlarge it.)

This tablescape began with a hunter green 90″ x 132″ tablecloth from LinenTablecloth.com that represented the lush greens of the golf course.

Each place setting began with a clear plexiglass charger. Beneath it I placed a custom-made menu for our Memorial Day meal bearing a photo of my Dad in full golf mode. Simple white Corelle dinner plates are used, along with clear glass stemware. The hunter green napkins are corralled with a green rattan ring embellished with a couple of Daddy’s golf tee’s. The casual white flatware is from T.J. Maxx.

My Mom & sister found this birdhouse with “The 19th Hole” on it in the clearance aisle at Tuesday Morning. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, it generally refers to the golf clubhouse where golfers gather after the final hole of play. I added the words “Honoring Jim Wilson” to the portico using a Sharpie. I trimmed the rooftop with ivy to cover a missing dormer and add a little more character to the miniature structure. The personalized golf ball is one created by my cousin to put in memory bags for family members at Daddy’s funeral last June.

Golf balls from Daddy’s stash pop up on tees from pots of faux grass as an extension of the centerpiece.

I created golf flags – usually found on the putting green – using our home computer. I just used a thin strip of hot glue to affix the banner part to a kabob skewer.

The buffet behind the dining table is dressed with a “Titleist golf ball” made of carnations. (To see another carnation centerpiece ball, click HERE for “Boys of Summer Baseball Tablescape“.) The floral ball is set atop a weathered wood pedestal from Pottery Barn. I cut the logo out and affixed it to the floral ball using black pearl head pins. The carnation golf ball is flanked by clear glass vases filled with Daddy’s golf balls and brimming with faux fountain grass. In front of the floral ball are a few items from Daddy’s golf stash including a tournament glove & personalized towel and a real Titleist golf ball. On the side of the buffet are a few clubs from a set of one of Daddy’s many, many, many and a pair of his golf shoes (minus the cleats on my carpet! 🙂 )

The vintage tea cart in the corner holds my “Hole In One” 5-Flavor Bundt Pound Cake on another of the Pottery Barn pedestals to cap off our Memorial Day feast. The miniature grapevine wreath will go on Daddy’s “condo door” on his birthday in December, but for now it’s just decoration. (Want the recipe for the 5-Flavor Pound Cake? Just click HERE to visit the “Recipes” page!)

I hope your Memorial Day weekend was one of both relaxation and reflection.
Thank you so much for stopping by!