Summer Luncheon for Two

July 1, 2014July 1, 2014 / Alycia Nichols / 44 Comments

INSPIRATION: Another quilt created by my friend & neighbor, Barbara. This table was easily assembled because everything on it pulls either color or pattern from this quilt!

The weather here in the Kansas City area continues to be a virtual sauna accompanied by strong, hot winds and occasional storms. To get out on the deck and create anything is next to impossible. As we go into this 4th of July weekend, though, I have a “dine-and-dash” luncheon (or breakfast…or brunch!) table for two that started with a little game of “I Spy” at my neighbors’ house. Barbara should know better by now than to let me in that front door! She lets me in, “I Spy” something cool (like this beautiful quilt!), I want it, and I’m outta there with it! 🙂
(Click on any photo, and then click again to enhance/enlarge it.)

In windy weather like this, a quilt is just what’s needed if dining outdoors. It’s just heavy enough to stand up to those sudden gusts. This beautiful yellow and blue floral quilt is used as a topper over a buttery yellow cotton full-length tablecloth.

Clean white dishes prominently stand out against the meandering jumble of gingham checks, vines, and jumbo roses in the quilted topper. A bright yellow napkin is presented in the “Lotus” fold with a yellow rosebud with Dusty Miller leaves nestled in its center. I don’t often use this vintage silverware, but its mix of wildflowers and roses is a near perfect match to the design of the quilt.

Bright blue glassware was almost a must. Notice the design on the coffee cup…how it mimics the pattern of the wildflowers and vines in the quilt. (For my tablescaping students and for those of you new to tablescaping, look for subtleties like this to bring subliminal cohesiveness to the tabletop.)

Much like last week’s centerpiece, this one is placed off-center. This is a great option if (1) the elements of your centerpiece threaten to interfere with a clear visual line between those seated at the table, (2) your table is small or narrow, and/or (3) just for something a little different. Here, two olive green ceramic pitchers (chosen for how the color complements the green in the quilt) are filled with yellow and ivory roses along with tufts of Dusty Miller. An olive green distressed candlestick is topped with a white ceramic bird. (Students and newcomers to tablescaping, white birds are used here to tie in to the white dishes and break up the expanse of definitive color in the centerpiece.)

In this photo you get a better “bird’s eye view” of the meandering vines noted above. See how they capture the same flow as the pattern on the coffee cup and on the decorative bird? It’s a very subtle thing, but something that appeals to the subconscious when determining why elements work together. The bird salt & pepper shakers complement the decorative bird on the candlestick and play into that famous Rule of Three. (Students, I KNOW you remember the Rule of Three!!!!)

I played with a couple of looks before proclaiming these wicker chairs the perfect foil to the country chic quilt. (Keep in mind the tone or theme or feel of the look you want to achieve, and then choose your accessories accordingly.)

I know you all have much to do to prepare for the upcoming 4th of July weekend, so stick a fork in me…I’m done! 🙂 I’ll be back after the holiday weekend with something I think you’ll really like…at least I HOPE you will! Thanks for stopping by, and let’s be safe out there!

Other tables with off-center centerpieces on this site:
Lemonade From Bill
Midsummer Shabby Chic Apple Tablescape
Planning in Purple

Other posts on this site using a quilted topper or runner(s):
Midsummer Shabby Chic Apple Tablescape
Tall & Toile, Y’all!
My Sister’s Wedding China
Casual Fall Harvest Dinner
Kaleidoscope Christmas
Love’s Arrow
Rhapsody in Blue

Other posts on this site with quilt or napkin creations by Barbara:
Casual Fall Harvest Dinner
Black Friday Luncheon
Kaleidoscope Christmas
Platinum New Year’s Eve Wedding

I’m partying this week with Christine over at Rustic Refined for her 8th installment of “Table It!” (started Monday) and with Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for “Tablescape Thursday” (begins after 9:00 a.m., CDT on Thursday).

Moss & Manzanitas

February 19, 2013March 15, 2014 / Alycia Nichols / 63 Comments

We’re under a stupid winter storm watch here in the Midwest. Wednesday night into Thursday is supposed to get really ugly. Stock-up-on-supplies-and-pull-out-the-longjohns ugly. (Mine actually have a Dennis the Menace flap in the back! :-)) So as we brace ourselves for a less-than-pleasant end of the week, I’m getting more and more anxious for Spring to arrive.
(Click on any photo to enhance/enlarge it.)

The concept for this table for 8 started back in January when I made an appearance on a local morning show here in Kansas City. (Click HERE to see the post, “Ready for My Close-Up, Mr. DeMille” with video clip and start-to-finish photos.) I set up a buffet table that would work well for this weird in-between stage when the bareness of Winter is still painfully evident, but Spring is just a stone’s throw away. On that buffet, I used a lot of bling along with the moss and manzanitas that would have been great for a bridal luncheon or a 60th wedding anniversary, traditionally dubbed in the U.S. as the “diamond anniversary.” The post with that television appearance does include photos so you can compare that buffet setting to this sit-down one.

While diamonds are absolutely a girl’s best friend (well…diamonds and Spanx! :-)), for this more casual table I wanted to use “rocks” of a different kind. Hence the abundance of smooth river rock nestled around the manzanita “tree” centerpiece.

Nothing says Spring like color, and this citrusy green dinner plate really grabs your attention! (Dollar Tree, folks! Dollar Tree!!! If you don’t have one in your area, petition the company to build one there!!!)

A plain white cotton napkin is wrapped around a tri-color menu and topped with a single stone. The natural look of bamboo in the flatware further complements the setting.

Unadorned clear glass stemware gets an upgrade with the addition of individual bottles of chilled wine. I like using these mini bottles from World Market to dress a casual table, but always have plenty of the big boys on hand as well. Some guests take the minis home as a souvenir, others drink it on the spot.

The centerpiece is made up of these cool manzanita branches I bought last year at Gordmans. When I first used them last Halloween I gave them a much more ghastly graveyard look. Here they take on a totally new role, dotted with white orchid blooms as if Spring is making its first appearance. With all the moss (the famous Moss Bridge, not to mention the mossy hillsides) and the stone (stone walls, the Blarney Stone), this would make a great table for St. Patrick’s Day!!!

I just love the color and texture and smell of reindeer moss! It’s so…woodsy! I tucked little sprigs of it among the branches as well as loading up on it at the base of the branch structure.

I found these fun-shaped ceramic vases at Home Goods about a year ago. They help extend the bright, invigorating color of the lime green plates and reindeer moss from the dining table to the buffet behind it.

I want to extend a HUGE thank you to The Home Girl for naming my blog as one of her “Five Fabulous Finds” and to Jenna at The Painted Apron for listing me among her picks for “Very Inspiring Blogger”! It’s always uplifting to receive recognition from fellow bloggers, and I appreciate it very much! These ladies both have an enviable array of weekly posts on tablescaping, recipes, home organization & decor…their talents abound! If you’ve not seen their blogs, I most certainly recommend that you treat yourself!

This week I’ll be joining Cuisine Kathleen for her weekly blog party, “Let’s Dish!“, The Style Sisters for “Centerpiece Wednesday“, and Susan for “Tablescape Thursday“. Join me, and you’ll be able to see the work of talented tablescapers from all around the world. It’s really cool to see decor from places like Sweden (Chubby ‘N Chieque), India (Crystal Grandeur), Australia (Desire Empire), and, of course, right here in the good ol’ U.S. of A.!

Other tablescapes on this site to help you prepare to entertain this Spring:
“Spring Has Sprung”
“Welcome Back, Joel!”
“Apple Green Luncheon”
“Mum’s the Word”
“Carousel Colors”
“Springtime in Paris Mother’s Day Brunch”
“Peony Power”
“Daffodillyicious”
“Taste of Wine Buffet”
“Mikasa Daylight Giveaway”
“Daisy Crazy”

Apple Green Luncheon

April 20, 2011July 29, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 61 Comments

Thank you to all the new subscribers who have come on board in the last couple of weeks! I welcome you!!! And for those who have been around for a while, you know I thank you and appreciate your continued subscription!

I wanted to post what will be our Easter brunch table, but it’s too early for me to get started on it. I won’t start building it until Friday. I’ll post it next week, for sure! Click here if you missed the Easter brunch tablescape requested by a reader last week.

Meanwhile, I am so happy to be able to post a fun and colorful apple green luncheon tablescape. I apologize that I don’t have a person’s name to identify with this post request. The request came in about 2 months ago, and I am just getting around to sharing these ideas. I’m sorry it is coming so late, and I hope it is still useful!

If you’d like to see another tablescape using green, click here!

I have had lots of requests for pink & green tablescapes, but this is the first for an apple green & white tablescape. What better way to interpret that than with actual green apples!??!?!

Spring luncheon tables are always so much fun to create! This one is great for a spring or summer luncheon, indoors or out. (It could also work well in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day with a little tweaking!) I started with a crisp white cotton linen. Next comes a gorgeous Pier 1 apple green and white cotton placemat with a fabulous houndstooth pattern. Just for fun and a little added dimension, a clear acrylic square is set atop the placemat. Next comes a simple white ceramic charger, a clear luncheon plate, and finally a plain white salad plate from Corelle. An apple green cotton napkin from Bed, Bath & Beyond adds color to the dish arrangement. The stack is topped off with a Granny Smith apple under a miniature clear cloche bell jar from Hobby Lobby. Clear everyday stems for water and limeade along with contemporary J.A. Henckels “Bellaserra” stainless complete the look.

The centerpiece consists of three separate elements. First, for height, is a pair of clear square floral cylinders filled with Granny Smith apples and fresh Bells of Ireland, topped with a puffy green-tinged hydrangea head. I have used faux hydrangea and apples here for demonstration purposes, but the real thing looks absolutely incredible! If you go all fresh (and I sure hope you do!), fill the container with water to totally submerge the apples and Bells of Ireland stem. Submerged fruit and floral arrangements are so cool!!!

The second and third components of the centerpiece are small clear square votive holders with clumps of cheery green viburnum and a densely packed white kalanchoe plant from the flower nursery.

On the buffet behind the table is the beverage and dessert. Limeade served from a fancy glass decanter such as this makes it look a little more special. I bought this one wholesale some years ago, but check out places like Pottery Barn, Costco or even K-Mart. Float lime slices, Granny Smith apple slices, or a combination of both.

If your luncheon includes gifts for an honored guest, ask your other guests to wrap them in colors that correspond with the luncheon colors. Add a few random florals throughout the gifts for more color and texture so they look to be a part of the overall look and tie in with the table florals.

If you can spring for white chairs to gather ’round the table (ladder back cane chairs or garden chairs), consider weaving a length or two of apple green ribbon through the back of each just for fun.

Well, there you have it. Again, I am so sorry not to be able to say who exactly requested this tablescape. Please step forward and remind this old head, will you? 🙂 It was my distinct pleasure to work this up for you, and I truly hope it lends some inspiration for your summer luncheon. Let me know how it goes!

I am gleefully joining my fellow tablescapers at Susan’s Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday. Won’t you please join us anytime after 9:00 p.m. this evening?

Have a Happy Easter, everyone!

Planning in Purple

January 12, 2011July 28, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 15 Comments

Stuck inside with a half-foot of snow on the ground, I was happy to have the company of the Moms who braved the snow-packed roads today for a planning meeting/ladies luncheon.

Even though I officially retired in 2010 (ha!), I find myself drawn to lending a hand to friends and family members who are planning a wedding. The week after New Year’s, I found myself hosting an update meeting with the mothers of the bride and groom. I set up a small table for three near a window so that we could enjoy a view of the untouched snow in our back yard.

We needed room to spread out with notebooks and such, so the table was simply and sparsely set. Beaded edge silver chargers on a crisp white linen were topped with my very traditional Easterling “Majestic” china. When planning a dinner party or luncheon, I try very hard to match the table setting to the taste of the guest(s) of honor. In this instance, both mothers are very traditional, so I stuck with classic pieces including heirloom silver and beautifully cut Mikasa stemware.

Remembering that the mothers share a fondness for the color purple, I paired that with silver and white. (They had both lobbied passionately for purple as a wedding color, but lost that battle to the bride. 🙂 ) It really helped to liven up the tablescape! Tucking a humble purple carnation into each napkin extended the color from the centerpiece.

The silver-painted tree fern from our New Year’s celebration was still going strong, so I pulled it from the plain glass ginger jar from last week and dropped it into a beautiful Waterford crystal vase. It sparkled so nicely against the snow outdoors and the white table linen! (Kept in a cool place – I use our garage – tree fern can last for up to 3 weeks!)

This lively pop of purple carnations is assembled in a shiny silver Revere bowl. So simple to put together in just minutes! I used rhinestone-studded stick pins to adorn each flower to add to the glamour of the table and remind us all of the diamond rings to be exchanged in just 6 short months. (Always remember to cut flower stems on the diagonal to help them take in sufficient moisture from the floral foam. Carnations will keep for a long, long time if you keep them in a cool place with plenty to drink.)