Flamingos in Paradise

June 19, 2012June 18, 2018 / Alycia Nichols / 78 Comments

If the thermometer on my car is right, it is currently 96 degrees outside. I’d say summer is h-e-r-e!!!

While living in the great Midwest doesn’t afford much of a true beach experience, we can always dream! This poppin’ pink tropical tablescape for 10 is great for a gathering of friends celebrating any casual summer occasion. I know my good friend/cake stylist, Patrick “the-Flamingo-Lover” Snuffer, would never leave!
(Click on any image to enhance/enlarge it.)

I used two 6-ft. oblong tables pushed together horizontally to create an “almost square.” This shape provides more decorating space in the center with room left over if necessary for bread baskets, wine carafes, condiments and such.

A canvas of crisp white linen allows all the brilliant tropical colors to shine. Hot pink Bormioli Rocca “Inca” glass chargers recently purchased for a song at Gordman’s anchor the place settings. I blogged about it (here), and the pricing on these chargers was so hot that my friend Cherry Kay from Entertaining Women could barely finish her dinner before scooting out the door to snatch some up. I imagined us in that “Run, Forrest! Run!!!!” scene with me cheering her on! 🙂

The melamine dinner plate is a fun and inexpensive 2012 purchase from Old Time Pottery costing just $2.49 apiece. The napkins are actually bandanas purchased at Hobby Lobby. At just $.99 each, you don’t freak out so much about teriyaki sauce stains!

I used faux bamboo flatware from JC Penny Outlet to keep the tropical theme going.

This gorgeous and substantially-weighted turquoise blue stemware from Pier 1 is a perfect match to the cool blues in the dinner plate.

Clear glass cylinders are the workhorse of my centerpiece inventory. You can find them at places like Old Time Pottery, Michael’s, Hobby Lobby and Home Goods. Here a mix of high, medium and low cylinders displays some of the hundreds of seashells gathered or received as gifts over the years. Chalky white starfish from Z Gallerie sit atop the cylinders to add a little more height and form.

The cylinders are flanked by jaunty pink flamingos from Hobby Lobby wading in a sea of still more shells that run the length of the table. I used to confuse flamingos and storks…and then baby made three, and it became crystal clear which was which! 🙂

Snippets of hot pink and cream-colored plumeria are tucked here and there among the shells along with clear cylindrical votives. Even more color and texture is introduced by way of deep green hostas and tropical-looking ferns pillaged from our yard.

These brightly colored paper parasols from Hobby Lobby get a real workout at our house! I like to casually plunk them down around the perimeter of the deck to add color and a little bit of a “Wow!” factor. They’re cheaper and less back-breaking than bringing in a bunch of potted palms. Here they’re kind of like umbrellas in the sand at the beach!

A small oblong drink and hors d’oeuvres table is set up at one end of the deck, flanked by still more of the pretty paper parasols. Another, resting atop another glass cylinder, shades the food & drink from the unforgiving glare of the early evening sun. Tiny parasols garnish each glass.

These oh-so-fun-and-fabulous ceramic flamingo appetizer/salad/dessert plates are making their debut here serving up delicious crab cakes, but look for them again soon taking center stage in another tropical-themed post. My dear blog friend, Mona, sent them to me last summer when I was feeling very blue. Their arrival on my doorstep gave me a surge of energy to the nth power!!! Thank you, sweet Mona!!!♥♥♥

And this, dear friends, is what goes into the creation of a fun, colorful, casual beach/tropical-themed tablescape!

Other posts with a tropical theme on this site:
“Hot Tropical”
“Tropicana”
“Oranges & Blossoms”
“Old Navy Seafood Cruise”

Other posts using paper parasols on this site:
“Daisy Crazy”
“Oopsy Daisy!”

I will join Cuisine Kathleen for her 14th “Let’s Dish!” this week. Be sure to tune in anytime after 6:00 p.m. CDT on Wednesday. This week is her “At the Beach” tablescape challenge, so it will be lots of fun! C’mon and go surfin’ safari with us! Looking for great centerpiece ideas? Join me at the Style Sisters’ blog for “Centerpiece Wednesday“. I’ll also join Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for “Tablescape Thursday“, available anytime after 9:00 a.m. CDT on Thursday. Come on over! And check me out on BeBetsy.com!

Pink Plaid & Posies

April 1, 2012June 18, 2018 / Alycia Nichols / 57 Comments

I’ve created a bonus tablescape this week so that I can participate in The Tartan Parade co-hosted by blogger buddies Babs (Upstairs Downstairs), Sarah (Hyacinths for the Soul), Delores (Vignette Design), and Alison (The Polohouse). Stop on over to see the other fabulous and fun tartan plaid tablescapes! I’m also linking up with the fun weekly party, Pink Saturday. If you like pink like I do, you’ll love this party!

I wore a plaid uniform nearly every single day in grade school and high school, so a tiny masochistic vestige of tartan plaid clothing remains in my closet. I don’t, however, own much of anything that is plaid in the way of decorating. When I found these pink plaid salad plates, though, I knew I was in like Flynn! (Or “Flint”, depending on which camp you belong to!) I could do a Spring tablescape in pastel pink plaid for the Tartan Parade! I decided to dress the table accordingly using various shades and widths of pink ribbon in a woven plaid design.

I liked the way the ribbon treatment came out over the white full-length table linen, so I just kept running with it! (My husband – the infamous “Tablescape Whisperer” – wanted me to do the entire table in this ribbon plaid treatment. He must be trippin’! ;-))

A white ceramic charger (Old Time Pottery) is topped with a plain white Corelle dinner plate. The pretty pink plaid salad plate is topped with a neat little bowl from Pier 1 that cradles the napkin.

A white cotton hemstitch napkin is gathered up with a bright pink glass napkin ring from Bed Bath & Beyond.

International Silver’s “Danish Princess” flatware rests comfortably atop the ribbon treatment. You can see more clearly here the use of two shades of pink ribbon.

Everyday clear glass stemware from Old Time Pottery is perfect for a pared down Spring luncheon without a lot of frills.

Using two shades of Gerbera daisies lends depth to the bouquets plopped into a parade of curvy white ceramic vases from Michael’s.

What’s a Springtime luncheon without a little take home gift for your guests? Again, two shades of ribbon to make it look just a little more interesting.

So there you have it! A Spring (or Summer!) luncheon (that would also work well for Mother’s Day, a birthday, baby shower, bridal shower, or to celebrate a friend who has battled breast cancer) in pink plaid with posies! I don’t think you’ll ever see this plaid in a Scottish kilt, but I think it works for lunch!

Other light & airy tables in pink on this site:
“Peonies & Pearls“
“Princess Pink Birthday“
“Showered in Pink“
“Breast Cancer Awareness Month”
“Blushing Bridal Shower”
“Just Us Girls”
“Chocolate Traditional”
“Days of Wine & Roses”
“Daisy Crazy“

I’m also hooking up with “The Tablescaper” for Seasonal Sundays this week! Check it out to see a variety of tablescapes and ideas for Spring and Easter!

Tropicana

July 18, 2011June 18, 2018 / Alycia Nichols / 88 Comments

Acclaimed Japanese writer Haruki Murakami wisely wrote, “And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain: When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”

That’s how I can best sum up my feelings about what happened when we recently packed up our lives and moved to Georgia, only to move back within the week. And while we are still weathering that storm, trying to make sense of it all, trying to learn from its harsh, hurtful, and very expensive lessons…I know that storms are a mere hiccup and that sunny days will prevail.

That being said, I want to celebrate my return to Blogland after a two-month absence with a bright, colorful, cheerful summer tablescape.

We’re not quite completely settled back in yet and we probably won’t be entertaining guests for awhile, so I thought I’d share photos of a dinner party from last summer that I never published. (Believe me: In this record breaking heat, we would not be eating outside anyway!!!)

Summer is definitely a time for bright, tropical-flavored colors. This table for four started with a shockingly pink floor-length table linen from LinenTablecloth.com. (A word of caution about LinenTablecloth: In my experience, their customer service is just horrible at times, so choose wisely and read the fine print!) A pair of Pier 1 multi-colored matchstick table runners crisscross to anchor the setting.

A trio of paper parasols from Hobby Lobby extend the table colors across the deck.

These have got to be among my favorite summer dishes: ruffled melamine chargers in aqua (Crate & Barrel), topped with a simple white Corelle dinner plate to break up the color a little, finished off with a fun tropical-themed salad plate from Pier 1. The stainless “bamboo” flatware is from Target.

Exotically swirled aqua in the Pier 1 stemware reminds me of the ocean. The butterfly-meets-flower straws are also from Pier 1.

I chose pure white cotton napkins to give the eye another little break from all the color. Each napkin, folded in a compact square, is topped with a seashell toting a fresh orchid bloom. (The great thing about fresh orchids – besides how insanely great they look – is that they can thrive without water for several hours!)

The towering white bamboo vase is from my favorite store….let’s all say it together….Z Gallerie! Mounds of seashells collected over the years add a little girth to the bottom of the centerpiece to balance it out with the top. Tucking a few orchid blooms and brightly hued cockscomb here and there amongst the seashells adds color and extends the floral theme. (I just love decorating with seashells!)

This lush profusion of fabulous orchids – courtesy of my dear friend Craig Sole of Craig Sole Designs – are arranged in an untamed fashion along with curly willow branches that lend height and texture.

I’ll end this post with one more quote (expletives redacted) from author Kelly Cutrone: “This is an important lesson to remember when you’re having a bad day, a bad month, or a [$&!##%] year: Things will change. You won’t feel this way forever. And anyway, sometimes the hardest lessons to learn are the ones your soul needs most. I believe you can’t feel real joy unless you’ve felt heartache.” Amen, sister!

Other tablescapes on this site using paper parasols:
“Daisy Crazy“
“Oopsy Daisy“

More tablescapes on this site using seashells:
“Summer Breeze”
“Old Navy Seafood Cruise”

More tablescapes on this site using orchids:
“Raining Orchids“
“Love & Orchids“
“Upscale Irish“
“Autumn Orchids“
“Happy Mother’s Day, Senator Mom“
“Happy Birthday, Barf“

It’s great to be back! Thank you for stopping in, and please be sure to join me this Thursday for Tablescape Thursdays hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. You’ll be glad you did!