mixed stemware

Mardi Gras Lite

/ Alycia Nichols / 47 Comments

Fat Tuesday in celebration of Mardi Gras 2012 is just about a week away now!!! Problem is, the term “Fat Tuesday” probably has my photograph posted next to it on Wikipedia. I have been bad, bad, bad, bad, bad the last……oh, let’s say 10 years to be honest. I quit exercising every day but continued to shovel in the food and drink despite the ever-expanding hips, thighs, belly and “Oprah arms” waving back at me in the mirror.

This year, instead of the tower of fried catfish, vat of jambalaya, shrimp étouffé, hush puppies, King’s cake and hurricanes I’ve routinely enjoyed in the past, I’m pledging to lighten up. To that end, I have also created a Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras tablescape “lite”…an upscale, sophisticated, pared down version of the more decadent Mardi Gras style to which I am accustomed and hold so dear.

The traditional hues of purple, green, and gold will still be there in all their glory…just not as over-the top in their presentation. This table might work for those who want the essence of Mardi Gras without the whole “Swing from the balcony and show me your —-!!!” feel. 🙂 (In-laws, bosses or clergy invited for dinner might appreciate the less bawdy tone of it!)

I’ve never used a royal purple table linen for any occasion, but this year it lands on the table as the base of the tablescape. Dual chargers in a gold square and purple cobblestone round cradle a clear glass dinner plate and green glass salad plate, thus incorporating all the traditional colors.

A royal purple cotton napkin is cinched with a flirty bangle napkin ring from Bed Bath & Beyond.

Goldtone flatware works well with the place setting.

I was so pleased to see that I had stemware of a similar shape in purple (TJ Maxx), green (Dollar Tree), and gold (World Market).

I’m going to give credit where it’s due. It was totally my husband’s -who fancies himself “The Tablescape Whisperer” – idea to include the long strands of beads. I resisted, thinking it would be way too cliché to have bundles of them down the center of the table. Plus, I whined, it will take away from the clean lines! We compromised, and I ended up arranging them in this quieter “grid” that frames each place setting as well as the centerpiece elements. Purple, green, and gold glass vases hold simply-arranged royal purple calla lilies. Finishing out the centerpiece are clusters of Mardi Gras “disco balls” that catch the light.


The buffet in back of the table is also relatively staid with a single, albeit oversized, royal purple Vidrios San Miguel recycled glass vase stuffed with an arrangement of graduated purple calla lilies. Using a single piece in a dramatic size and color negates the need for lots of little pieces all over the buffet top. Purple and gold glass votives dot the buffet’s edge and add to the overall ambiance in the room.

I don’t think they make gumbo-flavored rice cakes, so I’ll have to come up with something that will be healthy, filling and tasty without sending me into carb/fat/sodium/sugar overload. Yeah, I know…good luck with that! 🙂 New plan: Stick with the old eating plan, but eat it at the pared down table! Love it!

Please join me for Tablescape Thursday again this week to see how other tablescapers from around the globe are decorating for and celebrating Mardi Gras!
Laissez bon temps rouler, y‘all!!!

To see other Mardi Gras tablescapes on this site:
Laissez Bon Temps Rouler
Mardi Gras Mojo
Mardi Gras Madness
Celebrate Mardi Gras!

Mandarin Bling

/ Alycia Nichols / 78 Comments

Regained a smidge of my creative mojo, y’all!
This is the first tablescape I have created since…well, you know! 😉

I’ve been in a creative slump lately, drowning in the cesspool of the last couple of months. I recently decided to surface, catch my breath, and get my hips back to tablescaping!!! 🙂 I drew inspiration from Alberto Pinto’s book “Table Settings”. (Click here or on the “Books That Make You Go Ooh!” tab above to read my review.) I was drawn to his continental style that is markedly different and quite dramatic. Hence, the color palate used here is bright Mandarin orange, blue and white.

 

To create this Oriental tablescape with European style, I started with a starched white floor-length cotton table linen. Floor-length in this case was a must to convey the relative formality of the evening. A 13″ round mirrored charger is topped with Ralph Lauren’s “Mandarin Blue” dinner and salad plates. The plates have two separate but complementary designs. Other pieces in Lauren’s “Mandarin Blue” have orange flourishes.

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I created the menus using a lightweight neon orange cardstock layered with white. A clip art Mandarin symbol adorns the front of each and separates the listed courses.

Now that my mojo is back, my love of energetic color has returned as well. Cobalt blue water goblets from Pier 1 team up with Crystal d’Arques wine glasses and fun orange martinis in which dessert would be served. (Orange martinis found at Old Time Pottery.) This eclectic but complementary mix is typical Alberto Pinto style.

With dishes in a pattern called “Mandarin Blue”, it seemed fitting to use flatware with an Asian influence. Adding a pair of chopsticks alongside the bamboo stainless flatware offers those with the necessary skills a chance to eat in an authentic manner.

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IMG_1179WMThe centerpiece is composed of 29″H clear pilsner vases topped with bright orange rose balls that are visually “connected” by crystal garlands. A single crystal prism, suspended from the bottom of the rose ball, dances in the light of 25″ Paradise candles. (Click here to see another table decorated with rose balls. Click here or on the “Table Tips” tab above – Tip #27 – to see how the prisms are discreetly attached.)

Gilded servants from Z Gallerie offer another level of intimate candlelight.

IMG_1121WMThe buffet display has a Z Gallerie 24″ orange wooden tray tucked behind an oversized ginger jar from Home Goods. More servants with votive candles stand guard in front of the display. Tea service uses “Mandarin Blue” cups and saucers along with a simply designed teapot from Home Goods.

Though very non-traditional in color & style for the holiday, this tablescape would be great for Chinese New Year!

So…who says eating Chinese takeout is just for college students and sitcom characters? “Homey don’t play that!” 🙂 For me, it’s all about the Mandarin Bling!!!

Other Asian-inspired tablescapes on this site:
“Year of the Rabbit”
“Peaceful Peonies”
“Copper Zen”
“Mikasa ‘Daylight’ Giveaway“

You are invited to join Susan at Between Naps on the Porch along with a bevy of wonderfully talented tablescapers for Tablescape Thursday. You can also catch me over at BeBetsy.com. See you there!

Mardi Gras Mojo!

/ Alycia Nichols / 24 Comments

Poor, sad, pitiful me. I lost my Mojo a couple of months back. I was moping around, sleeping too much, couldn’t concentrate, no pep in my step. To the rescue: My good friend, Rene! The postman delivered a box FULL of Mojo straight from her door to mine: What seemed like hundreds of little curled strips of paper with the word “MOJO” in various colors! What a clever pick me up!!! So to that end, I dedicate our Mardi Gras tablescape from this past weekend to my sweet friend, Rene. Thanks for helping me get me Mojo back!

 With just four of us to celebrate the weekend before Fat Tuesday, the space in front of the fireplace seemed just right. I wanted to have as much sparkle and shine and decadence as possible for this tiny table to make it really stand out. I started with these gold fleur de lis chargers I bought at Tuesday Morning 10+ years ago. They don’t get much use, but they sure are fun! To allow the fleur de lis design to stand out, I chose clear dinner plates and see-through green salad plates. Of course, goldtone flatware was in order.

Keeping with the standard Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and gold, I chose purple stemware with gold embellishment for the water glass and a brilliant emerald green wine glass, both purchased from Pier 1 about 7 or 8 years ago. The clear stems give them a cohesive look.

Cotton napkins in a rich aubergine are gathered with these fabulous jewled napkin rings from Z Gallerie. Hard to tell by the picture here, but they have a fabulous color-on-color Harlequin design.

I bought these painted Harlequin ceramic masks from the clearance bin at Tuesday Morning about ten years ago.

Ah! My motivation! They make a perfect little embellishment at each place setting!

Inexpensive multi-colored sequinned fabric works great as a table topper over a deep green full-length linen.

Something kind of fun was to use these sturdy iron chairs loaded down with fun Mardi Gras-inspired decor. Each chair received a beaded seat pillow, purple for the gentlemen and gold (of course!) for the ladies!

These votive holders are covered in purple feathers (yes, feathers!) and finished off with a band of pretty beads at the top.

So here’s a lesson in “I don’t have any extra money to spare but need the right color vase”101. I took a clear glass cylinder and gently mounded yards of shimmering purple organza into it. I LOVE the effect! It seems to give the vase movement and depth as well as the intended color change. A 6-ft. length of purple, green & gold bead garland drapes from the top of the vase, tucked just inside the rim, all the way down into a pool of Mardi Gras beads.

I’ve pulled back the feathers to better expose the Harlequin ornament (a 25 cent after-Christmas purchase from Tuesday Morning) that merrily dances on the side of the centerpiece.

The crown of the centerpiece is this exquisite profusion of purple, green and gold glittered feathers. (When there’s no money in the budget for flowers, feathers are a great stand-in!) I just started tucking them in, and the end result was what looks to me like one of those Sunday-go-to-meeting hats some of the fancy  ladies wear!

Our meal for this occasion was a shrimp boil. I had something completely different planned and already printed on the menus, but our dishwasher went on the fritz a few hours before our guests arrived. It was then a choice to either use (and have to wash by hand) 5 or 6 pots for the original menu or just switch to the one-pot-Wonder. I think I made the right choice!

Have a Fabulous Fat Tuesday, everyone!
Other Mardi Gras tablescapes on this site:
“Laissez Bon Temps Rouler“
“Mardi Gras Lite”
“Mardi Gras Madness”
“Celebrate Mardi Gras!”
“The Peacock Effect”