If it’s as hot where you are as it is here in the Kansas City, MO area, please know I empathize. Gee WHIZ, it’s scorching!!!!!🥵 I can’t entertain the notion of setting up outdoors as even the mornings are intolerably muggy. This is not what June is supposed to feel like! So I’ve been “monkeying around” in the dining room with blue and white with a dash of orange.
The inspiration for this tablescape came from a pair of lumbar pillows I bought last year from Sew Gracious. (I’m not compensated in any way for mentioning this or any other site. I just love to share!) So perfect for our dining room!!!
I started each place setting with an orange glass Bormioli Rocco charger and Kate Spade for Lenox “Rutherford Circle – Navy” plates and bowls. The Ralph Lauren “Mandarin” salad plate brings visual texture to the setting.
I bought these monkey napkin rings years ago at Z Gallerie. He looks as if he’s holding on to that napkin for dear life!😆
Nell Hill’s. I mean…!!! I LOVE that place! The planters I happed upon while one of the showroom designers was setting a table there are perfect! (Yes, I took them right off her assembly cart…with her kind permission, of course!) I found the pots of spiky greenery there at Nell Hill’s on another shopping trip and added faux agapanthus.
Monkeys and gold-tone planters from The Painted Sofa in Kansas City, Missouri’s West Bottoms shopping district. (Visited there over this past weekend. They are TEEMING with product, y’all!) The blue and white biscuit jars are from Nell Hill’s.
On the vitrine sits a Nell Hill’s blue and white foot tub filled with juicy oranges. The tub is surrounded by a trio of finial jars, a miniature vase, and a couple of ginger jars, also from Nell Hill’s.
If you’re as much a lover of blue and white or chinoiserie as I am and would like to see more of it on this blog, check out the posts below. And don’t forget to follow me on Instagram!
My Mom often recounted the story of how she and Daddy met back in the early 1950s. He was at work and saw her cruising past in her sleek powder blue convertible. It was love at first sight…for the car AND the lady driving it. Both of my parents are gone now, but I often think of that story. When I saw these fabulous powder blue ceramic vases at Cameron’s in downtown Lee’s Summit, MO, I knew my Mother’s Day table in Mom’s memory would haveto include them along with her exquisite Royal Danish flatware. I miss you so much, Mom, and I think of you every. single. day.
Each Martha Stewart for Wedgwood “Conservatory” place setting is anchored by a plain white charger.
Dinner rolls are neatly tucked into the rear side of napkins arranged in the cream soup bowls from Nell Hill’s.
Mom’s Royal Danish flatware has always been a favorite of mine, and I cherish it.
Godinger “Chelsea” iced beverage and Cristal D’Arques-Durand “Capella” wine stem.
I’m enjoying experimentation with faux flowers these days. The blue thistle here is from Petals & Potpourri in Blue Springs, MO. The tulips are from Home Goods, and the greenery and Queen Anne’s lace from Kirkland’s.
I kept the flowers fairly soft in color to complement the color of the vases. This could easily become an Easter tablescape with a bit of tweaking.
The white glass vases with pink and yellow (faux from Nell Hill’s) ranunculus blooms tucked in are from Hobby Lobby. They complement many elements on the table.
Dessert and coffee service on the vitrine with Mom’s favorite lemon meringue pie. She couldn’t bake ’em, but she sure loved to eat ’em!
One of my favorite birthday parties celebrating my Mom’s 85th…
Mom and me…and yes, we both just happened to show up in blue!
There are a few Mother’s Day celebrations featured on my blog including:
Last week’s post was the exuberant, quite colorful, more casual styling for celebrating the Kentucky Derby. Today, with only days to spare before the big race, I offer a more formal version that despite the gilding and crystal is still somewhat relaxed in its overall style.
An overhead shot of the centerpiece focuses on the sumptuous assembly of red roses and the gold-tone candle holders from Very Violet Boutique in downtown Lee’s Summit, MO. (Just a side note to those of you in shopping distance: Very Violet has now closed and sent all inventory next door to sister store Ivy & Sparrow.)
It is the run for the roses, so adding a few here and there (or a lot everywhere!) is quite appropriate . For demonstration purposes these are from my faux collection, but I urge you to incorporate fresh if at all possible.🌹 🌹 🌹
I found this fabulous horse head at The Painted Sofa in downtown Kansas City, MO.🐴 If you plan a visit to the KC area, The Painted Sofa is an exciting, expansive, must-see shopping destination! Three full floors of fabulous furniture and furnishings!
From the bottom up: “raggedy edge” gold glass charger and Ciroa black & white buffalo check from Home Goods intermingled with regal red & gold Royal Scotland pieces.
My sister (her given name is Berishia, but I’ve always lovingly called her Barf!) gifted me with several yards of Derby-themed fabric a few years back, but life got in the way and I never had anything done with it. This year my exceedingly talented and thoughtful neighbor, Barbara, fashioned these gorgeous napkins from some of it. See how she even thought to use red thread on the hem? Gorgeous detail!!! Thank you, Barbara!!!!!!!!
Need a little take-home gift for guests? Gold-painted horseshoes make a wonderful paperweight! I dressed these up with a simple mix of simply tied ribbons tucked into very fancy black card sleeves. (The sleeves are leftovers from my 60th birthday party invitations.)
Gold-rimmed iced beverage glasses from Nell Hill’s in Kansas City, MO paired with Cristal D’Arques -Durand “Ashville Gold” champagne flutes.
After dinner you simply must have a sliver of Derby Pie and/or Bourbon Butter cake! A generous host or hostess will wrap up an extra slice of each for you to enjoy with coffee next morning.😉
There is no Derby celebration complete without the requisite mint juleps served in traditional silver cups. Create an extra special ambience by transferring good bourbon into a fancy crystal decanter.
On the side I created a fun arrangement in a white Nell Hill’s chinoiserie pot with an ivy topiary, luscious red roses, and another gold horseshoe. The 2 miniature horse heads from Hobby Lobby complete the side table decor.
So that’s it for this year’s Kentucky Derby! These ideas can be easily used for any equestrian event with just a few tweaks.
Here are a few other Derby tablescapes on this site you might enjoy:
Time once again for the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, KY, where the horses will be lightning fast🐎, the Kentucky bourbon will freely flow🥃, the chapeaux will be grand👒🎩, and brilliant primary colors will take center stage for both jockeys and spectators. This relaxed tablescape reflects a bit of all that and more for those of us unable to join the revelers at Churchill Downs in person for that 1-1/2 mile thrill known as The Kentucky Derby.🏇
(P.S. If you got that reference to “in living color” in the title, you – like me – are o.l.d.!!!!!😄)
Inspiration for this tablescape the first of two I’ve created for this year) came about while browsing the showroom at Nell Hill’s in Kansas City, MO. The showy hues of the jockey silks reminded me of how colorful the Derby truly is even beyond the ladies’ hats in the stands.
With the energetic riot of color all around, I kept the centerpiece relatively simple using only the Derby’s signature red roses in a sleek trophy cup flanked by horse heads.
“And they’re off!” Here’s where the REAL show of color runs! Multicolored straw runners are the foundation for a cobalt blue charger, chartreuse and red plates, and tri-color stemware. Notice the unusual way in which I offset the stack to best show off the colors. The Pomegranate Derby-inspired napkins from Nell Hill’s depict the fabulous array of tones used for jockey silks.
A single horseshoe embellishes each end of the table runners.
The traditional drinking vessel of the Kentucky Derby: the silver mint julep cup!
I used two different Pomegranate cocktail napkins because I couldn’t decide on just one! The napkins are nestled into individual trophy cups from Michael’s at each place setting.
No race day fête is complete without an aromatic and calorie-free (😉) Derby pie!
I can’t believe I didn’t include Woodford Reserve here🤦🏽♀️, but a generous selection of Kentucky bourbons is always a nice touch as guests have their favorites.
A cavalcade of miniature julep cups for taste testing various brands!🥃🥃🥃
Absolutely no Kentucky Derby celebration properly comes together without a dashing chapeau for the gents (my late Dad’s straw Stetson is a winner!) and a wildly styled hat for the ladies…the bigger, broader, and bolder the better!!!
Whip up or order in some wonderful food, create a fun atmosphere, grab your hat, choose your favorite to wind up in the winner’s circle, and settle in for the greatest 2 minutes in sports!
I’ll post a more formal Kentucky Derby tablescape in a few days. Meanwhile, if you’d like to check out Derby tablescapes from previous years on this site:
I’m trying to stay upbeat, but it’s hard to do when so many are needlessly and through no fault of their own suffering so much. I’ve felt this way regarding many people targeted by bullies, and today (as in the weeks since the vicious and unwarranted attack began) I’m thinking more than ever about the people of Ukraine.🇺🇦 I began pulling together a tablescape meant to be a joyous representation of Spring and ended up in tears. I’m going to post this without a lot of further commentary because I’m otherwise going to start cussing…and crying again.🤬😢
The blue-rimmed chargers are from Hobby Lobby, the “Mirandela” pattern dinner plates (last featured here in August of 2021) and cobalt blue stemware from Pier 1, the J.A. Henckels “Bellaserra” flatware and Cristal d’Arques “Capella” wine stems from Macy’s, and the cream soup sets from Nell Hills in Kansas City, MO. The “Opera” Royal Crystal Rock glasses were an estate sale find.
While these are faux greenery (Kirkland’s) and flowers (Kirkland’s and a wholesale outlet), fresh ones on your table would be glorious. I found the curvy cobalt vase at Z Gallerie some years ago.
I often take liberties with candlesticks and employ them as finials.
Lighting candles of hope.
This is by no means the definition of “art imitating life”, but the people of Ukraine are on my mind and in my heart, and their plight is burning a hole into my very soul. May God bless them all. 🇺🇦
There are a couple of other blue and yellow tablescapes on this blog you might like to see that incorporated these same Pier 1 dishes:
It’s official. We are now in the midst of Easter Week 2022. I’m trying to remember when my prayers have been as fervent and anguished as they’ve been these past several weeks. So much horror, sadness, and suffering happening on a global🇺🇦 as well as a personal level.😔 (My favorite brother-in-law, Kenny, passed away, and his services had to be canceled due to an aggressive COVID🦠😷😷🤒 outbreak.) My heart is so heavy.💔
I’ve got to escape, place my thoughts elsewhere for a while. I’m posting this joyous Easter tablescape as a respite from this world’s wretchedness with continued prayers for peace.
Garden vegetables are the star of this show! I’m fortunate to be within 30 miles of Nell Hills in Kansas City, MO. I found these crazy gorgeous, scarily realistic carrot tops (this season) and lettuce heads (2020) there. They will both see a lot of action over the years to come!
The napkins are actually towels from that bargain area in the front of every Target store. They have really upped their game there in recent years! The towels came in sets of 2 patterns: This one with bunnies on a green background…
…and this one with the inspiration for this post’s title on a white background.
White ceramic flower pots filled with green leaf lettuce 🥬 and carrots.🥕🥕🥕 While these are props, you could use the real deal and then have one whale of a salad the following day!🥗
To-mā-to/ To-máh-to. It’s all good in the garden!🍅🍅🍅
The vegetable theme carries over to the vitrine.
What’s Easter without eggs?
Who says floral greenery can’t be produce?🥬
Coffee spoons nestled together in a ceramic basket.
If you’d like to check out more Spring and Easter tablescapes on this blog, here’s a LONG list from which to choose. I wish you a HAPPY EASTER filled with joy and peace.
Easter Sunday is just about a week away now. Whether you’re hosting a big family affair or just taking it easy, you still have to eat a good breakfast. Why not set the table the night before and start the day with something slightly luxurious without too much fuss?
It will be just the two of us for Easter Sunday breakfast at the kitchen table, but we both have hearty appetites! So yes…we’ll be eating ALL the foods!😋
I always try to add a little something extra special like these rose-topped sugar cubes for our coffee.
“Carnegie” by Christopher Stuart iced beverage glass with a pineapple motif sits alongside Cristal d’Arques “Ashville Gold” champagne flutes for mimosas.
Hey! Don’t judge! It’s been a LONG Lenten season. Our sweet tooth has some catching up to do!
These sweet wood bunnies have been sold at Hobby Lobby for several years now. This one looks so at peace…right in line with Easter Sunday.
We can be a couple of Messy Marvins, so I often employ full-sized decorative towels as napkins. These are from those bins we all know and love at the front of every Target store!
You may recognize this arrangement from my recent post, Bunny Pink EasterLuncheon. It found its way here to the breakfast bar for the season.
A few Easter touches added to the ever-present coffee bar.
I love my collection of Grace Teaware “Pin Dots” pink dishes.
Still looking for just the right tablescape for your Easter celebration? Check out these past Easter/Spring posts for ideas!
Less than two short weeks and counting until Easter Sunday! I have a few ideas that I hope will serve to inspire as you prepare your table this year. First up, a lovely luncheon or brunch table sure to delight your guests.
I’m so thrilled to finally use these Kate Spade “Rutherford – Pink” dishes!!! They are a favorite in my collection! For a fabulous tribute to a Breast Cancer survivor or a sweet bridal or baby shower, just swap out the bunny, ears, and eggs!
Each guest treated to a pair of bunny ears from Dollar Tree. Great for selfies later!
Flatware from my Mom’s house that I thought would be fun with this setting.
The blush of just barely pink glassware from Home Goods doesn’t compete with the dishes.
The pink and white checked table runner is a fortuitous Hobby Lobby find from last year.
Who’s this handsome fellow? Why, it’s BARTON, of course! My year-round bunny who lives all over the house! Barton stands in a Home Goods basket surrounded by a lush menagerie of muted faux greenery, berries, and tulips. I added a trio of metal garden spheres from The Painted Sofa in Kansas City, MO, and a fabulous oversized bow tie from Nell Hills.
I’ve had all kinds of ideas for Spring and Easter tablescapes over the years. Some wild, some weird, some peacefully wonderful. If you’d like to check them out, here’s a sampling!
Egads!😱 Has it really been nearly FOUR MONTHS since I last posted?!?!? That post-Christmas cleanup kinda wiped me out, so I took a step back. Apparently WAY back…off a cliff and into oblivion!😄 It’s springtime now, and I’m ready to jump back in feet first with this mix of pastel pink and moody black inspired by tableware bought at Hobby Lobby last year. (Yes, I know…I’m slow as molasses!)
With my 1st pastel tablescape of the 2022 Spring season, I made an easy transition with the use of black ceramic that played off the cheetah’s spots.
A setting ready to take on a soup, sandwich, and side entrée.
Black-handled “San Remo” flatware from Hampton Forge Silversmiths adds a touch of formality.
There’s always time for just “one more” cup!
My late Mother’s Mikasa “Elegance – Black” iced tea stemware paired with pretty silverplate goblets.
The black napkins are transformed into individual bread baskets at each place setting.
The sleek black lidded vases are a Tuesday Morning purchase from many years ago.
Tulips. A sure sign of Spring! These faux beauties in a range of pastel colors are from the famed Nell Hills boutique in Kansas City, MO.
As I generally prefer, the vitrine behind the dining table is laden with after-luncheon sweets and spirits.
Silver cordials from my Mom’s collection along with junior-sized snifters for a lovely Oatmeal Raisin brandy from my friend, Dixie, that despite its homespun cookie name will knock you on your keister!
A matching side floral. Tulips – real or fabulously faux like these from Nell Hills – are so easy to assemble to create gorgeous arrangements.
Champagne-Blackberry cake to finish!
I wish you the best Spring possible given the state of the world at present. Let’s all be kind.🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦
If you would like to visit a few more Spring-inspired tablescapes on this site, click on the links below. And please follow me on Instagram!
Thanksgiving will once again this year be a sparsely attended event at our home. While I’m a firm believer in “the more, the merrier”, I know that’s not possible and can appreciate and embrace a smaller group. So “bountiful simplicity” will be the name of the game for 2021.
This tablescape concept began with the purchase of the white pumpkin-embossed runner from Home Goods I bought a few weeks ago. The pickings are slim this year, so I felt fortunate to find something I liked. The centerpiece is created with a long, narrow wooden “trough” from Nell Hill’s filled with a variety of pumpkins, gourds, fruits, faux acorns, greenery, and leaves topped off with a pair of antlers. A six-pack of 24″ metal case candles in clear glass holders runs along both sides. With such a low centerpiece, I felt it necessary to add height but still be mindful of being able to see across the table.
I was SO excited to find these great leather look chargers at Hobby Lobby this season!!! I used them once already this season for “Hey, Pumpkin!“, and they will come in handy for lots of future fall and winter tablescapes. The mustard yellow dinner plates, oak leaf/acorn plates, and plaid salad plates are all from Pier 1, purchased over the last 10+ years. The delicate cream soup bowl with saucer (having homemade mushroom soup for a starter!) is from Nell Hill’s in Kansas City, MO. Hampton Silversmith “Patriot” flatware, napkins from LinenTablecloth.com, and amber bubble glass stemware from TJ Maxx round out the place settings. Lithe seed pearl wreaths add texture, color, form, and a little fun.
I was determined this year to reuse, recycle and reduce waste when it came to decorating. While I bought LOTS of pumpkins and gourds at the start of the fall season, I’ve made sure to use them in various ways inside and out. A quick dip in a weak Clorox bath when I first brought them home has kept them going strong. See how I first used these pumpkins as the backdrop for my 2021 Halloween entry, “The Spider & the Fly“. Deep six the spiders and flies, do a little artful rearranging, add some wheat sheaves, and it’s all ready for Thanksgiving! (PSA: If you know someone nearby who has a farm, ask them if they’d like to have your pumpkins after the season to feed their livestock. If not, consider chopping them up and scattering them in an uninhabited wooded area for wildlife such as foxes, deer, squirrels, and other animals who often find it difficult to source food in the winter. Full circle use!)
The small china cabinet is all decked out with its usual aluminum wine and champagne coolers that are further embellished with berry branches, pumpkins, and a big moss ball.
If you would care to check out other Thanksgiving-inspired tablescapes on this blog:
I’m pleased as apple cider punch to be joining a talented group of ladies from across the globe in Blog Land for a Thanksgiving Tablescape Blog Hop! I hope you will click on their links to check out their Thanksgiving tables! (NOTE: Set to go live Tuesday, November 9 at 7 a.m. EST, although some posts may be up now.)
Tablescapes at Table /Twenty-One 