The Peacock Effect

February 19, 2014August 16, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 39 Comments

INSPIRATION: The softened peacock-like colors and design in this Home Goods plate

With the nasty winter pretty much everyone here in the U.S. has suffered/is still suffering through, it’s good to be able to pull out color and style that bring cheer and hope for Spring. Valentine’s Day is now under our belts (or around our necks or on our fingers…am I right, ladies?!), and it’s time to look toward the celebration of Mardi Gras. Don’t care for the traditional Mardi Gras colors or just want to switch it up? Perhaps something like this would work for you!
(Click on any photo and then click again to enlarge/enhance it.)

This beautifully-appointed table begins with a 90″ x 132″ soft silver tablecloth from YourChairCovers.com.

The place setting begins with a lavender charger from Michael’s. The lavish glass plate is from the Topkapi line often found at Home Goods, T.J. Maxx and Marshall’s. It is 100% food safe. The colors are from the softer side of those found in peacock feathers, and the flourish encircling the plate reminds me of how a peacock proudly unfurls his tail.

The International Silver “Royal Danish” sterling is paired with the setting to complement the majestic plate design. Notice how they both sort of fan out.

I picked up these flashy glitter- and sequin-covered peacock ornaments at this year’s 75% off after-Christmas clearance sale at Pier 1. They are simply clipped onto the side of the charger as an added flourish to the place setting.

I didn’t want to hide any part of the plate design or interfere with the beauty of the peacock on the charger, so the 20″ silver napkins from LinenTablecloth.com are placed dead center at the top of the place setting. They are folded into a fleur de lis which is a great tie-in to Mardi Gras.

I bought this wonderful and oh-so-delicate aubergine-tinted “Andre” stemware from Z Gallerie about 3 years ago, but this is the first time I’ve used it. It picks up yet another hue from the peacock feathers.

I do love a pretty centerpiece, and this one was several weeks in the making. I just couldn’t decide on the center vase! Finally – after selecting mercury glass votives for the table and buffet – I settled on this gourd-shaped silver mercury glass vase from Hobby Lobby. A scant few peacock feathers rise and drape from it.

Now you’re just going to think I’m really anal, but here goes anyway: I chose the silver floating candles (Pier 1) because, again, looking at them reminded me of the peacock’s fanned out tail. The candles drift over a bed of turquoise agate from Michael’s.

The buffet behind the dining table is decorated with two low florals of white, purple, and green-tinted hydrangea, viburnum, deep purple calla lilies and feathery soft dusty miller. Each arrangement is finished off with a peacock like the ones on the table. A mixture of silver and turquoise/purple mercury glass votive holders also carries over from the dining table. The reflection in the mirror if of the same two wreaths used in yesterday’s peacock post.

To balance out the room, the tea cart holds a 21″ silver mercury glass pilsner vase filled with peacock feathers. This, also, is a carryover from yesterday’s post, “Simply Peacock Garden”.

Add a pot of gumbo and a few lavishly-feathered masks as party favors, and this dining atmosphere instantaneously becomes a Mardi Gras celebration!

So there you have it. This tablescape with a peacock effect can work with or without masks and King cake. Your choice!

Other tablescapes on this site using peacock feathers:
Simply Peacock Garden
Peacock Pizzazz
Pumpkins & Peacocks
Pheasants & Peacocks
Proud As a Peacock

Other tablescapes on this site for Mardi Gras:
Laissez Bon Temps Rouler!
Mardi Gras Mojo
Mardi Gras Lite
Mardi Gras Madness

I’m linking up with Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch for “Tablescape Thursday” again this week. If you’ve never joined in on this weekly blog party, this is your chance! There are so many talented tablescapers all over the world who share their creativity all in this one place. Join us, won’t you?

Platinum New Year’s Eve Wedding

December 28, 2013December 28, 2013 / Alycia Nichols / 40 Comments

This past week or so I have been missing the rip, run and raucous roar of the years I spent as a professional wedding designer. Thank goodness I have this blog to purge those feelings because Lord knows my body could not go back to that kind of grueling, back-breaking (literally!), sleepless schedule.
(Click on any photo to enhance/enlarge it and see details up close.)

INSPIRATION: Sparkling silver & white Christmas tree napkin created by my friend & neighbor, Barbara.

I’m pretty sure I’ve said it like 100 times before, but I feel compelled to say it again: I have the best neighbors anyone could ask for!!! I was working on this tablescape for my winter 2013 “Art of Tablescaping” class that I teach through MCC-Longview, and up pops Barbara with these FABULOUS napkins!!! Her gift made me reevaluate the table and want to add design elements that would give it a little more zing. So I tore the tablescape down and started over!

The table is covered in a beautiful 90″ x 132″ platinum pintuck tablecloth from YourChairCovers.com. The diamond shape of the pintuck cloth fits right in with diamonds for a wedding!

This is a tablescape that – minus the napkins – could easily fit into any month of the year for a rehearsal dinner or wedding reception. For a Christmas or New Year’s Eve wedding reception, the napkins are spot on!

The place setting begins with a 13″ silverplate charger. The china used here is Easterling “Majestic” that my Mom gave to me a few years back. It’s staid design of dove grey rimmed in platinum with a white center to break up the concentration of color seemed perfect.

Each place setting has one of Barbara’s sultry, shimmery, beautiful napkins topped with a Moravian star. To see other tablescapes with Barbara’s napkin designs, click HERE and HERE. For the tutorial on how to create them yourself, click HERE for the YouTube video or HERE and scroll down to Tablescape Tip #31 for a step-by-step photo tutorial.

International Silver “Royal Danish” flatware, another gift from my Mom, is paired with Fifth Avenue crystal steak knives.

Mikasa’s “Jamestown Platinum” stemware is perfectly matched with the china.

The centerpiece is a mix of high and low with 29″ silver Revere candlesticks and multi-faceted candle holders in different shapes and sizes. I used rhinestone-studded wax pillars to add shine up high.

I gradually amassed this collection of faceted candle holders from Hobby Lobby and Home Goods over the years. Note how the glow of one of the votives on the table casts light beneath the rose ball. (To see another tablescape using some of these faceted votive and candle holders, click HERE for “Princess Pink Birthday”.)

The dining chairs are covered with silver satin universal chair covers recently purchased from LinenTablecloth.com. I love the way the so beautifully drape down the back of the chair! I used a fancy ornament hook to affix an embellishment of a pewter glass ball ornament, a clear glass ornament, and one of the Moravian stars which enhances the 3-D look.

The buffet behind the dining table is dressed with a huge faux evergreen, pine cone and white orchid arrangement in a beautiful mercury glass pilsner vase. The height of the arrangement helps to bring balance to the tall candlesticks on the table. Other elements from the dining table are repeated here including the rhinestone-studded pillar candles, the faceted candle holders in various sizes and shapes, the rose balls, and the Moravian stars.

The top of the china cabinet also has a few elements repeated from the table and buffet. Faceted crown candle holders hold white rose balls.

Other wedding-related posts on this site:
“Purple & Pastel”
“Bling Wedding”
“Roses in October”
“Showered in Pink”
“Fairy Tale Wedding Shower – Princess & the Frog”
“Something Blue Bridal Luncheon”
“Autumn White Wedding”
“Fete Noir et Gris”
“Planning in Purple”
“Love & Orchids”
“Rhapsody in Blue”
“Dinner for the Ladies in Waiting”
“Tented Green!”

I’ll publish a fun, contemporary New Year’s Eve cocktail/dinner party post tomorrow that will also be featured on Cuisine Kathleen’s blog party, “Let’s Dish!”. next Wednesday anytime after 6:00 p.m. CST. Meanwhile, join me and other talented bloggers right now for fabulous Christmas and New Year’s Eve design ideas on Susan’s 276th edition of “Tablescape Thursday”!

Just Us Girls

February 23, 2011July 27, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 25 Comments

This week’s post is of a quiet, simple dinner for “Just Us Girls” when we want to relax, unwind, jibber-jabber, and have a good time in an elegant setting with minimal fuss. I hope you enjoy its simplicity.

Getting together with “the girls” is always fun. I have such a good time with them just relaxing, rehashing old stories from days gone by, and dreaming about the future. No better way to do that than over a hot meal in a quiet, relaxed atmosphere. Music for tonight: Soundtracks from “First Wives Club” and “Something’s Gotta Give”, a little Billie Holliday, and Patsy Cline.

Soft pink and velvety rich chocolate brown on a white background is the color scheme. It is a little on the contemporary side. A large round mirror anchors each place setting. Next comes a silver beaded edge charger. Then my favorite…fabulous glossy chocolate brown and white “Delfina” dishes with a silver rim from Z Gallerie! How I longed for these dishes!!! I was finally able to buy them a few months ago. They are classically clean-looking without fussy adornment. I love them! The rim of the Mikasa “Jamestown Platinum” stemware is a perfect match. The menus – generated on my home computer – are a brown underlay and a soft pink vellum overlay with pink velvet ribbon.

A peek at the plate. A bit difficult to pick up on the actual color, but believe me…to die for!!!

Keeping with the contemporary look, I chose these unusually shaped silver napkin rings. They remind me of a gentleman’s cuff link. Very snazzy!

The curvy J.A. Henckels “Bellaserra” stainless mimics the lines of the napkin ring. I love the way the knife sits on its edge.

The centerpiece is kept simple and streamlined. Pairs of clear oyster votive cups punctuate the “lamps” made of clear glass pilsner vases topped with a squared off bell shade in chocolate brown (from Walmart!). Click here and scroll down to Tip #21 see how the lamps were put together. While it is not completely evident from these photos, I must share with you a little secret: When using a clear lamp base such as this, try turning the LED votive used for illumination upside down. In doing so, you illuminate the shade and cast the light down into the glass which looks so cool!!! While I used white for this tablescape, it’s even cooler if you use a colored LED votive! Try it and see what it does for the lamp and your adjacent florals! (For more candle lamps on this site, see“Raining Orchids“, “All A’Bloom In Pink for Spring“, “Should Have Put a Ring On It“, and “It’s All About Me!“.)

The contemporary look and feel is completed by a mass grouping of petal pink calla lilies in a simple clear glass vase. Nestled between the taller lamps, it brings a soft dash of color to the table.

Other pink & brown tablescapes on this site include:
Chocolate Traditional
Au Revoir!
Breast Cancer Awareness Luncheon

Be sure to check out the newest Table Twenty-One Table Tip, too! Coincidentally, it’s #21 on the tip page! Click here to find it or on the “Table Tips” tab above. Once on the page, just scroll down to Tip #21!

Remember to check out my other tablescaping pals at Between Naps on the Porch for more tabletop ideas!

I am joining Susan and the bunch at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.

Proud As a Peacock!

January 12, 2011July 27, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 26 Comments

Those of you who have visited this blog in the recent past know that I was recently selected as one of five designers to create a tablescape for the winter 2011 issue of EA Bride Magazine. All I had at the time the magazine hit the newsstands in December were some photocopied images straight from the magazine that I shared with you here. The kind folks at Phoenix Photography have since graciously provided me with scenes from the photo shoot which offer a much clearer view. (Or you can click HERE to go straight to the EA Bride magazine website to see the pages.)

Depicting a winter wedding table in these brilliantly bold hues was a bit of a challenge, but I certainly enjoyed it! When the creative director for EA Bride Magazine approached me for this Winter 2011 edition’s “Design Challenge” tablescape along with four other designers, it was a thrill to be considered.

Borrowed from Celebration Party Rental in Lee’s Summit, Mo., were the table, cool clear-seated silver-back chiavari chairs, ruby-red diamond pintuck table linen and matching napkin. From my personal collection I chose a square silver wooden charger from World Market, a fabulously intricate teal and silver charger from Home Goods, to-die-for rhinestone-studded silk napkins from Z Gallerie, and exquisite rhinestone-flecked snowflake napkin rings from Pier 1. I borrowed the snowflake from the creative director’s stash at the last-minute just before the shoot began. My Mikasa “Jamestown Platinum” stemware, International Silver “Royal Danish” sterling flatware, and intricately carved aperitif goblet. (Note: Yes, I know the champagne flute is on the “wrong” side, but aesthetically…it just looked so much better! To those of you who are purists on this matter, I humbly apologize! :-))

The 25″H mercury glass vase purchased from my friend Dana Nigro’s Village Gardens in Blue Springs, Mo., offered the perfect combination of vintage and modern. By slipping on a few borrowed crystal ornaments, the vessel was subtly transformed for our winter wedding. Arranging the 52″H peacock feathers from my own collection at staggered heights in the vase rendered a centerpiece that stood a total of 58″ tall!!! Perfect for rooms with tall ceilings!

Each of the 3 small arrangements surrounding the main centerpiece were created by Anne Kelly Acock of the Monarch Flower Company in Lee’s Summit, Mo. The diamond head centers remind us of both the occasion and the iciness of winter, while the peacock feathers bring the colors and texture of the peacock feathers towering overhead down to eye level.

After the photo shoot, we all paused for a few moments of relaxation and goofing around before going about the business of tearing down our very temporary creations. From left to right: Ashley Hotka of Good Earth Floral Design Studio, Heather Medley of Notting Hill Design Studio, Anne Kelly Acock of Monarch Flower Company, and li’l ol’ me. (Not pictured: Meghan Perlow of Poppy Floral.)

This was a really fun and educational experience for me. But seriously….I am out of the wedding business. I am retired! Seriously. 😉

Many, many, many special thanks to

EA Bride Magazine, Phoenix Photography, and Lone Summit Ranch

Magazine cover shot by Blixt Photography, Kansas City, MO

Photo by Phoenix Photography

The Winter 2011 issue of EA Bride is on sale now through March 15 at Barnes & Noble, Price Chopper, Hy-Vee, Hen House, Wal-Mart and several local hospital gift shops.

Other tablescapes on this site with a peacock theme include:
“The Peacock Effect”
“Simply Peacock Garden”
“Pumpkins & Peacocks”
“Peacock Pizzazz”
“Pheasants & Peacocks“