A Mother's Day Celebration: Welcome to the 193rd Tablescape Thursday!

This Sunday is Mother's Day.  In honor of this special occasion, I've put together a table setting using  very special table "linens."  My Mom crocheted this luncheon set back in 1956 while she awaited my arrival.

Here's a photo of my Mom (and me) around the time she would have completed this set. Unfortunately, I never really got to know my Mom very well since she became ill when I was still small.  She never really recovered and passed away when I was a senior in college.
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Spring Easter Table Setting with Daffodil and Moss Centerpiece: Welcome to the 187th Tablescape Thursday!

Greetings!  Hope it's as beautiful where you are as it is here in Georgia.  This has been such a wonderful spring!

As I looked through the photos for this post, I noticed the background is changing with each week's table setting here on the porch.  It's getting green and wooly out there...love this time of year!
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Spring Easter Table Setting: Welcome to the 186th Tablescape Thursday!

Greetings!  Hope your week is going great.  Spring is in full swing here; everything is blooming up a storm!

For this week's Tablescape Thursday, I did something I've always wanted to do in a table setting.
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A St. Patrick's Day Table Setting: Welcome to the 185th Tablescape Thursday!

Spring officially arrives on March 20th, but it's already here in Georgia.  The temps have been in the upper 70's; they even went above 80° today.

It was so beautiful out the day I captured these pics.  I'm looking forward to seeing green leaves filling out the trees real soon.  I don't think it will be long now.

The sheers were dancing in the spring breezes.

Since St. Patrick's Day is this Saturday, it's time to celebrate with a St. Patrick's Day themed tablescape.
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Valentine's Day Table Setting: Welcome to the 181st Tablescape Thursday!

It was another gorgeous day here...is this really February?  Since the temps reached 67 degrees today, I headed for the porch for this Tablescape Thursday.

Before we get started, the winner of the shopping spree at French Bleu Vintage has been announced on the Giveaway post, HERE.  Thanks so much to everyone who entered the giveaway.

I know Valentine's Day is behind us now, but I had to squeeze in one more Valentine's Day table setting before we say good-bye to that holiday for another year.  I had envisioned this tablescape with red roses in the centerpiece, but unfortunately all the ones I found today were still closed up tight...not quite what I had in mind.
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Decorating for Valentine's Day: Welcome to the 160th Metamorphosis Monday!

Valentine's Day is tomorrow.  I love that holiday.  How can you not love a day that's all about chocolate, romance and ♥ LOVE! ♥

It makes me smile when I remember bringing Valentine's Day cards to school.   If I close my eyes, I can still see all the colorful construction-paper folders we made and decorated.  They were strung along the wall where they patiently waited to be filled with sweet valentines.

When February 14th arrived, the classroom became a little bee's nest as we scurried around carefully placing the tiny envelopes in the correct folders.  Do you remember the night before, reading the valentines and carefully choosing just the right valentine card for each friend, especially if that friend was your classroom crush?

Oh, the excitement of opening the valentines the next day!  I always wondered what those little envelopes would hold.  Would it be candy, a message from a "secret admirer" or just a friendly valentine?  Maybe it was all those Nancy Drew books I was reading.  Whatever it was, I loved and still love the mystery and intrigue of this special day.

This Valentine's Day, my crush is you.  Will you be my Valentine?  ♥  Check: Yes √ or  No √.  ;)

The guest bedroom received a little Valentine's Day decorating.
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Valentine's Day Table Setting: Welcome to the 180th Tablescape Thursday!

Valentine's Day is just a few days away.   Did you forward your Valentine's Day cards to the Valentine, Texas Post Master to have them postmarked with their famous stamp?  Such a cute idea!

We've been having spring-like weather for weeks here in Georgia.  Even the daffodils are in full bloom.  The porch was calling, begging me to come out and play.   Just look at all that glorious sunshine!
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Inspiration for Your Valentine's Day Table: Welcome to the 177th Tablescape Thursday!

Hi Friends!  How was your day?  I spent the first half of mine in a contacts exam.  Finding contacts that work as they should when you're...Ahem...my age, isn't much fun.  Monovision doesn't work anymore (been there, done that) and astigmatism makes all lens choices a challenge, even the ones that are designed especially for astigmatism.  We're going to try a new multi-focal.

Have you heard of Duette contacts?  They are a hybrid lens, rigid gas permeable in the center of the lens and a soft lens everywhere else.  They won't work for my eyes but it's an interesting concept for sure.  Google it and you can read about them.  I love that they keep trying to come up with new ideas for contacts, "poking the box" as Seth Godin would say.
 
After a morning at the eye doctors, the afternoon was spent at my credit union having a safety deposit box drilled out.  The key was lost long ago and I claim zero responsibility for that.  I'm not naming names, but... ;)  Did you know when you lose your safety deposit box key, they charge you $175 to drill out the lock?  Writing that check was painful.

The box hadn't been opened since 1991 and opening it today caught me completely off guard.  It was like opening a little time capsule.  Tears were shed as I went through the contents.
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Colonial Williamsburg Christmas Centerpiece: Welcome to the 174th Tablescape Thursday!

Greetings!  Hope you’ve been having a wonderful day!  My day has been a little wacky.  I had an eye exam this morning and I sort of forgot when you go for an eye exam, they dilate your eyes.   So, if these pics look a little blurry, you’ll know why.  lol  It was definitely a challenge taking photos and sorting them with partially dilated eyes.

I love the “Colonial Williamsburg style” fruit trees. The tree I created this year is a bit different from those I've created in years past.




I took the leaf out of the table so this tablescape is a bit cozy.   I started out with red candles but changed to gold ones midway through the picture taking process.  So you’ll see both red and gold candles in this table setting as you scroll through this post.

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A Mercury-Glass Christmas Tree Table Setting: Welcome to the 173rd Tablescape Thursday!

Several months ago I was shopping in Marshall's and I came across a mercury-glass Christmas tree. It was very early in the season and the stores were just starting to get Christmas stuff in. The tree was only $12.99 so I purchased it with the idea of buying a few more for my Christmas table setting this year. I was envisioning a centerpiece filled with pretty, silvery trees. Unfortunately, I never came across anymore silver trees in any of the discount stores. Pottery Barn had them but the price was way more than what I wanted to pay.

Then it happened. I went on a Christmas home tour and there it was, the table I had envisioned. These home tours are bad for the pocket book, ya know? It was gorgeous and I was ruined. The next day I bit the proverbial bullet and purchased a tall tree and two small trees at Pottery Barn. Ouch. Merry Christmas to me.

I still needed one more small tree. I didn't want all the trees to be exactly the same--so much more interesting when they don't all match. I just wanted them all in the mercury-glass style. I eventually found another one in Marshall's, but it was more silver than mercury-glass looking. You'll see it in some of the pics below. I wasn't satisfied with it and eventually I found another mercury-glass tree inexpensively on eBay, also visible in some of the photographs below. It adds a fun twist to this table setting.

The three center trees (including the tall one) are the ones from Pottery Barn. One cool thing about the PB trees: they are designed so you can tuck a string of lights up inside. In this pic below, the lights inside the 3 center trees are turned off.

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A Thanksgiving Table Setting, One Week Late: Welcome to the 171th Tablescape Thursday!

I'm a week late but for this Tablescape Thursday I'm sharing the Thanksgiving table setting I had been working on when my camera cat-astrophe occurred. All the pics in this post were taken with the new camera, a Nikon D5100. This camera is super, duper light sensitive, which is why it works so well in low lighting situations. It will take me a little while to get used to the change, so please bear with me while I "learn" the camera.

For this Thanksgiving tablescape I envisioned a soft, sophisticated mix of shiny silvers and browns, with touches of amber.  I usually like bold pops of color in my tablescapes, but I went for a more subtle feel this year.

I never like using the leaf in the table, so this table setting is a little on the cozy side.  You like cozy, right?
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Thanksgiving Turkey Napkin Fold Tutorial

Recently, for Tablescape Thursday, I posted a Thanksgiving tablescape with the little ones in mind.  It included a fun turkey napkin fold.   Today I'm sharing a tutorial showing how it's made, in case you would like to incorporate it into your Thanksgiving table this year.

To create your turkey napkin fold, besides a napkin, you'll need a pinecone and a chenille pipe cleaner.  Actually, one pipe cleaner will make the necks/heads for two turkeys, so you'll only need 2 pipe cleaners to create turkeys for four place settings.
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A Thanksgiving Tablescape for the "Kid's" Table: Welcome to the 169th Tablescape Thursday!

Thanksgiving is only one week away!  Wow, this month has flown by.  For this Tablescape Thursday I put together a tablescape with the little ones in mind.  Do you set up a "kids" table each year for Thanksgiving?  Sometimes I think sitting at the kids table would be more fun than the grown-ups table.

Though this table was created with little ones in mind, there are three things I would change on this table if children were going to be sitting here.  1. There would be just one glass at each place setting.  2. I'd remove the salad forks which could prove a little confusing for the youngest ones.  3.  I wouldn't have acorns on the table since they could end up in mouths or being hurled through the air. ;)  With those three changes, I think this would work pretty well as the children's table for Thanksgiving Day.

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A Thanksgiving Table Setting and a Fabulous Giveaway from The Charmed Life: Welcome to the 168th Tablescape Thursday!

Update:  Chosen by Random Number Generator, the winner of the giveaway from The Charmed Life is Donna Howell.  Congrat, Donna!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and you know what that means---lots and lots of cooking!  For this Tablescape Thursday, I'm sharing a few pictures of a previous Thanksgiving table setting along with a wonderful giveaway from The Charmed Life that's guaranteed to having you cooking like Paula Deen!

If you watch the Food Network and Paula's show or if you read her magazine, you know Paula Deen loves her Pewter Crosby and Taylor measuring spoons. You may know Crosby and Taylor by their previous name, the Tin Woodsman Pewter Company.

Their measuring spoons are much coveted by cooks because they aren't just functional, they are beautiful little works of art.  Each spoon is hand made here in the United States and is a treasure worthy of being passed down to the next generation of cooks in your family.

The Charmed Life carries beautiful serving pieces, glassware, napkin rings and lots of great products for entertaining and home decor.  They've got all your favorite name brands.

The winner of this giveaway will choose any set from the wonderful collection displayed below.  Each set includes the "post" for displaying these whimsical spoons.  It's going to be a tough choice for the winner because they are all so beautiful!  (Click on any picture below to view that set and for additional information.)

Crosby and Taylor Measuring Spoons:

So how do you enter this awesome giveaway?

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Halloween Table and Mantel...Spooky!

Happy Weekend! Are you making final preparations for all the goblins and ghouls who will soon be knocking on your door? I'll be heading out today to buy candy.  Then I'll be trying hard to not eat it all by Monday!    What's your tactic for not digging into the candy and eating it before Halloween arrives? Some folks purposely buy stuff they don't like, but where's the fun in that? lol

My friend, Bonnie, has been readying her home for the big day.  I love seeing how Bonnie decorates her dining room hutch for the seasons and holidays.  Come a bit closer and check out her spooky table setting.

Love the orange candlesticks with skeleton candles.  Even the tablecloth is covered with skeletons!

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Elegant Halloween Tablescape: Welcome to the 165th Tablescape Thursday!

Happy Tablescape Thursday!  With only two Thursdays left between now and Halloween, I was itching to create a fun Halloween table setting.

Since this table setting is all about candlelight, I didn't wait for nightfall to light the candles.
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4th of July Napkin Ring Tutorial

While we continue enjoying all the wonderful tablescapes linked yesterday for Tablescape Thursday, here's a little tutorial for the napkin ring I used in the 4th of July tablescape I shared.

This is a super easy napkin ring to make. It reminds me of beautiful patriotic bunting.

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4th of July Table Setting: Welcome to the 149th Tablescape Thursday!

The Star-Spangled Banner
Francis Scott Key




Oh, say, can you see,

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Celebrating the 4th of July: Welcome to the 147th Tablescape Thursday!

A Table Setting for the 4th of July-Independence Day

Happy Tablescape Thursday! I've been working on a couple of 4th of July table settings and having the best time! A table setting for Independence Day is so much fun to put together since it's all about celebration and love for our country.



Time to break out the Red, White and Blue!
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Colonial Williamsburg Apple Tree Tutorial: Welcome to the 101st Metamorphosis Monday!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I hope your holidays have been wonderful!

Recently, I created a Colonial Williamsburg style, apple tree centerpiece for our Christmas dinner table setting. I've had several requests in the past for a tutorial showing how this centerpiece is made...so when I made the centerpiece this year, I took pics along the way. :)




To create the apple tree shown above, you'll need some greenery. The greenery I gathered from my yard included magnolia, holly and nandina berries, but you can substitute other types of greenery like boxwood, cedar or pine. I guess you could call the photo below my "Before" for this Met Monday.



You'll also need an apple tree form. Mine was given to me over 15 years ago by a friend with whom I worked. I'm not sure where she found it. They usually have them at the Williamsburg Marketplace online, but when I checked this evening I couldn't find them. They may be temporarily sold out due to the Christmas holiday because they usually have them in stock. If you are interested in buying a form, check their site again later in the year and hopefully they will have them back in stock.




If you know someone who is crafty or a woodworker, perhaps they can make one for you. As you can see, mine is just a wood cone, attached to a round wood base. It has what appears to be long finishing nails protruding at regular intervals around the cone. Note: The nail that is protruding from the very top of the form, in the center, is longer than all the other nails.




I always place the apple form on a towel so I can spin it around as I work without scratching the surface I'm working on. I bought two bags of small apples. I use small apples because large apples tend to be too big and make it difficult to create three rows around the tree, and still leave the top row of apples low enough to not interfere with the pineapple topper.




To get started, just take an apple and push it onto a nail. I always start at the bottom and work my way up. I like to leave a small space under the apple for tucking in greenery later.




Here's how it looked after the first row. If you finish and there's a big gap between your first and last apple, you'll need to pull the last apple you placed back off and find a fatter apple in your stash of apples, or re-adjust the ones that are on the tree over a little. You don't want to pull apples off and on a lot because the more holes you create in your apples, the sooner the apples will begin to go bad. But don't fret about that too much. I always end up having to adjust some apples and my trees still last well over a week...even close to two weeks. I don't remove the stems from the apples since they don't seem to interfere in any way.




A view from the top...




Start a second row of apples around your tree. I always stagger the rows but inevitably some apples will end up directly over other apples. Again, don't worry about that...we aren't shooting for perfection here. :) I don't leave a space between the rows of apples (or at least, I don't do so intentionally) because I don't tuck greenery underneath the apples within the apple tree itself. I only do that under the first row of apples.




In this pic, I'm starting the third row. As I'm working, I'm spinning the towel around and around with the tree sitting on top of it. It slides very easily so the work goes quickly. The whole tree only takes about 25-30 minutes to assemble.




Here's how it looks with the third row completed...




A view looking down with all the apples in place...




I used almost all of the apples in both bags...just had four left over.




I always purchase the smallest pineapple I can find to use for the top. It's hard to find a small one sometimes. A really big pineapple can tend to overwhelm your apple tree. I don't go from store to store looking, though. I just buy the smallest I can find wherever I'm shopping. Also, try to use a pineapple that has pretty foliage on top. You don't want the top of the pineapple to be too crushed or too beat up, if you can help it.




I always pull the holly I use from this large holly bush in my yard. In years past, it would be covered in berries, but for the last few years it has had very few. I think it could be because it is being shaded by a huge oak tree growing nearby. By the way, this is the same holly bush where the mockingbird sang his midnight serenade. If you've been reading BNOTP for a while, you'll remember that post. They are amazing birds to hear...if you have cats, they will enjoy listening, too! ;)




So, with holly at the ready, I got to work...





I cut little 4-5 inch pieces and tucked them in between the base and the first row of apples and in between the apples....really just anywhere there seems to be a good size gap.




Here's how it looked after I had filled in with some of the holly. I don't use a glue gun...the holly will usually stay by itself. If a piece falls out occasionally, just tuck it back in again.




Another view...see the gaps where I still need to add holly or greenery? You could also use boxwood in between the apples and that would be beautiful.




I usually cut a few magnolia leaves to put underneath the tree. If you don't have magnolia in your area, just gather some other type of greenery...maybe cedar or pine. I had just tossed them on the table here to show you about how many I had gathered.



I spread the magnolia leaves out in a circle pointing outward and forming sort of a star shape. Then I place the apple tree on top of the leaves. Just adjust the leaves as needed.

Tip: When you are ready to lift the apple tree to place it in the center of the table atop magnolia leaves or whatever greenery you are using, be very careful. The tree is quite heavy. I normally slide the tree on the towel to the edge of the table and pull it part way off the table so I can get under it to lift it up to place it in the center of the table. Another method to move the tree would be to delay placing the pineapple on the top and grab that tall center nail to aid you in lifting it to the center of the table. Then, just place the pineapple on top and add greenery around the pineapple while it's in the center of the table.




Since my holly never seems to have many berries, I always cut berries from the nandina in my yard. I don't use any of the greenery from my nandinas because I have found it wilts after only a day or two. Holly lasts a nice long time without wilting.




I always place the berries at intervals around the base. I tried tucking some in around the top (see below) but didn't like the way that looked, so I removed them.




Last year I added a ribbon around the top and I really liked how that looked, so I did it again this year. A red ribbon might have been a better choice, or perhaps even a plaid one. I just reused the sheer gold ribbon I already had. So here's my "After" photo. :)




And here's how it looked in the center of this Christmas table setting. You could also create this centerpiece using apples and limes or apples and lemons...or even all pears. I think the combinations are really almost limitless. It just needs to be a fruit that is small enough to do at least three rows around the cone. I don't think two rows would look as nice as three.




Last year, when I showed my apple tree on my Christmas tablescape, Kimberly, who reads BNOTP, decided she would create a similar tree for a different occasion...a bachelorette party. I had often thought of using the form for other events or holidays, so I was excited to see what she would create.

Kimberly went with a pink and green theme for her party...and here's how it turned out. How fun is this! Now unless they are growing pink pineapples somewhere, I'm guessing Kimberly painted the pineapple. I love it with the flowers tucked in between. :) Great job, Kimberly...and thanks so much for sharing this photo!




Hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Looking forward to seeing your Before and Afters!


Metamorphosis Monday:
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