Year of the Dragon

This week, my table celebrates Chinese New Year...the Year of the Dragon.  It just so happens that a few years ago, I threw an...

...Asian themed bridal shower for my nephew and his bride, so I had a good supply of perfect accessories for this tablescape.  This table starts with a rich red linen tablecloth.

I've added a topper...just a large square of shiny red satin, embroidered with dragons.  How lucky!  These plates are part of an entire set of china my father shipped home from his Navy days (circa 1940's).

They still look stylish, set atop my golden chargers.  These adorable very vintage blue glass tumblers will be perfect for sipping Tsing Tao beer.

The glass is paper thin...I can hardly believe they've survived the years.  I picked up this cute ceramic Chinese take-out container at Pottery Barn years ago!

I have used it us a vase, but this time, it holds a handful of colorful chopsticks.  In addition, my guests will navigate this feast with cute little Asian soup spoons.

Red and gold paper fans add a festive touch.

These satin red lanterns were a very lucky find at Target.

And now for my favorite touch...the napkins.  Plain red linen napkins are magically turned into giant fortune cookies.

Thank you to David Stark for his wonderful resource book, Napkins with a Twist:  Fabulous Folds for Every Occasion.

While I added oversized fortunes to my cookies napkins, these could easily have been turned into darling place cards.  My table is set.  My guests are on their way.  Time to pick up the phone and order a delicious Chinese feast...take-out, of course.  What fun!