A Sparkling Fourth

This is Aunt Judy's new tablecloth.

She needed one.  Why did she need one?  Well...let me tell you.  My birthday was a few weeks ago, and my sister-in-law, Judy, kindly invited us over for dinner.  My husband offered to bake a birthday cake.  It was a banana cake.  Seeing as this was a rather "milestone" birthday, Mike felt that candles would just not do.  He wanted sparklers.  Not just regular old sparklers.  He wanted BIG ones.  And so my banana birthday cake had great big sparkly sparklers.  Boy, did they sparkle.  Sparks were flying ALL over the place...really lit up the room.  Soon, Judy's lime green placemats were on fire...burned right through, in fact, also burning through her blue tablecloth down to the table.  A few even flew far enough to singe her floor! Luckily, Judy is a good sport...she was even happy to have my fiasco birthday party be the inspiration for this Fourth of July tablescape.  So this is Aunt Judy's new blue tablecloth from Crate & Barrel.  I think she likes it even better than her old one (phew). She also needed some new placemats,

and I found these fun and festive bright red ones at Marshall's.  The cute cutouts are a nice detail.  I've chosen my blue dotted plates from West Elm.

I think they look perfect.  I've tucked the flatware into these very vintage red and white linen dishtowels 

...just tied it all up with a piece of rafia.  A nice cold beer will taste oh-so-good sipped from these Direction pilsners from Crate & Barrel.

Mine are over 20 years old, but the Crate still sells these!  A spray of sequins make these simple white mums just a little more festive.

I just love how simple little tea lights add so much atmosphere to any outdoor table setting.

Found these really darling red, white and blue straw stars at Pier 1 to scatter around the table. 

I added some little glass stars, also, for a bit of sparkle.

Speaking of sparkle, I've provided my guests with a little bucket Fourth of July fun...some regular sized sparklers....and a darling little pinwheel too!

Please, please, move away from the table and take your fireworks elsewhere!!  Thank you again to Judy for a lovely birthday party and a kind heart.  P.S.  Mike will repair your floor really soon.

The Big Comfy Quilt

Count me amongst the vast number of table setters who sing the praises of quilts as tablecloths.  Anders' worn, faded and incredibly soft quilt is the inspiration for today's table.

I've been wanting to set an outdoor table for some time and this quilt felt just right.  My patio table is round, and I find setting a round table a nice change of pace.  Since this quilt is so faded,

I tried hard to select all of my accessories to carry out this theme.  For placemats, I chose these very natural...

...crocheted grass mats (Home Goods, a recent purchase).  I added a charger (The Blues by Arabia of Finland) and these cute plates with blue dotted rims.

I have always loved these floral print napkins which I found at Pottery Barn many, many years ago.

I even chose "faded" flowers, paired with this old vase, painted in muted colors.

Don't these tiny canning jars make perfect votive holders?

A nice crisp white wine will be so tasty sipped from these lovely cobalt wine glasses.  I've paired them with a cobalt water goblet Thank you, Sharon!

My sweet little dragonfly garland from Ten Thousand Villages looks so summery!

I really like the way the quilt drapes on the table...just makes the whole table feel comfortable.  I won't worry about spills...this quilt has already been washed a hundred times.

This patio table was so much fun to set, I think it's time to pull out Sofie's old quilt...stay tuned.  Next week, a tablescape that "sparkles"...hope to see you then. 

Purple and Green

If I had to answer the question, "What is your favorite color?", I think I would say purple...and green.  Oh wait, that's two!  How can I pick just one, when there are so many great colors out there.  And when you begin to combine shades, magic happens.

So here is a tablescape featuring one of my favorite color combos...purple and green.  Several seasons ago, I picked up these...

....pretty purple woven mats from Target.  Then I layered...and I layered, starting with a simple plain white plate.  I have had these octagon-shaped French purple plates and olive bowls for years.

With their charming beaded borders, they are my "go to" bowls for many a pasta dinner.  Being the fabric lover that I am, I could not resist these two companion fabrics from Hobby Lobby.

The flipside has these same colors, this time as big zig-zaggy stripes.  The double sided napkins have a very nice "heavy" feel to them, AND. more importantly, are so fun to mix and match.

This time, I decided to make my napkins double sided.  The first side is covered in concentric circles of gorgeous lavender, fuscia, pea green and sea foam dots, all on a rich deep purple background.

I think the dark handles of my Aero flatware look perfect sitting atop these linens.  For glassware, I pulled from my stash these sweet little purple etched water (or wine) glasses...

...that I found at Pottery Barn many, many years ago.  And not to forgett green, I also added these beautiful optic mint green flutes (Horchow, years ago)...

...which add height and sparkle to the table.  My centerpiece is oh-so simple...just some fresh purple Fuji mums lined up in my new...

...recycled green glass vase made in Mexico from Pottery Barn.  I'm envisioning many ways to use this versatile piece.  So there you have it...

...a simple happy tablescape celebrating two of my favorite colors, purple and green!  Coming next...  my first patio tablesetting.  Please drop in, you're all invited!