Eat Your Vegetables

How many of you have been wandering through the stores lately and find the Easter merchandise incredibly cute and irresistible?  Just as I thought...I'm not the only one.  Every once in awhile, I like to pop into World Market to see what's new, and when I stumbled upon these darling little veggies, I knew I could let them be the star of a Springtime table.

With cararots, radishes, peas and onions in hand, I thought of all sorts of things that I already had to incorporate into the tablescape...this is going to be a piece of cake!  I rushed home, pulled out a basic "earthy" brown linen tablecloth, some simple sisal placemats, and my good old plain white plates to get started.  

Of course I'll need some napkins. I remember these deep "carrot orange" linen napkins.  

A green napkin for a frilly carrot top, and a little twisting and rolling, and voile!  I think my napkins are even cuter sitting atop this paisley "salad" plate.  Since my last bouquet of tulips latest an entire week, I decided to stick with a good thing and chose white ones this time.

Absolutely NO flower arranging skills needed with tulips! 

I can't wait to see what comes up in my own garden this Spring.  I very, very briefly thought about creating a vase out of an actual vegetable...

...but fortunately remembered this quite theme-appropriate cabbage pitcher.  I have once again selected my Joseph Abboud South Beach glassware, mainly for its earthy look and brown accents.

 Sticking to my theme, I simply scattered some seed packets around the table.  Party favors, perhaps?

What do I see hiding behind the cabbage?

Hmmm....I guess if you plant carrots, you're bound to attract a few rabbits.

I suppose I would much rather have them feast at my...

...garden table, instead of my vegetable patch!   Make sure to drop by next week for my Easter / Birthday (x3) party table.  And don't forget about these fun-filled blog parties...

Centerpiece Wednesday (The Style Sisters)

Tabletop Thursday (Between Naps on the Porch)

Feathered Nest Friday (French Country Cottage)

Home Sweet Home Friday  (The Charm of Home)

Potpourri Friday (2805)

Seasonal Sundays (The Tablescaper)

Let's Dish (Cuisine Kathleen)

Open House Party (No Minimalist Here)
Festive Friday Fiesta (The "Home Girl")

In Between Seasons

Oh...March, what is the saying...you come in like a lion but go out as a lamb?  Well, it sure still feels like Winter to me, but I'm so, so, so ready for Spring.  And so I jumped the gun and set a very Springy table this week.

I was doing a bit of cleaning up and stumbled upon a purchase I made, I do believe, last Fall.  Oops.  I do find the most wonderful treasures at West Elm...

...like these sweet little salad/dessert plates.  They are the inspiration for today's tablescape.  What I really love about them is that they are all slightly different, some being quite a bit more vibrant than others.

I simply layered these plates atop my plain white plates, simple silver chargers, and black woven placemats.

Of course, because I love lime green, I couldn't resist these cute striped napkins...

...secured with my stylish black wire napkins rings from Crate & Barrel.  They're a bit like jewelry for table linens, don't you think?  You know how much I love using scarves as table runners, and once again...

I have chosen this simple chartreuse scarf edged with the tiniest ball fringe.

My Lela handmade wine glasses have been hiding in the cabinet all Winter...

Welcome back to the table!  Nothing quite says Spring like a big bunch of tulips.  These purple beauties were calling my name.

I really do love this simple porcelain paper bag vase, another treasure from Aunt Tess's collection.  No flower arranging experience necessary with this vase.  All flowers look perfect, every time.

There's eight inches of snow on the ground, but in my dining room, Spring has arrived.  March is a busy month for me...the kids turn 17 (Yikes!) and my husband's birthday falls on Easter Sunday.  So many parties, so many tables to set.  I'm sure to get some great tabletop ideas at the following parties...

Centerpiece Wednesday (The Style Sisters)

Tabletop Thursday (Between Naps on the Porch)

Feathered Nest Friday (French Country Cottage)

Home Sweet Home Friday  (The Charm of Home)

Potpourri Friday (2805)

Seasonal Sundays (The Tablescaper)

Let's Dish (Cuisine Kathleen)

Open House Party (No Minimalist Here)

Mimosa Morning

The following is a true story.  Sometimes, tablescapes..well..sort of...just happen!  As you probably already have heard, the Chicago area had a ridiculous number of 80 plus degree sunny days.  For those of you unfamiliar with March in Chicagoland...TOTALLY unheard of.  And reason to celebrate!  So I went shopping.  Found this scarf at Coldwater Creek (that I liked when it was full priced).  But today it was marked down... TWICE!  I got to thinking.  Before I actually wear this scarf, I'm seeing it on a tabletop.  I already have almost everything a need to set a sweet little table.  I couldn't wait to get home.  Now all I need is my photographer.  Well, lucky me.  Laura just happens to stop by after school, needing my daughter's help with photo project.  So, see.  This tablescape really and truly just happened.

I originally planned to use the scarf simply as a runner.  However, it was really quite long...so...I decided to tie the scarf around the table and was quite happy with the result.

Now I had an attractive soft knot and the fringe on the scarf was now able to be seen.  Honestly, the beautiful color combination of the scarf led the way for the rest of the tablescape.

I began my layering with a soft grey grass mat from Crate & Barrel.

Next I added a smaller, coral placemat they recently found at World Market on top of the grey.  All this simple table needed were my favorite plain white plates, but this time, since this table is for breakfast...

I brought out my seldom used, albeit very pretty, coffee cups and saucers.  The smoky handles of my Aero flatware...

(a current item at Crate & Barrel) were a good compliment to the grey.  A simple pale yellow linen napkin fancied up with these...

cute beaded napkin rings from Sur La Table completed my layers.  I have had these fabulous bright canary yellow champagne flutes for years,

and until today, never had quite the right spot for them.  I think they are perfect.  As is this chartreuse art glass vase from Sweden...

filled with carnations that are the ideal shade of salmon.  Excuse me while I grab a bottle of Proseco and settle in for a very special brunch.

Easter, Yet Again

Got myself into some tabletop trouble today.  I blame it on jet lag.  Let me explain.  I thought I was supposed to help with inventory at Ten Thousand Villages.  Turns out, inventory was yesterday.  Oops. With time on my hands, I saw this as an opportunity to wander around Glen Ellyn.  I popped into Marcel's, a lovely cooking school / gourmet shop / cooking store and a wonderful new addition to downtown Glen Ellyn. It just so happens that the shop is filled with many, many gorgeous tabletop items.  It happened again.  My eye was suddenly caught by this Springy striped tablecloth.

I think it was the slightly out of the ordinary colors (melon, apple green, kiwi green, peach, plum and aqua) that made me look twice.  Hmmm...I really did need to set a second table for Easter.  And I really do like this cloth.  Sold.

I really did need these apple green napkins that match so well.

Oh...and these darling tapers.  I could not wait to get home and set the table!  A quick stop at trader Joe's for some flowers and I was ready.

I remembered these multicolored bamboo placemats that I found at Kohl's last summer and I simply fashioned them into a runner down the center of my table.  Now, time to layer.

I knew these pretty coral colored placemats from World Market would be a good addition to my collection.

Naturally, I grabbed my perfect plain white plates and set atop gold leaf(ish) chargers.  I'm so glad I decided to purchase these...

Fann coral salad plates on a recent trip to West Elm.  I simply rolled up my cheery green napkins and tucked them into...

...multi-colored napkin rings, again from Kohl's.  I just love a little bit of chocolate to finish off a great meal, so each of my guests will enjoy a sweet treat.

I have fond memories of eating jello with sliced bananas as a kid from these antique tiny parfait glasses.  I have not used them in years!

How delicious a mimosa will taste sipped from these mint green champagne flutes, old favorites of mine from Horchow.  Not until I took a close look did I notice that the blue and green stripes on these tapers are actually...

tiny strips of wax, carefully stuck on the hand rolled white tapers.  So cute.  I'm showing them off in these...

vintage lavender cut glass pineapple candle holders.

Finally, these deep purple tulips look beautiful in my  handpainted vase from Rosenthal.  I am just delighted with my Easter table.

Lucky for me that I had such a successful (albeit unplanned) trip to Marcel's today!

Chicks and Eggs

If you're like me, you probably have a bin marked "Easter"...filled with really cute things...like chicks, and eggs and bunnies and lambs.  Setting an Easter table is just plain fun, so I hope you enjoy my rather colorful holiday tablescape.

I started this one off with a cheerful plaid tablecloth, purchased from Crate & Barrel many years ago.  With so many colors, finding accessories is simple.  I choose bright yellow braided placemats from Kohl's...

...and topped them with my Hampton Green plates from the Crate. 

These plates certainly have gotten a work-out this Spring!  I found some vintage raspberry linen napkins in my stash...

...and folded them into pockets to hold the silverware.  Once again, I am using my Lela...

...recycled wine glasses from Crate & Barrel.  Now on to my decorations.

My guests will know just where to sit, thanks to these darling jute carrots from Pier 1 that I am using as place cards and party favors.

The base of my centerpiece is made from three faux grass mats from Hobby Lobby.  I think they make a really clever runner.  I tucked these pastel wooden eggs from Whole Foods into the grass.

My favorite candle holder is just perfect to hold little tea lights, this time nestled into colorful jelly beans. 

And finally, the star of this table, these super fluffy white chicks cannot wait for the party to begin. 

So have some fun.   Pull out all of your Easter decorations and make them part of your table! Coming soon...a new series that I'm calling Entertain Fair Trade.  Be sure to check it out!