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.

Black and White (and Sassy)

Just like a little black dress, we all know that black (and white) can be elegant and classy.  But mix it up with bright, bold colors and black and white can also be fun and sassy!

This cheery tablescape begins with a vintage black and white checked tablecloth, a great base for all the color to come.

A chartreuse green runner (or actually a cute scarf from Target) adds a pop of color. Next, I layered my Hampton Green dinner plates from Crate & Barrel atop a simple black placemat.

How could you not love these Wild Flora dessert plates by Zak Design (available at Hobby Lobby). 

And that's also where I found this fabulous fabric, June Bug (The Alexander Henry Fabrics Collection) which I whipped up into napkins.

Covered with butterflies and dragonflies, flowers and do-dads, this fabric is adorable.  I like the playful look of my Aero flatware against the napkins.  Of course when it came to glassware, I scoured the cabinets for something colorful...

...and settled on these bubbly glasses with multi-colored swirls.

Just perfect.  I twinkle of candlelight comes from some brightly colored votives perched on my very versatile centerpiece,

decorated with these cute little...

...beaded dragonflies from Pier 1.  I think it's time to plan a menu.  After a big holiday dinner, one of my nieces thanked me saying she always appreciates all the work that goes into these parties, but that just once, I should take it easy and just serve M&M's and wine.  I think with this tablescape...

...that just might be a menu that I could pull off!  Thanks for the advice, Kate!

Fest on the Fifth

May 5, 2012...so many things to do...so little time.  There's a wedding to attend.  There are derby horses to bet on. And there are chips to dip.  May 5...Cinco de Mayo.  Who wouldn't love a holiday that includes guacamole (one of my all time favorite foods) and tequila laced drinks served in salty rimmed glasses.

I've been anxious to set a Mexican inspired table for some time now, so here we go!  I found this fabulous embroidered tablecloth at a local resale shop.

Not sure if it is from Mexico, regardless it is perfect for for Cinco de Mayo table.  While I do believe it is vintage, I can also tell that it had never been used!  What a find.  I hope my pictures do it justice.  The stitching is very very vibrant,

and I drew inspiration for the rest of the table from these colors.  Aqua, magenta, purple, yellow white, and all very bright.  Immediately, my gorgeous chartreuse stoneware plates came to mind.

I simply set them atop a silver charger and these white Lula placemats from Crate and Barrel.  Made from paper, these mats are a GREAT layering piece with another placemat, a colored tablecloth, a charger, a dark tabletop, etc.

And they are currently on sale at the Crate.  Run...don't walk and pick yourself up a set.  You can thank me later.  I could not decide between fuscia napkins or eggplant...

so I used both, simply adding a coppery wire napkin ring from Pier 1.  No Cinco de Mayo party is complete without margaritas, so I chose to use my recycled glass margarita glasses with matching tumbler, all from Pottery Barn a few years back.

How perfect they look with their cobalt blue rims.

Simple mercury glass votives from West Elm provide a little twinkle.  My favorite part of this table is definitely this lovely blue vase.

Made my Emilia Castillo at the family silver works in Taxco, Mexico...this vase was a souvenir from my honeymoon in Mexico...21 years ago.  The vase is covered with tiny sterling silver fish which are painted onto the ceramic surface.

It's only downside...it has to be polished!  Oh well, only the best for these gorgeous festive flowers.  

Trader Joe's comes through yet again.

This cute little silver molcajete, a souvenir from Cozumel, makes a great little salsa dish.  The finishing touch for this tablescape is this garland of white paper flowers...

from Ten Thousand Villages which I simply wove in between all of the elements on the table. 

Excuse me while I squeeze a few limes...and Happy May 5th!

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!

A Bright Sunshiny Day!

Spring truly has sprung, and I for one welcome the warmth and sun.   So put your flip-flops on, dig out your cutest springtime tabletop gear and set a table to match the beautiful day.  The starting point for this setting...

were these colorful wicker mats that I stumbled upon at Pier 1, on sale no less.  Red and yellow...the wheels starting turning.  I remembered the lovely butterfly print napkins I picked up at Crate & Barrel a few years ago.

I do love them with a brown linen tablecloth.  I think my Aero flatware looks fun, tucked inside the napkins and held in place with these coppery wire napkins, picked up at Pier 1 a few years back. I tried several dinner plates,

but settled upon the Hampton Green (Crate & Barrel, currently at the outlet!)  Again, after a few missteps, I selected these gorgeous pink and orange glass salad plates (vintage Crate & Barrel).  The white centers of the dinner plates and the transparency of the salad plates make for a perfect pairing.

I knew that Lela would be an ideal wineglass choice for this table.  And finally, what better flowers for this early appearance of Spring than tulips.

I was just thrilled to find these red and yellow beauties at Costco!  Even better than the price..they lasted a full week!

I simply plopped them into a bunch of square glass bud vases and lined them up down the center of the table.  No experience necessary...tulips just do their own thing.

Nestle in a few tea lights, and this table is set to go!  Next up...a few Easter tables.  Please stay in touch.