Black and Blue

As you recall, earlier in the summer,  I set my patio table with Anders' old threadbare quilt as my inspiration.  And because the mother of twins never plays favorites, Sofie's quilt was featured last week.     Both were fun and festive...but you know what?  My black and blue patio table is quite spectacular on its own!  This week, there are no cover-ups...just a simple table for some al fresco dining.  Several summers ago, I fell in love with this tile table from Crate & Barrel.

Paired with black wicker chairs and a blue umbrella, the patio becomes an outdoor "dining room" and a nice change of pace from dinners in the kitchen.  This table hardly needs a cloth with rich blue tiles like these.

I selected some simple black placemats, and topped them with my Hampton Green dinner plates.  As you can imagine, I snapped up these cute cobalt and black salad plates the minute I spotted them (Home Goods).

I added a playful  touch with these darling napkins...blue and black, but plenty of other colors too.

Twinkling tea lights in multicolored glass votives will help set the mood.  

A nice cool drink will be enjoyed by all from these cobalt and green footed goblets (an old Crate & Barrel find).  Speaking of that cool drink, excuse me while I grab a nice bottle of wine!  Thanks for dropping by my patio...

 Please join me this week 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)

Placemat Fun: The Finale

I hope you haven't grown too tired of my Placemat Fun experiment, because alas we have come to the final installment.  Just one version left to conquer...the camouflage placemats.  Remember, originally I presented these mats fashioned into a runner.  Today...they're mats.

So many colors to work with!  I started this tablescape with this chartreuse runner...

(actually a darling scarf from Target trimmed with the tiniest pompoms).

My orange paisley salad plates sit atop plain white plates...

...which sit atop simple silver chargers....

...all atop the wavy colorful placemats.  I wrapped these deep red-orange linen napkins from Sur La Table around my plates.  They are just the perfect color.

This mid century smoky gray bowl became a vase today for some vibrant alstroemeria.  I'm so glad I uncovered it from my stash recently.

I like the way the greenish hue of these recycled wine goblets picks up the sea foam color in the placemat.

I've used these little tumblers before as wine glasses, but today they are votives.  I simply tucked some tea lights into a few coffee beans.  Looks cute - smells great!  Well I have mixed and matched until I can mix and match no more.

Do you have a favorite tablescape?  I'd love to hear your thoughts.  As always I will be visiting my fellow dish aficionados at:

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)

Hope to see you there.

Even More Placemat Fun

Welcome back to the next installment of Placemat Fun.  Remember my bold flowered runner from a few weeks back.  As you recall, I made this runner out of three reversible placemats.  This week, the placemats will shine on their own...as placamats!  I began layering away.

This tablescape begins with a Chilwich "salt and pepper" runner...such a versatile pieces that is easy to dress UP or dress down.

I opted for white plates, just to let the vibrant flowered mats be the star of the show, but I switched things up and chose square plates this time.

These vivid tomato red napkins from Sur La Table certainly stand out against the white background.

I've dressed them up further with some bold black and silver square napkin rings.

Once again, I've broken the rules and lined up my Aero flatware just a bit differently.

There is nothing timid about this table, including these hefty bowl shaped wine goblets.  Remember those orange napkin rings from the first table table setting?

Today, they have a new job as votive holders!  I was lucky to find these chartreuse green Fuji mums.

They are just the ideal color!  Three Placemat Fun tablescapes down...one to go.

Do you have a favorite?  I'd love to know.  Next week, I wrap this project up.  Crossing my fingers for some cooler weather...dying to set a few more outdoor tables before the summer is over.  This week I will be participating in:

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)

Hope to see you there.

More Placemat Fun

If you missed last weeks posting, I am having loads of fun with a set of double sided placemats.  I'm mixing and matching and even repurposing.  Here's some of what I started with.

Last week, I turned three placemats into a runner.  This week I'm flipping it over and recreating a whole new table!

The flip side of the flowered mats features a colorful, almost camouflage print.  Orange still predominates but this print also includes charcoal grey...and I love grey!

I really think I prefer this "B" side.  How about you?

I've wanted these deep orange grass placemats from Crate & Barrel all season long.  This table was the perfect reason to snap them up.

Naturally, I chose my Hayes grey dinnerware, also from the Crate.  Crisp white napkins brighten things up a bit.

The greenish tint of these recycled wine goblets and water glasses picks up the aqua in the runner.  A lucky find from a recent trip to IKEA were these candle jars...

the perfect orange...and $1.99!!  To bring some height to the tablescape, I borrowed this really versatile candleholder from my friend.  Thanks, Sharon.  Please tell me I can borrow this again and again.

For a final touch, I wove this paper flower garland from Ten Thousand Villages down the center of the table.

I thought it would be fun to see the two scapes side-by-side.  Do you have a favorite?  Stay tuned...next the same placemats will reappear as placemats, (fancy that!) for two more table settings.

This week I will be participating in:

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)

Placemat Fun, Part 1

If you are reading this posting right now, then you most likely belong to the special group of people who find sheer pleasure in setting a pretty table and who also know that placemats can be FUN!  Trust me and follow along.  Today is the first installment of a series of mix and match placemat fun.

Last summer, I found these really cool placemats at Kohl's.  What makes them even cooler...they are double sided, and both sides are cute!  The fact that they were very much on sale is just one more bonus. So I bought a whole stack...I's think of something to do with them all.  And think I did.  I came up with the idea to fashion some of them into a runner...a reversible runner at that.

So 8 grommets and 4 ball chains later...

...this was my new runner.  I just love it!  I had lots of ideas for accessories...time to mix and match and set four fun tables.  Setting #1 starts with my newly fashioned runner, flower-side up.

My plain white plates look perfect set atop...

...simple black placemats.  I rolled black napkins up tightly and slid them into bold orange napkin rings,

a recent find from Sur La Table.  I decided to play with my Aero flatware a bit and set them ajar...

...but still in the right order!  I'm so glad I remembered these charming glasses.  Frosty on the bottom and with a cool turquoise band around the middle,

these glasses look rather classy sitting at the top of the plates.  My centerpiece is once again my favorite candleholder.

This time, votives are nestled into black beans.  Simple...elegant...playful.

I think my guests will enjoy this table.  Stay tuned.  Next week, the same placemats will take on a whole new role in a fresh new tablesetting.  Hope to see you then.  Always remember to see all the other fabulous tablescapes at Between Naps on the Porch.

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!