Several days ago I told you about Festival of Tables. And then I gave you a sneak peek. Today it's time for the big reveal! I'll warn you that this is a photo-intensive post that may put you on creativity overload! Each table hostess (or hostesses) selects her own theme. Some people start planning their table for "next year" just as soon as their dishes are washed and put away. Others wait until the last minute then "shop their house" to pull together their tablescape. What amazes me is that it's hard to tell the difference! Everyone enjoys tablescaping, and that shows in their creations. (By the way, which of those two tablescapers are you -- the "plan waaaaaaay in advance" or the "last minute whirlwind?") OK ... Keep Reading...
Festival of Tables 2010 – Sneak Peek
Yesterday I told you about Festival of Tables. Today I'm giving you a sneak peek ... I hope you'll stop by later this week when I share the themes and show you each table in its entirety. You're in for a treat! I'm linking to Mosaic Monday at Little Red House. Thanks for hosting, Mary! ... Keep Reading...
Festival of Tables 2010
What a fun Saturday I've had! The morning began with me packing several large tubs of dishes, flatware, linens and "stuff" into my car. Today was the day of Festival of Tables, an annual tablescaping event hosted by the ladies of our church and attended by women throughout our community. When I arrived to decorate, this is what I saw ... Obviously, a few of the table hostesses either did their tables last night (or they were VERY fast to have already come and gone in the 30 minutes the doors had been opened), but the room was mostly filled with empty tables ... boring, waiting-to-be-transformed tables. All day long, people moved in and out of the room. Women -- sometimes alone, sometimes with a friend or family member. Men -- ... Keep Reading...
Pink Roses
Last week I did it! I burned "the pink candle sculpted like a rose" -- and vowed to use it in my next tablescape. If you don't know the significance of the pink candle, I hope you'll click and read my previous post. If you took me up on last week's challenge, the link is at the bottom of this post. I look forward to hearing your stories! (Remember, if you don't have a blog but want to participate in the challenge, you can email your pics to me for posting!) But now, it's time for my next tablescape ... The pink rose candle provided lots of inspiration, and the choice of dishes was easy ... pink roses, of course! A white damask tablecloth, then a pink linen damask table square and matching napkins (with rose ... Keep Reading...
Burn the pink candle!
A few days ago, I opened this drawer and I saw it ... Strange ... I've opened that drawer many times over the past few weeks and never noticed it before. Seems like I remember reading something once about a candle shaped like a rose. I was curious, so I Googled it. (What did we do before Google?) And I found what I remembered ... I'll let you see it, too. If I Had My Life To Live Over by Erma Bombeck The following was written by the late Erma Bombeck after she found out she had a fatal disease. If I had my life to live over, I would have talked less and listened more. I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa ... Keep Reading...
Moonlight Beach
Have you had a walk along the beach this Summer? If not, maybe this tablescape will calm your spirit a little. Let's walk... A vintage open-weave tablecloth reminiscent of a fish net ... seagrass placemats ... and (again this week) my "every day" flatware -- because the design has the feel of waves. Vibrantly-colored, handpainted "Delray" dinner plates with seashells by Bella Cermica. (Notice the waves again.) And tall clear glass shrimp compotes ... Vintage turquoise linen napkins with beaded seashell napkin rings ... And vintage Jeannette Glass "Thumbprint" glasses that made me think of fish blowing bubbles. (Is that going a little too far? I don't know -- but I think they work!) A Capidomonte-style ... Keep Reading...
My Place: Front View – What a metamorphosis!
This is what My Place looked like shortly after we purchased it in September 2005. Surely it was asking, "Where's the love?" Shrubs and trees were overgrown, steps were unlevel, and (though it's hard to see in this picture) the roof over the front porch was sagging terribly ... The knee walls flanking the steps were crumbling ... The front porch ceiling was water damaged with large sections that needed to be replaced ... The entire house needed a new paint job and a face lift. And that downspout REALLY needed to be moved to another location! Such an eyesore ... But the old lady was built in 1907 with great bones and some really nice things in her favor. This poured concrete detailing is one of them. ... Keep Reading...
Tablescaping on a Budget
More than once I have been saddened to hear someone say something like, "I'd love to entertain, but I can't afford the _________." (Go ahead and fill in the blank with "dishes," "pretty things," "table linens" etc.) Have YOU ever said anything like that? If so, (or if you just need a reminder that beautiful doesn't necessarily mean expensive), read on! Today I've decided to show you a budget-minded breakfast table -- and give you some tips on how to put together your own eye-catching tablescapes without breaking the bank. Are you ready? For starters, I'll just go ahead and confess that when it comes to my tablescaping "habit," I'm a BIG fan of auctions, thrift stores (Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc.), Dollar Tree, Dollar ... Keep Reading...
Auctions are hard work!
I'm linking this post to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch. I hope you'll check out all of the great metamorphoses you'll find there! I have TWO of my own to share with you this week. Here's the first one... My vehicle BEFORE I attended an auction to buy more treasures to put in my Etsy shop -- so I can send them ... from My Place to Yours The same vehicle AFTER the auction :-) And my dining room AFTER the auction (I suppose this was a metamorphosis, too, but I think the implication with Metamorphosis Monday is that it involves an improvement. After a long, tiring day at auction, this just feels like a MESS!) Oh, but it was a goooooood day, and I can hardly wait to unpack everything ... Keep Reading...
Tablescape Debut
To Susan at Between Naps on the Porch: Congratulations on 100 weeks of "playing in the dishes!" What a treat it is for me to have this blog "up and running" in time to join the celebration over at Between Naps on the Porch. 100 weeks of tablescaping ... How fun is that?!!! My Tablescape Thursday debut is all about SPARKLE! If we were celebrating a 100 YEAR anniversary, the gemstone would be a diamond -- actually a 10K diamond! Now that would provide a lot of sparkle -- and that was my inspiration... When I think of "sparkle," I immediately think of bright white linens and cut crystal with touches of blue and silver. To stretch myself a little, this time I threw in a bit of pink. What do you think? I ... Keep Reading...
A New Day at My Place to Yours
My recent vintage linen restoration featured at Between Naps on the Porch and Susan's fantastic Between Naps on the Porch blog have inspired me to start a blog of my own. So here it is -- officially "under construction." But before everyone starts suggesting it ... my plate is pretty full right now, so I have no plans to tweet or become friends with Facebook, but I will make my foray into Blogland! Along the way, I'll do my best to send inspiration, helpful how-tos and encouragement ... From My Place to Yours. I can't wait to meet you! Susan ... Keep Reading...
