At the Beach...in my mind!

Summertime and the living is busy! But I did manage to whip up a summery, beachy tablescape! I was actually at the beach last weekend and hated to leave, so it's always fun to have a little beach at home!

I started with a white tablecloth and added light blue ruffled place mats. Then I used turquoise metallic chargers topped with white Gibson Claremont plates and finally turquoise capiz shell bread and butter plates.I also used Colonial Shell flatware and ruffled seersucker napkins with white napkin rings.

My centerpiece is a sparkly, beaded placemat topped with a large melamine shell bowl from Target (years ago) filled with blue marbles, shells and a cute crab!

My fish salt and pepper shakers and seashell place card holders complete the table.

Even my tea cart gets a beachy makeover!

It's a little hard to see but the mantle is done very simply with a light blue vase full of bubbly looking silvery pearl stems and silver mercury glass candle holders and light blue candles.

I will be sharing this with Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch!

Flamingo Fling!

One of the fun activities I did this summer was a painting session at our local Arts Council. My daughter and I attended and both painted Flamingos - So I had to do a Flamingo Table to celebrate!

Luckily, Target had flamingo plates and straws on Clearance, which I added to items I already owned and Voila - a flamingo fling!


For my centerpiece I cut zinnias from my garden and put them in a green vase on top of the paper plaid runners.

Here are our inspirational "masterpieces" on the mantle.

Here is a close up of the place setting - fun and informal!

Full view of table and mantle.

Sharing this with
Let's Dish with Cuisine Kathleen
Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch.

Lemonade Made in the Shade!

My latest tablescape is based on Lemonade, which would taste great on this hot midsummer day!!!
Also sharing with Let's Dish at Cuisine Kathleen!
My centerpiece is a green plastic chip and dip (that always reminds me of a lime) with a yellow vase in the center filled with greenery and yellow and white zinnias. Around the sections I put lemons and limes and "icy" cracked acrylic "jewels".

I started with a yellow tablecloth and slip-covered my burgundy velvet chairs.

At each place setting, I started with a green ruffled charger, then added a yellow plastic plate, topped with a lemon paper plate from Target.

I used green plastic flatware, green and yellow plastic cups and cute lemonade straws and lemonade paper napkins from Target.


This was hard to photograph!
I will be posting this on
Tabletop Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life
Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch
Happy Summer to all of you!

Magnolias and Butterflies

Well, I didn't mean to take such a long blogging break - but I hope you missed me and my tables! I will be sharing this with
Tabletop Tuesday at A Stoll Thru Life
Let's Dish at Cuisine Kathleen
Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch
My inspiration was the magnolia tree in my yard. This blossom just begged to come and be my centerpiece.

I put the bloom in a green vase on a green ruffled charger and decided that Mikasa Modern Butterfly on green ruffled chargers would complement the magnolia.

I added stemware and flatware and a small topiary place card holder.

If you notice the host and hostess, seated at the ends of the table are only having soup! That's because I only have 4 place settings of this china! Someday I will get more!!!

I was rather pleased with the table based on Magnolias and Butterflies.

Summers of my childhood - Watermelons and Crepe Myrtles

Before saying good-bye to summer, I had to do a table based on Watermelons and Crepe Myrtles. (I had to look up how to spell crepe myrtle and either crape or crepe is acceptable!)



I always associate the two, because I remember one summer my grandmother planting watermelon pink crepe myrtles at her homeplace. So even though the lavender and white crepe myrtles are nice, it is the "watermelon" pink crepe myrtle that reminds me of my childhood!

I will be linking to Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch.

I started with a white tablecloth and added a large tea towel from Crate & Barrel as a runner of sorts.



As a centerpiece I filled a green glass vase with 2 shades of pink crepe myrtles and a few magnolia leaves.

For each place setting, I used my green ruffled chargers from Crate & Barrel with Gibson white china plates, topped with glass watermelon salad plates from Pier 1.



I used green bubbled glass goblets and clear flatware both from Target along with Vera Bradley "Botanical" print napkins and Target watermelon napkin rings.



On the mantle I draped pink chiffon and filled a green pottery vase with more magnolia and crepe myrtle and flanked the vase with two extra watermelon plates.



Here is my table tribute to my childhood summer memories - Watermelon and Crepe Myrtle!

Under the Sea Tablescape

It's Tablescape Thursday sponsored by Susan at BETWEEN NAPS ON THE PORCH!



Here is a table using the dinner plates from my new Big Lots Gibson Dishes - I call it Under the Sea.



As you can see, I am using my Tiffany Blue Tulle again. It is amazing how many tables I have used it for: Sweet 16 Breakfast at Tiffany's, Tea Time at Monet's Garden, Winter Wonderland and now Under the Sea!

The dinner plates and the napkin rings are Gibson Claremont. The salad plates are made of capiz and were from Target a few years ago. The seersucker napkins and mercury glass votive holders are also from Target.



The flatware is another Target purchase. I had seen it in the store but admit that I didn't appreciate it until I saw it used in a tablescape in my latest Southern Lady magazine. I love how the faceted handles sparkle! The stemware is Fostoria Heritage and the salad bowls are by Cambridge Glass Company "Near Cut."


Here are some pictures of the centerpiece:





I took a footed compote (Target World Bazaar several years ago) and put a blue vase (Michaels) on it. I filled the blue vase with clear acrylic shards/jewels and put silver and pearl stems in it. All of this is from my Winter Wonderland table, but I thought in this setting it seemed watery and bubbly. I surrounded everything with seashells and a few blue glass beads and some silver ornaments.

I added my Target fish salt and pepper shakers



and a pewter shell butter dish (found in my house when we moved in) and some shell butter spreaders ( Target and Big Lots).


So there you have my Under the Sea Tablescape!







Be sure to visit Susan at BETWEEN NAPS ON THE PORCH!

Foodie Friday - Teriyaki Chicken Kabobs

Thank you Gollum for hosting Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum!


For this Foodie Friday, I am sharing another family favorite. Click on the name for the recipe. Teriyaki Chicken Kabobs is a great main dish to cook out or cook in. It works great on the grill, or a cast iron grill pan, or even a George Foreman electric grill.

The cut of chicken is not important. Here is a picture where I used chicken breast tenders. As you can see, I served it with couscous and lightly sauteed fresh green beans. A great meal for summer - or any time!



Be sure to go to Designs by Gollum to check out the other great Foodie posts! :D Jewel

Tablescape Thursday 5/20/09

For this Tablescape Thursday sponsored by Susan at BETWEEN NAPS ON THE PORCH, I am featuring my mother's birthday party from last August.


Be sure and visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch by clicking the picture below. There are always lots of great tables to ooh and ahh over!!!


My mother's birthday was in August which is why this table has a summery feel to it.


On my green tablecloth, I have Evesham china, which I picked out when I got married and not-so-coincidentally my mother also has. I found some Vera Bradley napkins on clearance and bought them, but since I didn't have enough I alternated between pink and Vera. I used watermelon napkin rings and grocery store flowery with citrus around the vase.





Here is the "kid's" table. Really it is not for the kids, just overflow. I didn't have any Vera napkins or watermelon napkins rings by this time, so I used pink napkins and dragon-fly napkin rings and pewter goblets instead of glass.



I hope you enjoyed this table. Make sure to visit Susan and see all the other tables! :D Jewel