Tablescape Thursday - Valentine's Day Centerpiece

Once again it's Tablescape Thursday sponsored by Susan at BETWEEN NAPS ON THE PORCH!



Thanks Susan for hosting Tablescape Thursday every week!


Here is a post from last year about making my Valentine's Day Centerpiece. Hope you enjoy it. Next Tablescape Thursday, the whole table!!!!

Last year, when I took my Valentine's Day Centerpiece apart I took pictures as sort of a step by step. I thought I would share them on this blog.

First I gather the materials: a tray, my glass stacking cake plates, a round glass vase, a sherry or cordial glass, blown glass hearts in silver, red and pink (purchase from WalMart several years ago), ribbon, red and clear glass hearts.



First, I fill the glass vase about half way with loose hearts.


Then, I carefully slip the sherry glass into the vase, nestled among the hearts.


I add a few more hearts around the sherry glass.


I have tied ribbon through the hanging loop of 4 hearts and then tied a decorative bow over the knots.


I lay the ribbons on the smallest cake plate and then put the round vase on top.


I have 2 slightly longer ribbons connecting 4 more hearts that I lay over the medium cake plate.


Repeat with 2 even slightly longer ribbons and the largest cake plate.


Place the stacked cake plates on a tray and decorate the tray and the largest cake plate with red and clear glass hearts.


Carefully pour some water in the sherry glass if you are using fresh flowers. If using silk, obviously the water is not needed. I have used camellias from my yard, purchased tulips and silk roses.

Robert Burn's My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose

Once again it's Tablescape Thursday sponsored by Susan at BETWEEN NAPS ON THE PORCH!



Thanks Susan for hosting Tablescape Thursday every week!

My table today is inspired by Robert Burns and this poem -

My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose
by Robert Burns

O my Luve's like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June:
O my Luve's like the melodie
That’s sweetly play'd in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I:
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a’ the seas gang dry:

Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi’ the sun;
I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o’ life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only Luve
And fare thee weel, a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho’ it were ten thousand mile.



Robert Burns Day is celebrated by Scots on or near his birthday, January 25th. Some of the foods traditionally served are haggis, cock-a-leekie soup, Scotch Broth and Scotch Whisky.

Now to be honest, I have never had haggis and don't intend to serve it any time soon. But as I hit the after-Christmas sales, I found this plaid tablecloth at Tuesday Morning for 50% off and these plaid napkins and gold napkin rings for 75% off. It seemed like such a shame to put them away for a whole year until I could use them. So I thought maybe a Scottish theme - then I discovered that Robert Burns Day was right around the corner. Red roses for the centerpiece seemed a natural due to the poem above!





My flatware is "Betsy Patterson" by Kirk Steiff. It was my grandmother's wedding silver which has a place for engraving, but she never had the initials engraved. I thought this would be the perfect flatware since Patterson seemed like a Scottish surname. I did a little research and Betsy Patterson was actually the daughter of an Irish immigrant, who was the wealthiest man in Maryland in the early 1800's. Betsy married Napoleon Bonaparte's brother. I still think the flatware looks nice with the rest of the table, so it's staying Scottish or not! And you will all recognize my "Gollum" china from Big Lots. My stemware is Fostoria Heritage and a pattern with gold and silver Greek keys from TJ Maxx.



So here's using red and green plaid at other times, not just Christmas AND here's to Robert Burn's day!

Make sure you visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for more tablescapes!

My Blogiversary - Barely Blue Winter Wonderland

Today is my one year anniversary of my blog! I can't believe it. I have made so many special friends and seen SO many gorgeous tables! I am so busy at work right now, I haven't been able to come up with a good way to celebrate........SO, I am just posting my first blog entry again.

I have decided to use this blog to catalog my table settings. The first table of the year is Winter Wonderland: Barely Blue.

I am submitting this for Tablescape Thursday hosted by Susan (Between Naps on the Porch).

Thanks Susan!



I didn't want all the sparkle to go away after I put up the Christmas decorations, so I decided that I would create a Winter Wonderland of ice and snow. I spay painted limbs silver and used icicle and snowflake ornaments as well as strung acrylic "jewels" in "Barely Blue" shades. I used Tiffany Blue tulle as a table runner over a slightly off-white table cloth and tulle on the mantle. I put blue "marbles" and clear acrylic pieces that look like cracked ice in a vase to hold the limbs.





I put the vase in the center of a silver wreath from Target and filled in the gap between the wreath and the vase with silver and blue Christmas ornaments.

On the mantle, I put limbs in a blue round vase and made a bow from blue and silver sheer ribbon. I hung jewels, icicles and ornaments in silver and blue on the limbs.





Beside the vase I put silver limbs and golden ferns from Target and silver poinsettias and wired pearls from Michaels. At the ends, I used silver mercury glass candle pillars with white fake candles embossed with silver snowflakes.



In the small white vases, I had small silver spray painted limbs with 3 silver ball ornaments.

On the table, I had mercury glass votive holders from Target in silver and icy green/blue, as well as two different types of clear snowflake holders. I also used small blue vases with white silk flower sprays. I also scattered acrylic jewels on the tulle.



At Cracker Barrel a few days after Christmas, I found these plates for 70% off. I originally thought my table would only have blue, silver and white, but these plates in ivory and gold were such a good deal I couldn't pass them up. The gold allowed me to use gold napkins and glassware with both gold and silver embellishment and I used gold and silver chargers. I also found ribbon with golden snowflakes at Michaels for 70% off which I tied for napkin rings.



Before I found the ribbon, I used silver napkin rings.



I will host my garden club on January 20th and use the table as a buffet. I am making cupcakes with fondant snowflakes. I have improvised a cupcake holder/tea tray with two platters and a cake stand from the 70% off Cracker Barrel sale, a flat topped glass bowl and a battery operated tea light.

Flash


No Flash to highlight the "Fire and Ice" effect


Comments and suggestions are welcomed! My table and this blog are a work in progress!

Tea Time in Monet's Garden

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



Thanks Susan for hosting Tablescape Thursday every week!

I am recycling a post from last year for this week's tablescape. Here it is:


As part of a tablesetting challenge at Recipezaar, I created this tea tablesetting inspired by this print:



Here is my table:













I used blue tulle to represent the water. The tea set is from Ross-Simons.The tea set has colors from the print and the two green vases add a touch of lily pad green. At first I tried to make lotus folded pink napkins, but my pink napkins aren't completely square and I didn't have any starch, so the lotus blossoms were a bit flabby. Then I remembered that I had these circular pink and green paper napkins from Target that I bought on clearance last spring. They add a nice touch also. The plates are from Yankee Candle and I bought them from Bed, Bath & Beyond for 10 cents each a few years back. I suppose they are meant to hold candles, but they don't say that they aren't food safe and they look like plates to me.

I couldn't find anything around the house to represent the periwinkle blue/lavender colors in the print. Those aren't shades I use a lot. On the whole, I am pleased with my effort!

Silver and Gold Snowflakes for New Year's Eve

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



Thanks Susan for hosting Tablescape Thursday every week!

Here is my New Year's Eve Table decked out in silver, gold and snowflakes. If the pictures are cut off to the right, you may click on them to see the full view.









I have put on my gold tablecloth and used a beaded snowflake runner I got at Target for 50% off. I used my gold ornament tree and hung silver and gold glitter ornaments and some New Year's hats and saucer champagne ornaments from KMart (also 50% off). I used both gold and silver chargers and my snowflake plates that I got from Cracker Barrel last year. I have my water goblets with the silver and Greek Key trim and some saucer champagne glasses. I used ivory napkins with silver snowflake napkin rings. Between the plates and the chargers I used large plastic snowflakes from the Dollar Store. I saw these used by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer last year, so when I saw them this year I grabbed them ! Thanks Susan for a great idea!



Here is a close up of the centerpiece:



I love these ornaments!









Happy New Year to all! :D Jewel

Christmas Food Traditions

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


For this LATE Christmas Foodie Post, I want to share two Christmas Food Traditions with you. The first is Rum Cake.



My mother made this when I was young and I have kept this tradition going with my family.

The recipe is from the Bicardi Rum Company but I make it with light rum instead of dark rum as they suggest.

Rum Cake:

cake
1 box yellow cake mix (not butter recipe or pudding in the mix) I prefer Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Classic Yellow Cake
1 3 1/2 oz. box vanilla instant pudding mix
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup rum
4 eggs

glaze
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup rum

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a large Bundt cake pan. Do not just use PAM or the cake will stick.

In a large mixing bowl combine all the cake ingredient. Mix with hand or stand mixer on medium for 2 minutes.

Pour batter into pan and bake for 45 minutes or until it tests done with a toothpick.

As soon as cake comes out of the oven, combine all glaze ingredients in a saucepan and boil for 5 minutes.

The standard recipe calls for turning the cake out onto a platter with a lip, poking holes in it with a fork and slowly pouring the glaze over the top of the cake. BUT here is how my mother taught me to do it: Just slowly pour the glaze on the cake in the Bundt pan while still warm. Let it soak in for a bit and then turn it out onto a cake plate or platter.

This cake is very moist and is even better the next day.



The next food tradition is our Christmas morning quiche.




I don't really have a recipe for this.

I use a Pillsbury pie crusts and unroll it into the quiche pan and blind bake it for about 10 mins at 325 degrees.

I spread a bit of Dijon mustard over the partially baked pie crust and spread a pound of sausage, cooked and drained over this. Then I add shredded cheese (whatever we have in the refrigerator) all over the top. Then I beat 4 eggs with some milk, salt and pepper and pour this over the sausage and cheese.

For a festive Christmas touch I add red and green bell peppers (which my daughters usually pick out as they eat!)




Thanks Gollum for hosting Foodie Friday!

I hope you all had a wonderful Merry Christmas!