Here Comes Peter Cottontail

The Easter bunny was the guest of honor on this spring time table.   This bunny figurine is one of my favorite Easter decorations.  I purchased it at Gordman's.  The bunny sits in a wreath of flowers on a Waverly tablecloth.

  

 Plastic eggs served as place cards resting in egg cups from Crate and Barrel.

Places were set with flamingo, peacock and sunflower Fiesta along white milk glass dessert plates.

Colored glass bunny tea light holders keep the Easter bunny company.

Eggs to DYE For

Put eggs in an oven preheated to 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  (Muffin tin keeps eggs from rolling around.)

Pretty Fiesta cups make the job more fun!

Add a teaspoon of vinegar to each cup.  Then add hot water until cup is 2/3 to 3/4 full.

Use food coloring to dye your eggs

Back of food coloring package has directions for creating different colors

Mixing red and blue to make purple

Mix with a spoon

Turn eggs periodically during the dying process

Don't worry - I rinsed out the sink and it didn't stain.

The finished product

Eggs in cute egg cups from Crate and Barrel

Bridal Shower

This is the tablescape for an intimate bridal shower I hosted.

Lacking any dishes in purple, the wedding color, I used paper plates atop a black tablecloth layered with a lace tablecloth.

The crystal pieces are Longchamp by Cristal d'Arques and the flatware is Kenwood by Oneida.

I searched for candy that would complement the table and discovered Nestle's Treasures mini candy bars which had purple wrappers.  You can see a crystal bowl full of candy bars near the upper left hand corner of the photo above.

Here's my little helper by the gift table!

Zen Theme

These photos are from my daughter's wedding reception in 2009 held at the Knight's of Columbus Hall.
We used the facility's white tablecloths and china, flatware and clear glasses.
The hall featured a zen/Asian theme and the colors sage and hunter green (the bride's favorite color).

Each place setting featured a sage colored napkin folded to hold a menu.  I used a silver paint pen to write the guests' names on black river rocks which served as placecards.

 t

Shoji screens were placed in the corners of the room with green colored pot lights behind them.  I placed them there for decoration, but they served as a great neutral backdrop for photos.

There were twelve round tables for eight.  Tables were titled  Bliss, Delight, Blessings, Love, Prosperity, Tranquility, Serenity, Mirth, Passion, Joy, Happiness, and Peace.

 The caterer was the Hi-Lo Club.  They made my favorite punch recipe:  1 carton of lime sherbet mixed with two 2-liter bottles of ginger ale.

Napkin were custom printed with the couple's initial.  Stacks of napkins were fanned by placing a glass on the top and twisting.  

 Decorations featured many photos of the couple from their courtship and Las Vegas wedding.

 The caterer did a beautiful job of displaying the food.

 I purchased yards and yards of sage-colored cotton and "puddled" it on the tables to anchor the centerpieces.

Half the tables featured tabletop fountains centerpieces. The other half had large cylinder vases with beta fish and submersible tea lights in them.  All centerpieces also included black river rocks, square tealight holders and dragonflies.

September Splendor

This tablescape was created for a Tour of Tables event in 2000 by my friend Sandy and me.

We found beautiful fabric featuring greens, burgundys and browns and had a seamstress make a lined table cloth with it.  (There was enough fabric left to make two table runners, also.)

We used Shannon china by Montgomery Ward, along with pieces of two different leaf-themed china patterns I found at local antique shops.

The place cards were stamped with burgundy and gold leaf stencils.

Table favors were burgundy leaf-shaped floating candles.

The centerpiece consisted of plants found in a nearby ditch.

Here's a closer look at some of the elements of this tablescape.

Bee Mantel-scape

As you may recall,  my husband is a beekeeper.  The bees were the inspiration for my latest mantel-scape.

A friend of my husband's had this plaque made for our bee business.

My daughter, Laura, found this cute honeypot at a local gift store.

These cute bee plates are by Fiesta.

Found this cute bee birdhouse at www.ltdcommodities.com.

Here's the first version of the mantel-scape.  (What I wouldn't give for some bee's wax candles right now!!)

Here's a more symmetrical arrangement.

Which one do you like best?

Mantel-scapes

When we built our house in 1999, I decided to have the carpenters build a niche behind the fireplace mantel.  The following photos are some mantel-scapes (I just invented that word) I've created through the years.

This mantel-scape is a tribute to my hometown - Ceylon, Minnesota (population 367).  The print was done by a local artist and features my old high school (now demolished) in an autumn setting.  I matched the pillar candles to the matting around the print.  The plaque in the middle of the arrangement commemorates the closing of the school.  Flanking the plaque are tins of Ceylon tea.  According to local folklore, when town fathers were deciding on a name for the little burg, they were sitting among supplies in the general store and saw boxes of tea from Ceylon (now called Sri Lanka).  Completing the arrangement are a Ceylon Co-op coffee cup and a replica of the Ceylon elevator which doubles as a toothpick holder. I added a garland of fall leaves to tie the elements together.

This is a nautical scene featuring seashells my mom brought back from the Gulf of Mexico where she and my dad wintered each year.

This one features my favorite bird, the Cardinal.  The print was given to me by my daughter Laura. It fits perfectly into the niche!

This is a simple winter mantel-scape.  The basket contains "snow"-covered pinecones.  A Willow Tree angel watches over the livingroom.

 This isn't a good photo (must have had a finger in front of the camera), but it's the only one I have of this March/St. Patrick's Day vignette.  I pulled out all my green dishes and accented them with craft foam shamrocks and green candles.

Here's a closer look at the Ceylon memorabilia.