Tablescape Thursday

Congratulations to Susan on the 100th Tablescape Thursday! She suggested we post an outdoor tablescape, or a party tablescape for this fun occasion. I returned home from vacation sick and haven't been able to do what I had planned which was go to the beach to take pictures of an outdoor tablescape on the picnic tables there. Due to not feeling well I am posting a tablescape I did a year ago. It is a very inexpensive tablescape, but full of lots of neat ideas! I think it is festive enough for a celebration party, don't you!

I know most of you have seen these clear cut-glass plates at Dollar Tree, I saw them several times before I decided to buy them. They kept beckoning to me, but I didn't want to get them, store them, etc. Finally I gave in since they were only six dollars for all the cups and six dollars for the plates! I already had the clear salad plates. I love anything antique or Victorian looking!

I couldn't decide which color table cloth with the clear plates, I purposely didn't use chargers or placemats because I wanted the design and color to show through. I decided to use an ecru table cover and the wedding lace tablecloth on top. I love this vintage look tablecloth.

These little bottle vases were at Target for $3.99 for four. I first bought them to give our little grandkids to put little flowers in for their mothers, then I had the idea to use them at each place setting in tablescapes, so I went back and bought more.

The centerpiece is a pretty little skirt vase of a little Victorian lady.

I decided to use the deep wine roses since everything else was subtle.

The cloche came from Tuesday Morning, on sale for $13, I like the etching on it, kinda matches the tablecloth.

Napkin "rings":

The napkins "rings" are actually barrettes! When I saw these barrettes at an outlet store, and they were only $1.50 each, I bought them. I don't have long hair and can't wear them, but I knew what I would use them for!

Below: back of barrette:

Each place setting has a different barrette:

The one below is a Victorian look clip!

The barrette below has a cameo on it:

The serving dishes are crystal cut-glass. This pretty little vintage fan-shaped dish was a gift from a friend.



I just realized I forgot to put out the flatware before I took the pictures! We had a bad thunderstorm and the power was off over an hour, so I didn't take the time to do them all over again!

Can you see the vase of roses on the back of the lady?

I had so much fun putting this tablescape together!
It was very inexpensive, yet elegant looking!

I hope you enjoyed seeing my tablescape!

Go here for lots more inspiration!

Thanks to Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for hosting this fun event each week, so we can play with our dishes and have fun! Here's to another 100 tablescape posts!!

Have a happy day!
God Bless.

Katherine

Let them eat cake!

I have been wanting to make this strawberry coconut cake since we had it back in June at Lulu's Tea Room in Knoxville, TN. Since today is a day of two meetings I decided to make it so we would have help eating it! It is a three-layer cake and makes huge slices!

I baked the three layers last night, then frosted it this morning. I only have square cake pans, but don't have a square platter to put the square cake on! Can you believe with all the dishes I have, I don't have the right size for this cake!

The cake tastes wonderful, and my Faith Sharing Group agreed it is! Tonight my Creative Memories group will be here and will have their share!

The frosting was a little thin, not sure if I did something wrong, but it's still good, just not as pretty!

It doesn't look very pretty here because the strawberries show in the frosting.

Here's the recipe, try it, it isn't hard to make at all. Let me know if you make it!

Lulu's Strawberry Coconut Cake Recipe

Cake:
1 1/2 boxes of white cake mix
5 eggs
2 cups water
3/4 cup oil
1/2 box of strawberry jello (3 oz. box)
1/2 cup of chopped strawberries
Icing:
16 oz sour cream
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 box of strawberry jello (3 oz. box)
7 oz bag of sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup of chopped strawberries
1 (8 oz) carton of cool whip thawed

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients for cake with an electric mixer. Pour into 3 (8 or 9 inch) round baking pans that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Place in preheated oven and bake for 22 minutes. Let cake cool completely before icing.
Mix all ingredients for the icing, excluding the cool whip. Place one layer of cake on a platter and cover the top with 1/3 of the coconut mixture. Add the second layer and cover that layer with another 1/3 of the mixture. Take the remaining 1/3 mixture and add the 8 oz carton of cool whip. Add the 3rd layer and cover the entire cake with your cool whip mixture. Garnish with strawberries.

Presenter: LuLu's Tea Room

Here's a slice for you! Enjoy!

Have a happy day!
God Bless.

Katherine

More Christmas in July

I'm going to join in on some of the Christmas in July blog parties today. I'm a little late, but I just
remembered I had some Dollar Tree Christmas dishes way up in the top of our kitchen cabinets, so hubby got them down for me and I've put together two different tablescapes for two in our breakfast nook. The one above has red cardinal birds on the plates and the mugs.

The Christmas tablescape, below, has red poinsettias around the border of the plates.

Keep in mind, all of our Christmas storage boxes are in the attic
so I had to improvise with the centerpieces, and accents.

I used a tartan plaid tablecloth with the cardinal plates,
and hunter green napkins with a red rose napkin ring.

I found one little bunch of holly so I put it in a white tea pot along with a red rose. I like the contrast between the deep reds and greens, and the white.


For the second Christmas tablescape I used a red tablecloth with the red poinsettia bordered plates, and napkins with big poinsettias.

The centerpiece is what I use on our family room coffeetable - a pretty white cut-out voltive holder, and two candlesticks. After taking these pictures with the white bird, I remembered I have a little Christmas bird on top of our TV armoire, so I put it there in place of the white one.

It's pretty, but I think I prefer the contrast of the white bird.

I found the little white pitcher at Ross recently for only $2.99. I wanted something to put on top of the red plate so decided this would do fine, we'll just say it's for syrup for a Christmas breakfast with French toast or waffles!

Isn't it cute!

Hard to choose a favorite, but I think I like this one with the plaid tablecloth.
Can't beat the price of all of these plates and mugs! Love the Dollar Tree!

Anyone can create a pretty Christmas tablescape inexpensively with Dollar Tree!


Felicia of Playing With Dishes has been hosting the CIJ weekly in July, go there to find many more beautiful Christmas tablescapes, and even nice stories!


I hope you enjoyed my impromptu breakfast nook tablescapes! If you would like to see my Old Country Roses Christmas tablescape, scroll down a few posts.

Merry Christmas in July!

God Bless.

Katherine

Tablescape Thursday - Yellow Rose Tea Party

This week my tablescape is for a Yellow Rose Tea Party.

Thanks to Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for hosting Thursday Tablescapes, go here for lots more beautiful and creative tablescapes.

Above is this year's yellow rose tea party tablescape. Below is a yellow rose tea party I hosted several years ago. Here I'm with my co-host, Gloria at the yellow rose tea party for our tea party club. I've forgotten the year we had this one.

I have a collection of tea cups with yellow roses on them, I used many of the yellow rose tea cups. At that tea party I used a white lace table cloth over yellow. The centerpiece was a tea pot filled with yellow roses. I also used some of my yellow depression glass as serving dishes.

Favors were tussie-mussies made from white doilies filled with a tea time poem, and a small yellow rose. Napkins were tied with vintage yellow rose hankies.

Okay, now on to my new yellow rose tea party tablescape:

To change the yellow rose tea party theme this time I'm using the spring green tablecloth, yellow plates, topped with flower shaped green salad plates. I recently found these green plates at Marshall's for only $2.00 each! I love the way they match the tablecloth!

The centerpiece is a small cloche atop a crystal cake stand.

A tiny figurine holding a yellow rose is surrounded by silk yellow roses.

The little figurine is holding something else, but I glued the yellow bow and rose to her hand.

Each place setting has a different yellow rose tea cup from my collection. Each plate has a single yellow rose tied with a ribbon.


The napkins are yellow covered with a vintage yellow rose hankie, from my collection of yellow rose hankies!

The napkin rings are ceramic with yellow roses painted on them.

My yellow rose tea pot is also displayed. My husband bought this tea pot for me at an antique store, we had been looking for one for a long time and I was excited to finally find one!

Following are the different place settings with different tea cups and different vintage napkins.

Can you choose a favorite tea cup, and a favorite hankie?

Serving dishes are various yellow rose plates and bowls.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my new yellow rose tea party tablescape! Choose your favorite tea cup, sit down, and join us!

Have a happy day!
God Bless.

Katherine