Girls Night Out Challenge

Cuisine Kathleen (Here) is having another fun Spring challenge this Wednesday. The theme is "Girls Night Out." Pat jumped at the chance to use a set of accent plates that we have had for a long time and never got around to using them:

If the guys can have a night out to play cards, why can't the girls? We just do it a little fancier.....

Red mesh was used as placemats under the place settings. To avoid covering the accent plate, Pat placed the napkin under the Charger.

The place setting

Flatware is my very favorite  stainless - "Fluence" by Oneida. It's sleek and modern. 

Accent plates are "Casino Royale" by American Atelier

The dinner plate is red "Fun Factory" by Waechtersbach

One of the most used pieces in our "arsenal" of dishware - black "Color Spectrum" by Mikasa

"Jet Black" by Artland Glass Company was the perfect choice to add a touch of class to poker....

Each small bowl held extra chips

One last look from the other end of the table

Where it came from:
Black Chargers - "Color Spectrum" by Mikasa from eBay
Red Dinner Plate - "Fun Factory" by Waechtersbach from Replacements
Accent Plates - "Casino Royale" by American Atelier from eBay
Bread/Butter Plate - Black Fiesta by Homer Laughlin (retired 2014)
Flatware - "Fluence" by Oneida from Replacements
All Glassware - "Jet Black" by Artland from Target (mail order) and Replacements
Small Black Square Bowls - "Trilogy" from World Market still available
Black Napkins - from Tuesday Morning
Crystal Candle Holders - from our collection
Red Mesh, Silk Flowers and Candles - from Michael's


We will be joining Cuisine Kathleen's "Let's Dish" Spring Challenge this Wednesday: http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/


We will also be joining Susan for "Tablescape Thursday" at Between Naps on the Porch:  http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Persimmon Fiesta Table

For this week's table, Pat wanted to challenge herself by using Fiesta tableware in a different way - not the usually bright, sometimes overly colorful tables that are common with Fiesta dishes. She pulled out Persimmon dinner plates and combined them with inexpensive dishware from Pier 1 to use for a wine tasting party for six. Here is what she came up with:

Over view of the table

Each place setting has three wine glasses in addition to a water and a champagne glass

Flatware is the very popular "Treble Clef" from Gourmet Settings

The tidbit plate was perfect for first course hors d'oeurves

This is the "Persminnon" salad plate from Fiesta by Homer Laughlin

Pat used "Spice Route" extra large salad plates from Pier 1 

The "Persimmon" Fiesta dinner plate acted as the charger

We bought these placemats on clearance for next to nothing  a while ago - Bed, Bath, and Beyond have them back this season but not as colorful (and more money)

All serious tablescapers have these - from the Dollar Store

Assorted wine glasses to taste the different wines

Another one of Pat's bargains - bought on clearance from Pier 1 - she used them to display the assorted wines

Copper candle holders

From the other end of the table

 Pat tried copper flatware to match the candle holders:

Flatware is "Hammered" from Horchow's

I really liked the copper flatware but it did not show up well next to the plates

 Here's where it came from:
"French Quarters" Placemats - Bed, Bath, and Beyond on sale last year
Flatware - "Treble Clef" by Gourmet Settings from TJMaxx
Green Glassware - by Libby from the Dollar Store
Clear Wine Glasses - "Entertain" boxed sets from Bed, Bath, and Beyond
Fiesta Dinnerware - from eBay and Replacements.com
Beige Dinner Plates - "Spice Route" Sesame from Pier 1
Eiffel Tower Tidbit Plates - from Pier 1 two years ago
Napkins and Napkin Rings - from Pier 1
Olive Green Votive Holders - from Bed, Bath, and Beyond
Olive Green Candle Holders - from Pier 1
Eiffel Tower - from Ross
Copper Flatware - "Hammered" from Horchow's

We will be joining Susan for "Tablescape Thursday" at Between Naps on the Porch:  http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Mexican Brunch

I am actually posting the table that I used for the family Easter Brunch since Pat is out of town and cannot set the table this week. (In all honesty, she set it for the Brunch for me before she left the next day.) Since it was a Mexican theme on Easter (yeah, I know, weird), it was a bit tricky to do, but here goes:

Here's the table before I removed the centerpiece and replaced it with bowls of condiments

The place setting

Flatware is "Montana" by Gourmet Settings - I was afraid that the older folks at the table might have a problem using it because of the thin handles, but it worked out fine

Now here was the problem - I love this placemat....but it is a killer to actually use. Glasses do not sit flat, and it was hard for older folks to set a glass down without toppling it.

Glassware is inexpensive "Starfire Ivy" by Anchor from Ross

Another tricky thing - come up with a centerpiece that works for Easter and for a Mexican Brunch. This one did.



From the other end of the table

Pat was playing around with the place setting before and after she settled on the placemat from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. 

Loved this one, but too "Pier 1" (neither Pat nor I really like the charger, but it looked OK on the terracotta tile.)

Then Pat tried the place setting on just the tile - I wish we would have used it instead of the uneven placemat.

The table set with the terracotta tiles

Where it came from:
Placemats - Bed, Bath, and Beyond
Dinnerware - "Botanical Garden" from Pier 1 this season
Bread/Butter Plate - "Sunflower" Fiesta by Homer Laughlin from Replacements
Glassware - "Starfire Ivy" by Anchor from Ross
Flatware - "Montana" by Gourmet Settings from Bed, Bath, and Beyond
Napkins - Handmade by Pat to match the Bread/Butter plates
Napkin Rings - from Pier 1
Yellow Candle Holders - from eBay
Candles, Mexican Flowers, Flower Container - Michael's
Terracotta Tiles - inexpensive tiles from our local Building Supply Center that I coated with a stone sealer

We will be joining Susan for "Tablescape Thursday" at Between Naps on the Porch:  http://betweennapsontheporch.net/