French Shelves for Halloween

I always rush to decorate for fall, but delay the Halloween decor, because frankly, I love it, but tire of it.  So, here's my first Halloween display.  These French shelves in our bar are always fun for me to decorate.  In my previous home, they were hung much lower, so I decorated the top of them, too.  

One reason I was looking forward to this year's Halloween shelves is because one of my dear Bridge Buddies gave me these darling plaid plates last year.  I was so surprised and thrilled.  I thought of a million ways I wanted to use them, but this display won out.  (At least for now!)  

There are six plates with four different designs on them.  The top row allows a taller plate, so I backed the dessert sized ones with our everyday white dinner plates.  I love the way they show up against the wood here.  Then on the bottom shelf, I needed a smaller plate, so I found these black rimmed salad sized plates in my stash.  They don't show up as well, but they looked too small without them.  Then I  used real pumpkins and black glittery ones and filled in with black glittered garlands that I cut up.  The black stuff came from Michael's, but they are all out at my store now.  I was looking for more yesterday.

Since I needed eight plates to balance the display, I used two of the salad plates by themselves.  They looked too stark, so I added a black raven in front of each one.  Better!

I have a special watercolor that usually hangs under this shelf, but it detracted from the black and white and orange.  I removed it temporarily, and hung a bit of felt garland flags. The rest of the garland went on the front of the table.  My daughter bought me this last year.  Thanks, Susie......I love it!

On the table below, I used a white caterer's linen tablecloth covered with black netting from the Dollar Store.    Then I raised two big pumpkins on small glass pedestals and used the rest of the black garland around them. This table will be used next weekend for desserts when my wine club meets here, so I made sure that I can put up the drop leaf and have lots of room.  The front of the table has the remainder of the felt garland.

Several years ago, my favorite store, Boxwoods, in Atlanta sold this pair of glittery Halloween crowns.  They have sharp picks on the bottom which keeps them on the pumpkin.  I chose this one for the girl pumpkin.  Then I added lipstick and press on eyelashes tipped in gold from the drug store.  She's something, isn't she?

Her prince is apparently the strong, silent type.

Oh yes........there's a little uninvited friend checking out the whole thing.  Hope he's here stag!

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Diamond Jubilee

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Dear Queen Elizabeth!  She really knows how to remain regal, doesn't she?  The world will be celebrating her Diamond Jubilee this week and I found that I could take a small part in the party!

A few weeks ago, I had lunch for a small group of friends who call themselves the Distinguished Divas.  We met volunteering for several arts organizations and have become fast friends.  Since we have each been honored at one time or another by Atlanta Ballet, we chose this silly name to "brand" ourselves.

It wasn't until I was sorting through some photos of this luncheon that it dawned on me that it was a "Queenly" post and because I chose a glitzy, diamond(like) theme that I could pretend that I was posting for the Diamond Jubilee!  As you see here, even the centerpiece was arranged in a crown like container.

The white caterer's linen tablecloth was the basis and then I ran this rhinestone ribbon down the middle.

The flowers were going to be all white hydrangeas, but I didn't have quite enough, so I added these soft pink alstromeria.  Did I spell that right?

Then, to bring the pink into the table again, I used these scalloped linen napkins and pretended that these tiny dolly tiaras were napkin rings.  I just took the little comb out.

My mis-matched silverplate and mother-of-pearl handled knives fit the bill for flatware.  The dishes are Lenox with a very simple platinum band.  I usually go for much more color, but I was letting the flowers along the terrace be the color.

Waterford's Lismore pattered crystal stemware seemed just right.  (It's Irish and Queen Elizabeth reigns over Ireland, doesn't she?)

This is how each place setting ended up.

And here's the whole table.

The rest of the girls brought salad, entree, and sides, but I was in charge of the dessert.  To keep the Diva theme going, I put red velvet cupcakes in these little ceramic crowns that I got at Michael's last year.  I think they are meant to be candle holders.

 I made the plate a little more interesting with a couple of lamb's ear leaves and a pink bloom.  (I'm not going to try to spell that flower again!)

Aren't they cute?

Even Queen Elizabeth would love these homemade cupcake picks I came up with.  These crowns are actually made of white felt and have some clear glass glitter on them.  I stuck them in a toothpick and thought they ended the meal with a royal flourish. 

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