Black and Yellow with Sunflowers

We had a very special group of people here for dinner on Sunday.  I wanted a cheerful, but not fancy table for us to gather around.  I decided on black and white with sunflowers.  Good for mid-summer, don't you think?

The sunflower theme started at the gates.  Actually, I'll probably keep these baskets up until fall.

Wouldn't you feel welcome?

Since our driveway is long and has a Y, we put this directional sign up to get our guests to our front door.

Although we know these folks well, none of them had ever been here before.

Here's the front door with a sunflower wreath.

It looks so pretty in the sunshine.

This is a bit blurry, but we put a sign on the door when the weather is nice and we are apt to be outdoors.  I'd hate to have someone ringing the doorbell and nobody answering!

At 97 degrees, it was too hot to be outdoors for dinner, so starting with a bare dining room table, I used these placemats from Homegoods.

I toyed with using these black wire chargers, but

as you see, it was too busy.

Much better!  I combined two sets of black and white dishes from Target.

One plain bordered, and one with a damask pattern.

Here is the opposite combination.

Here's the placesetting.

I tucked a sunflower-like daisy into the napkin pocket.

These water glasses have a sort of harlequin pattern in black on the crystal, and I paired them with Waterford Lismore wine glasses.

The flatware is my favorite mismatched silverplate.

This black wire obelisk is one of my favorite go-to pieces for a centerpiece.  I used it inside an oasis ring with lots of yellow and white flowers and a candle.

These don't whisper, they scream "Summer"!

Lush, but not at all overwhelming.

No placecards here, as everyone knows each other well.

What else but sunflower plates for dessert?

I decided to set the food up buffet style in the bar.  I used this drop-leaf tavern table.

I added a bit more color to the flowers here.

You know I'll do a faux bois look anytime, anywhere!  This held the orzo salad.

This wonderful pottery basket held the rolls.  I won this at a silent auction before Christmas.  I was NOT going to be outbid for this!

This twig handled set of servers worked well for the shiskabobs, which we took off of the skewers to serve. 

Here's the handle of the serving spoon for the salad.

I actually have a sunflower candy mold which I used for the butter.

Also in the bar, I set up sweet tea and unsweetened tea, and I labeled each.

And I put the "fixins" on another faux bois plate.

The appetizer was made to resemble a sunflower.  It is just a boursin-like spread topped with olive tapenade and surrounded with endive.

I used lots of other places to make our guests feel welcome. 

One powder room held a small, Japanese style vase with a tiny handful of flowers and berries.

The other guest powder room had a small white pitcher of daisies and some paper sunflower guest towels.

This is the one that gets used the most.

This arrangement ended up in the living room, but I forgot to take a photo of it there.

And outside, I only set up one table with a cloth and flowers, but, I did have enough sunflowers left for three little vases.

Menu

Endive with Boursin Sunflower Spread

Chicken Shiskabobs

Orzo and Corn Vegetable Salad

Dinner Rolls with Sunflower Shaped Butter

Peach Melba Ice Cream Pie

(I'll try and remember to post this great recipe for Gollum's Foodie Friday!)

Look for this post at Wow Us Wednesdays

http://savysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

look at Tabletop Thursday

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/