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Monday, July 2, 2012

Ants at the Picnic

I've been wanting to do this table for a long time.  I love the combo of red/white gingham and ants, but I find a lot of  this type of collection rather cheezy.  Can you imagine my glee when I found this set of linens at the floral wholesaler in early spring?

I've been dying to bring it out to the cutting garden and set it up on the dining platform.

Look at this closely.  It's a polyester dupioni tan and black and white plaid edged with red and white gingham embroidered with ants.  Perfect!  Unusual, and whimsical but not too trite.  I put it over a cream burlap table skirt on our unfinished dining table that I keep in the potting shed.  You can see that here.

I bought four embroidered napkins to go with the topper.

The dish combination was easy.  Cream dinner plate from Pottery Barn, black salad plate from Target, and a red bowl from Ballard Design.

Then I chose this black handled flatware.  I think it came from Target, too.

I easily decided on these vintage red stems.

And I had a bit of fun with the Fiesta-style butter pat.  These ants are tablecloth weights from Michael's, but I unscrewed and removed the clips.

I went to several nurseries for red geraniums, but they were all out.  It's too late in the season for much planting here.  I toyed with the idea of red roses but they seemed way too fancy.  Carnations were considered, too, but I really wanted geraniums.  So, I bought a faux spray at Michael's and stuck it in this heavy black iron urn.

Here's the overhead of the whole table for four.

This dappled sun wasn't the best for pictures, but it really was charming.  I removed the chairs to take better pictures.  They were on the pathway past the gardenia bush.

The only bugs welcome here are those darling little embroidered ones.  They make me smile.



Joining:

Tabletop Tuesday

Wow Us Wednesday

Open House Thursday

Tablescape Thursday

Inspiration Friday

Feathered Nest Friday

Fridays Unfold

Seasonal Sundays

Let's Dish




19 comments:

  1. Linda, I would have snapped that up too. I love the combination. I've been wanting to put together an ant theme table too. A friend gave me a red ticking cloth with ants marching across the corner, so when I saw some of those giant ants at PB last year, I picked up a couple of boxes. Now I need to put together a table. LOL Yours is inspiring me. Thanks!
    ~ Sarah

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  2. Oh, this is SO pretty! I love the bit of whimsy from the large ants on the butter pats. And what a great find that topper was! Thanks for all the details of how you put this table together.

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  3. I love this table, it's so cute! We happen to have a love for ants around here..well my son does. He has studied them ever since grammar school. Wouldn't he love eating at this table!

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  4. What a cute table. I love the combo of red, white and black, then throw in ants...winner!

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  5. What a fun combination. I love the color combo of black, red and tan. So nice.
    Enjoy your 4th.
    Karen

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  6. Oh how totally cute. I love your "Ant" linens. Perfect tablescape and the setting is stunning. Thanks for joining TTT. Hugs, Marty

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  7. You said it perfectly: sometimes the items with gingham and ants are just way too cheesy for words. This, however, is super elegant AND super fun all rolled into one! What a wonderful find!!! I am totally bowled over! And I love that the gingham just edges the black & white plaid...very sophisticated!!! What a great idea to use the tablecloth weights! I totally believe in using things in 5+ ways to make them worth the purchase!!! Great table, Linda! I hope you enjoy your 4th of July holiday. Stay safe!

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  8. This is an adorable table setting. Those linens are fun indeed!

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  9. In the instance YAY for the ants. Visiting from Let's Dish. Olive

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  10. Your table linens are just too cute (but not in a bad way!). I always liked the "ants at a picnic" dishes I've seen in stores but this is a first for the linens.

    Robin
    Robin Flies South

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  11. Dupioni plaid...those ants have really good taste! Wonderful summerscape.in a lovely al fresco setting. Thanks for inviting us for a peak. Cherry Kay

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  12. So cute! Love the tablecloth and the whimsical ants! Thanks for sharing.

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  13. Lovely table! The tablecloth is amazing. Love the Dupioni plaid. Thanks for sharing. Have a great weekend.

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  14. I am chuckling out loud at the ants. What a find and how well you turned cheesy into fun. I'm going to be on the lookout for some ants, not the crawly ones though.

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  15. Love this table! The mix of cute and sophisticated is a real winner!! Very fun!

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  16. Linda~ Ants never looked so good! What a fabulous find your cloth is~ I love the pairing of the plaid with the embroidered gingham check! So clever of you to use the tablecloth weights as table accents~ I want to picnic with ants now :)

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  17. This is wonderful! Love the topper and the napkins are such fun!
    Thanks so much for linking to Let's Dish!

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