Photo Shoot for Equestrian Wedding

I was flattered when Seven Barks asked me to do a photo shoot for a spring equestrian wedding feature.  I wasn't clear exactly what they wanted, but I began to play with some items that said spring wedding to me. Here's my path to this pretty photo.

This was the tablescape I started with, but as soon as I shot it, I knew it was too busy and had too many items in it.  After all, that beautiful snaffle bit letterpress place card was to be the featured item, and it was almost lost in the complete setting.  Note: These are totally un-edited photos, just to show my thought process and where I was going.

I got a little closer, but still thought it was still not the star of the show.

Closer still, but now it's out of proportion to the napkin ring.

Getting closer.

Almost there, but something's still wrong.

I added the napkin and ring back to the mix, but.....no.

Here's a close up of that gorgeous silver napkin ring with a setter and pheasant.  I. Love. This.

Well, hello, beautiful!  By tipping the placecard a bit, I had it.  I can't tell you what magazine it's going to be in just yet, but I can't wait to see their spring equestrian wedding article. 

This placecard/enclosure card ( 2" x 3.5" and twelve to a pkg ) comes in many other letterpress designs, and Seven Barks,  Purveyors of Fine Papers, has so many other distinctive items in their line.  Go to www.sevenbarks.com to check them out.  There is an adorable bunny design that would be wonderful for Easter, and so would their Easter party poppers! 

Carrots and the Cutest Company

The boys are on their way!!!!!  Two of our three grandsons and our daughters are coming for their spring break.  These guys are NOT the pastel, fluffy little bunny type, so I've set a table that is clearly celebrating Easter, but is bright and cheerful and much more of interest to these young men.

Upon arriving at the door, they'll see this new wreath.

It's grapevine, silk forsythia, burlap carrots, and burlap bows.  I found it at Old Time Pottery.  I think it's as fun as the table inside.

Doesn't this look like a place where there will be lots of giggles and joking around?

The very first item that I decided to use it this wonderful decoupaged tin pitcher that my BFF brought me for my (early) birthday.  See the carrot on it?  Well, away I went with a carrot theme.  I know there are many who scoff at "theme table", but am not one of them.  I get a seed planted in my brain and it takes on a life of its own.  When you are the insomniac that I am, you obsess over most tables until you sometimes just get up and start pulling things together, and most times there is a common thread.  You can call it a theme table, or one with a common thread!!!! Ok by me!  At any rate, these great orange tulips were 3 bunches for $12 at Whole Foods this week.  Perfect!

Can you just see me doing my happy dance in the aisles of Pier One when I spied these napkins?  You should have been there!  The napkin knots are from Old Time Pottery and were $1 each.  Cha-ching.  I already had these orange rimmed salad plates that I bought for a wedding shower a couple of years ago.  I never could have guessed how much I have used them.

Under the salad plate, there is a white everyday dinner plate, a rattan charger, and a bright green straw placemat.  The green flatware is from World Market.  I sure wish I had bought service for 8 instead of just 4.  Dang!

I once had 8 of these bright green stems, though, but now I only have 5.  :-(  These orange glasses are from the same wedding shower.

These leaf embossed bread and butter plates are from the floral wholesaler, and I have a couple of different sized platters to go with them.  I felt these little twig spreaders went with the table, too.

Pier One had these tiny paper mache carrots that I used almost as confetti, and just scattered around.

These old oak and brass barley twist candlesticks seem to be on almost every table I do.  They are so versatile and they still make my heart stand still.  This runner is used to be a picnic sized tablecloth that I cut up for runners.  It made three and I can use them several different ways.

My daughter's mother-in-law gave me this sweet little bunny and chick salt and pepper set.  Aren't they darling?  

I love to take this shot, but I couldn't quite get it centered.  Oh, well.

We'll have some meals on paper plates, some in restaurants, some on picnics, and some at this fun table.

I can't wait to see those little guys with their devilish grins, smelling like chlorine from the pool.

Nothing precious or fragile.

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Here Comes Peter Cottontail

I took an idea I found on Pintrest and turned it into these placecards for a dinner for friends before the Easter entertaining begins in earnest.  I used my silhouette machine and cut three different sizes of cardstock, white, pink and silver gray.  Then I cut the names out of gray adhesive vinyl.  A bow and a small carnation finished it off.  This idea turned into... 

this placesetting, which turned into....

this table.

These pink linen napkins were especially pretty because my Mom ironed them for me when she was visiting.  She has a knack for ironing and I let her go wild.  These white wooden bunny napkin rings are so old.  Not to call my children old, but I had them when they were small.  My mis-matched silverplate seemed like the right choice for flatware.

This photo doesn't do justice to these beautiful etched glasses.  I found the stems at Erika Reade in Atlanta and I did a post on them.  They are very similar to William Yeoward's Fern pattern.  Then, the other day I wa sback and I found these tumblers in the same pattern.

You can see it a little better here.

M friend Ann, who is also our daughter's MIL gave me this darling salt and pepper set for Christmas.  A bunny and a chick!  I've been waiting all these months to use it.

The flowers had to be something I could do fast, so grocery store carnations were plopped into a mercury glass vase and I was done.

Then, on each side of the flowers, I placed a foil wrapped bunny.  Doesn't he make you smile?  After I took these pics, I went back and added some crystal candlesticks with pink candles to the table.

Aside from the wrinkles in the tablecloth, it's pretty cute, right?

After the dinner, as I was putting things away, I ran across these placecard holders which would have been cute on the table and a lot less work.

But......he was truly the star of the table.  Everyone took their placecards home.  Hope they knew that flower will die! 

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Moonlight and Mason Jars (Wed.)

Easter Greetings!

Happy Easter to you all!!!!!!

Our family has been visiting with us all week from Ohio, and even though the weather wasn't that great, the love and fun sure were!!!  Since they just left yesterday, we are having a very laid back Easter Sunday and there will just be the two of us for dinner tonight.

This unusual egg topiary caught my eye at the floral wholesaler, and I planned a soft, almost neutral table to go with it. 

These latex cabbage leaves are perfect for adding a spring look, so I used them under the chargers.

I picked up the brown and soft green from the eggs on the topiary with these linens.  I layered this polyester dupiani over a natural burlap tablecloth.

Then I chose tan and cream plates and cream handled flatware.

The scalloped charger and salad plate are from Z Gallerie and the middle, toast colored plate is from that fine tabletop store, Kroger!  The scallops aren't exactly the same, but they complement each other.

Not a lot of color, but very soothing and natural.

See the feather ribbon I used as a napkin ring?

It has the same feathers in the centerpiece.  I was sort of surprised when I found it in my stash, to be truthful.  A happy coincidence!

I gave brown and green glasses a try, but they made things look too fall-like, so I brought out the Waterford and it seemed so much better.

These candlesticks aren't old, but I love the patina on them, even though it's a factory applied patina, not the kind you would find on a lovely antique. 

These good old salt and pepper shakers were the only accessories I added, since I'll be serving our plates from the kitchen.

It's a gloomy day!  Here's a shot from inside the window at this table.  (Part of the gloom is the fact that our sunshine went back to Ohio with their mothers yesterday!)  Maybe that's one reason I chose such a subdued palate for tonight's dinner.

This is my usual Easter table.  See more of this table here.

And last year I did a bright yellow and green table.  See more here.

At this same table, I served Easter breakfast here.

I'm wishing each of you who celebrate this holy season a wonderful day!

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