Earth Day on Paper

In light of Earth Day on April 24, I thought I would feature these paper placemats that I found at Boxwoods a couple of months ago.  With just a few simple elements, I set a table that let the placemats shine.

These were made by Cake Kitchen Papers and come in a pad of 50 for about 30 dollars.  They are 30% recycled and printed in the USA.  The paper is about the weight of watercolor paper and has such a nice feel.

In order to let the printed design shine through, I used clear acrylic flatware made by Cambridge and a clear glass plate.

Here's the "plate".  Don't you love it?  Disregard the shadows on this post, as I preferred to set this up outside, but it is pouring rain. (But, yea for me......I had sod laid yesterday and I'm thrilled with the rain.)

I just love the way the "utensils" are viney, knotty, twisty, and primitive.

The knife and spoon are even better than the forks!  Especially with the little guests painted into the design.

Here's the way the clear glass plate let the wood grain shine through......

and this is the way the flatware looked.  You can also see the dark brown napkin with a grapevine napkin ring.

What other choice could I make?

This blurry picture shows you the wooden slice that I love to use as coasters.

I chose these brown tortiseshell glasses to go with them.

This arrangement of fresh ferns with a dracenea spike and moss in the faux bois pot stays on the breakfast table all the time.  It seems to go perfectly with this earthy tablescape.

I am, however, very glad that the insects are also faux. 

Be sure to see these parties for more Earth Day tables:

Cuisine Kathleen

for

Let's Dish

Between Naps on the Porch

for 

Tablescape Thursday 

Happy Earth Day 2011!

To mark Earth Day 2011, I thought I'd post what Mother Nature has sent us so far this spring.  Actually, these pictures were taken about a week ago and things have really changed in that length of time.  Here's the front gates of our home.  Our real forsythia is long done here in Atlanta, but the forsythia on the wreaths remain....at least till next week.

We plant pansies in the fall and they bloom all winter long.  Here are a few remaining with the daffodils by the entrance.

 
 

These will soon be ripped out and replaced with impatiens for the summer.

I just planted this viburnum last year and it is at least making an effort to bloom, bless it's heart!

Here's the view from the back of the house looking down to the lake.  This dogwood specimen is beautiful, but the woods are full of wild dogwood, too. 

Most of the azaleas are these George Tabor variety.  They are my favorite.  The blooms are bigger than the average azalea and they cut for arranging very well. 

These are just sitting in the back turn around waiting to go to the garden. This is Mr. Pressed Pants favorite plant, so I pick them up as soon as I see yellow hibiscus in the garden center each spring. I wish they would winter for me.  I've tried and tried, but I have to replace them each year.  I don't mind since he loves them so much. 

I must say they really have a showy blossom.

Here's another view looking over the railing of the circular white deck down toward the lake.

The woods are full of native azaleas and wild dogwood.

This dogwood is so much fuller and whiter this week.

I've spent several years filling this terrace bed with perennials.  It is so rewarding to see these return.  Not everything has come back, but I'm making progress.  My goal is to not have to put any annual color into these beds, but as you can see, I'm a ways away from that.

The back pond has since been cleaned and the stones reset.  I love the lamb's ear in the bed here.

The lenten roses were awesome this year.  We have lots of these.  I wish I could figure out a good way to cut them and use them for floral arrangements.  Their little heads just droop too much.

This front fountain is just beginning to fill in.  The daffodils are done, but the hosta which surrounds it, are just poking up.  Time to get out there with the deer repellent.  Now!!!

The boxwood topiaries that I had in these cement pots didn't make it through the winter.  I replaced them with standards of gardenias. 

The flowers do show up and.....

they smell divine!

I'm working toward removing all of the nandina and small plantings in the front and making it just fern beds.  These guys want to join the party again this year!

Thanks for visiting and saluting Earth Day with me.  I hope your little corner of the earth is blessing you with similar treasures.  If not, be patient, they're coming!