Here's To The Birthday Chick!

When a dear friend is having a birthday and these plates come home with me from Pier One.....a party was born!  I took the "Birthday Chick" theme and ran with it.

This made a colorful and fun table where we had LOTS of laughter.

I've had these chicken chair covers for a couple of years, but I've never used them.  I'm gifting them to two of the women who came to this luncheon, since they have little, little grandchildren.  I think my guys have outgrown the magic of a chicken on their chair!

The centerpiece started like this.  I used the trick of a vase within a vase, filling the "wall" with Easter grass and marshmallow peeps.

Then I found these white lisianthis and beautiful yellow roses.  I just love the way those white buds gracefully bend and create shape to the arrangement.

This yellow napkin looks washed out here, but it was a little more vibrant in person.  I just love these knot napkin rings that I bought at Old Time Pottery for $1 each.  I have them in several colors.  I can't for the life of me remember where I bought this yellow polka dotted flatware.

My old, old wedding crystal got to come to the party.  I sat it on a yellow straw coaster.  You wouldn't believe the difference that makes in perking up the table.

I have had these in my stash of entertaining papers and thought they were cute for the day.  Instead of using names, I used something special about each guest.  We had "Birthday Chick", "Auburn Chick", "Short Chick", and for the sweet friend who raises chickens, "Chicken Chick"!

This pink and yellow salt and pepper set are vintage LuRay that I collect.  LuRay was made in the '40's and came in four beautiful pastel colors that I use a lot in the spring.

I brought this coffee tray in with dessert.  It sits here in the bar where I have a little daffodil vignette with a vintage book, a porcelain basket, and a very precious tray that my Daddy made and my Mom painted.  The dishes are also LuRay china. 

The napkin this sits on is from Target.

Here's some more LuRay in the French shelves.  I added these nutcracker bunnies that I love and a "Happy Easter" cut-out that I bought at a craft show years ago when my girls were tiny.

I love to give little favors, or parting gifts at luncheons.  There is never anything precious in them, but I promise you they will put a smile on your guest's face.  :-)

Today's goody bag held a packet of tissues with the chicken on them, a pack of daffodil post-it notes, and a painted glass egg, all nestled on a bed of pink Easter grass.  I popped it all in a cellophane florists' bag and tied with a green ribbon.

This was the sideboard that I leave up for the season.  It just makes spring seem like it sprouted in the dining room.  You can just see the top of the photographer's head in the mirror.  Ha!  

We made memories here.  I just love to honor a friend with a meal made with love.

There is a lot of whimsy here.  The birthday girl was a second grade teacher, so it was right up her alley.

How do you like the first course that we had in the dining room?  It's a cheese chick!  I found the basic idea on pintrest, of course.  I used a shortcut of starting with a cheese ball from the market and made a small ball of it.  Then I rolled it in some shredded cheddar that I pulsed very briefly in the food processor to make it a little finer.  The feet and wings are cut out of a slice of processed cheese with little tiny canape cutters, and the eyes and beak are from a Kalamata olive.  Then I sat them on a cracker and served a couple of extra crackers.  Aren't they cute?

Our mutual friend, Anne, brought the tossed salad with blueberries that was delicious.  The egg cup holds pimento cheese with Pepperidge Farm butterfly crackers perched on the edge.  I know.....this menu turned out a little heavy on the cheese, but it was GOOD.

Here's the main plate.  What says spring more than asparagus?  This is a cold, marinated recipe.  Then, to give another wink to the chicken theme, there's a chick shaped deviled egg.  Anne made the chicken salad, too.  (She's such a great help!)  It was from James Farmer's newest cookbook, "A Time to Celebrate".  We have a mutual crush on him.  A big one.  A really big one.  I could go on!

Dessert was a lady-like serving of Hagan Daz pineapple/coconut ice cream, which is heavenly, with a non lady-like individual coconut cake with lemon curd inside.  A little mint, a few raspberries, and it's a birthday cake.  Did you notice there are no candles?  You're welcome, Beth.

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The Happy Scraps

Blue Bird

Sometimes a dish can whisper and sometimes it will ask for a colorful party table.  That's the case here.

See this little guy?  I found him at Homegoods and I did not intend to pull the green out of the dish, but it was kinda bossy!

So here we are!  You almost need sunglasses.

I started with a turquoise tablecloth from the Palm line of linens.  If you see them for sale, jump on them, as they are great quality and launder beautifully.  

I'm disappointed at how this charger photographed.  It looks so yellow, but it was really a bright grass green.  I think I got it at World Market.  The dinner plate was so large that the charger barely showed, but the turquoise tablecloth and the turquoise plate needed a break from each other.

The glassware was a mix of green glass stems from Swoosie's and Waterford white wines.

I know you are asking yourself two questions:

1.  Why didn't she iron this cloth?

2.  Why didn't she straighten this spoon?

The white wicker napkin ring freshened up these layered napkins.  I rarely do this, because guests seems so stumped as to what to do with two napkins, but today, I thought they could handle it!

I added a white porcelain bird at each place, and later sat a hand lettered placecard beside him. 

More white birds in the salt and peppers......

and atop the butter dish.......

and around the two vases that held screaming green mums.

In the center of the table, I sat a chicken wire cloche with ferns, eggs, and a little green bird.

Can you see him in there?

I had one more bird dish that I used for rolls.  I didn't even use a napkin in it, as I didn't want to hide the bird.

I wasn't sure I could handle all of this color, but it was perfect for this group and everyone's need for spring.

Besides, I've been using a lot of neutrals and I was getting in a rut.

Here's the tea tray.  Do you see that the lid for the sugar bowl is missing?  Do you have one I can buy?  Really?  Please leave me a comment if you could part with this sugar bowl.  It came from Homegoods a couple of years ago.

Every time I get this out to use, I am afraid that bird will break off.  Probably because I've had a run of klutzyness.

I used this for lemon and mint.

And look who else joined the party......

these little lovebirds in just the right color.

And on the other side of the room, the sideboard held my annual spring display.  You can see how I put it togorether here.  I have a string of spring entertaining planned, so the fact that this is all faux material will make it last.  Come around often and join us!

I guess I did this post just in time to join Cuisine Kathleen's April Let's Dish linky party on April 9.  She is inviting bloggers to join with posts that feature birds, nests, or eggs.  Should be inspiring!

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The Tablescaper

Spring Has Spring Indoors

This room was called the "gentleman's bar" by the realtor when we bought our house.  That's because it was owned by a bachelor and when he remodled, he made it larger than the kitchen!  Priorities!  So it is quite a switch when it goes from masculine to pastel spring decor.  Here, I've used part of my collection of LuRay dishes, a 40's era china that is perfect for spring.

Oh yes!  Quite a change!

I've used a pink kalanchloe plant from the grocery store in a twig bunny for the table.

He sits on an old Easter embroidered runner that I've had for years.

And, across the room, this little vignette 

 featured daffodils.

I'm not a huge fan of decorating with stuffed animals, but I love this cute bunny with a bee skeep on his sweater.

In the living room, this paper mache rabbit has a vintage wooden toy hoe.  I would love to find the perfect wooden rabbit to hold this hoe.

I did a post here on this sideboard display in the dining room.  I put it up early spring and keep it until after Easter.

Here's a close-up.

And over on this chest, I've used this reproduction Victorian rabbit piece.

Aren't they adorable?  There are even velvet pansies.

The guest powder room has a few Easter decorations, too.  I've used a Victorian reproduction rabbit here.

I just love the expression on his face!

And here's a velvet bird......

perched in front of a Queen's ware plate.

And this group of embroidered hand towels are ready for guests.  They arrive on Friday!  We can't wait!!!