Christmas in Cream, Gold and crystals

This is just a little sneak peek at my Christmas theme this year. And tieing in from my previous post, another example of using the stacking plates for holidays. They really are versatile.

Why am I posting something Christmasy this early? I have found that I need to start way ahead for my planning. Since stores get out Christmas decor so early, I have found if I don't shop early for my decorations the best ornaments and such are gone way before December 1st! Right now it is very difficult to find "off white/cream colored ornaments, so if any do show up I plan on being the first there to claim them. :) I like planning my table scapes early too, that way when the big day comes, I'll set the table the day before saving me the time to concentrate on cooking, and an added benefit of that is it really puts me in the mood for the big festive dinner I share with my DD and her SO. Now that my DD has moved out, my big day is usually Christmas Eve, this was a very difficult transition for me, as Christmas Day was the traditional day for all the fun and festivities, but since she is on her own, she now wants the "day" to her and her SO, plus she needs to accomodate his family too. The change has been "hard" on me I must admit, are any of you going thru this right now?

Fall Decorations for your home

This is my Fall stacking plates centerpiece/vignette, I really enjoy doing these because they are easy, don't take up too much space, and it's a real eye catcher.

I love to use this as a center piece for my dining room table or my coffee table, but it could just as easily be the highlight of your buffet table too.

I showed them first to a forum group I visit a few years ago, the were so popular there so I decided to do a tutorial, so I hope that you, dear blog reader will enjoy it too.

These cake plates can be used for any holiday, Christmas, Fall, Thanksgiving, Valentines Day, Easter, Birthdays, Baby Showers, Bridal Showers, etc, they really are quite versitile. And of course you can use them for what they are ment for..food.

Part 1:

Gather up what you have choosen to do up your cake plates with. The key to a pretty over all design is to keep in the choosen theme, in this case it is a Fall theme.

I used a Christmas tree topper in my chosen colors, christmas birds, acorns, leaves, glass rocks and jewels, mini beaded pumpkins, a fairy, pine cone ornaments, faux grapes, the next 2 pictures show what I used, I did have a little left over, but I did use alot as you can see.

These are the empy stacking plates, the top piece is a 99 cent sundae cup I purschased at Walmart. The actual stacking plates came 3 in a box from Walmart(a few yrs ago). But you can order on line I think from Target for them too, Linens and Things, and Bed Bath and Beyond also has carried these plates. The average cost for the set is about $20.00.

Photo of the 3 stacking cake plates together.

Part 2: Start loading up, this is a few close-ups so you can see where I placed some things.

In the sundae cup I place in some of the glass jewels as filler before I put in the tree topper ornament. You can get the glass jewels at Walmart and craft stores.

Again, the finished product.

I hope you enjoyed this and that it was helpful. If you have any questions just leave me a note on the comments area.

Lunch with Ms. Bunny

Well, today is the last day of my vacation, tommorrow back to work Sigh.....

The lunch "theme" today is soft and pink.

White and pink together is another classic (that is IF you like pink LOL) I love pink, but it is actually a very hard color to find in dishware. Some of you have asked where I find my goodies...

The large pink plates and bowl, and coffee mug are from Target (a few Easters ago)

The pink and green water glass from Mikasa Outlet

The silk flowers are from JoAnns (definately use the coupons, otherwise they can be pricey)

The white lacy dishes and white bunny tea pot are from Marshalls

The salt and pepper birds are from Target (you can still find them there)

The bunny is one of 2 I purchased from Tuesday Morning (around Easter time)

The round quilted place mats are from Marshalls (you may still be able to find them, since I bought them last month)

Frosted silverware is from Walmarts...(I find a surprising amount of cool flatware there)

The cute little bunny milk server is from World Market, it dispenses just the right amount of milk for my coffee or tea for me (they still carry them)

The pretty flowered hat box ( have loads and loads of these for me and for gift giving, I find sometimes they are cheaper to buy and put your gift in than purchasing the wrapping paper and ribbon.

I hope I have encouraged you to take life a little bit slower by dining outside and start experimenting with setting a pretty table for yourself and your families.

Brunch, with a "Nod" to Italy

As I have mentioned in my posting below, I am on vacation at home, since I can't go anywhere, I thought I'd bring a touch of Italy to me.

You might notice the black wrought iron charger in the table setting, that is the same charger that I was discussing a few posts ago, it is really quite versatile. I also carried over the black in the silverware and in the footed iron piece holding the bagels and fruit. In doing a table setting it is important to carry over the theme and its colors thru the table design. I chose to bring out the blues, and the reddish colors and even the golds of the rooster along with those colors in the dishes. If you incorporate the colors and even the metals throughout the setting it will always work out.

Breakfast Outside

I love dining outside whenever the weather permits. Since I have been off from work all this week I have been able to indulge quite a bit with this particular activity. There is just something special about being outside and dining, I know I take my time when I dine outside, rather than being rushed or distracted by the t.v. Perfection for me would be a screened in patio so I would be able to dine bug-free, but alas that is not in the cards for me at this time.

Most of you will have probably noticed that I love using white quite a bit in my tablesettings. White is so versitile, you can use it with anything, my suggestion to people who want to make their tablesettings more interesting is to (start with) buy a set of white dishes, either simple or with an interesting raised edge. Later when you have branched out and purchased patterned dishes, they will always flow together, the mixing and matching will work with most any patterned dishes.

You might notice in the second and third photo, the coffee/tea mug,..... it has a lid! I love these cups, I purchased mine at Pier One, they also have a few other different patterns if you are interested for yourself. The great thing about the lid is that it keeps out the bugs if you are outside, and it keeps in the warmth of the liquid because of the lid. (the first pic shows the lid placed on the white platter).