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Friday, March 28, 2014

Set Your Table With Flair--A Feast with Feathered Friends

Hello, friends!  Thank you for stopping in to visit!  

Man has always been enamored with the fancy of flight. There is nothing so freeing as flight.  As far back as and even before the sketches of Da Vinci's flying machine, men have fantasized about being unfettered from the confines of life and taking flight.  We have all heard of the age-old adage "free as a bird." To pay homage to our fine feathered friends, this post will reflect a setting strictly for the birds.  

I began with a doily placed in the center of the table.

I love these little wreaths!  In this setting, these wreaths double as nests.  

The first wreath went right in the center on the doily, 

and on top, I placed my mini teapot.  Love this little pot and the pretty floral detail!


Next, came the placemats with pretty little birdies. 

Closeup 

Earlier in the day, the weather was nice, so I actually was able to get out into the garden and clip a few assorted blooms before it became overcast.....


which I arranged onto a small block of floral arranging foam, 


and placed the arrangement right inside the teapot. 


I wanted this to be a dainty setting, so I placed cream saucers rather than standard plates,

followed by the wreaths acting as nests on each,


and in each "nest," I placed one of these adorable bird coasters. In this setting, they act as saucers.




 I love these little coasters........

The Baltimore Oriole


Blue Grosbeak


Eastern Bluebird


and Yellow-headed Blackbird.


Next, I set one of these tiny butter dishes at each setting. 


Shown here.


A small gold goblet to bring out the gold elements in the teapot and each of the china pieces.....


followed by a slender flute and a feathered friend at each setting, and my table is complete!




A couple closeups of the setting:



From my collection:

Cream saucers, Ralph Lauren Whipstich Collection
Teapot, Windsor England
Bird coasters, Bareuther Waldsassen
Butter dishes, Princess House Hammersley Spode Collection
Flutes, generic
Goblets, Spanish...antique
Placemats, Target
Wreaths, from my local thrift
Birds, The Dollar Tree

Please join me and others April 9th for Cruisine Kathleen's Tablescape Challenge here.  


If you enjoy this post, please visit the archives!  You may also visit my full profile to view my other blogs. Connect with me on my Facebook Page, Parsimonious Décor Darling.   You might like to visit my other blog hubs,

The Marvelous Maison, a lifestyle blog hub and 
Frugal Fab Fashionista, my fashion blog hub. 

Follow me on Pinterest!!  Please be sure to kindly follow the board guidelines, as it takes time and effort to find fabulous pins across the Internet and Pinterest!  Thank you!  

Thank you for stopping by! ❤















Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Simple Spring Vignettes

Hello, Friends!!  Welcome, and thank you for visiting! 

I am a romantic who oftentimes admires décor that is ornate and elaborate, even over-the-top.  However, sometimes keeping things pared-down and simple can be just as lovely.  Today's post will feature two very simple spring vignettes you can do easily.  I hope you enjoy the post.  

The antique tea cart in my living/dining room area is usually reserved for a simple floral arrangement.


To change the scenery, I began with a cleared cart. 


First Vignette:

In the center of the bottom shelf, placed a cute little birdhouse in blue, which is a color featured prominently through my house. 

On the top shelf, I placed two pre-made Easter vignette baskets. To view the tutorial to make these, please visit the post on my blog The Crafting Table by clicking here.


In between the two baskets, I placed a basket of my handmade mottled eggs.  If you would like to view this tutorial, you may do so by clicking here.






Here, I reversed the egg basket and birdcage. 




Second vignette:



I began by placing the birdcage on the top shelf.




In the other corner, I placed a basket filled with eggs I painted.


These eggs were very simple.  They are styrofoam eggs painted in this pretty pearl color.  I love Martha Stewart paints!  



After painting, I placed Spanish moss into a simple basket.  


Next, I placed this dainty saucer,


followed by its coordinating cup,


and teapot.  




A couple more:  :)






Elements of this vignette:
Styrofoam eggs, The Dollar Tree
Basket, The Dollar Tree
Birdcage, Michael's Crafts
Martha Stewart Paint, Michael's Crafts 
Nesting coffee cup, saucer, and teapot, Royal Albert Polka Blue, from HomeGoods



If you enjoy this post, please visit the archives!  You may also visit my full profile to view my other blogs. Connect with me on my Facebook Page, Parsimonious Décor Darling.   You might like to visit my other blog hubs,

The Marvelous Maison, a lifestyle blog hub and 
Frugal Fab Fashionista, my fashion blog hub. 

Follow me on Pinterest!!  Please be sure to kindly follow the board guidelines, as it takes time and effort to find fabulous pins across the Internet and Pinterest!  Thank you!  

Thank you for stopping by! ❤

 
 


















Friday, March 21, 2014

Set Your Table With Flair--Spring Garden in My Garden


Hello, friends!!  Thank you so much for visiting my blog!

It is officially Spring!!  Spring to me is all about life anew, the flowers blooming, birds a-twitter, and butterflies a-flitter.  What about Spring inspires you?

I have been a fan of the Irish singer Enya ever since high school.  One of my favorite pieces by this wonderful artist is Tempus Vernum, which is Latin for Springtime.  The piece is very dramatic, with beautiful brooding cellos, so when I heard it initially, it made me instead think of Winter.  As I flit about the house and yard today with this tune playing, I think if I were to attribute it to Spring, in my mind's eye, I would likely imagine flowers bursting open, bees in flight, and beautiful clouds rolling in a crystal-clear blue sky. This song, as well as Vivaldi's Spring are inspirations to me. My goal is to reflect this inspiration in my post today.  I hope you enjoy. 



I began by setting this pink tablecloth.



Next, I placed these lovely floral placemats.


In the middle of the table, I set this adorable birdhouse, and nestled inside it a tall grass arrangement with butterflies springing (pun intended) from it.



Upon the placemats, I set these cream plates. 




To play up the theme of a lovely blue sky, I placed these fleur-de-lis plates in a muted azure next.



A garden should be full of nature's beautiful creatures, so I placed these butterfly plates,


followed by a small feathered friend at each setting.


 
A corresponding coffee cup and a slender flute came next,


followed by a beige napkin and peony napkin holder.


At each setting, because I am a huge fan of topiary gardens, I placed two handmade topiary trees and finally, gold flatware in a casual manner. 



The larger tree was placed as a decorative touch only, and the other serves as a place-card holder.  I simply adorned a small hole-punched paper to the tree trunk with a bit of ribbon. 

If you would like to view the tutorial to make these trees, please visit the post in my blog The Crafting Table by clicking here.


All set!!




Here are a few closeups of the setting.






From my collection:

Cream plates, Ralph Lauren Whipstich Collection, Horchow/Neiman Marcus
Blue plates, generic, from Tai Pan Trading
Butterfly saucers and coffee cups, from Horchow/Neiman Marcus
Flatware, Wallace Grand Duchess Collection; Horchow/Neiman Marcus
Flutes, generic
Napkins, generic, from HomeGoods
Placemats, Ralph Lauren, from HomeGoods
Peony Napkin rings, from Bed, Bath, and Beyond
Little birdies, The Dollar Tree
Butterfly Grass, The Dollar Tree
Birdhouse, Michael's Crafts
Cloth, origin unknown, gifted to me years ago

As I mentioned earlier, I love topiary gardens. You might want to peruse some of my favorites in the post on my blog Great Gardens by clicking here

Please join me and others April 9th for Cruisine Kathleen's Tablescape Challenge here.  



If you enjoy this post, please visit the archives!  You may also visit my full profile to view my other blogs. Connect with me on my Facebook Page, Parsimonious Décor Darling.   You might like to visit my other blog hubs,

The Marvelous Maison, a lifestyle blog hub and 
Frugal Fab Fashionista, my fashion blog hub. 

Follow me on Pinterest!!  Please be sure to kindly follow the board guidelines, as it takes time and effort to find fabulous pins across the Internet and Pinterest!  Thank you!  

Thank you for stopping by! ❤