Starfish & Lace

This tablescape has been on my mind since May when my birthday gift from my Mum was the chargers and demitasse cups & saucers.



But I needed something to go with them.  Some of you wondered about the chargers when you spotted one on the sideboard in the Birthday Bees tablescape.



Shopping with Mum at Home Goods later in the summer we spied the Starfish salad plates. We picked up two sets. Perfect for a table of six right? Yes and no. In each pack of four there were two in periwinkle tones and two in aqua. Of course if you don’t get them at HG when you see them, there is a 90 percent chance they will be gone when you return.

Luckily my niece Briana lives in Vegas where there are three (Three !) HG. She found me another pack of four. She’s the best.  I already had the appetizer size starfish so it was perfect.



The beautiful lace tablecloth was a wedding gift from my SIL Debbie. We are blessed to have received such an incredible handmade work of art.





The completed place setting with small starfish.



Salad starfish. Isn’t the shine lovely? The dishes are ‘handmade” (and I quote the tag) “Each product is produced uniquely by Turkish Masters combining traditional and modern techniques.”



Even the back of these dishes are incredible. The texture is great.



The white dinner plates are my favorites, I used them in another ocean themed tablescape : Lighthouse.



The birthday chargers and cup & saucers.



Anyone for an espresso?



I made two sets of lapkins as I couldn’t decide which I liked best.

The white fabric with shells I actually purchased years ago to make a summer dress. Boy I’m glad I never did that.



The starfish napkin rings were used to shorten a to long tablecloth Under the Sea. You can really see Debbie’s craft in this shot.



Just a few more shots.








Thanks for the visit. Check back soon as I am excited that I am nearing 10,000 visits and will be having a lapkin giveaway.

Stitch at you Soon,
                       Dawna

Linking to:

The Dedicated House - Anything Blue Friday
Cuisine Kathleen - Let's Dish
Between Naps on the Porch - Tablescape Thursday 

Oh my goodness I forgot to give credit to the cast:
Chargers & Demitasse - Bordallo Pinheiro, Seashell Service Blue
Plate - Christopher Stuart, Batalha White
Starfish Plates Lg & Sm - Akcam - Home Goods & Marshalls
Stemware - Pier 1
Flatware - Longaberger
Napkin Rings - Home Goods
Accessories & Lapkins - From Around the House
Beautiful Lace Tablecloth - SIL Debbie

Napkins – Part 1

What comes first the dishes, the linens or the theme of the table? It varies depending upon what time of year it is, who is coming to the meal and how your muse speaks to you.   This is the fabric I used for last Thursday’s tablescape.

 

Many times my muse is struck by fabric that I see at Bolts. Sometimes we order a particular fabric because I instantly see it as napkins (or as I call what I make lapkins) on a tablescape or it matches some dishes that I own.

Cloth napkins are great for everyday use as rarely are they so soiled that they cannot be used for more than one meal. In Victorian times napkin rings were engraved with family members initials for this reason. For more  on the history of napkins click on this link: History of Napkins .
 And yup, I own quite a few. Of course when you make so many you need to find somewhere to store them. When  I had my sideboard made I had no idea how perfect the bottom drawers were going to be.

Look there are some new ones I made for a Paris themed dinner in a few weeks. I’ll have to find a place to squeeze them in.



Another view to show the beautiful linen fold doors. My dining room furniture was made by the husband of one of our customers at Bolts. Dave is the most fabulous craftsman. You can find his website HERE. The marble for the top was purchased with a gift from my MIL.



Space  for quite a few. Right Side –



Left Side -



The middle drawer hold some luncheon and paper cocktail napkins. There are more stored in the linen closet and stacks cut out ready to serge in the sewing studio.



Lapkins are using half of the width of the fabric. This gives you a finished size of about 21” after hemming them with your serger. So for a table of six I purchase 2 1/2 yards of fabric. That gives me two extra for a bread baskets, under the centerpiece or if someone needs an extra.

If you love to set a table, creating your own napkins allows you to add a fun spark of your personality. I warn you however that it can become addictive. Everyday napkins are stored in a Longaberger basket in the kitchen.



After a dinner party I clear the table, spot my linens with Grandma’s Spot Remover and throw them in the wash before I go to bed. I have had some for over 15 years that are still as nice as the day I made them. 

Tomorrow I’ll take you step by step through cutting and the settings for serging them on the BERNINA 1150 MDA.


Stitch at you Soon,                             Dawna 

Linking to :
Seasonal Sundays with The Tablescaper

Marty's Tabletop Tuesday

Savvy Southern Style's Wow us Wednesday'

Martinique - Coral & Geraniums

The inspiration for this weeks table comes my Martinique quilt. I only used a little of the coral print in the quilt but knew it would be great napkins. I was not very original in naming this quilt as the fabric line is Martinique by Three Sisters from Moda.




The center of the quilt before dishes were placed. And no, no one will actually be eating on top of the quilt. This table is definitely just for show.




Martinique is one of the islands in the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea and is a region of France. Christopher Columbus was the first European to discover the island in 1493. There have been many nationalities that have had control of the island and as such the cuisine is a mixture of cultures from tropical to African, Creole and French.






The possibilities for a dinner menu are endless. If you are a girl who loves pineapple, coconut and mangoes (as I am) it would be the perfect vacation spot. Oops, the tealight must not have been put back after a previous shot. For the first course, Mango soup, with toasted coconut garnish.




A grilled shrimp salad for course number two.




Curry and Coconut Chicken Fricassée, wild rice and sauteed bananas for the entrée.

I might need to reset this table without the quilt, the menu is sounding really good.




An island table calls for shells.




I found the candles on sale at Marshall’s for $3.00. I was excited as I previously purchased them in aqua. You can see those used in my Under the Sea tablescape.




The shell  teapot fits right in. To think I almost got rid of it last year.

 




In case you were wondering where the geraniums were, they are on the border of the quilt. Quilting was done by Topstitch Quilters. You can visit their website HERE.

The candles are lit, lets let in the breeze. It’s definitely not tropical here in the desert, but with fall on its way it’s starting to cool down in the evenings.

Thanks for joining me at my table.

Stitch at you Soon,
                           Dawna


Cast: Bowls & Plates – Matceramica – TJ Maxx, Spring 2012
Salad Plates, Butter, S & P Shakers, Votives & Basket– Longaberger – retired
Flatware – Longaberger current Wish List
Charger – Pier 1 – current
Martini & Liqueur Stemware – Pier 1 – years ago
Teapot – Otagiri – 20 years ago
Candles & Candlesticks – Marshall’s
Shells – Personal Collection & TJ Maxx this summer


Linking to:
Cuisine Kathleen - Let's Dish
Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch - Tablescape Thursday

Watermelons & Ants

I was going to set the table outside by the pool for Cuisine Kathleen’s Summer Fun party, but the temps are supposed to be in the triple digits again today. So I have brought the party inside. Good thing that the ants were invited and are not real.

I definitely wouldn’t want these guys inside. 



Actually, if they were real I wouldn’t want to see them anywhere.



Summer fun brings to mind the relaxed easy days of summer and that means watermelon. What could be easier than a huge fruit that you can slice and eat? Summer seems to start with its arrival.

Did you know that watermelon is a vine-like flowering plant originally from southern Africa. Its fruit, which is also called watermelon, is a special kind referred to by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind and fleshy center. (From Wikipedia)



My beautiful lace edged napkins were a gift from my friend Robin. The napkin holders are tablecloth weights.

I went a little crazy & decided that watermelon would be served during every course.  We will have pink passion fruit iced tea, if you want a kick you can add some Smirnoff® Watermelon Vodka. There is extra tea on the sideboard and more in the fridge.



Soup: Watermelon Gazpacho w/ Blue Popped Popcorn.



Salad: Watermelon, Mango & Spinach Salad (recipe here).
 


Entrée: Grilled Watermelon, Chicken & Asparagus.
 

Dessert: What else? Vanilla ice  cream with slices of watermelon and maybe some Biscoff cookies.

Don’t worry I’ll remove the starfish before serving your dessert.



Luckily, the red ant stopped by the sideboard to see what was happening up there. Maybe he thought there was something in the shells.



Go ahead and munch on some popcorn while I get the soup.



Just stay away from these two climbing on the cake stand. The cake stand was also used as a centerpiece for the Gift From the Sea table.



I think they’ll fight you for the watermelon.



Thanks for visiting, may your day be cool.

Stitch at you soon,
                       Dawna

Cast:
Plates & Glasses: Home Goods
Watermelon Dishes: Linens & Things
Soup Bowls: Longaberger – retired
Flatware: Ages ago ??
Napkins: Gift from Robin (TJ Maxx)
Pitcher: Gift from Vickie (Lenox Butterfly Meadow)
Cake Plate: Home Goods
Placemats: Very old Mary Engelbreit
Ants: Backyard
I am joining Kathleen @ Cuisine Kathleen for Let's Dish
and
Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday

Olympic Victory Tea

I have set the table this week for a tea to celebrate all of the athletes who participated in the summer Olympics in England. They may  not be taking home the gold, silver or bronze, but they have taken our hearts and respect for their determination and persistence.







My Victory Garden quilt of Union Jacks was used in place of a tablecloth. I made it using Cabbages & Roses Northcote Range line of fabric from Moda which features a fresh, faded fabric for a vintage look. I love their fabric lines and their books are filled with lots of beautiful imsges.





I polished up my silver tea service this morning, so you could see yourself in its shine. I purchased it from a favorite antique store that closed over 15 years ago. It is quadruple plate, but  unfortunately I can’t remember what year it was produced.



Picked a few cups and saucers from my collection. Some are from my teacup wedding shower when I got married, all of the guests brought a teacup as a gift.



Others are from antique stores, gifts from friends a
nd a few were purchased in Canada and are  the Provincial Flowers.  The cup below is the Alberta Rose.



Antique  teaspoons are lines all lined up. Do I have a spoon with your initial?



The cake plate is waiting for something yummy to slice, I’m sure that one of you had asked if you could bring something. Until it gets here I’ve put three cups and saucers up on the podium.





Some Lotus Biscoff cookies can hold us over till a cake arrives. The pink cherry blossom plates have been set out in anticipation. 



The  embroidered napkins were purchased on a long ago trip to Hong Kong. I left Hong Kong with a suitcase stuffed with linens.



After the pictures were all shot I remembered these dessert plates with roses. Which do you think we should use?



Roses are a perfect addition to any tea, I use these year round in my house as they are silk. Don’t they look fabulous. I thought about spritzing them with a little mist to try and fool you.



Let’s raise our teacups in honor of all the athletes, thank them for enriching our lives and wish them a safe trip home.

Stitch at you Soon,
                              Dawna
Linking to:
Cuisine Kathleen’s – Let's Dish
Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch - Tablescape Thursday