Mother's Day Treats

What could be better than antiquing with your best friend all day, getting the dog washed by someone else and then coming home to a meal prepared by your 25 year old daughter and 26 year old son? Absolutely nothing!!! Lynda is visiting for a long weekend because we have tickets to Oprah on Tuesday! But on Sunday, we were able to go to a local flea market and one of our favorite antique malls. I have been looking for chartreuse wine glasses for several years and we found them! We even found a sweet chartreuse decanter and with 6 liqueur glasses. Several pieces of antique antler and silver serving pieces, along with a precious silver and mother of pearl spreader were a great find. Two vintage cake plates and a set of gold etched glasses were a steal! What a great day for finding new things for tablescapes! Returning home, we walked into incredible smells of roasting Poblano chilies and caramelized onions. My son was cooking a wonderful chicken dish, while my daughter was whipping up a key lime pie. Fresh mint had been crushed into kosher salt, ready for the fresh mango margaritas they had prepared. The table was set in a style that only my daughter would do- note the crossed knife and fork on the napkin! A fresh tussie mussie was placed in the old decanter holder along with a candle. They had even bathed the dog for mother's day. How much better can a day get???

Kentucky Derby Dinner Party

A formal Derby dinner party, complete with all the silver, fine china and of course, red roses is planned for the evening of the Derby race. Being born and raised in Virginia, I know people in the south love their silver. This is a table set with heirloom silver mint julep cups, beautiful crystal decanters for Kentucky bourbon, silver trays for placemats and yet it evokes a modern today feeling. Wispy sheer linen, completely to the floor, covers the elegant table. For the centerpiece, organic tree roots hold water vials of asparagus fern and red roses. White lilies are filled with red raspberries at each of the place settings. Crisp organdy red napkins are used to mimic the red rose color palette, and they are cuffed with a black velvet ribbon and rhinestone horseshoe pin. A menu card is created using a spencerian horse graphic from the Graphics Fairy. All of these ideas are showcased in our new book, Romancing the Home Entertains. Please join us at www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com for more awesome tablescape ideas.

Derby Day Box Lunch

The Kentucky Derby, always the first Saturday in May, is a great reason to celebrate with friends. We have planned a box lunch with a traditional Kentucky menu and used our collection of vintage silverplate vegetable dishes as the box lunch containers. These old silverplate vegetable dishes were popular wedding gifts in the 60's and 70's and are perfect for an individual box lunch. A red rose tussie mussie embellishes each container , along with a menu card that has been printed on "My Old Kentucky Home" sheet music. Wooden platters, purchased from our local craft store, serve as place mats. We love the contrast of the silver set against the unpolished wood. An ice bucket, frozen from water, ferns, and roses, holds the champagne for Champagne Juleps. A bunch of snow peas, held together with rhinestone florist pins, serve as the knife rests. We will be joining www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com for Tablescape Thursday. Check it out for other inspiring ideas.

Peeps for my Peeps

My grandchildren, "the littles", were coming to Easter Brunch. While the Easter bunny had left toys and Easter baskets for them, it was the decorated cake that my four year old grandson loved. I could not resist Peeps for my little peeps; the little marshmallow chicks bring back so many childhood memories. While my big peeps enjoyed Peepochinos, peeps in black coffee, "the littles" enjoyed warm peeps on their sweet potatoes and peeps on their cake! For the first time ever, the 2 year old twins and 4 year old Logan ate Easter Brunch at the "big" table. It was a "big day" for "the littles", complete with bunnies and eggs. Sam's Club coconut cake, easily embellished with pink macaroon nests, eggs, and Peeps was delicious. A package of their beautiful artisan lettuces was perfect to tuck around the legs of the vintage rabbit candy containers. Small square vases of tulips and hydrangeas added spring color to the center of the table. Vintage china and my mother's silver were used with pink and gold wine glasses. The "littles" did great at the "big" table, not one spill! After brunch, the Easter bunny had hidden eggs in the yard for them to find! But these eggs held quarters - too many Peeps and too many chocolate eggs had already been eaten by "the littles". We will be joining www.astrollthrulife.blogspot.com for Tablescape Tuesday. Be sure to visit for some great ideas.

Shiny New Dinnerware Arrives at Romancing the Home

Sparkley dishes make me happy. While at market in January. Jill and I found these beautiful metallic dishes from Turkey. In the shapes of shells and leaves, they really add a unique element to a table. On this table we have used sea fans as our place mats and capiz shell chargers. Vintage mother of pearl flatware and Arte Italica stemware added another touch of elegance to the spring table. The pink water glasses are from an estate sale and bring out the pink under tones in the tablescapes. Sea shells serve as knife rests, while the coral on it's stand serves as a beautiful substitute for a floral centerpiece. All of these elements are available at Romancing the Home. Please join us at www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com for more inspiring tablescapes.

Masquerade Ball on May 7th

We are getting ready for the Masquerade Ball, A Havenly Night, for the Haven fundraiser. Yesterday I created the 2nd of the two mannequins that will be used at the check-in table. Instead of decoupaging paper on the mannequin form, this time I used old scraps of lace curtains and Mod Podge to cover the form. Julie and I had found this wonderful old prom dress while out antiquing a couple of weekends ago. I love the little tulle pleated detail on the sweetheart neckline and the rhinestone trim. And as far as I am concerned, this dress the the PERFECT shade of pink. Now I just have to make her a mask as enchanting as her dress. After the ball is over, both of these mannequins will come back to Romancing the Home and be perfect to display our special occasion jewelry. See our post on March 14th for other masquerade ball decor!

Crystal Decanter Holder Gets a New Purpose

Finding an old silver decanter holder without it's original crystal bottles can be disappointing. But when the holder's details are beautiful, you just have to find another way to use it, because the chances of finding 3 crystal decanters that fit are pretty slim! I found this one at a local flea market and I love using it on my kitchen table. The table in my kitchen is located inside a built- in banquette and evokes the feeling of restaurant dining. So for the center of the table, I placed the old decanter holder on a mirror plateau. Inside the openings, a vase of roses, a candle and and a bottle of wine were placed. The orange roses add color to the neutral palette, and I love the glow of the candle reflecting on the mirror plateau. We have sold quite a few of these old decanter holders at the store, and I wonder how other people are using them. Join us at http://www.frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com for more ideas to Feather Your Nest!