Angel in the Fog

The fog just rolled in off the lake making it very cool.  Yesterday was 76 degrees,  today it's 55 degrees.  But the effect of the fog over the bright green spring foliage is gorgeous.  The arbor Mr. RTH built last summer from our old juniper bushes is barely visible from the front of the house.  Our worn and tattered angel stands gracefully in the center of the driveway - hoping there won't be another storm to blow her over again.  ( She lost both arms this winter!- I have ordered another one so she can enjoy her retirement years).  The lilacs look surreal with the fog in the background.  And finally the red tree peonies bloomed this year, maybe due to the warm winter and maybe just because they wanted to.Their vibrant red color is a stark contrast to the grey fog around them.  Tomorrow we are heading for Blackberry Farm in Tennessee for a long awaited treat.  I am sure in the foothills of the Great Smokey Mountains,  more  foggy mornings will be experienced and  enjoyed this week. 

Marie Antoinette Inspired Table

It's the last post from our Spirit of 67 Home Tour last week- and my personal favorite table, inspired by Marie Antoinette.  We found wonderful vintage green plates- a perfect shade of green- to set the table.  Venetian blown glasses were rimmed with edible gold glitter and filled with the perfect shade of rose wine.  Pink rose petals floated peacefully in each glass!   Our gold and cream zebra print napkins were folded with the embellished Dolfin candy bars placed in the fold.  The arrangement of the romantic tones of flowers was placed in a crystal compote with crystals around the edge- so girly!   A vintage rhinestone scarf was used around the flowers to soften the top of the tablescape.  Table assignments were identified with scrolled names pinned into Hostess snowballs!  Attaching the tassels to the stems of the glasses added a touch of French style to the setting. We set each glass on a cream and gold rose dessert plate from our store.  The beautiful cookies are from Sweet Ambs- another Etsy shop.  The petite cake was decorated with gum paste roses- just in the perfect shades to complement the table.  This table was lovely in front of the seeded glass French doors that separate the dining space from the living room in Kathleen's beautiful home- a very clever idea for dividing spaces and still letting in the light!  We will be joining www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com for Tablescape Thursday. Be sure to chcck out some great ideas for Mother's Day tables.

Luncheon in a French Flower Shop

For the Spirit of 67 Home Tour, we wanted to create the atmosphere of having lunch in a French flower shop.  Finding  exquisite dinnerware was not a problem, as the homeowner, Kathleen, had an incredible collection of fine china and crystal to choose from.  Using her gold rimmed vintage plates, we layered them with a more contemporary glass salad plate and created fresh floral mosaics under each glass plate.  We arranged  the  small flowers under the  plates  24 hours before the event and they stayed absolutely fresh and perfect- we were so relieved! We set the place settings on individual trays made of a platinum glazed wood.  Our favorite leopard napkins - very French and a best seller at the store- were draped under each setting . A collection of varying heights and sizes of square glass vases were used for the centerpiece, with a different flower in each one, as if you could just pick and choose your own bouquet- just like in a flower shop!  Today we will be joining Susan at www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com for Tablescape Thursday.

Marie Antoinette Soiree Details

After the Spirit of 67 Home Tour last week, I had to pack up my daughter and help her move to the Washington, DC area.  We left early on Friday morning, so I haven't had time to show you the details of the event. So today I am sharing the kitchen island pictures with you.  Most of the candy shown, we purchased at World Market and re-packaged it, with the exception of the beautiful Anna Shea chocolates  on the black tiered stand.  The Marie Antoinette cupcake girls with the dress inspired cupcake holders were purchased from Etsy artists- PaperScissorsCake - downloaded, printed and embellished for the event. The incredible Eiffel Tower cupcake tower in an vintage piece from Paris and is owned by my friend, Linda Lee, and is for sale in her antique shop.   Please feel free to inquire if you are interested. All of the little porcelain French figurines are from the collection of Penny, one of the RTH girls.  They look so cute when grouped together.  The martini glasses were rimmed with edible gold glitter and filled with rose and rose petals.  The beautiful "Let Them Eat Cake" cards were from Etsy shop- Paper Nosh.  The gilded and embellished bird cage cake stands are from Romancing the Home.  All of the cakes were store bought and embellished with gum paste flowers from Etsy artists. The new Smirnoff vodkas- whipped cream and fluffed marshmallow- were embellished with hand dyed ribbon and rhinestones.  Overall it was a girly display, pink, sparkle and romance!  Enjoy!