Come sit with me for awhile . . .
and see what I’m bringing to the table ©

If your going for a .   .   . zippier .   .   . zingier .   .   . wow .   .   . whoa .   .   . be still my heart .   .   . helllllo .   .   . oh yeah look at me kind of a tablescape .   .   . then you have come to the right place!!! First, click on the above photo. Notice the more casual yet edgy feeling that you get with the above table setting. Nooo? .   .   . Oh wait .   .   . I see some of you waving your hands and saying, me, me .   .   . yes I see it!!!!! I am proud of those who have just said yes! The few no’s take heart, stay calm, and breathe because .   .   . I’ve got you covered!!! Now all you have to do to change your no to a yes is read on .   .   .

Instead of the all to familiar ho hum, same old, same old matchy-matchy. I made use of my surroundings, and allowed the tree trunks (felled) that hold up my very large glass top to become part of the table setting, as well as the vintage Asian-like area rug seen through the glass top. I purposely picked dishes that replicated some of the rugs color palette, and intentionally alternated not only plates but flatware, and stemware in colors best suited for the individual place settings.

A tablescape is pretty much like decorating a room, sometimes all it takes is a tweak here, a tweak there, to go from nice to sensational! Go ahead check out the tablescape below and compare with the photo above. I have used the same basic components in both photos, but .   .   . then I did what I love to do. Two of my guests had been to a dinner with a similar setting as the one above .   .   . soooo .   .   . I replaced it with a crisp white on white French table cloth, a different mix of colored napkins, reversed the flatware, and changed the colored stemware combinations! By covering up the glass table top, I eliminated the au naturel (felled) tree trunks, and rich jewel toned area rug, and refocused every ones eyes to the crisp white and jewel toned tablescape. Same dishes, flatware, stemware, and dining room .   .   . but two totally different looks. My two guest who had been at the first table setting, asked when, and where I had gotten some of the new pieces on the table .   .   . hmm .   .   . I rest my tablescaping case!!!

Whether serving sloppy joes or duck à l’orange .   .   . I still say presentation, presentation, presentation! It’s not what you serve .   .   .  but how you serve it!

So stay tuned for the lovable antics of Emily and her little sister Abby, in the second of the trilogy, soon to be released next week!  PROMISE!!!

Book 1 is out, with 5 STAR REVIEWS on Amazon  “I AM SOOO LUCKY!!!”  http://goo.gl/4kBSxv   BUT HANG ON .  .   .”I AM SOOO LUCKY!!! II ”  is almost here .   .   . YAY!!!   BOOK III of the trilogy “I AM SOOO LUCKY !!! III” is just a mere two steps behind!

Sharon Insul is the former owner of the popular Beverly Hills boutique Candle light and… Beverly Hills, California, as well as contributing Beverly Hills Courier Newspaper on-line columnist.