Come sit with me for awhile . . .
and see what I’m bringing to the table ®
Vintage meets Versace in the blink of an eye . . .
Sure it can be done . . . hello, did you not just blink???
Before we move on, click on the photos for a real in your face, up close, in-depth, virtual sitting at the table view. Mmm hmm, that’s correct . . . tablecloth with no wrinkles, and no creases. No siree!!! Nada!!! Zip!!! Zilch!!!
O k, so now that you’ve clicked, examined, oohed, and aahed . . . or. . . hmmm, maybe not, it’s time to get to the nitty-gritty of actually creating a tablescape. The best way to create a ‘wow look‘ on your table, and have your crew want to sit down is . . . to start with one thing. That ‘thing’ can be anything from a colored vase, a textile remnant, a mix of bright pillows for your dining chairs (please no matchy-matchy), or a catch your breath tablecloth that just zaps you between your eyes, fills your heart, lifts your spirits above, and beyond the day to day, humdrum goings-on outside your door.
Having said all of the above, it’s time to get down to the brass tacks of constructing your next . . . OMG… wowee… zowie, stop them in their tracks tablescape! The first ‘thing’ that I selected for this particular table, was the tablecloth shown above, because of its show stopper mix of colors. And well, truth be told, I just happen to have enough colored plates of mixed sizes in my stash of dishes to do the deed . . . If you read last weeks column, this little tid-bit should not come as any great surprise!!! (http://wp.me/p3E2rZ-jg) Anyway . . . moving on past ‘THE cloth’, and on to my little lovelies. I pulled plates with touches, and/or patterns that would co-habit, but not up stage ‘THE cloth’, while still having enough pop per place setting to get everyone’s heart rate into that much sought after euphoric zone of OMG…wowee…zowie… I always have soo much fun doing this . . . I liken this to unwrapping a boatload of presents at holiday . . . exclamation of delight! . . . squeal! . . . I forgot all about you my lovely!!!
The place setting above is top layered with a Versace dinner plate, underneath a simple very inexpensive, slightly larger orange dinner plate, resting on top of a vintage ‘Moderne’ cobalt glass charger. Each place setting has a different mix of vintage, old, and new.
They, (whoever ‘they’ are?) say don’t sweat the small stuff . . . I say don’t ignore the small stuff !!!! Because . . . it is all about the small stuff. One can not live by one tablecloth alone, no matter how amazing it may be. This is the part where imagination, patience, and a huge dose of out-of -the-box thinking comes into play. First, your not looking to set a table with the matchy-matchy . . . right??? Whether it’s plates, napkins, glasses, or utensils. Oh please take a breath, there are very few boundaries in creating visual fun. What we’re going for is the unexpected, whimsical, but bodacious that screams . . . well hellllo people . . . “Come sit with me for while, and see what I’m bringing to the table”. I know some of you out there in reader land, just said what’s with the “we’re going for”!? . . . The deal with the “we’re ” is because . . . we are in this journey together. Now a few of you are saying, ‘but what if I have a few questions’, and I say . . . I always welcome comments, and questions sent to my email address below. Listen I got you into this, and I am prepared to get you out!!!
Candle time everyone . . . Featured in the above photo, is a 1940’ish vintage, cobalt blue glass baking dish (I have seen only one in my travels, and that was about 15 or so years ago), that I filled with new deep blue votive cups. This display sits on a wooden stool bought off of a Chinese man in China cleaning veggies . . . no kidding. The candles are t-lites housed in plastic holders, for easy clean up. Don’t forget to trim your wicks to between 1/4″ to 3/8″ before lighting each and every time. I added strategically placed clear votives around the table. Why clear instead of blue votives . . . It keeps the focus on the predominately cobalt blue center of this table popping!!! Clusters of 3 clear votives work best placed in front of each place setting, giving each guest that extra flattering tweak that keeps them coming back.
MORE CANDLE TIPS NEXT TIME.
Sharon Insul is the former owner of the popular Beverly Hills boutique Candle light and… Beverly Hills, California, as well a former contributing columnist for the Beverly Hills, Courier Newspaper.
I WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS and QUESTIONS . . . sharons3@me.com
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