Mardi Gras Table

When we moved to Baton Rouge in the early 1990s, we were astonished by the culture in south Louisiana.  It was as if we'd moved to a different country, not just another southern state.  One of the most surprising revelations was that Mardi Gras was a SEASON, not just one day.  Starting right after Christmas (on Epiphany), there were parties and parades and king cakes.  Lots of king cakes!  The tradition in my department at LSU was that whoever found the baby in the king cake had to bring the next king cake -- the next day.  So king cake was available almost every day, right up until the last work day before the long Mardi Gras break.  (LSU had Monday through noon Ash Wednesday off.  Miss that!)

After eight years there, we moved to Texas, and our area doesn't really celebrate Mardi Gras.  But I have wanted to set a Mardi Gras table and finally did so this year.  I was stymied in the past by a lack of purple in my tablescaping supplies, but a recent trip to Sur la Table in Austin remedied that.  Just inside the front door, in a Final Clearance basket, was a set of purple napkins marked at 50% off the lowest marked price.  I was able to shop the house for everything else.

Now, this table is quite tame by Mardi Gras standards.  But by The Dull and the Dutiful standards, it is highly festive!

The centerpiece -- a hurricane filled with Mardi Gras beads in the traditional colors of green, gold, and purple, and some sparkly frou-frou garland.  Note the fancier necklaces draped over the chair backs.

The purple napkins!  I think the fringe complements the garland.  The simple placesetting consists of a gold charger, white plate, and our silver flatware.

An across-the-table view of the necklace featuring crawfish.

I had purple candles on hand left over from the Advent wreath, so I jazzed them up with some Mardi Gras beads.

My vintage Anchor Hocking "Burple" glasses have proven to be wonderfully versatile and provided the perfect green.

This necklace features alligators, if you can't tell.

Another view of the table:

On the menu?  Sensation salad, jambalaya, French bread, and king cake, of course!  Y'all stop by and we'll laissez les bon temps rouler!

I'll be linking to Let's Dish at Cuisine Kathleen and Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch.

Winter Table

This week's theme for Cuisine Kathleen's Let's Dish party is "Snow - Ice - Winter," and I wanted to play along.  However, snow and ice are rarities here in central Texas, and the day I set this table the temperature hit 73 degrees!  Nevertheless, winter brought to mind bare branches, absence of color, and shiny, reflective surfaces, so I tried to include those elements.

I began with an ecru tablecloth, layered with twig placemats.

I chose to use my Lenox Windsong, with its pale pattern and platinum trim, along with my Lenox Moonspun crystal and silver goblets, all of which were wedding gifts (now 40 years ago -- I'm vintage!).

 I'm using the cream soups in the placesetting, as winter menus at our house often feature soup.

Mercury glass, crystal, and silver add shine and reflection to the table.

I added my favorite napkin ring bud vases with a sprig of rosemary from the garden for a bit of nature.  

For the centerpiece, some (faux) pussy willow branches "planted" in coffee beans, add a bit more nature to the table.

Since the days are short in winter, the table needed plenty of candlelight.  I used mercury glass vases for larger votive candles and little "jeweled" tea light holders, a gift from one of my sisters, for each placesetting. 

The view toward the entryway:

The full table:

I like the juxtaposition of the twigs with the silver and china, but I miss the color that flowers add!  Oh, well -- spring will soon be here! 

Here's a candlelight view:

Thank you for visiting my table this week!

Sunny Yellow

My table this week came together after my husband brought home yellow tulips.  It features a couple of Christmas gifts -- one from my husband and one from our daughter.  This unusual vase was in a HUGE box under the tree.  My husband saw it in a catalog and thought it looked interesting, so decided to surprise me.  It has six openings for flower stems, and makes a dramatic centerpiece.

Here's a closer look at how the stems emerge from the vase.

The other Christmas gift was a set of eight yellow appetizer plates from our daughter. 

The yellow plates go nicely with my Royal Doulton Fireglow dishes -- my original everyday dishes.

To continue the yellow and green theme, I chose the vintage forest green glasses that belonged to my husband's grandparents.

Since my pansies are blooming, I brought a few inside to add a little more yellow to the table, using my bud vase napkin rings.

The Fireglow pattern features all kinds of flowers, so I decided two types of flowers on the table weren't too many!

Here's the across-the-table view:

And a view of the table:

Here's a view of our dining room in mid-afternoon.

And I took one more photo the next day, after the tulips had begun to open a bit.

Thank you for visiting me this week!  I will be linking to:
Cuisine Kathleen
Between Naps on the Porch

Post-Christmas Fun

Shortly before Christmas, when I thought my shopping was complete, I was visiting the Bake at 350 blog and read a post featuring this cake pop set.

I knew that my granddaughter "needed" one -- and, truth be told, I wanted to play with it, too!  So, I got online and found one at our Toys R Us.  I ordered it for store pickup and stopped by on my way to work early the next morning.  The day after Christmas, we baked a cake mix and got busy making the pops.  Here is Eleanor, in her cupcake PJs, shaping the balls of cake mixed with icing.

 The set comes with everything you need -- the tray for chilling the cake balls before shaping them, the little molds in four shapes, and the mixing and dipping bowls. 

I failed to get photos of the dipping stage, but here are the finished snowmen faces and Christmas trees. 

 The set also comes with a tray with little holes for holding the pops while the candy coating dries -- very handy!

I think Miss E had as much fun making them as I did!

Christmas 2012

We have had a fun Christmas with our daughter and her family visiting!  They drove up on the morning of Christmas Eve.  My granddaughter arrived in time to help put the finishing touches on our table for Christmas Eve dinner.

I almost always use this plaid tablecloth that I've had for years on Christmas Eve.  The emerald green glasses originally belonged to my husband's grandparents, and I've enjoyed using them since they were passed down to us.

A couple of new elements this year included these reindeer napkin rings, purchased at Crate and Barrel after Christmas last year,

and these reindeer tea light holders, a surprise from my husband more recently.

The sleigh that I filled with greenery, "Kermit" mums, and hypericum berries is also new.

Since I only have six of the matching plaid napkins, I alternated them around the table.  The placesetting included the dishes I use throughout December, Dansk Winterfest.

After the sun set, I took a candlelight shot, managing to capture the blue hour.

After dinner, the grandchildren posed for the traditional Christmas Eve photo.

Here is the tree on Christmas morning, before the children came in to find what Santa left for them.

After we opened gifts, it was time to set the table for Christmas dinner.  I used the same sleigh centerpiece and brass candlesticks, but everything else was different.  I wanted to use my grandmother's china, so I chose this paisley tablecloth and napkins in dark red, green, and gold. 

I also used the cute Santa placecard holders that my sister gave me last year.  Here's the one marking my 90 year old father-in-law's place . . .

And my six year old grandson's place.

Here's a look at the table.

And one more.

Again this year, we were blessed to have four generations around the table.  Thank you for visiting!  I will be linking to Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch and Let's Dish at Cuisine Kathleen.