Author: mtorrens55@gmail.com

Well with St. Patrick’s Day coming up, who could resist setting up an all green table? Not I, so here I went…

As usual, with the intent to avoid the expected, which in this case would have been four leaf clovers and leprechauns, I opted to concentrate on the color green. Low and behold I found this holiday tablecloth and napkin set which I had purchased at Crate & Barrel a few years back.

So now I had the base and inspiration for my setting. I continued with the all green theme by using a fern as the centerpiece, Granny Smith apples as the “place cards” and finally, moss green taper candles.

To continue highlighting the green, I used glass tableware which would allow the pattern of the cloth and napkins to seep through and only contrasted with the silver of the silverware, chargers and candle sticks.

The napkin fold can once again be found on my favorite site, thenapkinfoldingguide.com

I did have actual guests, my parents, so I decided to go with comfort food, starting off with;

Ina Garten’s Roasted Leak and Potato Soup;

Irish Stew served on a bed of mashed potatoes (not shown here);

And delicious Cinnamon-Applesauce Cake by Williams-Sonoma drenched in Irish Cream Icing;

Irish or not, I think this meal is fit for any lucky guests!

Let’s bring out the old red, white and blue in honor of the upcoming Presidents’ Day!

I start out with my navy blue table cloth as the base of my table which would contrast nicely with the white, red rimmed (holiday) place mats with matching napkins.

In keeping with my love of contrast, I next place the blue denim chargers, a white main plate and the denim blue salad plates.  Notice, blue, white, blue, white, blue…and that pop of red for drama.

The rimmed napkins usually work well for napkin folds, and this dimensional fold looks wonderful (check out napkinfoldingguide.com).

I’m placing simple red and white carnations, since you cannot find navy blue flowers, in a simple white container.  In keeping with the simplicity, I place two medium height red tapers on either side to anchor the centerpiece.

Once again, it’s important to mention that some of these items have been bought in holiday sales and I can use red for Valentine and patriot themes as well.

The featured menu item is Ina Garten’s Salad Veronique:

And there you have it, patriotic, delicious and fun!

I found these two ballerina teddy bears in Homegoods and considered them the inspiration I needed for a little girl’s play date luncheon.

I loved the country look of the bears as they have burlap on the soles of their paws, on their ears and at the tip of their nose.  It’s a beautiful contrast to the white tulle of their tutu’s and the rosettes on their leotards.  Adorable.

So to pick up on the country look, I covered my table with a matchstick runner and coordinating place mats.  To go for that layered look I love, I added one additional round woven mat to each setting and placed one as well in the center of the table to anchor the flowers.

Speaking of flowers, I should have purchased white rose buds to match the outfits’ rossettes but what I had at home were the hydrangeas so I used those instead.  I think they still worked well.  The burlap box I used as the floral container is actually one I utilize for storage and I placed the floral square glass container inside.

Then I placed the bears facing each other to mimic them interacting as little girls would, unless they’re on their phones!  The burlap bags holding the utensils and the votive candles were a Papermart find.

I would serve Ina Garten’s homemade tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches.  And for that special treat, Ina’s meringues with fresh berries, whipped cream and raspberry sauce!

And there you go, a simple, delicious luncheon deserving of an encore for the very best of prima ballerinas!

Good morning!  How about creating a children’s breakfast setting to battle the usual Monday morning blues?

I found these adorable dog bowls at Homegoods the other day and I simply couldn’t resist the idea of delighting children with this unusual setting.

For those of you that may already be terrified, let it be known I won’t actually serve their meals out of them.  I’ll just use them to anchor their cereal bowls.  Relieved?  Well, let’s continue.

As I usually do with my rustic settings, I am lucky enough to have the distressed wood table that serves as my perfect backdrop.  I then set the two gray plaid runners (which I usually use for winter settings) sideways to give the illusion of dog blankets and then place the galvanized metal chargers to match my dogs’ kibbles bucket which I use as my centerpiece.

I love the layered look to add texture and drama to my settings so I first place the main meal plate to anchor the dog bowls.

Finally, I place the white linen napkins inside the matching white mugs and add hurricane lamps with white pillar candles to add height to the overall look.

The recommended menu is Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa Sunday Morning Oatmeal:

As promised, the “human cereal bowl” is placed inside the dog bowl. Chow down!

Ok, with such an important sports event as the Super Bowl, there is no way we cannot come up with a table setting.  Usually we think of beer, chips and barbecue but this time I want to come up with something different.  Let’s prepare a sit down lunch in front of the set.

If you’ve been keeping up with my posts you’ll recall I don’t like to over-theme my settings which is why there are no footballs in sight here!  I did, however, pick up two important colors that remind us of the game.  One is the color of the ball and the other is the color of the field.  Basically, this two factors are what it’s all about.

I leave my rustic tabletop to create a masculine base. Then I place the woven mats in the color of the football and my “The Friendly Village” tableware to pick up on the earth tones.  I then arrange the white linen napkins with the green borders and embrace them with the pewter napkins rings, which you can still find at Pottery Barn, as well as the pewter bowl holding the dried earth toned vase fillers.  The green water glasses continue to pick up on one of the two important colors.

The pewter candlesticks, which I purchased at an antique shop, hold my lucky find of the day, which are the taper candles in the same brick color as the mats.  Perfection!

My suggested menu is from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa Family Style Volume:

Tomato, Mozzarella & Basil

Lasagna With Turkey Sausage, and

Tiramisu

With our meal planned and our table set, may the best team win!

I went to Target yesterday to look for table setting inspiration and found the cutest writing tablets with the crayon print cover.  They were only a dollar for four tablets.  I then found the four pails of coordinating colors, which also only cost a dollar a piece and the lidded jars with the blackboard labels which cost three dollars each.  I was onto something!

Next, I went to the Dollar Store and found the alphabet border and the handwriting practice boards.  How lucky was that?  This was shaping into something awesome and inexpensive.

Armed with my newfound treasures, I went home ready to set up a children’s playful and colorful pasta dinner table.

I first placed my crisp white linen table cloth as the base for the setting.  I then laid the black runner to pick up on the blackboard labels of the lidded jars and to create contrast. I then placed the alphabet border on top and felt it was perfection!  I also glue gunned the remaining border to a hurricane lamp and created the perfect match to the writing tablets which I placed as giveaways to the left of each setting.  Then I used my aqua mats for added color and texture.

I then purposed the handwriting practice boards as place mats and set the white pasta dishes on top.  This was taking shape!  I used the four pails to flank the matching white linen napkins and the blue rimmed clear glasses to finish the look.

So there you have it, for a total of about sixteen dollars, I created a colorful and playful table setting ready to delight any child with a fun filled meal!

Okay, this morning I’m going to prepare a pretend lobster lunch table setting, inspired by my white Mikasa soup plates with the red lobster print.

As is my favorite canvas for coastal settings, I’m leaving my distressed wood tabletop.  I then use three different mats for drama, theme and a pop of color.  The first woven for texture, the next aqua woven for color and the last woven with the shells for theme.  I think this layered look is the perfect backdrop for the white and warm red plates.

The beautiful coral as the centerpiece is a real one I purchased from a souvenir shop on a trip to the Florida Keys.  I’m always on the look out for inspirational pieces for my settings.

I use simple woven napkin rings with crisp white linen napkins to pick up on the white of the plates.  And lastly, I use my flatware with the shell motif to again pick up on the theme and, there you go!  A simple yet elegant setting perfect for Ina Garten’s Lobster Salad, Lobster Corn Chowder or Lobster Mac and Cheese!

And for dessert, Ina Garten’s Easy Craberry & Apple Cake, yum!

Occasion:  Family Get Together

Style:  Casual, Warm

Color Scheme:  Earth Tones

Flowers:  Hydrangea, Roses, Alstroemeria and Lilies

Today, my husband and I hosted a lunch for my granddaughter, Isabela and for my parents, Connie and Lino.  The ulterior motive was to watch a televised soccer match together, since we are all avid fans.

The weather was gloomy, cold and rainy so what came to mind was to prepare comfort food served in a warm and inviting table setting.

I selected a beige linen table cloth with matching napkins I had purchased in Spain years ago, to begin permeating that warmth.  I then placed my galvanized metal chargers to anchor the main and soup plates, which belong to my everyday dinnerware, ” The Friendly Village ” by Johnson Brothers.

I have a matching water pitcher which I felt was perfectly imperfect to place my bouquet of roses, lilies, hydrangea and alstroemerias.

I found the hydrangea napkin rings at Pier One Imports last year and love to use them whenever they match my floral arrangement.

The little galvanized metal churches which I used as name card holders are actually tree ornaments I found last year at a Michael’s holiday sale. They were originally $6.99 but I got them for only $1.99 so I purchased twelve.  I love these finds!

I first served my own recipe Lentil Soup followed by Ina Garten’s Weeknight Bolognese.

And, as always, since the best is saved for last, I served Flan drizzled with caramel sauce and coconut flakes.  Yum!

Theme:  Pirate

Occasion:  Toddler’s Lunch

Style:  Fun, Rustic

Color Scheme:  Black, White and Sand

I stopped by the Dollar Store and found these children’s pirate vests inspirational for a pirate themed toddler’s lunch.

One of my main rules of table setting and decor in general, is not to over-theme.  It creates confusion and doesn’t allow the theme to actually stand out.

Once again, my aged wood tabletop is the perfect backdrop to create a beach feel.  I then place these shell trimmed woven mats with the matching coasters which I had purchased on a cruise to The Bahamas.  I thought I’d never use them because they’re a little too small to anchor dinner plates but they work beautifully with toddler size plates (or salad plates).

I then set the black runner horizontally to add more drama to the hurricane candle arrangement.  This one I had actually purchased for a Halloween setting and it has a black and orange print on the front, so I turned it over and, voila!

I then place the black dishcloths, which I had also purchased for the Halloween setting, between the white salad and soup plates for contrast.

The mason jars with the twine ribbons and the black take out containers give this toddler’s setting the finishing touches worthy of the funnest meal for the scariest of pirates!

As a menu suggestion, I think the Ham and Cheese in Puff Pastry recipe by Ina Garten would be ideal!

Occasion:  Children’s Dinner

Style:  Colorful, Playful

Color Scheme:  Red, Blue and Yellow

Flowers:  Mixed Bunch

I have this set of dishes I purchased years ago at a Mikasa outlet which are white porcelain with a pattern of thin stripes in yellow, blue and red. They inspired me to create a children’s dinner setting in these basic colors.

Luckily, I found the water goblets with a similar pattern at a Dollar Store near my home and believed they would match beautifully.  They have an additional moss green stripe which I blended into the setting with the placement of the moss green taper candles.

I used a white linen tablecloth as my canvas and then dressed it up with a red border runner and matching napkins.  These last two I purchased at a holiday sale from LandsEnd.com, and the quality is outstanding.

As always, I opted for contrast by placing the blue woven mats and then the blue chargers on top of them for a more layered look. The napkins are bound by white porcelain napkin rings and placed on an angle on the main plate so as not to obstruct the design.

I purchased the adorable red clothespin card holders from Michael’s for about a dollar each.  How cute are they?

And lastly, to bring it all together, I placed a small bowl of the theme color mixed flowers inside a white gloss lantern (I took out the glass panels to fit the flowers).

All in all, I think any child would get a kick out of such a colorful and playful setting, don’t you?