A Wistful Winter Tablescape

It's been the weirdest winter around here! My tulips are breaking ground. What in the world am I gonna do when the next freeze comes? Oh well. Snow? Non-existent. It's going to be a really bad spring with no moisture around here.

Today, I'm sharing our New Year's table. It fits the bill for Cuisine Kathleen's January challenge to create a winter tablescape. 

I loved being able to find more of the snowflake chargers at Hobby Lobby this year. Previously only had 6, now I have 20? Yep, these will get lots of use. 

I used two antique lace runners down the center of the table. And also placed the rustic hand-made box on top of them. Using the glittery, white jingle bells certainly gave it a fun look.

The turquoise glass plates add just the right bit of color to the table. Dinner is buffet style, so no salad plates!

I used fresh greenery, white candles, white pinecone ornaments, turquoise glass ornaments and large snowflakes in the box.

 

I love to use rock salt in the bottom of the glass hurricanes and set candles on top of the salt. Sort of looks like snow drifts in the containers.

With this many dishes on the table, there isn't really a lot of room for much finery.

Can you believe that the napkins have no starch in them? Yessirree Bob! I like to iron my napkins while they are damp. I take them out of the washer, stack them flat and then slip them into a plastic bag and iron them the next day. Using as hot an iron as your fabric, mine is linen, can stand, iron them dry. You will not need any starch!

Because the box is quite rustic and sets the tone for the table, hunky glasses were de riguer! The larger cut crystal came from the dollar tree. We use them quite a bit when we entertain outside. This time however, there pretty design which reminds me of snowflakes, graces this table to welcome the new year. 

I also used more rock salt and some smaller candles in the swirly Cheers votive holders from Mikasa. 

 

I've had these snowflake napkin rings for quite some time. I believe they came from Dillards years ago. Here you can see the different snowflakes on the chargers.

 

 

I even hung some crystal looking snowflakes and a strand of the same from the greenery in the chandelier. 

Cast:

Chargers - Hobby Lobby

Turquoise Glass Dinner Plates - TJMaxx; Artistic Accents

Silver - Old Company Plate

Water Goblets - Dollar Tree

Champagnes - World Market

Napkins - Linen Hemstiched

Napkin Rings - Dillards

Joining the parties at Cuisine Kathleen's and Susan's Tablescape Thursday. See you there!

If you want to know what we've been up to, click HERE to visit Santa Fe with us!

Destination Santa Fe Tablescape

Cuisine Kathleen had a wonderful idea.. a destination tablescape. So you know, I was playing along. And the thinking cap went on... where to go? I had taken you to Germany (HERE) at Christmas time. We visited Mexico HERE.  And we had French moules HERE. Now that I think about it, we could have visited Kiev, St. Moritz, Santa Barbara, Lisbon, Nice or the Black Forest. But.. I took you to the place I hope to retire - soon!! One can dream, right?

Can you see the turquoise, the silver and the adobe? So where are we? Santa Fe, NM. I love that place.

Santa Fe is in my blood and under my skin like no other city. The City Different. Casual yet refined. Elegant and rustic. Mountains and desert. Old, with history. Art-sy. I may have left my heart in San Fransisco, been sleepless in Seattle, made it in New York, fell in love in Paris in the springtime, and baked under the Tuscan sun. But. Santa Fe speaks to my soul, nourishes my being and I'm riding with  Jon Bon Jovi  back to Santa Fe.

In Santa Fe, you could be dining on starch white linens or on well-worn rustic tables.

Glasses for your favorite agave libation always at hand.

Hand made works abound.

Where turquoise is king,

textures reign supreme,

and silver reflects the beauty of the skies and is an adornment le sans-faute or should I say algo impecable.

Because our dinner plates are glass, the beauty of the placemat can be seen while dining.

 Loving the new glass plates also used HERE with the silver and adobe colored napkins. I could have easily reused the white salad plates and the turquoise napkins on this tablescape, too. But, I wanted the rustic quality the adobe and rust bring to the table.

Large etched glass hurricanes encase the candles. These would be perfect for the patio as our gentle (ha ha) breezes can't blow out the candles. I also use them on the buffet when serving food as they keep sleeves, hands, and hair away from the live flame.

Santa Fe has an arid climate. So what better to highlight that tidbit than some succulents. I have hidden them from water. Resisting the urge to nourish them because I can have them looking like the leaning tower of Pisa in a couple of weeks!

Bunches of succulents in two bowls. Guess what those turquoise containers are?

Can you believe I put the succulents in my silver Revere bowls? Yep, Lined them with coffee filters first!

Have you figured out the turq glass containers yet?

I hope you'll stay. I am thinking Posole and green chile enchiladas. Are you game?

Things are simple in Santa Fe. Less is More. Effective pieces, selectively chosen.

I guess each heavenly spot has days with overcast skies...

I caught a few rays for about 30 seconds.. Just for you!

Cast:
Placemats - Pier One
Dinner Plates - TJMaxx, Artistic Accents
Bowls - Pier One
Flatware - Wallace Silversmiths
Napkins - old
Napkin rings - designed and made by moi, tut HERE
Margarita glasses - World Market
Hurricanes - Pottery Barn
Silver candle holders and Revere bowls - old

One more tip: I dropped turquoise stones into the napkin rings in the center of the metal flower. I didn't use glue so that I can remove them as needed.

Linking up to:
Cuisine Kathleen's -Let's Dish  and the remainder destination tablescapes!
Yvonne/ Stone Gable's Tutorials, tips and tidbits where you can learn sooo much!
Susan/Between Naps on the Porch - Tablescape Thursday, the original - what can I say?
I hope you'll join me there.
And if you have stayed with me this long.. then here's the answer to the turquoise glass containers: they are old timey glass insulators that used be found on your electric poles. .

Una tabla de colores vivos tablescape

This was not what I had planned this week. Oh wait, I didn't have anything planned this week. I do have two tables that I haven't yet shared, but....

And then I came across these plates at TJMaxx on Friday. At lunch on Friday. And I snagged 8 of them. What was I thinking? I loved them. Why didn't I get more right then???? I love how the glass swirls inside the plate. And I loved the color.

This gorgeous plant arrived on Friday, too. Orange and teal.. wow what a great combination. But still not how the table came about. Friday evening I was "auditioning" the teal plates. Tried them with this and that. And then I pulled out the next best thing to a quilt.. a serape.

Saturday morning I sent asked my sweet, darling son to run over and snag pick up the remainder of the plates. He did. They are going to be fabulous for summer entertaining.

I also remembered that these glasses have a matching colored rim to the plates.

So for today, the table fits the menu and the hot temperatures! Una tabla de colores vivos. A brightly colored table. Using the napkin that I embellished last year with the napkin rings the grands call the birthday napkin rings, gave way to using a brightly colored flatware set picked up at Ross's last year. Adding the white charger and white salad plate kept the table from getting boisterous.

We will be dining late, otherwise the outside temperatures would cause much discomfort. It's just been too danged hot!!

The sun will be setting soon, and the table will be shaded. We'll turn on the outside lights.

 The sun is setting, its' time to turn on the lights.

 Oh yes. My dream of tiny white lights is long gone. At first, we had smaller colored bulbs strung over the patio. But this year, Mr. CJ found larger, more brightly colored bulbs and changed them out. Oh my oh my. This could be why he doesn't decorate inside.

We will be dining on Cilantro Rice (HERE) and Margarita Pork K-bobs (HERE), a fresh green salad and an adult beverage of your choice.

Cast:
Serape - Jackalope, Santa Fe
Chargers - Pier One
Dinner Plates - TJMaxx, Artistic Accents
Salad Plates - Wedgwood Windsor
Napkins - self embellished (tips and tricks to come Thursday at Stone Gable)
Napkin Rings - Pier One
Flatware - Ross and salad fork by Wallace Silversmiths
Margarita Glasses - World Market
Plant - from a friend sitting in a Wedgewood Windsor bowl

Gracias  por venir. Thank you for dropping in and spending your time with me. I'm truly honored. You can find me at Cuisine Kathleen's Let's Dish on Wednesday and Susan's Tablescape Thursday on Thursday.