Derby Day Box Lunch

The Kentucky Derby, always the first Saturday in May, is a great reason to celebrate with friends. We have planned a box lunch with a traditional Kentucky menu and used our collection of vintage silverplate vegetable dishes as the box lunch containers. These old silverplate vegetable dishes were popular wedding gifts in the 60's and 70's and are perfect for an individual box lunch. A red rose tussie mussie embellishes each container , along with a menu card that has been printed on "My Old Kentucky Home" sheet music. Wooden platters, purchased from our local craft store, serve as place mats. We love the contrast of the silver set against the unpolished wood. An ice bucket, frozen from water, ferns, and roses, holds the champagne for Champagne Juleps. A bunch of snow peas, held together with rhinestone florist pins, serve as the knife rests. We will be joining www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com for Tablescape Thursday. Check it out for other inspiring ideas.

Peeps for my Peeps

My grandchildren, "the littles", were coming to Easter Brunch. While the Easter bunny had left toys and Easter baskets for them, it was the decorated cake that my four year old grandson loved. I could not resist Peeps for my little peeps; the little marshmallow chicks bring back so many childhood memories. While my big peeps enjoyed Peepochinos, peeps in black coffee, "the littles" enjoyed warm peeps on their sweet potatoes and peeps on their cake! For the first time ever, the 2 year old twins and 4 year old Logan ate Easter Brunch at the "big" table. It was a "big day" for "the littles", complete with bunnies and eggs. Sam's Club coconut cake, easily embellished with pink macaroon nests, eggs, and Peeps was delicious. A package of their beautiful artisan lettuces was perfect to tuck around the legs of the vintage rabbit candy containers. Small square vases of tulips and hydrangeas added spring color to the center of the table. Vintage china and my mother's silver were used with pink and gold wine glasses. The "littles" did great at the "big" table, not one spill! After brunch, the Easter bunny had hidden eggs in the yard for them to find! But these eggs held quarters - too many Peeps and too many chocolate eggs had already been eaten by "the littles". We will be joining www.astrollthrulife.blogspot.com for Tablescape Tuesday. Be sure to visit for some great ideas.

Shiny New Dinnerware Arrives at Romancing the Home

Sparkley dishes make me happy. While at market in January. Jill and I found these beautiful metallic dishes from Turkey. In the shapes of shells and leaves, they really add a unique element to a table. On this table we have used sea fans as our place mats and capiz shell chargers. Vintage mother of pearl flatware and Arte Italica stemware added another touch of elegance to the spring table. The pink water glasses are from an estate sale and bring out the pink under tones in the tablescapes. Sea shells serve as knife rests, while the coral on it's stand serves as a beautiful substitute for a floral centerpiece. All of these elements are available at Romancing the Home. Please join us at www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com for more inspiring tablescapes.

Masquerade Ball on May 7th

We are getting ready for the Masquerade Ball, A Havenly Night, for the Haven fundraiser. Yesterday I created the 2nd of the two mannequins that will be used at the check-in table. Instead of decoupaging paper on the mannequin form, this time I used old scraps of lace curtains and Mod Podge to cover the form. Julie and I had found this wonderful old prom dress while out antiquing a couple of weekends ago. I love the little tulle pleated detail on the sweetheart neckline and the rhinestone trim. And as far as I am concerned, this dress the the PERFECT shade of pink. Now I just have to make her a mask as enchanting as her dress. After the ball is over, both of these mannequins will come back to Romancing the Home and be perfect to display our special occasion jewelry. See our post on March 14th for other masquerade ball decor!

Crystal Decanter Holder Gets a New Purpose

Finding an old silver decanter holder without it's original crystal bottles can be disappointing. But when the holder's details are beautiful, you just have to find another way to use it, because the chances of finding 3 crystal decanters that fit are pretty slim! I found this one at a local flea market and I love using it on my kitchen table. The table in my kitchen is located inside a built- in banquette and evokes the feeling of restaurant dining. So for the center of the table, I placed the old decanter holder on a mirror plateau. Inside the openings, a vase of roses, a candle and and a bottle of wine were placed. The orange roses add color to the neutral palette, and I love the glow of the candle reflecting on the mirror plateau. We have sold quite a few of these old decanter holders at the store, and I wonder how other people are using them. Join us at http://www.frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com for more ideas to Feather Your Nest!

Jungle Fever

For a local fundraiser, we created a playful tablescape using a leopard stenciled cow rug as the tablecloth. Arte Italica dinnerware was the perfect choice with it's pewter rims and organic vibe.Ralph Lauren herringbone crystal wine glasses added sparkle to the table. Miniature bananas were used around the neck of the monkey to evoke a little humor. An overscale tropical floral arrangement, using birds of paradise, calla lilies and roses, added even more drama to the beautiful dining room. Dark glossy chocolate walls, the gorgeous antique mirror and a gilded ceiling reflected the candlelight beautifully. We are joining www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com for Tablescape Thursday. Be sure you visit for other great tablescape ideas.

New Vendor Arrives at Romancing the Home

One of the greatest thrills of going to market is finding a wonderful new resource. This past January, Jill and I stumbled upon a great new vendor and purchased many great accessories from them. The only problem was that the merchandise would not be available for several months and we were both anxious to get it . Well it has finally arrived and is getting a great response from our customers. As a matter of fact, I can't even show you their great candlesticks, as they sold on the first day before I could take a picture of them! The little stag accent table is my personal favorite, and I love it with the old parchment books on it ( the books are from another new vendor from the January market). We are showing it next to a transitional styled chair from our upholstery resource, upholstered in a natural linen fabric from Kravet. The wooden horse is a wonderful accent for a bookcase, coffee table or dining room table. Carved wooden base lamps with linen shades are beautiful additions to a European inspired room. The carved urn is made from reclaimed wood.

Also, just arriving this week, these beautiful velvet pillows with beads and gold details. They are from another new vendor from the January market. All of these distressed pieces look best when used with contrasting elements, such as crystal, gilded accents, mirror and velvet pillows . Look for more to come from these new vendors .

Spring Starflowers Remind us it's Spring!

The first springtime flowers that grow in our yard are the millions of blue wild starflowers. Since they are a bulb and a member of the lily family, they propagate wildly every year in all of our borders. Miniature in size, small votives are the perfect size for a vase of these petite flowers. The first warm day of the season was yesterday, so it was the perfect time to gather some of our gardening accessories and start to create the stage where pots of flowering plants will soon be displayed. But for now, these little starflowers added the touch of color needed for the rusty old elements. Taking some of the starflowers inside, I looked for the perfect vase. A hollowed out egg, spray painted gold, and placed in an antique silver egg cup was absolutely perfect.