Motivational Mondays: Valentine’s Day “Tablescape”….

One of my favorite times of day is that hazy, peaceful moment between awake and slumber. You are zen.  Your mind is calm.  The world is quiet.  It is during those times where I roll over and look at my Partner’s face, so sweet and peaceful as he sleeps, that I am filled with gratitude for having such a special person to share my life with.

This Valentine’s Day I plan on forgoing some elaborate dinner and night out.  With both our schedules, anything that takes us past 9:30pm finds us struggling to stay awake.  So why not make your special person something truly special for the most important meal of the day….breakfast?  So this Valentine’s I plan on making The Partner breakfast  in bed……

It is not quite my usual tablescape, why not mix it up with something I am calling a “bedscape” — perfect for Valentine’s Day.  It’s quick, it’s easy and honestly, who doesn’t think breakfast in bed is the quintessential romantic gesture?

This Valentine’s Day, I am celebrating that my dreams are my reality and my reality is pretty darn awesome!

Sources: Candlesticks & Tray : CB2 //Bud Vase: vintage//Flatware: Zara Home//Dinner Plates: HomeGoods//Salad Plates: Wedgewood//Napkins: West Elm//Champagne Flutes: Ross Dress For Less//Love Bird Salt & Pepper Shakers: vintage//Bed Linens: Crate & Barrel//Accent Pillow: Courtney Lake Interiors

[Photography: Photos By Adza //Styling & Art Direction: Courtney Lake]

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More From the Dabble Magazine Halloween Tablescape Shoot….

As promised, here are some additional shots from the Dabble Magazine Halloween tablescape shoot.  My goal was to recycle many of the pieces I already owned from last year’s table and tweak them in an interesting way for the magazine shoot.  After an afternoon drive to wine country, I was enamored with soft greens of the vineyards mixed with the amber and browns of the dried grass on the rolling hills.  This inspired not only the color palette for the shoot but the elements I would use to tweak the overall look of the tablescape.  Dried flora, moss, grasses and leaves all served as perfect “naturally spooky” background I wanted to create for the table.

San Francisco-based photographer for the shoot, Samantha Cooper, working her magic along with her honorary assistant Scruffy….

I loved mixing some glam accents such as the Chisel Glassware from Z Gallerie (similar) to break up the natural elements of the tablescape….

Green in all its different shades was the dominate color for the tablescape from the green moss placemats to the West Elm grellow linen napkins which were the perfect offset to the wood handled flatware from Sur La Table (similar).

Sadly, we weren’t able to work the fantastic bar I created into the Dabble story, but I loved how I was able to turn my kitchen island into a spooky bar for all the ghouls and goblins to wet their whistles.  Simply using cobwebs and dried grass from the Dollar Store, branches from my yard, my existing glassware, the Artesia Decanter from Z Gallerie as well as their Phantom Candelabra I was able to kit out the bar.

The centerpiece for the shoot was massive.  It was three feet high and had a span just over that, but it was the perfect canopy to trail dried grass, perch crows and weave LED candles in to create an eerily beautiful focal point.

And here is a final shot that Samantha got which I think sums up the day perfectly —  that blur in the back …. it’s me running to duck out of the shot.  I have never been so happy to sit down in my entire life!  But it was a great shoot and I am grateful to Dabble Magazine for giving me the opportunity.

Now that I have the table planned, I just need to fill it with some yummy treats!  Check out on Friday for some delicious and quick bites for your Halloween fete!

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Thanksgiving 2011 Table Breakdown

Thanks for all the kind words about this year’s Thanksgiving tablescape!  As I said, I made this made specifically with ME in mind.  This was the table I always imagined for my own dinner and I am happy I was able to create it this year!  Surprisingly, there are not that many elements and many are available at large big box stores.

So let’s  break it down…..

Place Settings

The gold charger was a score from Walmart during their holiday clearance sale for one dollar per charger.  The purple dinner plate is from Crate and Barrel and was picked up at the local outlet for $3.99.  The salad plate was found at HomeGoods for $6.99 for 8.  The napkins are my favorite linen napkins from Crate and Barrel for $4.99 each and the napkin ring was a clearance purchase from West Elm for $0.98 each.  Silverware (not seen) was rolled inside the napkin and is my everyday cutlery.  On top of the salad plate is a small ear of dried Indian corn picked up from the grocery store for about $0.75 per ear.

Tablecloth & Glassware

You may remember the glassware from last year’s Thanksgiving table.  They are the Luster Glassware from Pier One which go on sale repeatedly throughout the year ergo I am sure I didn’t pay full price.  The tablecloth is Ralph Lauren and was a great find at HomeGoods for $14.99.

Centerpiece

The centerpiece is a cornucopia shaped basket from Michaels that I light sprayed with bronze paint.  The basket was $12.99 but I used the ever-present 40% off coupon to get it for around $7.  Inside the basket, I used a variety of gourds, herbs, fruits and flowers including a large succulent cutting to anchor the centerpiece.  Pumpkins were staked to one side to add visual height and interest.

Candlesticks, Wreath & Salt-n-Pepper Shakers

All of these components are part of my core decorating “kit”.  The candlesticks are part of my ever expanding collection of thrifted crystal candlesticks that I use for various decorating vignettes or dining events.  The actual candles were bought from Ross Dress for Less for $4.99 for a set of 6.  The wreath was recycled from last year’s Christmas decorations and augmented with live florals and berries.  The pheasant salt and pepper shakers were a purchase from eBay last year that I love using for their sculptural quality.

And that’s it.  I wasn’t kidding when I said there were not many elements to the table!  If you wanted to get a similar look, here are some options, all of which you can order from the web…..

Credits: 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14

Even with the table set, I feel I am still behind the ball!  So are you ready for Thanksgiving?    If so, what is your secret for an organized and chaos free holiday?

Speaking of secrets, I have one to share with you later today.  I will be announcing who won the Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway!

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