Ladies who Lunch - Hosting an Event Table

 Hey there princess!

Recently, I was given the opportunity to host a table for a luncheon at my church. This is my first time embarking on this type of project, and I am so thankful that I was able to co-host with my mom so that the project felt more manageable. My mom is a hostess extraordinaire, and she has a wealth of knowledge and linen to make planning fun and stress-free. 

The event didn't have a theme, so we had free-reign to decorate how we pleased. The verse that we chose for our table was Song of Solomon 2:11-12, "For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and done. The flowers appear on the earth, the season of singing is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land."

So basically... flowers! So let's begin with a review of our table...

My mom and I are both huge fans of Spode's Blue Italian, so it was an easy choice when it came to the place settings. This was the pattern I chose for my wedding china, and between my mom and myself we have more than enough place settings and specialty pieces. For napkins, my mom purchased these special pieces from Laurie Byrne on Etsy (click here for her shop).

We decorated our table with tons of fresh flowers, which were so gorgeous and also were the perfect compliment to the Bible verse we chose for our theme. My mom has an extensive tulipiere collection in blue and white, so it was great to be able to pull all of them out and put them on display for our friends. I made each guest a place card so that they would know where to sit, and I also painted a small canvas for each lady to take home as a memento of the afternoon. 

When arranging flowers, it is important to look at your display from every angle. Since we were at circular tables, they needed to look lush and gorgeous from the perspective of each guest. These were so much fun to do with my mom, and lots of the beautiful roses came from Life in Rose Farm, and some of the other flowers came from Whole Foods and Kroger. 

Luckily for us, we had some time to go around the room and look at some of the other tables that the ladies decorated. I have included photos of those below. They were so much fun! Let me know in the comments which one is your favorite!

This was such an amazing opportunity to be creative and connect with my church community. I am so happy that we were able to participate, and I can't wait to challenge ourselves next year with another amazing and fun design. 

Breakfast for Dinner - A Spring Tablescape

 Hey there princess!

I have absolutely loved the weather finally warming up and the sun coming out to shine! I am still basking in the glow of Easter from a few weeks ago, and I wanted to share a little tablescape that I did for dinner a few nights ago. 

One of my favorite "easy dinners" to make is breakfast for dinner. I have mini waffle makers for every season, and it is the perfect thing to make meal time a little more fun! 

I purchased my yellow gingham tablecloth from Target a few years back, and had L.B. Originals (aka preppy papergirl on Etsy click here) embroider napkins for me. The blue dishes you see are Spode Blue Italian dinner plates which was my wedding pattern (you can find them on Amazon here). The ceramic rabbit is from Target, purchased two or three years ago.

For this meal, I also mixed in a few of my dishes from Anthropologie for side plates and juice glasses. I love the fun colors, and I think they couple beautifully with the hyacinth that my mother gave me.

For dinner, I made waffles (you can find the Easter egg shaped maker here) along with scrabbled eggs, bacon, and breakfast potatoes. For me, one of the best things about making waffles is that I can make a large batch and freeze anything that we don't eat! I do the exact same thing with French toast and it is such a time saver in the mornings!

What about you? Where are you getting your spring table inspiration? Dinner is such a fun and special time to sit together as a family, and I love trying new things to bring everyone together in a fun and memorable way. 

Two Tickets to Paradise

Hey there princess! One of my favorite things to do on a weekend is pull out my fanciest dishes and cook something delicious (and often swimming in butter).

This past month, I have seriously fallen in love with Anthropologie's newest line of china. Their "From the Deep" set has inky sea creatures swimming here and there, looking like they might just steal a morsel off of your plate (plus they're dishwasher and microwave safe... which seals the deal for me).

I lucked out, and my main man (aka my dad), was free for the evening, so I got to cook him up our favorite meal: Louisiana shrimp. Here are a few photos of our evening, and the recipe for the shrimp if you would like to make it for yourselves!

Ingredients: 1 lb butter 1 16 oz bottle Italian dressing Juice of 4 lemons 2 oz black pepper 4 pounds large shrimp, unpeeled - Melt butter and mix with dressing, lemon juice, and pepper. - Pour sauce over shrimp and marinate several hours. (I top with slices of lemon) - Bake 40 minutes at 325 degrees. Serve with lots of sauce and even more napkins!