Valentine Tablescape on a Budget

I love coming up with whimsical table settings for dinner parties. Tomorrow evening we'll be having our "Gourmet Group" for dinner to celebrate two birthdays and Valentine's Day. Today I'm having fun putting the table together. I always start with neutral basics: simple white dinnerware and sterling flatware.

I'm lucky in that my DH is cooking this dinner. He's Italian and will be making his "famous" veal parmesean. That leaves me time to work on the appetizers, the bar, and the table setting. Here's the mess on my craft table this morning as I began the process. (This is my fifth week back on Weight Watchers and I'm proud to say, I didn't touch even one piece of the candy!)

For every dinner party, I make something that will serve the purpose of a "placecard" and I always come up with little "party favors" for guests to take home with them. Even adults love that! This time I combined the two: the "placecard" is the favor.

The cute rickrack felt heart pouches were only $1.00 each at Target's "Dollar Spot" (I love that little corner!). I used fabric paint to add names to the hearts (the "placecard" part) and then filled each heart with Valentine candy to take home (the "party favor" part).

Oops! Forgot the napkins!

I found this perfect red tablecloth at Goodwill for $4.00. It's so long that, even with both leaves in my table, it had to be tucked under. And it washed with absolutely no need for ironing. I think this one is a keeper! The Valentine table runner was another Target bargain for $3.00, also at the "Dollar Spot".

I had candy left over so decided to use it in Valentine mason jars for friends who will not be at tomorrow evenings dinner party.

These were simple to make and just used up things I already had: jars, doilies, and ribbon.

I felt pretty good about coming up with a tablecloth, runner, "placecards" and favors for all of  $14.00. All I needed to add was the candy!

This post is linked to:

Flaunt It Friday #434 at Chic On a Shoestring

Best of the Weekend Link Part at Calypso In the Country

Farmhouse Friday Link Party #92 at The Painted Hinge

Sundays at Home at Little Farmstead

                                              Homestyle Gathering #5 at My Wee Abode

A Fiesta, Lobster Bake, Umbrella Tree & Windows 8 . . .What a Week!

The belated Cinco de Mayo dinner party with our Gourmet group last Saturday evening was so much fun! Here are some photos of the table...

and the Senors y Senoritas who attended...in sombreros and mustaches, of course.
The members of our Gourmet Group are nothing if not good sports!

What do you think? Should I keep the mustache???

Our Mexican meal was delicioso. My sister, Joanne, brought an amazing selection of Mexican hors d'oeuvres including authentic fish ceviche. The rest of the meal featured salad in baked tortilla cups, marinated grilled short steak, pablano peppers stuffed with rice and chorizo sausage, Mexican street corn rolled in cotija cheese, and for dessert ... Tres Leches cake!  (Did I mention the Margaritas???)

 Lots of work but a great time. 

The next day I was determined to blog about the dinner on my new ASUS laptop, which so far I love. But, by the time I figured out Windows 8 and uploaded my photo software, etc., I was exhausted. No blog post that day!

The reason I bought a new laptop is so that I can blog while we travel...which we hope to do lots more of now that I'm retired from teaching. For a trial run, I brought the laptop to Searsport with me last week. (We impulsively decided to "run away from home" for a few days in the Casita for some fresh air and R & R).

While we were walking in the woods at Searsport Shores, we came upon this amazing piece of "forest folk art" that we never knew was there. You climb the magical tree-steps...

and sit in a little carved out tree-chair under a huge umbrella woven of twigs.

From this hidden perch in the tree, you can sit and look down over the stream that runs under it, listening to both the sounds of the small waterfalls in the stream and the ocean waves just beyond the treeline.

I felt as if I was in a fairy tale!

Even though it rained a lot, we had a wonderful week. We searched for sea glass that had washed up on the beach, learned a new game (ironically, Mexican Train Dominoes) from our friends Anita and Fred, and shopped in Belfast with our friend, Carolyn, who drove up from Kennebunk for the day.

We got home from camping just in time for today's beautiful weather and the 4th annual lobster bake in Cape Porpoise/Kennebunkport to raise funds for my sister Nancy's Memorial scholarship at Wells High School. It is put on every year by her friends, who all volunteer their time...and their lobsters!

Cape Porpoise Harbor & Goat Island Light



the "Stunning Smith Sisters"...Joanne, Andi, & Cheryl.

 

some of Nancy's friends & family

Tomorrow we pack up again...this time to fly to South Carolina for our grandson, Robert's, graduation from boot camp at Fort Jackson. Our other grandson, Brian, will be graduating from Westbrook High School next Sunday. We're really proud of both of them.

Busy couple of weeks...I'll be blogging from the road!



A Mexican Dinner Party #1: Placecards and Prizes

Our infamous Gourmet group is getting together at our house this weekend for a belated Cinco de Mayo dinner. We're renaming it Vientecuatro (24th) de Mayo. Since we've been getting together for dinner for over thirty years, being a little late with a celebration is not a big deal for our group of old long-time friends.

I love the creative part of planning for "Gourmet". Our Mexican theme has kept me happily busy in the craft room this week. (Note the glass of wine in the middle of the desastre on my craft table!)

The placecards were simple to assemble from wine corks and decorated craft picks. I found lots of great ideas on Pinterest. One clever poster used real limes as the base for the picks instead of wine corks.

Here are the finished placecards. The Mexican flag picks can be found at about any party store and the tissue paper picks were at WalMart. I had to search a bit for the picks with the blank "flags" to write on...found them at Michael's.

I decided to translate everyone's names into Spanish for their placecards...hope they can find their seats!

 

 

On a recent visit to Belfast, Maine, we found a great store called Yo Mama's Home which, among lots of other fun things, had this Mexican party game on display. It's called La Loteria and is a Mexican version of Bingo. Needless to say, it came home with us.

Of  course there have to be prizes...los primios.  Most are actually made in Mexico thanks to the internet and Yo Mama's.

I wrapped the prizes in little "flag bags" to add to the excitement of playing la Loteria!

Everyone will go home with a goody bag too...a chillin' Margarita glass, some Hot Tamales, and a box of Tres Leches cake mix.

The Tres Leches could be a whole other blog post. The short version is that we fell in love with Tres Leches  (translates as Three Milks) cake at a Cuban restaurant in St. Augustine when we visited our friends, Anita and Fred, there in December.

photo courtesy of broowneyedbaker.com
 

Who knew that it actually is available in a mix in supermarkets the Southwest? Anita and Fred brought us this box back from Texas; I ordered six more boxes from Amazon, which now sells ethnic food in their "Pantry". Probably not as good as the real thing, but a fun Latin party favor.

 

Now that the placecards and favors are ready, it's time to start cleaning mi casa (my absolute least favorite part), setting the table, and preparing la comida...the food!

 

 

This post is linked to:

 Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home

Show & Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

I'm So Done With March!

Here in Maine, March came in like a lion and never went out.  

It was an unseasonably cold and dark month, but there were a few bright spots...

  



My bunny pillow...handmade by Claudia

Our infamous Gourmet Group, a group of friends who have celebrated dinner together every month or two for over 30 years, got together Saturday evening at BFF Claudia's house in Kennebunk. Although it was a  cold, rainy night, Claudia served a delicious spring-themed dinner of roast lamb on a gorgeous table decorated in an Easter theme.

 

The whole Bunny Family!

Claudia is a Home Ec. teacher who, as you might expect, sews and cooks beautifully. Not only does she teach middle school full-time, she also has her own very successful business creating gorgeous purses, totes and aprons which she sells online and at craft fairs. Each chair at Claudia's dinner table Saturday evening had a hand-painted, hand-sewn "bunny " pillow on it. What a surprise to hear that Claudia had taken the time to make one for each of us to take home!

 

And, for those of you who have been following along for awhile, I'm happy to share that our Mom's medical condition has stabilized. She is still in rehab. at Falmouth by the Sea and still unable to walk or swallow, but...she is comfortable, aware, and working hard to regain lost skills...which at 92 is not an easy task. She is well enough now to participate in activities at the facility, like the presentation by the Portland Museum of Art which I attended with her yesterday. She even wore a purple flower in her hair!

I love going to the events at Falmouth by the Sea with Mom. It's a beautiful facility, right on Casco Bay. In addition to skilled rehabilitation, the facility offers both long term care and assisted living. I've met some amazing residents there...with fascinating life stories...and hope to volunteer there someday when my Mom is no longer a patient. Older people have so much to teach us, if we take the time to really listen.

 

 

I couldn't help but laugh to myself yesterday at the Portland Museum of Art presentation though. The large dining room was darkened so that the docent could show slides of various paintings and, as she drew her rather lengthy presentation to a close, I realized that I was about the only person left in the room whose eyes were still open. Mom and most of her fellow art-lovers had fallen asleep!

 

 

The sun is shining on this first day of April and I am ever hopeful that Spring is finally here. This morning, DH shoveled off the back deck and went to LL Bean to buy a gas camping grill...both pretty positive signs of Spring.

 

But my personal favorite sign of Spring? Registration for Fiber College 2014 opened today!!! If you missed my 2013 post about Fiber College ("Summer Camp for Adults"), you can find it here. 

Fiber College is a chance to spend three or four days learning, creating, and making friends with other talented women in a beautiful oceanfront setting at Searsport Shores in Searsport, Maine. For more information, registration, and a list of 2014 classes, click on the Fiber College website here. 

 

I just registered for Fiber College 2014 this morning and am already getting excited. So far, I've signed up to take classes in Bookbinding...

  

and Needle Felting...



Dance Like Nobody's Watching by Kathleen Gerdes, Fiber College 2014

 



 I can't wait! 

 

 

 Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Through Life

Inspire Me Monday at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Dinner Party: Burlap & Bling

It was our turn to host dinner on Saturday evening for our infamous "Gourmet Group"...good friends who have been having dinner together at each other's homes for over 30 years. Needless to say, coming up with dinner party ideas that haven't been done before is getting harder and harder.

 

This time, my inspiration for the table décor came from...Walmart. I ran in to grab some sewing supplies and saw this chevron burlap. I knew instantly that I had "found" my tablecloth for Gourmet. Three yards of burlap at $3.97 a yard, some fraying along the edges, and done. My kind of project.

While I was searching online for burlap ideas, I came across this post from one of my favorite blogs,  Fabric Paper Thread.  I think I might try this with some of the solid colored burlap I had left over from the dinner party. Lorrie's blog is full of creative ideas like this...check it out!



Photo by Lorrie of  Fabric Paper Thread
 

Last year my turn to host came up in October and I set a more typical fall table...oranges and golds with fall leaves and little apple baskets for place cards.



This time...new home...new year...I wanted something a little unexpected. The burlap inspired the rest of the decor; I used black napkins and set the table with sterling and crystal for a little bling.



And the inspiration for the menu?  A magazine I picked up at the hairdresser's while getting the gray covered my hair highlighted. I knew immediately that the dish on the cover of the October issue of Bon Appetit would be perfect for Gourmet. Best of all, it was billed as a "make ahead feast"...my favorite kind.

At this point, I'm open to inspiration wherever I can find it!

 

 

We started the evening with hot mulled wine. It was delicious. Here is the recipe I used...from Food Network.com. After heating the mulled wine, I used my crock pot to keep it warm for the evening so that guests could help themselves.

 

 The smell of cinnamon and fall spices filled the house...an added plus.

 

The recipe called for "three star anise". I had to go to Whole Foods for these...but aren't they beautiful? And you can purchase exactly three.



Here are the roast and vegetables all ready to go in the oven. Brining the roast a day before cooking, in apple cider and spices, added lots of flavor and made the cooked pork very moist. Here is a link to the recipe we used from Bon Apetit online.

 

My DH did all the prep on the roast and veggies...he enjoys doing most of the cooking for Gourmet while I concentrate on the theme, table, favors, etc.. He still had "his" apron on when the first guests arrived and I couldn't resist grabbling this photo. Love the lace trim, Hank!

(The apron was actually hand made by Claudia, one of the "Gourmands".)

 

 

 

Dessert was a delicious pumpkin cheesecake, made by our friend, JoAnne. I loved how light it was and the crust was made with crushed pecans. When I get her to give up the recipe, I'll share it here.

 

 

 

For favors, I filled little amber glass acorns I found at Michael's for $1.99 each with my homemade  embellished acorns and put one at each of the "ladies'" places. Since I wasn't sure the guys would appreciated felted acorns, they each got a foil box filled with chocolates and penny candy...

including wax mustaches...

 

 

 

which the ladies promptly "borrowed".

A little burlap, a little bling, mulled wine, roast pork, acorns, laughter and old friends...what could be better? I'm blessed.