Red and White Check Picnic Tablescape

This is Memorial Day Weekend and that means it's time for a picnic. As I look outside today, the rain is coming down - normal for us - and it looks like there is no end in sight. The Kinetic Sculpture Race is just about over. (Humboldt County, CA is famous for the its man-made crazy hand driven "people powered" contraptions that must traverse around and through the bay, the mud, the sand dunes, and very few paved roads for really no good reason but fun and the thrill of the conquest. The three day event originated here thanks to the late artist Hobart Brown. The Rutabaga Queen has been selected and all is well with the world.....Life is good in Humboldt County this weekend.)

This week's unifying theme is ants (what else for a picnic?) and a checked plate.

The much maligned and uninvited guest to many picnics.....the ant

Overview of the tables:

 

Table No. 1:

Soda Fountain looking, Pat used an ice cream float glass with coordinating straw

The "hamburger" is actually a salt and pepper set

I love these plates - the red is a true red

The liner/charger is red Waechtersbach Fun Factory

Flatware is "Vault" by Gourmet Settings

Salt and pepper shakers are really old and are now showing their age

One of Pat's bargains from Pier 1 last year

Table No. 2:

See the sun shining off the flatware??? The only sun all weekend................

Red Waechtersbach cereal/soup bowl

This very versatile white rimmed plate is by "Food Network" from Kohl's

Pat uses these small ant plates from Pier 1 for everything from hors d'oeurves to bread and butter plates to dessert plates

Even the napkin has ants

Pat found this tiny relish holder at World Market

Table No. 3:



Flatware is "Pure" by Gourmet Settings

These modern style glasses are from Pier 1 last year

To add to the ant theme, Pat used a matching platter as part of the table decoration

Where is came from:
Checked Dinner Plate - "At Home with Marieka" - a great find on eBay
All Glassware - Pier 1
Ant Checked Bread/Butter Plate and Platter - Pier 1
All Ants - close out sale from a store in Ferndale, CA
All Napkins - handmade by Pat
Solid Red Dishware - by Waechtersbach from Replacements
White Dishware - from Kohl's

We will be joining Cuisine Kathleen's "Let's Dish" this Wednesday:  http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

If you are really bored and/or want to see what we do for fun in Humboldt County, check out the Kinetic Sculpture Race on Google, You Tube, or click: http://www.kineticgrandchampionship.com/ for an introduction to the madness.

And don't forget to join The Tablescaper Sunday for her fourth Blog-a-versay party. She will be hosting a "Where Do You Keep It All?" party as part of her Seasonal Sundays. You'll get some great ideas on how to organize and store all of your table setting "supplies." http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

Memorial Day Table for One

We are joining Cuisine Kathleen's Let's Dish Challenge this week (http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/.) The theme is Memorial Day.

Pat chose three small figurines from my Betty Boop collection as the unifying theme. (As most of you know, I have Betty Boop figurines from a couple of inches tall to almost five feet tall.) Then she used red, white and blue for each table.

The unifying theme:

Overview of the three tables:
Table No. I:

 Table No. 2:

 Table No. 3:

Details of each table:

Over view of the table

Close up of the place setting

Pat chose Noritake ceramic flatware

First layer of the place setting is a red Waeschtersbach soup bowl

Next layer is a Hutschenreuther Racine dinner plate

Dinner plate is red Waechstersbach Fun Factory

The charger is cobalt blue Espana by Tabletops Unlimited

Red, white and blue votives add more color

Patriotic print napkin holds a solid navy blue napkin with simple red napkin ring

Table No. 2:

Over view of the table

Close up of the place setting

The napkin ring is a very patriotic flag

Dinnerware is "Colonial" by Sakura

Red, white and blue flatware coordinates with the dishes

One last look



Table No. 3:

Over view of the table

Close up of the place setting. This time, Pat used a rust colored placemat to match the rust color in the salad plate.

First layer of the place setting is a Pfaltzgraff Stars &Stripes salad plate

Next layer is a Food Network Porcelain White plate -  basic and simple

Pat reused the cobalt blue Espana charger. 

Flatware is "Image" by Spode - also very simple

Stars & Stripes parfait is by Pfaltzgraff. Bread and butter plate is cobalt blue Fiestaware.

Red, white and blue glassware: blue goblet from Mervyn's years ago, red stemmed wine glass is Artland glass from Replacements, white tumbler is from Pier 1.

One last look

Check out Cuisine Kathleen's Let Dish this Wednesday night:  http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/