Impromptu Easter Buffet

What a great day for sitting on the porch enjoying a light meal! Today reminded me of a ladies' group I was a part of for several years, and I thought that this setting would be perfect for a casual get-together this time of year. Because my tables on the porch are small, I think it is more conducive to set up a buffet in the kitchen. And today, my guests are my children!


I considered a long line of Easter themes: candies like jelly beans and Peeps, bunnies, chicks, lilies, palms, eggs, and baskets. I finally decided that some plates I have were bright enough on their own, and I really didn't want to waste a ton of candy. I would never let my children keep it, and it is not something I really wanted to emphasize to them as my guests. I have other Easter items that I have used with them in the past, such as Lenox Easter votives, cake plates with bunnies, various sculptural items like salt and pepper shakers, bunny flower pots, etc. And I usually choose a more Victorian look. But today was too bright and sunny, and those neat plates were begging to be used.

I found these great plates and glasses on eBay. The water goblets are Independence Crystal in the orange Sculptural pattern. (The mint juleps were a Tuesday Morning find.) The dinner plates are Fitz and Floyd Rondelet orange, and the luncheon plates are by Mesa Home Productions. I have no idea of the pattern name. You know how some people sleepwalk? I saw these plates online and thought they were too much only to find that I had bought them in the middle of the night. The iPhone eBay app makes it tooooo easy. So, I guess I sleepshop now...


Needless to say, green and orange would be the theme of this year's pre-Easter luncheon buffet. I decided to pull all the avocado green items I have, which consisted of: the plates, my place mats, a large fruit-motif ceramic platter, a milk glass mixing bowl with an avocado dip, two large flower vases, and my carnival glass. The carnival glass was quickly discarded in favor of the orange stemware. I separated it between what was going on the porch and what would coordinate in the kitchen on the buffet.


The buffet in the kitchen was simple, dressed in orange and green food:

And the porch was decked out in the bright orange and green.

I made chicken salad sandwiches and cut the bread with a rabbit cookie cutter. I used food coloring to paint eyes and noses.

I painted our initials on boiled eggs and served them in ramekins lined with lettuce and baby carrots.

I made egg-shaped tea cakes and frosted them with orange and green.

I made some lemonade and set it on the porch on a plant stand for a lack of room on the table.

For a centerpiece, I used one of the green vases, surrounding it with potpourri and placing a small topiary inside.

Once the guests (my children) added their plates, it was sufficiently Easter-y for them! And the best part is that I didn't even have to run to the store for anything; I had everything I needed already. And isn't that what Easter is about?


-Andrea

Sharing at:

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com
http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com
http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/
http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/
http://bargainhuntingwithlaurie.blogspot.com/
http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/
http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/
http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com
http://www.findingfabulousblog.com/
http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/
http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com

http://www.designsbygollum.blogspot.com/

http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/
http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/
http://houseinroses.blogspot.com/
http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/
http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/
http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/
http://blog.addicted2decorating.com
http://www.thegypsyscorner.com/
http://www.atthepicketfence.com
http://www.504main.com
http://itsablogparty.com
http://iloveprettylittlethings.blogspot.com/

Our First Giveaway Comes With a Little Story

(Winner announced here!)


Do you know what prompted this blog to come into being? A very sick little girl.

Spring, 2010

Emma, my daughter and fellow blogger, has been home sick with a bone infection since October of last year. Emma and I, (Andrea), have certainly spent a lot of time in hospitals, at doctors' offices, and at home together and with my mom, Diane. There are only so many entertaining things to do day after day, and that is one reason Emma became more interested in the passion we have for table goodies.  When my mom and I spend any time at all together, the conversation inevitably turns to household treasures. It was a good distraction between consultations and treatments. Emma couldn't escape, bless her heart! She has a passion for HGTV, interior design, architecture, and writing, and being able to create and write a little has been good for her. You have certainly given her a big boost in your appreciation for her creations, so we are thinking it's time to give back to you a little. 

Based on the feedback on a recent optimistic post, "Outdated Kitchens Can Be Pretty, Too," we decided to expand on that theme. I wanted to show you another lovely look in the same kitchen (my kitchen) with the outdated décor. I am so in love with my outdated kitchen now that I know how to work with it. And guess what! Four of these dinner plates will go to our lucky giveaway winner!  I hope to share with you how something that might appear to be very limiting is full of possibilities!

Let's start with the fantastic plates! Noritake made so many different pieces in this pattern, Lineage, including flatware! The dinner plates normally sell for around $20/each on the major websites that sell vintage china, so four of them have a value of around $80. (The giveaway rules are at the very bottom of the page.) These plates have so many beautiful colors, but the green is dominant. Later in the post, I will show you how I could have picked any color to emphasize in these plates, making it easy for me. They go with anything! Blue, red, yellow...even purple! (Pics at the bottom of the post.) But I thought the green would be a challenge in my kitchen. Plus, St. Patrick's Day is this week! So I went with it!

The design reminds me a little of Indian Tree motifs, and the birds are such a great plus! I love that they are oven, microwave and dishwasher safe. Many of my vintage patterns can only be hand-washed, so I don't use them everyday. But this is durable enough for enjoying with my little ones!

These plates were part of a huge vintage set I bought at a local Goodwill. I love them! Can you imagine them in the kitchen from the earlier post? 

In the advice from the earlier post, I recommended changing out accessories to give a new look. The first thing I did was change out everything in the cupboard to emphasize the green in the plates. I tried putting in more green than this, but adding other colors helped. I used the oranges to tie it to the peach in the wallpaper. The brown pieces and the pottery were other good accents with the wood in the room.

The little turtle in the front is from one of my children. I have their art all over the house as decoration. They are my favorite pieces. 

A few other examples:

But I digress...

The oranges emphasize the oranges and yellows in the plates. And the large ceramic platter was a great TJ Maxx find that I found a while back. 

I like the narrow dish which allowed me to add depth. But I have a secret...it's Holiday by Lenox. I placed it on a high shelf and the oranges hide the pattern.

One of the other things I recommended was using flowers as a color focal point. These are certainly a good match!

Are you ready to see the whole table?

I think the changes worked! By the way, the reverseable placemats here are the same ones from the prior post with the pink glass plates. $1.50 each at Big Lots and two great looks!

Do you think these plates would work in your kitchen? In your dining room? Here are some examples of the plates on different placemats of mine.

Yes, that one is actually a mulberry/pink placemat.

Really was surprised the green and purple one worked so well.

I hope you like them as much as I do!

And now for the Giveaway Rules:

The giveaway is for these four dinner plates. Click any of the Amazon links below and and find a great product to go with these plates on your dinner table. It can be flatware, goblets, linens, a centerpiece, etc.

Search Amazon.com

In the comment section below, leave a description and a link to what you found. You can leave one comment a day from Saturday, March 12 at 6pm EST to Sunday, March 20, 12pm EST.  Each comment will equal one entry. We will use a random number generator to select the winning entry. (My doctoral program was in statistics, so I think it's a pretty good system!) The winner will be announced no later than March 21 along with a posted email for you to send us your shipping address.

Have fun and Good Luck! Happy St. Patrick's Day! (My mother, Diane, created a very pretty Irish tablescape for St. Patrick's Day here.)

-Andrea

Sharing at:

http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/

http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

http://www.atthepicketfence.com/

http://fishtailcottage.blogspot.com/

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

http://www.thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/

http://bellavita-bellasblog.blogspot.com/

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com

http://www.thegypsyscorner.com/

http://www.thegypsyscorner.com/

http://ljm-alacarte.blogspot.com/

http://bargainhuntingwithlaurie.blogspot.com/

http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

http://petitehermine.blogspot.com/

http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

http://www.smartandtrendymoms.com

http://www.savedbylovecreations.com/

http://www.frugalityisfree.com

http://www.findingfabulousblog.com

http://iheartnaptime.blogspot.com

http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com

http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/

http://www.savedbylovecreations.com/

http://www.bystephanielynn.com

http://houseinroses.blogspot.com

http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/

http://www.frugalityisfree.com

http://apronthriftgirl.typepad.com

http://sassysites.blogspot.com

http://www.ontheverge6.com

Great Blog Finds!

Here are some of the awesome things we've seen on the blogosphere this week. We thought they were fantastic, so we thought we'd share! 


1.  Monogrammed chair!


http://littleguessfamily.blogspot.com/2011/03/i-finished-my-chair.html

2. Dressing up China Cabinets!


http://chrissiescollections.blogspot.com/2011/03/retro-chic-china-cabinet-transformation.html

http://maisondecor8.blogspot.com/2011/03/fabulous-wallpapered-cabinet.html

3. Dressing up your Bathroom Mirrors

http://theivycottageblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/builders-grade-to-beautiful-bathroom.html

4. St. Patrick's Day Soup!

http://foodfolksandfun.blogspot.com/2011/03/not-yo-mommas-broccoli-cheese-soup.html

5.  St. Patrick's Day Sweets!

http://sunscholars.blogspot.com/2011/02/st-pattys-day-fun.html