Butterfly Birthday

First things first...We are truly blessed to have the means to set a pretty table and invite our friends to join us for good food and fellowship. As the harvest season approaches I am mindful that many are not so fortunate. My daughter has a passion for the work of the Food Bank. As a singer-songwriter, she has written and recorded a song that is the anthem for the world wide Crop Hunger Walk project. Her song, "Raise Your Voice" is featured in their video. I've included a link in the side margin of my blog. I hope that it will encourage you to support projects in your community that contribute to the effort to overcome hunger.

Several weeks ago, I was thrilled to learn that I had won the give-away from Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for a service for four of Mikasa, "Modern Butterfly."  The moment that I opened the box that appeared on my front porch, I knew exactly how I wanted to use it.  My friend Sheila absolutely ADORES butterflies, and her birthday is November 18.  On Monday, the 15th, I hosted a luncheon for four featuring "Modern Butterfly" to celebrate Sheila's birthday.

I want to recognize Mikasa for their generosity and kindness, and I have decided to share some of the options that I considered while designing my tablescape for the party.  There are so many possible variations for this gorgeous pattern; It took a bit before I could pick just one and go with it.  I think that you would have a blast using this marvelous design.  It lends itself to a multitude of design styles; I think that you're going to want to add these pretty butterflies to your personal collection.  Grab your net!  (I need to advise you that this is a photo intensive post.  Scroll away!)

I started...

...with a matelasse tablecloth.  I bought the fabric on eBay, and I made the cloth.  Tip:  When I make the cording, I cut my strips on the grain instead of on the bias.  It makes the cording much stiffer, and it holds the folds in place as the cloth falls against the floor.

Not only did the color of the cloth compliment the soft sage in the dishes, the design in the matelasse seemed to showcase the stylized artwork in the dinnerware.

I liked the potential of the individual dessert pedestals...

...the natural rattan charger from WalMart...

...WalMart's dark rattan charger...Have you found your personal look, yet?...

How about the animated flavor that flourished when I added the Hobby Lobby black acrylic charger...really emphasizes the graphic nature of the design...for those of you with a more contemporary flair...

While I was playing with the Mikasa, "Butterfly," the postman delivered this black and white toile tablecloth, an eBay purchase...so I gave it a try...pretty spectacular, don't you think?  It really punches up the black weighted lines that make up the form of several of the butterflies...

---or how about a shot of red sandwiched between the butterflies and the toile?...

Ultimately I chose the matelasse cloth and the red acrylic charger.

So many choices, so little time...I finally decided to go with the red charger and the matelasse cloth.  I added the vintage small red bowls, an estate sale bargain.

The Argent, "Sophia" 'gold' flatware is a Tuesday Morning find.  The color in the handle picked up just the right touch of golden yellow in the butterfly wings.  More of the plate color is repeated in the Waterford, "Simply Pink" goblet.  I love these goblets; they have a way of adapting to different shades of pinks and reds...very chameleon like. Our precious Nana is once again responsible for several elements in my design.  She used the lovely white linen napkins for years; I suspect that they are Marghab, but I can't verify that.  The ruby flash bowl and oriental stand also graced her tables...and now mine.  

 The clear wine goblet is Lalique, "Treves."  It is a part of my wedding crystal; this single stem was responsible for my choices for china and crystal all those years ago.  I still cherish it.  When Sweet Mr. and I were married, I was amazed that friends would actually spend $25.00 per goblet as a gift for us.  The individual salt and peppers are by Mackenzie-Childs.  Victoria Childs is such a gifted artist.  Her designs are all at once whimsical and elegant.  I've been collecting different styles of these tiny jewels for several years.  We have a wonderful store, On A Whim, that stocks a huge inventory of Mackenzie-Childs.  Check them out at www.onawhimokc.com.

The centerpiece is a mixture of flowers that I found at Homeland Grocery Store.  Do you see the white color behind the pink medallion in the ruby flash bowl?  Tip:  I didn't want the green oasis to detract from the lovely design in Nana's old bowl, so I actually constructed the centerpiece in one of my Blue Willow cereal bowls that just happens to be solid white on the outside. Not only was I able to effectively camouflage the infrastructure of my design, but if I need to, I can change the ruby flash bowl for a different piece that is better suited for a different tablescape.  My dear friend Cindy, at http://www.moreentertainingwomen.blogspot.com/, is hosting a large party in her home tomorrow night.  I took the flowers to her this afternoon, and I'm thrilled that they can be put to good use once again.  I added the butterflies for Sheila's special day...I found them several years ago at Pottery Barn.

Okay, I'm going to shyly step into the world of candlelight photography...

...and miles to go before I sleep...At this point, I went to bed, excited to greet my guests the next morning.

Everything's ready.  I decided to go with the small pink votives instead of the tapers...

...And I chose to exchange the small red bowls for the wonderful Mikasa, "Modern Butterfly" rimmed soup.  It was perfect for the first course, Tomato Bisque.

For the main course, I prepared a Shrimp Remoulade Salad and Quiche Lorraine.  Dessert was my mama's Brandy Ice, always a winner with my guests.If you'd like the recipe, it can be found in an earlier post HERE.

Everything is in place, and we're ready to come to the table.  See the blue gift box tied with the red picot ribbon?  Inside is one of the Mikasa boxes that contained a place setting of the beautiful Mikasa, "Modern Butterfly."  At the end of the party when the gifts were opened, I gave my dear friend Sheila this amazing china service for four as her birthday gift.  She absolutely loved it, and now she's going to go home and order more!  I hope that some of you have decided that you must have this pattern, too.  You're going to love creating your own tablescape with it.  Thank you once again to Mikasa and Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for making this magical celebration a reality!

Thank you, yet again, to Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for hosting her magical meme, "Tablescape Thursday.  I'll be linking my post to "Tablescape Thursday.  Click on the button below to hop on over and check out the myriad of marvelous tablescape designs, after 9:00 pm on Wednesdays.  You'll be glad that you made the trip...it's a wonderful adventure.     

You can check out KC's music at www.kcclifford.com, on iTunes, and on YouTube.  I hope that you'll take a few minutes and give her a listen.  You'll also enjoy reading back through her blog on this site.  The girl can really write!  Her latest CD is called "Orchid."