Entertaining Women

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

A Kaleidoscope of Sisterhood Memories, 10.17.14

Entertaining Women October 21, 2014

"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. 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 during this harvest season, it will encourage you to support projects in your community that contribute to the effort to overcome hunger.

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About every two years, I host a luncheon for the sorority sisters with whom I lived during my four years in college. This past Friday, I hosted the fourth luncheon for these precious women, and it was a perfect day in almost every way. The October weather was delightful; we didn't even have our normal prairie wind sweeping down the plain. Sisters arrived from all across our beautiful nation...from coast to coast they came. Today I set 8 tables for my guests. We're dining on the back porch and under the big tree in the back yard. Come on out...

Do you remember the black and white stripe tablecloths from the party that we did for my high school reunion this past June? I knew then that I wanted to use them for this day...

I liked the graphic quality that they lent to the design.

I also knew that I wanted to use lots and lots of color. Early on the word "kaleidoscope" kept coming to mind. So how did I translate my inspiration into a cohesive theme for our luncheon?

Each table featured one color of my collection of Bormioli glass charger plates...found on clearance two summers ago at Gordman's...

....one color of the Vietri Optic goblets, still available at a jewelry/gift store near you. Oh! Vietri is on sale at my local store this week. Maybe it's a national sale...you might want to check around.

...one color of colorful flatware at each table...

...and one each of 8 colors of hemstitched napkins tied with a variety of organza ribbons holding a mercury glass owl...the party favor for each guest to take home. The dinner plate is the Wedgwood Countryware. The centerpiece was kept simple for time management purposes...the black tole jardinieres from Hobby Lobby each held a pre-made mixed "local" bouquet from Whole Foods Market, snipped to the proper height. Hint: If you need to secure a larger quantity of florals from Whole Foods, be sure to order them at least 3 weeks ahead of your event. They place their own orders that far out. They have a beautiful selection, and their florals are quite reasonable.

It's always satisfying when an idea that looks a certain way in your mind's eye ends up looking the same way in reality. I wouldn't have changed a thing for this party.

The luncheon began at 11:30 a.m......

There was constant laughter....unending smiles...and sparkling eyes...

The last guests left sometime after 4:30.

My summer pots of geraniums made a wonderful comeback after the heat of the summer...

They were joined by pots of yellow mums....and that gave us our sorority colors of "Cardinal and Straw."

Memories of this special special day will last long after the onset of colder days which wait just around the corner. I can hardly wait for October, 2016, when we shall gather again. I'm already mulling ideas for the next tables in my mind.

I'm having my first knee replacement surgery next week, so color me invisible for the better part of the next month. Although I may not be heard from for a spot of time, I think that exploring your delightful blogs will be a wonderful way to spend some hours while I'm recuperating. I covet your prayers, and I look forward to blogging again as soon as possible.

This week I'm joining

Tablescaper Thursday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Accessories

When the Deep PURPLE FALLS, 10.9.14 and a Winner!

Entertaining Women October 08, 2014

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Kathleen of Cuisine Kathleen has challenged us to create a Fall tablescape with no orange and with purple...lots of purple. I'm in the midst of busily preparing for my bi-annual luncheon for my college sorority sisters, so I've set a table that may or may not be put to use. On a happy note for me, I'm pleased to announce that the winner of the tablecloth giveaway is Liz @ Infuse with Liz. Liz, please, contact me with your address information, and I'll send the cloth on its way to you. I'll be excited to see how you put it to use in one of your blog posts!

Tonight's post features quite a few pics...and minimal text...well, minimal for me.

Table for five at the games table in the living room...

The gold tone flatware was a Dallas estate sale find.

The reticulated bread plates were another estate sale find...12 for $10.00.

The acrylic chargers from Hobby Lobby are quite inexpensive. They are actually a dusty lavender...I couldn't quite capture the exact color...but it's definitely purple! The Coalport Athlone Brown dinner plate repeated the color in the tablecloth that I made.

The Wedgwood majolica grape leaf plate was a nice topper.

Another shot of purple for our Kathleen...Waterford Simply Lilac and AJKA Arabella amethyst.

Sweet Mister brought home our Autumn decorations just this weekend. The burlap pumpkins just fit the bill!

The antique amethyst bowl and stand belonged to our dear Nana...such a regal old piece.

The Williams-Sonoma Flax hemstitched linen napkins are some of my favorites. Today I used them to add a more casual yet sophisticated touch to my design.