The sweet spring breezes chase through the budding trees and everyone in my household turns to the rites of the season. My brother is buying every possible type of plant, digging up the whole yard to plant them while I get the itch to spring-a-fy the great indoors.
Removing the dark red/black tablecloth and the heavy red candle goblets from the dining table, images of fresh, pastel, cheerful colors dance through my mind. When winter’s winds blew chill, I visited an auction house where, often, there are small items for minimum expense. That night a small bowl of single rose vases beckoned. There were three about eight inches tall, while two others were an inch shorter. Perfect for a centerpiece later in the year.
This particular warm day, scrounging through the garage, I discovered several flowers left over from arrangements made for various events. Pastel pinks peonies and white daisy-like flowers set a table fit for an Leprechaun or Easter Bunny.
Setting the taller vases in a straight line lengthwise on the table, I added the shorter vases in between them. The bigger vases welcomed the beautiful peonies while each of the smaller ones held one stunning daisy type flower. Scattered in among the containers were petals taken from full flowers that were not in such good shape.
Leaves tossed among the petals added a more realistic look to the silk arrangement, as did two or three full flowers added at the feet of a vase or two.
The dinnerware consisted of square plates and salad plates with small bowls in the center. These bowls are quite small and I often use them as dessert samplers. They, too, are white with names of herbs and spices written in fancy script. I’ve discovered that when the meal is filling to a guest, they do not care for a heavy dessert. Those times, I make mini-desserts.
Napkins for the occasion are checked pastels of blue, yellow and pink, folded into a Y shape. The square salad plates are placed diagonally on top of the dinner plates, with the napkins resting under the corner of the salad plate closest to the guest. Another way to present the napkins, if they are a bit stiffer than those I used, is to form a fan with the napkin and fold the bottom end up slightly. Place the bottom in a tall wine glass for a more elegant touch. The coffee cup, if a tall one, may be used instead of the wine glass, if a more casual atmosphere is required.
The full effect of the table is shown below:
