Welcome Summer with a Seaside Garden Centerpiece {Tutorial}

Though inland far we be,

Our souls have sight of that immortal sea

Which brought us hither.

~William Wordsworth, Intimations of Immortality

Side Note ::: My father enjoyed reading Wordsworth's poetry.  I now have what I always thought was 'his copy' of Wordsworth Complete Poems :/ turns out he was borrowing the book while he was dating my mom, because it has 'property of _________ University' stamped on the inside.  I guess he was trying to impress mom with 'his' poetry!    

Let's gather in the garden and imagine the salty air and ocean breeze, with the sound of seagulls in the distance.  Tonight I will share with you an easy to recreate Seaside Garden Centerpiece.  Soon I will share the table we will be dining at.

I envision our dinner on the patio of a garden home set in The Hamptons.  Table is a large, rustic farmhouse table, with benches and cozy chairs (to linger in as the sun disappears) . . . I don't ask for much do I? 

I am using my imaginaaaaaaation of what the setting for our dinner will be like.

Won't you join me?  You'll also have to use your . . . Imaginaaaaaaation (a la Spongebob Squarepants Idiot Box Episode -- most moms & grandmas know this episode).

Source

I typically imagine the centerpiece for a table before I even plan what I'm going to cook (yes, I am the sister who likes to set a cute table).  

After all, the centerpiece is the crown of your table.  

And this table's CROWN will be a repurposed iron planter.

So let's gather our materials to make our latest crown . . . 

1.  Variety Pack of Moss ($5.99 at Hobby Lobby, use 40% coupon)
2.  [Coronado] Stone Planter and plants (keep reading for choosing plants)
3.  Assortment of shells in a variety of colors (if possible, otherwise -- use what you have)
About 1 1/2 to 2 cups of sand.
4.  Candles a must on ever table I set -- because everyone looks better by candlelight.
Please please use unscented when choosing candles for a table.
5.  Small ornaments (I keep some non-Christmas-y ornaments unpacked to use throughout the year)
6.  [Stiletto] Glass Pedestals -- to raise the candles up & away from the plant & moss.
and the most important piece to pull it all together . . .
an iron garden [Charles Street] Planter

Now, before I potted my plants, I wanted to make sure the stone planter I envisioned fit inside the iron planter . . . and it did, perfectly.

I imagined airy or wispy plants, or even tropical plants, will be appropriate to mix and mingle with shells.  

I approach my container gardens just as I do my door buckets -- I'm looking for a little Spiller (to tumble out the sides), the height of Thriller (to catch the wind and gather attention), and a bit of Filler (to fill in the gaps in between).  

1.  Filler = Palace Purple Coral Bells (love the hint of purple with the green & gray)
2.  Thriller = Autumn Fern
3.  Spiller = Goldilocks Creeping Jenny

Before you add your soil.  Line the stone planter with a coffee filter to stop soil from falling through the drainage hole.

Source ::: This Old House

It works like a dream!

Next, come the seaside details . . . play around with it until your happy.  I don't want our guests to look up from their takeout dinner amazing meal and see dirt . . . so I am adding some sea shells.

A large starfish, assorted shells and PB Mini Glass Buoys

Next we get mossy -- softening the hard surfaces of the stone, metal and glass.

First place your glass pedestals.  You want them to be on a solid surface.  

Second, rip open your variety bag of moss, and simply start placing it on top of the metal and the base of the glass.  I used about 1/2 of the bag and I probably used too much.  The purpose of the moss is not to cover the base, just soften it.

Almost done . . . 

Grab a couple of cups of sand -- and add a little to each of the two Glass Pedestals . . . 

. . .  add your candles (the pillar candle is from Michael's and it came with the twine 'bow'.), add a few small shells, starfish or ornaments if you have them handy.   Add larger, more ornate shells to the base.

Ta Da!  A new CROWN for  your table! 

I move the 'crown' to the server, while I set the table :)

The lighting is better here on this overcast day . . . so I think you can see the detail a bit better.

Of course . . . we all look better by candlelight . . . and I must admit . . . I love the textures of the moss and the sand paired with the metal and the glass.

I hope this tutorial inspires or encourages you to seek out an unusual centerpiece CROWN for your table as we welcome summer.

A few additional notes about the items used . . . 

The Charles Street Planter can serve many purposes.  I use one to house my kitchen canisters during many months of the year . . . 

Charles Street Planter with Belle Meade Canisters

. . . the Charles Street Planter also flips over to be used as a riser for a buffet during entertaining . . . 

Charles Street Planter, Riverstone Tapas Server, Tuscan Goblets & Gramercy Beverage Server.

. . . just pop out the removable tray and place on top of the flipped planter.  Of course you can dress-up and personalize the removable tray with a piece of linen or fun party napkins . . . and many other uses (besides being your table's CROWN or your patio's planter).

The Gramercy Beverage Server is also versatile.  This ceramic server can be used for both hot or cold beverages and comes with a cast iron stand as I used here . . . 

From Four Sisters Brunch with a Pig

. . . When not used for entertaining, it becomes an adorable cookie jar . . . 

. . . just by turning it around.  You can even write on it with a Sharpie or dry erase marker.  I prefer to use a sharpie -- and all you need is a squirt of Windex to remove it!

And these beautiful pieces are both on sale this month, along with many many many others.  Including the Stiletto Glass Pedestals I used within the Iron Planter.  

So to avoid being selfish, I wanted to be sure to share these deals and amazing sale with you!  If an item sells out, that you had your heart set on, please contact me -- I might just be able to track it down for you!

A HUGE Thank You for Stopping In and following along -- or skipping to the end (I understand you're busy ;).  Hope you have a wonderful day -- and don't forget to stop back in to see how the Seaside Garden Table turns out!

  

Linking Up With :::

•  Style Sisters Centerpiece Wednesday

•  Uncommon Designs Uncommonly Yours

•  Homemaker on a Dime Market your Biz

•  Mom on Timeout's Taking Timeout Thursday

•  Lil' Luna Link Party

•  Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Night Special

•  Between Naps on the Porch's Tablescape Thursday

•  Happy Hour Friday at Happy Hour Projects

•  Romantic Home Show & Tell Friday

•  Six Sisters Strut Your Stuff Saturday

•  At the Picket Fence's Inspiration Friday

•  I Gotta Create's Wildly Original Roundup

•  Sundae Scoop at I Heart Naptime

•  Dare to Share at Pam's Party Planning

•  A Vision to Remember Check me Out Saturday

•  Be Different Act Normal's Show and Tell Saturday

•  Summer Fun Party at Alderberry Hill

•  Rustic Crafts Link Party

•  Tatortots & Jello Weekend Wrap Party

•  Polka Dot Pretties Craft Create & Inspire

•  Restyled Sundays at Stylish Once Again

•  Positively Splendid Saturday Seven Party

•  Nifty Thrifty Sunday at Nifty Thrifty Things

•  Cherished Treasures Sunday Blog Love

•  Get Schooled Saturday at Too Much Time on My Hands

•  Serenity You's Serenity Saturday

•  Tickled Pink at 504Main

•  Sunday's Best at My 1929 Charmer

•  Homemaker on a Dime Creative Party Hop

•  Alderberry Hill's Make the Scene Monday

•  Sweet Anne Designs Sweet Sharing Monday

•  Debbie Doo's Newbie Party

•  Southern Lovely Show & Share

•  Inspired by Charm Random Link Up Party :)

Butterflies & Bombshells

Whether you are setting up a Mother's Day luncheon with your friends, including your favorite mothers of course, or you are having a small family gathering -- just adding a few simple touches can make it special.  

Take this beautiful Mother's Day inspired table.

Created from our wonderful Willow House staff.  This particularly table was showcased at our 2010 national meeting.

One of the 'oooos and aaahhhhs' of the table, of course, is the Avalon Accent Trees with reindeer moss and  butterflies.

Here is a little 'behind the scenes action' to show how they did it . . . 

Source ::: Plate & Pattern (Willow House corporate blog) --  Start by adding a styrofoam cone to the center of each tree. For the large cone, she added moss from the bottom opening, but since our cones were the same size and the Avalon Accent Trees aren't, the smaller tree was a little tighter fit. For that tree, she had more luck putting the moss in from the outside-in. For your pieces, just experiment to see which method works best. 

Ready for her close up . . . the Avalon Accent Tree goes mossy!

Add a few craft store butterflies and you have a stunning centerpiece for your buffet or garden table!

Vary the height of your trees with urns, hurricanes and pedestals of different heights acting as the base.  These centerpiece 'trees' have also been used as a door bucket here, and a centerpiece at my family's summer BBQ here.  

Here is where the butterfly theme meets the bombshell . . . 

Have FUN with you family photographs!
•  Use an earlier picture of mom and either scan it, crop it and print it large or take it to your local copy center to help you.
•  Cut out mom's portrait in the shape of a butterfly.  It doesn't have to be perfect!
•  Use a hole punch to punch a hole in the top corner of one of the butterfly's wings and thread a ribbon through.
•  Use plenty of ribbon for an elegant bow and tie it onto the ribbon plate.
•  How sweet is this?     

My mom (though she may of acted a bit embarrassed at the time) would of loved this!  

This is perfect for ANY ladies spring / summer luncheon -- so keep this idea in mind!  

The Gramercy Ribbon Plate is topped with accent plates.  One in a trellis pattern (which mimics the tablecloth) and our Verde Berry Bowl (currently on vacation -- ask me for inventory status).

Each berry bowl contains a sweet package for the guest.  Wouldn't this make any one of us feel special?

Yes, I think it would indeed.  Love the purple accents combined with the green and cream color palette.

Ice tea (are you from the South?  Why yes, it IS Sweet Tea, how did you know?), served in a Ruffled Glass Pitcher, with sugar cube and lemon slices ready for guests to help themselves.

So many beautiful details . . . 

. . . including the Vases filled with flowers, and the flatware wrapped within the napkin and tucked into the glass tumbler.

Though it never hurts . . . 

. . . to serve a jaw-dropping dessert!  Purple flowers top a gorgeous creme cake wrapped with a chiffon ribbon and proudly display on a ruffled glass cake pedestal.  YuMMy!  

Of course you can take the theme of any gathering to any length of extremes -- it all depends on how much time you have to prepare for it, AND what your definition of ExTreme is ;).

The folks over at the National Watermelon Promotion Board continue to impress me with the ingenious ways they encourage us to enjoy melons, if you haven't checked out their carving ideas lately, you should!

Source ::: National Watermelon Promotion Board

How about these adorable pretzel butterflies?  They are the perfect combination of a little salty & sweet and look very simple to make too.  To top your cupcakes with pretzel-winged butterflies . . . note the
• bodies are piped dots of blue buttercream
• heads are candy-coated-chocolate
• with licorice antennae

Yes, YOU can do this!! Source ::: Martha Stewart Kid's (adults like them too ;)

Most craft stores sell silk butterflies, or those made from feathers, look in the floral department near the foam and glass gems.  Often times these butterflies include a wire stem, making them easy to pop into an arrangement or attach to the stem of a glass.

To make this gorgeous floral arrangement, see the source ::: Southern Living Magazine

You could even add a Nest of Sweets to each place setting.  Don't limit the use of nests in your decor to just Easter.

Source ::: Southern Living Magazine

 Wire silk butterflies to the stems of glassware.  Each guest could be a different colored butterfly, making it easy to keep track of his or her glass.

Source ::: Southern Living Magazine

To continue to carry the butterfly theme, don't forget the backs of your chairs. Create this look in two steps. First loop ribbon over each chair back, and tie it in a knot.  Then for the bow, make two loops with a length of ribbon, and secure by tying with the tails from the first knot. Insert a silk butterfly.

Source ::: Southern Living Magazine

I hope this post encourages you to have Fun with you entertaining and not to be afraid to take any theme to a bit of an extreme!

Take Care and Happy Mother's Day to All the MoMs out there! ♥

Linking up with :::
•  Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursdays

4 Sisters Brunch with a Pig

I've got a little story to tell you . . . the names may have been changed to protect the innocent . . . the facts may be embellished (literary license) for entertainment . . . but the rest of it, well, you can bet the farm on it.

There once were 4 sisters who gathered together for a special Mother's Day brunch . . .

They dined on the 'balcony' (fancy way of saying upper deck) on a table sprinkled with sunflowers, and one giant sunflower that was the center of attention.

Sunflowers were their mother's favorite flower.

soften the faux grass edge with reindeer moss and the tray with a extra long burlap scarf (actually just a fabric remant I fringed and use randomly throughout the year ;)

The 'Magic' Sunflower standing in the faux grass was super easy -- after I learned this fun trick from Jonathan Fong of Style with a Smile TV. All it takes is a metal surface (in this case, a gorgeous Covington Tray) and a magnet hot glued to the base of the flower stem (for fresh flowers you'll need to glue the magnet to a flat head nail and insert the nail into the flower stem). I've used Gerbera Daisies with great success, but since this sunflower was top heavy I used a larger magnet and even placed a few rocks around the base of the stem in case a breeze came through (I didn't want it to fall into my sister's fruit salad . . . or did I ;). Anyhoo -- the bigger the flower head, the bigger the magnet base I always say.

The youngest sister doesn't cook . . . but she sets a cute table.

And included a little gift at each place setting.

A pretty little fabric bag filled with jewelry.

Some of the sisters are bossy, so their stemware charms make them feel in charge.

Many trips to the 'beverage station' were taken . . .

. . . where they were greeted by . . .

. . . another proud sunflower (this one in a vase) and an old soda crate filled with succulents,

mimosas are a brunch staple

a Pig (planter) holding a bottle of champange next to a pitcher of orange juice.  Pigs always make an appearance when the sisters gather (long-standing 'who's the biggest pig humor). 

And of course . . .

MoM!  The lady who made their lives possible.

The sisters exchanged funny cards (tucked behind mom's frame) . . . kudoos to the one who brought the most hilarious and original card to the party!

The sisters will likely stay on 'the balcony' most of the day.  Brunching with a PiG and . . .

. . . thinking of the lady who loved sunflowers that brought them all together.

Resources for the wonderful pieces that dedicated their time and patience to this brunch ►
•  PiG -- a gift from a sister (of course) made in Mexico, she picked up at a locally owned West Texas import shop.
•  Tuscan (turquoise) Pitcher, and Tuscan Tidbit & Saucer, retired Southern Living at Home products
•  Gramercy Beverage Server, Willow House
•  Emerson Wine Glasses, Willow House
•  Frame of my gorgeous mom, a gift from my (oldest & wisest) sister
•  Sunflowers, Large Stemmed from Hobby Lobby; Small Paper (sprinkled on table) Pottery Barn
•  Juniper (green) Vase (with iron frame), retired Southern Living at Home product
•  Soda Crate filled with Succlents, garage sale find repurposed over here
•  White Tablecloth, efavormart
•  Burlap Table Runners, made from fabric yardage bought at Hobby Lobby
•  Covington Serving Tray, Willow House
•  Faux Grass & Reindeer Moss, Hobby Lobby
•  Black Rocks, Pottery Barn
•  Cabbage Leaf Placemats, Grandin Road (only seemed to be carried at Easter, every year)
•  Emerson Iced Beverage Glasses, Willow House
•  Gallery Flatware, retired Southern Living at Home product
•  Villa Stoneware Dinnerplate, retired Willow House product (ask me :)
•  Tuscan Accent Plate, retired Southern Living at Home product (ask me :)
•  Drake Firefly Lantern, Willow House
•  Sara Blaine Jewelry Bag & Willow House Jewelry by Sara Blaine, available here
•  Sunflower Garden Seat, Pier 1 Imports (many moons ago)
•  Pillows on Bench, Embroidered Scroll from Willow House

Thanks so much for stopping in :) this post is being linked up with ►
•  Between Naps on the Porch, Tablescapes Thursday
•  504 Main Tickled Pink Friday
•  Chic on a Shoestring Flaunt it Friday
•  Serenity Now: Weekend Bloggy Reading
•  Stuff and Nonsense: Friday's Unfolded
•  At the Picket Fench: Inspiration Friday
•  The Shabby Nest's Frugal Friday
•  French Country Cottage, Feathered Nest Friday
•  Thrifty Decorating, Thrifty Thursday's
•  Saved by Love, Thrifty Thursday
•  The Shabby Creek Cottage's Transformation Thursday
•  Brandy Craft's Get Your Brag On
•  Embracing Change Creative Inspirations Party
•  DiY by Design Swing into Spring Party
•  Coastal Charm Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays
•  Salt Tree Open Call Tuesdays
•  Uncommon Slice of Suburbia Tuesdays Treasures
•  Addicted 2 Decorating's Addicts (not so) Anonymous Party
•  Seasonal Sundays with The Tablescaper
•  Six Sisters Strut Your Stuff Saturday
•  Petite Hermine Sunday Linky Party
•  Organised Housewife Linky Party
•  My 1929 Charmer Sunday's Best
•  Under the Table & Dreaming's Sunday Showcase
•  Funky Junk Saturday Night Special Patios
•  Simply Klassic Home - Simply Klassic Sunday
•  Tator Tots & Jello Weekend Wrap Up Party