9 Romantic Tablescapes for Valentines

Posted on 01/26/202101/05/2021 by Kim@CoziNest

Romantic Tablescape

What is romance to you? Is it snuggling by the fire? Hiking through nature with the person of your dreams? Or is it the definition given by Merriam-Webster?

“A feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love.”

I am a “romantic” at heart and love all things related to adventure, imagination and just about anything that creates an escape from the everyday routines of life. So, when approached by Chloe of Celebrate and Decorate to join a group of extremely talented ladies in this tablescape bloghop, I was quick to “hop” on board. It is an honor and a pleasure to be a part of this group of bloggers.

In addition, I decided to add a few tablescapes from across the web to share ideas for using vintage and antique pieces. Let me know your thoughts.

Preparing the Table

A dear friend of the family cleaned out some of her china recently and gave me several pieces from her collection. It’s a double honor today, to use some of her treasures.

The floral salad plate is part of her Lenox, Pinafore pattern. It’s such a delicate pattern of pinks and greens, I thought it perfect for a romantic tablescape.

The depression glass bell was a gift from my sweet sister. I found the crystal and brass votives at a local flea market. Pulling it all together for a romantic dinner with my hubby, was the most fun of all. Yes, it’s a bit fru-fru for a man, but he loves me regardless!

A Feeling of Excitement

Nothing more fitting to scatter across the table than a few SweetTarts. My daughter and I LOVE them! It was a challenge to arrange them on the table without eating them.

My mother-in-love gifted these champagne flutes to us one Christmas. They are pink stemmed from the Breast Cancer Awareness Shop for a Cure.

Scattered hearts also represent our families that live in different places all over the country.

A Little Mystery

As the sun begins to set, I plug in the lights beneath the table for a little extra ambiance.

The French chairs are his and her antiques. How fun that he has his chair with elevated arms and I have mine… with more relaxed arms. It’s like the chair has been pulled out for me by more than one gentleman….my man and the creator of this chair from generations ago.

A couple of gifts for the man who is the absolute love of my life. He is a server, provider, giver and wonderful father. I am blessed to be his wife.

Light the candles…

The cupcakes for the cupcake stands are on the way…

Romantic Tablescapes from Across the Web

You can find vases like these in antique malls, like Southern Antiques & Accents ;), thrift stores or big box stores. If you run across crystal or glass candlesticks pick them up. Then if you find discarded votives or pendant lights, glue them together for a custom look on your table.

Look for a beautiful old lantern like this and add red or white candles with flower petals. Set your table with white dishes, add red and crystal glassware for a quick and sweet table.

What a simple centerpiece! Fill a large bowl with red ornaments, beads and heart garland, a hurricane glass and candle.

This centerpiece would be super easy to make with a floral foam cone and a whole bunch of Dollar Tree roses. Check your local antique mall for red glasses, vintage tablecloth and runner.

The tablecloth, dishes and rose bouquets on the table are striking. Look for square vases at antique malls or thrift stores, purchase red twine, a Quick Water Floral Kit and a faux rose bouquet to make your own centerpieces.

This whole centerpiece could be purchased from the Dollar Tree or a thrift store. So pretty!

I saved these two examples for last because they are my absolute favorite. I am in love with the rose balls. These could be scaled down for a dinner for two or used for a wedding reception in any color.

Ready for a nice evening at home. If only the weather would cooperate! Snuggling by the fire is my favorite.

For more inspiration for your romantic tablescape, visit these talented and adventurous bloggers.

Monday

From My Carolina Home | | Everyday Living | Home is Where the Boat Is

Tuesday

Life and Linda | My Kentucky Living | Living With Thanksgiving | CoziNest

Wednesday

Belle Bleu Interiors | Rosemary and Thyme | Dining Delight | Fjolla’s Table |Bluesky Kitchen

Thursday

Panoply | Celebrate & Decorate | Sweet Sensations | The Painted Apron

Sitting at Her Father’s Table

Posted on 12/13/201701/20/2019 by Kim@CoziNest

Telling Stories from Her Father’s Table

Some stories tell themselves. This is one of those. My niece, Emily recently said yes to a young man that our family loves. His name is Bubba. He is the man that we know God chose for her.

Emily was raised in a Christian home. Her mother is my sister, who also married the man that we all know God chose for her. Emily’s parents are loved by many across the southeast. And this story is an example why. Here is the engagement story in her daddy’s own words.

Dave:

Bubba asked me to meet him halfway between Tennessee and Alabama for coffee. I expected the meeting was for him to ask for Emily’s hand in marriage. During our conversation he mentioned that it would take place at my mom’s house near the river. He wanted to have a table outdoors that held flowers, a Bible with her new name, Emily Hoffman on it, with the ring on top. I asked if it was okay if I built the table. It was my desire for them to have something special to remember the occasion and something they could use in their home. The table was perfect because family meals and fellowship have been lost. Hopefully this would give them a place to enjoy each other’s company while eating a home-cooked meal or takeout.

How to Build a Table

I wasn’t sure of the style, but I knew Emily likes simple, functional things, and the farmhouse table we have in our family dining room. So I decided to go that route.

I ordered 6 – 2 x 6 x 8 Ponderosa Redwood boards, 4 Large table legs and got started.

First, I cut the 2 x 6 boards in half. Next, I took my Kreg pocket drill and drilled holes on the underside of the boards. I then attached all the boards together, put the end pieces on and sanded the top to make it smooth.

For the base, I used 2 x 4 x 6 material and built the frame between the legs. I also drilled the frame with my Kreg pocket drill so I could secure the top later.

Final touches – I stained the top with Minwax Espresso and coated it with water based poly. It’s important to sand between the finish coats which was 3.

Last step was to write the scripture I chose for them which was Proverbs 3:3-4, which is written beneath the table top.

3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you;

bind them around your neck,

write them on the tablet of your heart.

4 Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.

Ready to Pop the Question

The table was placed near the river. Roses placed on top with the Holy Bible and the engagement ring.

The sweetest thing that stood out to me about this whole story is this… Every time Emily places her feet beneath this table, she will be sitting at her father’s table. A man who taught her throughout her life exactly what it means to break bread at her FATHER’S table. May GOD bless this union as HE has blessed our family with such godly men.

CONGRATULATIONS EMILY & BUBBA!

Give Thanks for Family in Your Centerpiece

Posted on 11/22/201701/20/2019 by Kim@CoziNest

Give Thanks for Family on Thanksgiving

I was privileged to be invited to join this lovely Thanksgiving Tablescape Tour today. Katie from Katherine’s Corner is hosting and she is one talented lady! She designed my header a few years back and continues to help me out whenever I have a question. Thank you, Katie, for including me!

I know you will enjoy this tour. Feel free to pin or share any of the tablescapes you love! My post is about loving and accepting our family, just like Ruth and Naomi.

_______________________________________________________________________________

In the book of Ruth in The Holy Bible, Naomi told Ruth to return to her people after her son died. Ruth refused. She then said something to her mother-in-law that I also had read at my wedding.

Give Thanks for Family

Ruth loved her mother-in-law. Naomi loved her daughter-in-law and only encouraged her to return to her people because she thought that was the best choice for Ruth. But, Ruth refused to leave. Something or someone was pulling her heart toward Bethlehem. The result was that Ruth, a Moabite woman who was not from Israel or a Jew, became part of the lineage of Christ, our Savior. Here we learn a lesson in what it means to love our family. We may not all be “cut from the same cloth” so-to-speak, but each and every one of us matter. Setting a table for Thanksgiving is a way to portray the unity we all desire. Mine this year, centers around the “Tree of Life,” a sculpture we picked up during a recent cruise.

The Tree of Life

This sculpture by Alfred Gockel, has become a treasure in our home. It was meant to be centerstage in a garden, but I loved it so much that I had to place it on my dining room table. Especially for Thanksgiving. I mixed it with gold, glass and a touch of silk to combine metals and textures. I wanted to portray how easy we could all live together, if we accept each other as we are… creatures, made in the image of God.

I’ve also mixed everyday dinnerware, (Johnson Brothers, Blue Willow) with Lenox Fine China. I added gold-rimmed cups and saucers with Pier 1 glass goblets and gold-leafed wine glasses.

Mixing Textures

I think they all live beautifully together, don’t you?

Even my kitty, Scarlett, (who is a member of the family) approves.

Paws for Thanksgiving

Love from high above the scene.

Glass pumpkins add color and texture.

Draping a rust napkin within each place setting ties all the colors together.

Some colors aren’t what I would normally pair together, but I thought it all blended together beautifully. Just like the Moabite woman who blended beautifully into the lineage of Christ. After all, our greatest gift is HIS life. He died on a tree and conquered death, so that we might all live with HIM in paradise. I think paradise can begin in our grateful hearts. Another sweet way to portray thankfulness is by writing a note. Perhaps to the person who first introduced you to Christ?

Give thanks for your family.

Please click on the photo below to tour all the other beautiful tables.

Sharing with: Celebrate and Decorate

Great Ideas for Fall at Your Local Antique Mall

Posted on 10/13/201703/14/2019 by Kim@CoziNest

Find great ideas for Fall at a local Antique Mall. Antiques bring unexpected beauty and grace to our homes. An added bonus is the story behind the pieces that transform our rooms. My husband’s grandmother’s china cabinet holds my mother-in-love’s crystal stemware, making every meal a memory. That is what I love about antiques. They prevent my home from becoming a space filled with a bunch of stuff. And, if by chance, I don’t know the story of a beautiful set of amber depression glass bowls, using them on my table now creates a story for my daughter to pass to her children.

Great Ideas for Fall at Your Local Antique Mall

So how do you begin to fill your home with stories? Find a local antique mall and make it your favorite place to shop. One of the many things I love about having an antique booth at Daphne Antique Galleria is knowing that all of our dealers are also adding stories to other people’s homes. When I tell people I have a booth there, I love hearing, “Oh! I love that mall! I found my first babies’ rocker there.” Or another friend may say, “I always find great gifts in there.” Another thing I love is the inspiration I find there. We recently had a day of great fun as we designed two fall tablescapes to showcase all the great ways you can mix antiques with what’s trending now.

We began with this farmhouse table.

Then added place settings with beautiful, linen tea towels as napkins.

Cotton Centerpiece

Created a happy centerpiece…

happy thanksgiving

barn door

Placed a lovely fall wreath on this vintage barn door…

Amber leaf bowl

A waldorf salad would look delicious in these amber, leaf bowls.

Barn door flanked by vintage chairs

We added these lovely chairs to the table with a touch of fall in each. Some say, “Out with the old and in with the new!” I say, how about both?! I love animal print all year long, but it seems to say “Fall” better than other seasons, don’t you think?

Pumpkin Pillows

Fall Table with Antiques

Wire Bread Basket

Looking for a fresh idea for bread baskets? You’ll find these at Daphne Antique Galleria.

Prefer a More Casual Table?

Casual Fall Table

By changing a few accessories, we came up with a more casual feel to the table.

Wooden Bread Bowl

The beauty of the bread-bowl-centerpiece is that it could be used again at Christmas.

Stoneware Cheese Crock

I fell in love with these stoneware cheese crocks. They would make a great little soup server, and keep the soup warm longer with the lid.

Rustic Fall Table

Cotton Candle Rings

Fostoria glassware, distressed wooden candlesticks and soup crocks all create a more warm and casual setting.

Sifter with Greenery

A vintage sifter makes a fun container for a bit of greenery.

Simple Centerpiece

Our table includes a range of rich, deep colors, lending them well to a fun and creative Fall Table. We chose traditional everyday china, bringing in vintage pieces to mix with trendy cotton florals and rustic accessories. The color scheme alongside the mix of antique and trendy accessories, just seem to say, “Love lives here!”

Link Parties:

Sharing today with these “fallacious” parties: Celebrate and Decorate, Rustic and Refined, Our Crafty Mom, Make it Pretty Monday, Coastal Charm,

I was featured on:

Vintage Fall Table with Thrift Store Finds

Posted on 09/06/201703/14/2019 by Kim@CoziNest

I want to get a jump start on Fall to bring in the feel of the season long before the temperatures begin to drop. However…It’s expensive to decorate a different Fall table every year. Thrift store finds help the budget and make decorating fun! I love having at least one new-to-me thing on every seasonal table.

One New Thing Every Season

I got really lucky (I think) for this year’s new addition to my table. This year, I’ve added these jewel-tone, autumn-leaves salad plates. The set of 4 plates were found at my local Goodwill Store several months ago. I saved them for such a time as this.

I absolutely love finding another man’s trash and turning it into my own treasure. This table is not particularly elegant. It’s not filled with pumpkins (yet), or adorned with expensive napkins, rings or dishes.

It IS layered with some of my favorite finishing touches. There are ideas here from Pinterest, Fall magazines, actual displays in stores and some of my own.

Setting a Table with Thrift Store Finds

First, I began with a black tablecloth. Then I added orange, rectangle placemats, and topped them with large felt, green leaf placemats.

The dinner plates are last year’s new item. Square stoneware from Pier 1. Between the dinner and salad plate, I placed a medium-sized grapevine wreath to add some texture. The leaves on the salad plate mirror the felt placemats and keep the whole feel of the table seasonal.

The votives in the center were a fun find at a local flea market. The base is marble with gold filigree and crystal sitting on top. Green candles blend the fall colors together.

I found this large wooden leaf a few years ago and use it for Fall and sometimes Christmas. Once pumpkins and gourds become plentiful in the produce section, I’ll add a few to the base with leaves, walnuts and pecans. This little bistro table is where 007 and I love to have Saturday brunch, so my centerpiece always sits to the side. His face is the real centerpiece.

A simple grapevine napkin ring matches the wreath beneath the salad plates.

A little touch of animal print, brings a different element of nature to the table.

The green glass bowls have been part of several place settings over the years.

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of our bistro table. If you like what you see, some of these items will be for sale in the booth, soon. I like using our home to display how you can use thrift store finds. Get the school year off to a good start with these teacher gifts, too.

Southern Antiques & Accents

254 Greeno Road

Fairhope, AL 36532

Partying today with Celebrate and Decorate.

Farmhouse Elegance

Posted on 06/13/201702/03/2018 by Kim@CoziNest

Rumor has it that the next generation of homemakers are not into fine china, silver and crystal for their farmhouse tables. What a shame! I think adding a few rustic pieces with your china or silver service makes a unique table. Here are a few examples:

Vintage Farmhouse Elegance for the Modern Table

A silver biscuit jar mixed with everyday china can hold soup crackers, cookies, ice cream toppings or after dinner mints.

This silver-plated cream and and sugar would look fabulous on a silver and gold mixed pattern table. In addition to cream and sugar, how about a Bailey’s bar set up? Pour your Kahlua, or Baileys in the creamer and for a little different sugar, store miniature marshmallows or chocolate shavings in the sugar bowl.

I love these farmhouse votives! Add candles to a formal table with fresh flowers in these vintage bottles, placed in between each votive. Or think outside the candle-box and use these darlings for condiments on a burger or hotdog bar, including relish or pickles. How about M & M’s, walnuts, or Butterfinger shavings for ice cream toppings? You could also use one of these to store your toothpicks, coffee stirrers or sugar packets/cubes.

Set them on your closet shelf and stash away extra safety pins, buttons, or your keys. Design a pretty display of cotton balls, Q-tips or rings and earrings on your bathroom counter.

A divided crystal dish can be used for his and hers items in a small bathroom, or on your farmhouse table for relishes, dips or sauces.

I am not sure just how long these bells will be hanging out at my booth! I’ve already thought of several ways I’d love to use them at home. I’d love to hang the two small ones from a boxwood wreath, sit three of large ones atop books, use as a centerpiece at Christmas on my dining room table, or tie them with a little greenery to a vintage sled to stand on my porch. I’m looking for that sled as we speak!!!

And for a more modern look to any farmhouse decor, add succulents to this galvanized feed trough and center on any table. You can also use it for your next picnic and have all of your condiments in one place.

And what farmhouse table is complete without a dinner bell? Tie a little red ribbon around the handle and use for any patriotic holiday and of course at Christmas.

Please share your ideas for using vintage pieces with your farmhouse decor. I love getting new ideas!