Can black and white be my favorite colors when technically they really aren’t colors? Well I love how bold, dramatic, dressy or classic they always look together.

The napkins have an offset design that gives you 2/3 scroll work design on one side and on the opposite side it is 2/3 black with 1/2 scroll work fabric.

Using fabric placemats and napkins means they are washable, reusable and helping to save the earth one step at a time

These new placemat and napkin sets were just added to our store. You can find them at Creative Chics Home Store if you’re interested in having a set for yourself or for a friend.

It’s our favorite day of the week, Tablescape Thursday of course! Me and my Mom threw together a little St. Pat’s party for our family. Very small affair but we sure had fun getting ready for it, starting with the tablescape (you KNOW how much we love to play with our dishes!).

Not quite Kelly Green, but hey I love the apple green of this set of dishes. The bottom plates are my “everyday” plates. The salad plates are deep discounts from Pier 1 and the green goblets from Kohl’s.

Green tea candles from home goods. Smell yummy too!

Love the red and blue in the swirls of this whispy floral motif.

The metal napkin rings are Pier 1 purchases too.

The floral arrangement is something I put together with two glass vases I had on hand. The pussy willow branches are snips from the tree in my back yard. Watch our blog this next week for step-by-step on how I put this floral arrangement together.

Thanks to “Tom Kat Studios” we had these cute cupcake toppers for our carrot and walnut cupcakes with green sugar sprinkles. We printed the cupcake toppers on 1.5″ stickers and placed a toothpick between two stickers before inserting into the cupcake.

The white ruffled cake plates are two individual plates set on top of each other (Costco – set of 2 for $20).

A little ambiance for the dessert table.

Pick up, “Kiss Me I’m Irish” or “Lucky You” or “Happy St. Patrick’s Day”. Trust me, they are all delicious!!!

We so wish you all could join us for dinner, but thank you for stopping by to share our tablescape with us. Please join Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for more terrific tablescapes!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day dear friends!!!!

It’s time for another Thursday Tablescape with Susan our hostess at Between Naps on the Porch. Hope you will join in the activities and I look forward to seeing your posts.

Having traveled to Paris twice now, I can tell you I am in love with the city of romance and would go back in a heartbeat. Bistro table settings looking upon the Eiffel tower can be found throughout the city.

The Paris plates I bought at Hobby Lobby 50% off.  I wanted two of each type so I could mix and match. Sometimes it’s just me and Robert and I only need two, but if I have company and need to set the table for 4 they all go together beautifully and all have the French bistro look to them.

The white plates were from Mary, my mother-in-law.  When she passed away a few years ago I was blessed to receive many of her dishes and these white plates  were a basic set of dishes she used for everyday but ones I find dress up and show off special plates nicely.

I made the napkins specifically to go with this table setting…aren’t they gorgeous!

I used my black beaded place mats to begin the setting.

Added Mary’s beautiful white plate, doesn’t it look gorgeous on the black!

I used my two Paris plates with the Eiffel tower on two settings and the fleur de lis on the two other settings to complete my table of four.

Nest came the white salad bowl and I am ready for the final touches.

I gathered up candles, greenery, ceramic birds, more candles, silver, glassware and the table was ready for my napkins and guests.

Bon appetit

If you would like a set of the Eiffel Tower napkins you can purchase them at   www.creativechics.etsy.com

Deb and I visit Home Good way too often yet at Christmas I got lucky and found these adorable little plates she had not seen.  It was quite a surprise when she opened them as I think she was confident she knew every item of inventory they had during the holiday season from her many trips.

I visited her house to borrow them for today’s Tablescape Thursday hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. I hope you will stop by Susan’s and see all of the creative tablescapes on display.

These little dessert or salad plates reflect a lot of Deb, hope you like them too.

Chocolate  Girl

When I arrived to take these photos, yes the plate had a piece of chocolate cake!

Cafe Girl

The only thing missing from this plate is Deb’s finger tapping while she is dreaming up the next project…but the cafe fits her perfectly.

Cosmopolitan Girl

If the shoe fits and it does…you see why I knew she would love them.

Wine Girl

Hmmm…I also know she is a one glass of wine before bedtime kind of girl.

I thought these were made especially for me to give to her and was so delighted and even more so when I noticed she keeps them on display and uses them every day as her snack plate..trust me the snack is almost always  chocolate too.

Don’t you love dishes, they make such lifetime gifts…Thanks for stopping by and I am off to check your tablescape now.

See all of this Thursday’s tablescapes at Susan’s Between Naps on the Porch. Valentine’s can be a bit of a pricey “holiday” if your spouse takes you out to a nice dinner. And it seems every restaurant  knows that based on their menu prices that night too, not to mention getting reservations is a bit tricky.

So a few years ago we did something different with friends.  We hosted 5 couples for a Valentine’s dinner. Each couple contributed $25 towards the food which I prepared and they all brought one bottle of wine for sharing. Lots of candles and imitation roses added the feel of Valentine. I used red napkins with an imitation rose inserted within each napkin ring.

I made up the dishes about an hour before hand and placed the food in chafing dishes to keep the food warm. Once the guests came, we were able to share a meal together that was fun and affordable. I guess the risk with this arrangement is your guests don’t like your cooking

Welcome to Tablescape Thursday, hosted by the ever talented and delightful hostess, Susan at Between Naps on the Porch.

This week I finally had the opportunity to use my two place setting dishes of GORGEOUS chocolate brown, cream and greens. I picked them up at Marshall’s Home Goods a few months ago and haven’t had a chance to use them yet.

At one point I thought it would soon just be me and Robert at home in the evenings. No need to have tons of place settings when there is just the two of us. Ironically it has been a rare occasion that we’ve actually had the evening to ourselves of late! That’s a long story for another time.

See the small leaf bread plates? Too cute!

What to fix when it is just us two? Oh something healthy like a nice garden salad and fish of some sort since Kevin is not so fond of it. We always eat it when he is gone So grilled salmon with balsamic glaze and a side of grilled asparagus. Mmmmm good! Sorry, no leftovers to share.

Thanks for joining us this week. Have a fabulous weekend!!!!

Hello everyone in tablescape bloggersville!  Thanks to Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for hosting our weekly event.  Please check out her link to see all of the marvelous tablescapes ready for review today.

I am not sure I should continue in this process as I am finding it quite addictive.  Living close to Marshall’s Home Goods has proven to me just how little will power I have when it comes to dishes.  Mind you I have room to seat two people in my little retirement apartment and I am buying dinner plates like I could seat a dozen…I love them, that is my excuse.

These are beautiful pale blue dishes I purchased at Home Goods.  Then I saw this beautiful Joel Dewberry fabric and said to myself, “made in heaven for my new blue dishes”.  So I made up a table runner and napkins and love, love them.

I loved the rectangle plates that were in this set.  My plan is to have my son over for a salad on the round plate, then steak and baked potato on the rectangular plate. I doubt I will get that accomplished until after the holidays.

Love the beautiful soft blue, such a nice change from green, gold and fall for me.   I think I will use them again for a seaside tablescape in January to remind me how wonderful my little hideaway at Anna Marie, Florida is in the winter as I won’t be going this year.

My beautiful fabric truly was meant for these beautiful plates.  The napkins are 16×16 and have a reversible white cotton backing making them very versatile.  I had enough fabric from the coordinating table runner fabric to make some in that fabric also and used a blue backing on those.  They are all available at www.creativechics.etsy.com.

I can’t wait to see all of the Thanksgiving tables that are sure to be online today and next week.  Wishing you all the most wonderful and blessed Holiday from all of us at Creative Chics.

What is it about these beautiful, wonderful, shiny, colorful, mood setting, fired objects that make them so irresistible. Deb and I have a hard time deciding who is the most passionate about dinnerware and table settings in general.  I never cook anymore so I have a hard time justifying buying but it doesn’t always deter me.  We were at Pier 1 this weekend and I could not resist this beautiful plate so I placed it on a plate holder and put it on top of the refrigerator.

I have decided to add some plates to the top of my cabinets for decor.  I doubt it is really for decor but rather to give me an excuse to bring some of the beautiful ones I see in the stores home with me.  Hopefully we will be showing off some tablescapes with our new items before the year is over…I did splurge for a two place settings of Christmas ware and I can’t wait to show you.  Isn’t this a beautiful plate….I love all the bright colors…oh yeah!

I love bright bold colors…when I found these square red plates with matching pieces at Kohl’s it was a no brainer that I would need a few.

In my new little apartment I have this very, very, small table so it is a challenge to do a tablescape because you have so little room for anything but dishes but here is my shot at it.

I scurried last night to make a new set of napkins for the plates using solid  red on one side and solid gold on the other.  This allowed me to embroidery my initial on the gold in red thread and the red side I did this wonderful little bicycle that I love so much.  Others must too as I have sold several sack towels made from the bicycle pattern.  My little salt and pepper shakers fit my small table and of course it is the rooster and hen

I didn’t have any table covering or place mats to fit this size table so I dug in my fabric treasury and whipped up a pretty olive green runner.  Then every table requires a flower and a candle so I got out my great grandmother’s toothpick holder, found an artificial soft purple flower I had never used, one chop with my floral cutters and I had a flower the perfect size.  For the candle element  I used my bright yellow lemon Waxberry that I bought at the Holiday Mart recently for the finishing touch.  For a table that measures 22″ wide and 31″ long I was pretty pleased if I do say so myself.

Ghosts and goblins and spiders, oh my! Welcome to Tablescape Thursday, hosted by the ever delightful Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. Do be sure to stop by and see what she has in store for you this week. She has two wickedly fabulous tablescapes for Halloween. A simple Halloween party for family this past Sunday before Brandon headed to South Korea for a month. We made sure Aria dressed in her Alice in Wonderland costume for the event.

This is a VERY inexpensive table setting. A black sheet drapes the table. The tablecloth, cups and plates are from Wal-Mart — $5 for everything. I used my everyday plates as charges under the paper plates.

Squash was used as part of the centerpiece along with a felt cutout of a pumpkin topiary.

Aria was SO impressed with the decor as any 4 year old should be! I used my Halloween treat bags that I created myself and filled them with goodies before placing by each place setting.

Aria asked if EVERYONE got one and as I said yes, she started bartering for the candies in everyone else’s bags. Grandpa Robert was right there with her, bartering for peanut butter balls.

Spiders and webs covered the chandelier.

Witchy votive candles spread about the table, another Wal-Mart find.

The pumpkins peaking through the sunlight, waiting for dark to fall so the goblins can come out!

Sundown, be careful of the ghosts!

So glad you could join us for a wickedly scary good time

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!