Happy To Design

Welcome to the 50th "Sunday Favorites"

"Sunday Favorites" is a Sunday meme designed to give bloggers a chance to share a favorite post from the past!!! For more information on how to republish a past post just click on the "Sunday Favorites" info. photo in the sidebar.

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Hello my friends!

Welcome to the 49th run of "Sunday Favorites"!!!

I hope that you are having a fabulous weekend! It's been a fun and crazy last couple of weeks! As many of you know...honey and I went to Las Vegas March 31 - April 6th for the "13th Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend"! Las Vegas was a hoot and I finally got to meet my long time friend Gloria (from Happy To Be blog) and her honey Len! We did "the town up ROYALLY"...Vegas will never be the same!!! Hehe! Anyway, last week's Sunday Favorites was cancelled due to our trip and the fact that it was Easter Sunday! I hope that ya'll had a fabulous Easter!!!

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It's good to be back home....but now I'm trying to play "catch up"! In fact, I have a load of laundry from our trip in the washing machine even as I'm doing this post. I have also been trying to catch up on my blogging. I would like to say, once again, that I really appreciate everyone's love, support, and prayers for my grandsons Seth and Bud! Ya'll are the best!!! As many of you know, Seth's surgery wasn't as successful as we had hoped for. The Dr. was unable to get to the effected area of his little heart to perform the procedure that would have cured the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Yes, we all were very disappointed, however we are still trusting the Lord for Seth's healing!!! Please continue to pray that the Lord will give the Drs. the wisdom in how to procede further in Seth's treatment. My family and I sooo appreciate your prayers, sweet friends!!!

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Well my friends...have a super Sunday! Thank you so much for coming by today!

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Instructions for Participating in Sunday Favorites

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If you are participating in Sunday Favorites, please be sure to add your permalink to Mr.Linky and not your general blog address.

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Please copy and paste the Sunday Favorites logo button to your Sunday Favorites post or your sidebar so your visitors will know that you are participating. Also...please link back to the host blog, Happy To Design. This is important because it helps those who are visiting your blog, find the other wonderful blogs that are participating.

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Please do not add your link below, until your Sunday Favorites post is actually published to your blog.

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Thank you so much for your participation!!! I am going to really enjoy going through your "Sunday Favorites" posts!!!

Love ya'll,

Chari

Sunday Favorites

My favorite post from: June 4, 2009

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It's Tablescape Thursday!

Hello my friends...welcome to Tablescape Thursday!

Tablescape Thursday is hosted by our very own "hostess with the mostest" Susan over at Between Naps On The Porch! Thank you Susan for always being such a gracious hostess and for providing a format for all of us to have some fun playing with our dishes...hehe!!!

You just have to go and see what Susan has for us today and while you're there you can check out all of the other Tablescape Thursday participants! I just know that there are going to be many, many beautifully set tables in Blogland today!!!


My Seaside ~~Water~~ Tablescape

Several weeks ago I purchased a new set of dishes and I've been so excited to do a tablescape and share them with you!!!

Also...

Today is my wedding anniversary!

I am so blessed!!! I married the man of my dreams, Russell, four years ago to this date! I am so happy...in fact, at times it still feels like a dream...every once in awhile I have to pinch myself to make sure that it is real!!!

Russell is my best friend...I just can't imagine living life and not having him to share it with! He is my confidant...I trust him with my heart! He is my lover...eeekss...guess I better not get too graphic here since this is a PG blog! Hehe! Seriously though...I truly believe that I am a woman blessed among women...Russell is my knight in shining armour!!! He is such a dear sweet soul...sensitive, intelligent, hard working and a great provider, loyal, sexy...well, the list goes on...but I have nothing but the upmost respect for my husband and I know it sounds a bit cliche but Russell completes me!!!

In celebration of my husband and our love I have set a romantic, seaside table...this tablescape is called ~~Water~~!!!

~~~Water~~~

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The Tablescape scene is set...

I have set the table in our French Country dining room.

With the lights dimmed and candle light aglow...

so softly the notes of a love song are heard.

The hands of time have seemed to slow...

and whispers of love resound through word
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Setting the Scene...Ambiance

The definition of ambiance is: the mood, character, quality, tone, atmosphere, etc., particularly of an environment.

Just like setting the scene for an act of a play...ambiance sets the scene for your table!!! The lighting...the music...even the type of dishes, table centerpiece, and linens contribute to the ambiance of your dining experience!!!

Ambiance can take a great tablescape and lift it into the realm of FABULOUS!
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The lighting...the soft romantic glow of candlelight!
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The centerpiece...seashells and sea glass in soft shades of blue & green...a little moss and rattan...and what speaks ~~Water~~better than a few starfish scattered about!
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The Place Setting...

As I mentioned earlier, I purchased these dishes several weeks ago. I have seen some gorgeous "coastal" tablescapes in blogland and I really wanted a set of "coastal or shell" dishes. This set is called...yep, you guessed it, ~~Water~~ from JC Penneys. When I first saw them, I thought Ooooh...I want those but they were to expensive for my pocketbook...soooo....I waited (as any good little bargain shopper would do...hehe!)

Ohhh yea....they went on sale...they were really marked down...and on top of that, I had a 20% off discount coupon! Yeeeehawwww!!!

This set was originally $162.00 for a 4 piece place setting for four.

I paid only...are you ready?...can I have a drumroll please...

I paid only $59.60 for the set!!!

(Oh yea...oh yea...I'm still doin' the Happy Dance over this one! Hehe!)
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~~Water~~

Home Collection by JC Penneys

*Dinner plate (a nice sized 11" plate, ivory, with embossed shells and starfish)
*Salad/dessert plate (8 7/8 in., ivory, embossed with shells and starfish)
*Soup bowl (7 x 3 in. tall, shell shaped, ivory)
*Canape plate ( 7x5 in., shell shaped, ivory)
*Water/Iced Tea goblets from Dollar Tree...$1 ea.
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The Shell Soup Bowl...

These shell soup bowls are really nice sized! A healthy serving of soup or a salad can be served in these pretty shell bowls!!! They are large enough that they could be used for a vegetable serving dish as well.
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The Salad/Dessert Plate...

I just love the embossed design on the salad/dessert plates...shells, starfish, lobster & crabs swim around the border!
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A close-up so you can see the pretty pattern!
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The Dinner Plate...

Ohhh...I do love these pretty seashell plates...the shells are nearly 3-dimensional! These plates measure 11 in. They are actually large enough that they can double as a charger plate.
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The Canape Plate...
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The Table Dressing...

Just as ambiance is important to setting the scene of the tablescape...so is the dressing of the table!

The table linens and placemats act as the foundation for your tablescape!

The Table Cloth & Napkins...

I found this beautiful striped tablecloth with matching napkins, called "Kendall", at Pottery Barn. The fabric has a nice substantial feel to it and is 100% cotton. The napkins are a generous 20x20 ins.

I love the washed out look of the off-white, brown, blue, and green stripes!!! It's exactlly what I had envisioned for this ~~Water~~tablescape...a fabric with a distresssed look, if you will!

The Napkin Rings...

I found stretchy shell bracelets at Walmart made by Panama Jack...I attached a seashell and used these for the napkin rings. One of the things that I enjoy most about doing a tablescape is coming up with creative ideas for the table...I just love the seashell bracelets for the napkin rings. $3.97 for a package of 3 bracelets!

The Placemats...

I found these pretty rattan placemats at the Dollar Tree. They're perfect...made of rattan and in soft sea colors of green and blue. I decided to layer the placemats...placing a green rattan mat over the top of a blue rattan mat. Only $1 each!
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The Centerpiece...

Ohhh...I do love making the centerpieces for a tablescape!!!

My New Wire Rattan Finial...

I purchased this large wire rattan finial from JC Penneys at the same time that I got my dishes. I just love the dark French Roast color and it makes quite a statement at 20 ins. tall! It was also on sale for $17.99...I think I will get alot of use from this beauty!!!

I put moss in the bottom of the finial so that I could place a candle in the center. I added different kinds of seashells around the edges of the candle! Then I placed the finial atop a rattan mat. I used fresh fern fronds around the base of the finial...scattered blue and green sea glass...and added a few starfish!
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Candles and Candle Holders...

Hand crafted Seashell candles...

Ahhh...do you remember these seashell pillar candles? I made these last week! For the tutorial you can click HERE...it will take you to that post!

I had so much fun crafting these. JC Penneys had similar pillar candles that went with my seashell dishes but ohhh myyy...they were $49.99 for just 3 little candles...eeekkkss!!! I wasn't about to pay that much for candles so I made my own...two 6" seashell pillar candles for just $4.85!!!

I had these chunky white glass candle holders...added twine around the base for a "coastal" feel! It's all in the little details...isn't it? Hehe!!! I really like how my homemade seashell candles look with the "coastal" candle holders!!!

Votive Candles...

I found these glass votive candle holders at the Dollar Tree...$1 ea.! They just had a nautical feel to them...hehe! I added crushed seashells to the bottom of the votives...placed a white candle atop and added a few small shells around the candles!

Each place setting has its own votive candle holder!
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An "artsy" photo...hehe!
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~~Water~~
...by day!
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~~Water~~

...by night!

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Well my friends...I hope that you enjoyed my ~~Water~~tablescape as much as I did creating it!!!

I'm looking forward to a romantic evening with my honey...celebrating four fabulous years of marriage with the man of my dreams!!!
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Happy Tablescaping...
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Love ya'll,
Chari