Judith,
The epergne is fabulous! You really should consider doing your own book...you are certainly on a par with Mary Carol Garrity.
Have a blessed Easter.

It's just lovely, Judith. Great job. What a great crystal centerpiece with the arms to hold the baskets! Very unique. Are the napkin rings little birds? I've looked and looked but can't quite tell. Love the white stacked plates and the beverage dispenser too. Oh heck--I guess I just love it all! LOL

Luvs

Just beautiful!! I love your centerpiece,dishes,accessories.and like luvs said....I love it all! The cherub on the wall caught my eye too!

Nice tea party! I love the green grapes with the pink tulips,candles and pink drink.

Judith, beautiful as always & glad you're up to doing more tablesettings, we sure miss them!!! Keep them coming!!

I gave your blog address to my chiropractor. She was so interested when I told her about this forum & how we do tables for each season & holiday. I also gave her this site, but she has limited time to go thru posts, so figured at your blog she could see your pictures rather quickly! She has a fulltime business, plus 2 small girls & has limited time, but says she'd love to learn to do the tablescapes at least for the big holidays!

kathie738p, thank you, could never do a book, I am a lousy writer LOL (I have a hard enough time making my blog interesting, words wise anyway.)LOL

Luvs, yes, those are pewter napkin ring birds I purchased 2 years ago in a cute (but expensive)little shop in Williamsburg. I did use them on another table setting I posted here, but can't remember which...I think it had a close up, I will see if I can find it.

Mary, thank you, the cherub was such a deal at Marshalls, only 29 bucks (it is very light resin) thank goodness. I am still not sure where it will ultimately go.

Juicyfruitkid, thank you, I am glad you like it. Pink drink is lemonade.

Yachter, thank you. Well, I try to do them when I am on my "good days". That is cool your chiropractor is wanting to be creative with her tablescapes, I think she will find it relaxing and fun, as long as one doesn't take it too seriously and just try and practice, it is pretty easy.

Oh Judith...your tea setting is simply stunning. I love it!!! You have such unique pieces. More photos for my inspiration file...:)

WOW....Judith you have outdone yourself!!!!! That epergne is stunning!! It is all beautiful...now I have to go home and get myself in gear for my Easter table!!! I have a pale yellow tablecloth with a bouquet of yellow alstromeria at this point....I guess I had better add a few things ;^)
Blessings to you an pr@ying that there are more good days than bad!

What a gorgeous tea party! I am addicted to glass, so, I found my happiness on these pictures!

What kind of liquid is in the jar? I love the colour... seems so delicious just like a daiquiri ;-)

Tam, thank you!

Jaybird, thanks too, you have a great start, yellow is such a nice Spring color, and you have the flowers already so you are ready to go! Thank you for your good thoughts too!

Prosperity66, thank you, the liquid in the jar is Lemonade. There is a spigot towards the bottom of the jar to be able to dispense what ever you have in the jar..lemonade, ice tea etc. Wow, I wish it was a daiquiri, I love those (even without the alchol LOL)

WONDERFUL table! I just LOVE it ALL!

I was just wondering how you were doing yesterday and am so glad to hear from you today when I stole a minute to check in. And as usual such a beautiful creation you've done. My sore throat could sure use a nice hot cup of tea about now. I can just sit right down at your table and pour me a nice cup. I can't wait to see your tea table for our tea party. Glad to see you had a good day. I'm always happy to see your posts. Your cherub is precious. Wish we had a Marshall's here.
Betty

That looks gorgeous, Judith!!! So many pretty pieces..no dollar store things there!
Now for the 5th, it is just TEA, right, not dinner?? The table you are showing looks set for dinner...just want to be sure..don't want hungry guests and just serve them tea and crumpets! LOL
What is that piece that is holding the grapes?? Very unique...

I can't believe the Magazine people aren't beating down your door with offers!!! Their loss, as well as the thousands of people who aren't getting to see what you can do with a table and a camera! You are an amazing woman
(for many reasons).

love, Karen

Judith, This is so amazing. I went and looked at all your pics and now I'm even more impressed. There isn't anything more to add than what I've already read posted here. You could decorate for anyone and they'd been swept off their feet for sure. You wow'd me from head to toe. Thanks for the pink Christmas tree picture. I just bought everything to decorate our office tree pink next year and so many of your decorations are what I purchased last year at Dillards for ours. If it is anything similar to yours I will be happy.

Thank you ladies for your really nice comments, I do appreciate it.

Kathleen, you can do a dinner, a simple tea snack,
one-on- one, 2 people, etc, what ever your heart desires...just have tea in there somewhere, if you don't have a teapot, that is fine, just have the tea in the cups, most everyone has cups of some sort. I just want this to be as simple or elaborate that you all want to go with, it is up to you. This is just a fun thing, no pressure.

Phonegirl, thank you, I am glad you like the pink tree, and it is cool you could find pink things for the tree, it is often very hard to find a bunch of pink items, I am sure your tree will look fab, and am looking forward to seeing photos at Christmas.

betty, I am sorry to hear you have a sore throat, that can be very annoying, all the more reason to have "tea and honey" :)

MaryRuth, thank you too!

FABULOUS!! The colours and setting look so serene and peaceful, it makes me want to pull up a chair and unwind over a cuppa tea at your table. That means that not only did you set a beautiful table, you captured the feeling of it with the picture you took and effects you added. Judith, you are so talented! I have looked at some of the other bloggers who also did the Spring Partea Planners but haven't seen anything compared to yours! I look forward to another treat when you post your picture for our Tea Party.
DD

dining delight, I am glad you liked the set up. I checked out the other blogs too, and was a bit surprised that were not more involved teas since Risa had alot of contacts that do this same thing. Oh well. At either rate I did it beacause it was fun for me to do, and I still enjoyed it.

Yes, our tea party is right around the corner APRIL 5, Saturday, for posting pics.

I an excited to see all you do, remember, this is low key, or fancy, it is up to you and your resources, just make sure there is some Tea and some tiny snacks, you can make then or store buy them, I want this to be easy for people.

If anyone needs help, if you are nervous, just post on Holidays your questions, I or any of the other ladies will be glad to help.
Judith

Ok, I need help.........somebody COME OVER here right away, please. April 5th, the pressure is mounting. Acccckkkkkk.
I really should have paid attention to my grandmothers' entertaining when I spent summers with them as a child. LOL. But I had to be outside "galloping" around the neighborhood on my invisible horse instead.
can I get away with an Invisible Tea Party maybe?

hugs, Karen

Karen, you can keep it simple, just do a party for 1 or 2. Select a nice spot that will enhance your china. Move a little table in front of a fire place, or in front of a window where the light coming in and the view will add to the ambiance. Didn't you buy stacking plates, definately utilize them. Don't have time to cook, then go to your fav grocery store and pic up already done food.

For your color theme, keep in mind to bring out the color in which your plates and tea cups are. If cups are a solid green you can use many colors to enhance the green, you can use creme, white, yellow, purple just be constistant in the coloring.

Pour some tea in the cup (can't have an empty cup LOL)

For your centerpeice look around your home, most of us have lots of accessories, look to find an accessories that will fit in with your look. You can buy a single rose, carnation, daffadiol, mum, in a single vase, whatever goes with your look to add a bit of life (try to keep flower in color range of complementaries at least for beginners.

Use ribbon or lace to hold the napkins if you don't have rings., don't forget to put out your silver ware too.

You would be amazed at the things you can pull from your collections that you could have a different look a few times every month for a year at least, you just need to start off on one foot and go exploring thru your home.

Thank you, Judith. Lot of great advice and 'direction' there for me learn from. I can't believe how intimidated I am by a little tea set. LOL
but what's this part about FOOD too. Oh my, better go shopping I guess for something to stick on a plate.
My stacking plates apparently wanted a rest after ST Pat's, I have been totally blank on decorating them right now. I will have to come up with a centerpiece for sure tho.

hugs, Karen

Karen, oh, just a simple bit of food, go to backery and get some slice pound cake, little blueberry muffins, any fruit, you like (strawberrys, grapes ect, what ever you like to eat then it won't go to waste). May be some whipped cream from a can, or cool whip.
You can used the smallest stacking plate to put your goodies on, using a stacking plate visually raises your table top and gives interesting dimention to the over all look. Highs and lows are important in tablescapes and vignettes.

Judith quote:
You can used the smallest stacking plate to put your goodies on, using a stacking plate visually raises your table top and gives interesting dimention to the over all look. Highs and lows are important in tablescapes and vignettes.
And adds TEXTURE!
You make it SOUND so easy! BECAUSE for you it is! I am just admiring YOUR TALENT!

But Mary Ruth it is easy, I have seen some of your goodies so I KNOW you can do it!!! LOL Not so much talent, just learning good visual rules and even sometimes knowing when to break them, once you get the rules/basics down, then it is "play time". LOL

I agree with Mary Ruth, you do make it sound easy....
and maybe someday it might even be that way. I could 'copy' something but to come up with my own imagination is a lot of the problem. And not knowing the basic rules of course. Tho Judith, you sure help me learning those things.
By the way, my stacked plates are glued solidly together
(thanks to Brat Cat's decor assistance.)

I wish I had a glass top table, your things always look so beautiful on glass I think. My tables are dark wood.

hugs, Karen

But it is really easy, you start out with the basic rules of setting a table..where the silver ware goes, the order of plates and glasses. That is your first set of rules. YOu can google place settings on internet or from books, BUT sometimes even different books will show a slightly different set up. The next big and important thing is color and theme, get those 2 together and you are 90 percent home. Your color and theme incorporates your centerpiece. Now sometimes I break rules as to where to place the napkin, or use a napkin ring in a different way but that is little. Sometimes my centerpieces are tall, but I will have them usually on a tray that I can remove, and then when ready to seat company, remove tall peice and put in its place a lower centerpeice such as a lower flower arrangement. You can have for instance a tall clear glas cyliner, full of water, at the top is a flower arrangement that can flow down, but not block the veiw, so it can stay, people can still see thru the tall water filled glass cylinder. It looks cool.

Karen my glass table top, although I do love it for alot of reasons, I chose because of lack of visual room in my tiny dining room, your eye travels thru glass therefore making the room appear larger and airer. But I do love a beautiful wood table, (I have a cherry wood table in storage still, you can get a beautiful look from wood believe me, it depends as usual how you dress it.
Below is a very fav photo of mine I actually love everything about the room and table. The place matts in case you can't tell are mirrors.

What I want you to observe is how the colors are all incorporated together.
1. Most people have some sort of plates, whether they be glass or china. The yellow china is in sync with the curtain backgrounds, the greens are in the flower arrangements, grapes and walls and parts of the curtains. Mirror place matts add glamour.
2. The seats have corals, yellows and the coral colors.
3. White napkins match the white in the background of the plates, and play off the wonderful crown moulding.
4. The gold candlesticks play off other gold elements in the room you can't quite see, but I know there are there from the attached page in the magazine. But you can see the art work with the gold frames. You want to be able to grab a peice of what you can to make it all flow.
5. The rug has the peaches, yellows and other matching colors in it.
6. The pinkish flowers in the centerpiece pulls from the other pinky peach in the room.
7. the Chrystal glasses you can buy, but there is affordable clear glasses in many styles at Walmart, Target, Marshalls etc.
Remember, that most of us already own what we need, whether simple or fancy, you just have to learn to "see" what would look good with your particuar pattern and color. It is sort of like when you get dressed and you match your clothing. A simple black dress can look "workstyle" or you add a few pearls a bracelet, snazzery shoes, and you have a whole new look. You just need to LOOK at what you have (the basics) and expand upon that.

Sorry I am not as clear as I can be, not feeling too well today, but I hope this has made some sense.

Judith, bless your heart for putting all this down and with photos....especially when you are feeling bad. I am really sorry to hear it's not one of your good days, saying some prayers that will change and tomorrow will be better.
I am saving all your advice, will have my own "Mini Book of Decor by Judth". Thank You so much for being a great mentor.
love, Karen

Judith, I hope you feel better soon. This is a beautiful room, I especially like the touch of color on the back of the window valance. You have a very good eye and the way you can break down the room is amazing.

I like the fact that you don't follow all the "rules" because it makes your tablesettings more interesting. How boring life is when you don't "color outside the lines." You have been a real inspiration to a lot of women on this forum, I have always loved china and setting the tables but so many times I saved it for company. Now, I am thinking a little like Erma Bombeck, life is to short to not enjoy so bring out the good stuff and use it. My kids loved our Easter tablesetting and even asked if I was sure I wanted them to use the fancy glasses. My kids are now 41 and 37 but still remember when they were young and we only had one set of "good" glasses. Even the grandchildren all under the age of eight, had regular china, tablecloth, and their own tea cups (demitass) at their table. When they commented on the stacking plates, I told them I learned it from Judithva (pronounced like Godiva because I thought that was your name the first time I saw it, not Judith VA.) Now, my sisters are into tablescapes - since I have six sisters you know the competition is on!! Look what you have started - LOL!!

GREAT post, PF. Enjoyed everything you said. Erma Bombeck was great, she lived here in Phx and everyone just loved her. Smart woman too. How cool to have SIX sisters inspired to do tablescapes, that sounds like its going to be a lot of fun.
And loved your take on Judiva.....LOL

hugs, Karen

Judith, how great to be able to explain "tablescaping" in such an easy to understand format for us. With that talent along with your abilities to create unique settings and photography skills, you really should have your own book! And all that, while you are not feeling well. Sure hope things are going better for you.

PF, I agree with Karen, what a wonderful post. Everything you said about "colouring outside the lines" and using all your best things instead of saving them is so true. I smiled when I hear that you talk about Judith with your family as her name comes up frequently at our house too - Are your ears burning Judith? LOL!
DD

Judith, how do we get to see all the Partea Planners participating tea parties? When I go to her site, I only see hers. Luvs

purplemoon, thank you, well, since this treatment is going to last at least until Aug, I have to deal with good days (few) and not so good days, but I try to not have the bad days totally run my life...they just slow it down LOL

Paintingfool, you just gave me a good belly laugh (Godiva) ha, only in my dreams, especially lately LOL
I am glad that the tablesetting bug has gone to your family, there is nothing more pleasing than people actually using their "treasures" rather than making a shrine to them. To be lovinging touched and sharing a food event whether simple or elaborate is what makes the dishes special, because they were used with love. And each time the dishes are used they acquire a new patina of love every time they are used, now that is "priceless". And wow, 6 sisters, that means 6 opporutunites of beautiful tables and fun!

dining delight, thank you too for your sweet words. I do hope what thoughts that come streaming out of this head (especially lately) are of some help to everyone, I defineatly do not have a claim to "engaging prose", I do the best I can, but of course if anyone has any questions I am always glad to take a poke at it. I do not consider myself an expert in any way. As I had said in the main forum under another thread, I do follow certain rules, but I do put up alot of others for grabs LOL, at this stage of my life I try to please me and others, the whole idea is to have fun, bring in color, excitement to what is a normal routine in most of our lives. My ears are burning in a good way, thankyou :)

luvs, the Party Planner seems to be way behind on posting the photos, but if you go to her most recent comment about being busy...I think, you will see people that participated with comments, click on there blog sign and their blog will come up and you will see their teaparties.

I have just reread this thread and there is so much information here to learn from! Thanks Judith for all that hard work putting together that post about table settings. They are not so much a mystery any longer!
I have saved the information on my computer and the link to this thread to refer to in the future! WOW! Thanks!

Mary Ruth thankyou, you are sweet to say such things, I have loads of stuff running in my head, it is just getting ahold of them and putting them in some sort of sensible manner, which for these days can be a challenge. I am looking forward to seeing your tablesetting.

Mary Ruth, I too am saving Judith's great posts on table settings. We can't get her to write a book, so I figure I'll just have my own little personal one by her filled with her ideas and information. Judith's Table Setting 101.

hugs, Karen

purplemoon,
Maybe WE could write it and have her autograph it!

Yep, that's what I need a "ghost writer" LOL