I finally got back to tablescaping today, and I really had a great time doing it. It was fun to plan and create this table, even though it is pretty simple. As you know, I have been trying to spend little or no money on my tablescapes. I started thinking a week or two ago about what to do for St. Patrick’s Day. I did not want to go overboard; I just wanted to do a little something special.

Deciding that I wanted just a touch of St. Patrick’s day, I went to Dollar Tree with nothing much in mind except something cheap for the table.  I purchased a small bunch of white silk flowers edged in green glitter, a package of “table scatter” (glittery St. Patrick’s Day shapes in three shades of green), and a package of cheap green shamrock shaped necklaces (think Mardi Gras beads in green). Grand total: $3.21.

When I got home, I got out the scissors and the glue gun. I’m not normally very crafty, but I just knew that I could do something with these items. I dumped out the table scatter and sorted through the shapes and colors. I cut one of the necklaces into shorter strands, then I chose a shape from the scatter. I glued one end of the strand onto the back of a shape, then made a circle and glued the other end onto the back.

OK, these are not great art here, but I was satisfied. They are a little flimsy, but it doesn’t really matter since they are just for looks anyway.

When I thought about my dishes, the Thomas Kinkade set with its spring green background immediately came to mind. You last saw these at Mardi Gras on a more glitzy and formal table. I thought that I could make these work for a more casual table as well.

To begin with I used casual off white fringed placemats and San Remo flatware to soften the formality of the china. I also decided to only use the dinner plate and not layer on the salad plate to continue the casual look.

I won’t repeat the story of how I got these napkins from the Napkin Lady. The green is not only perfect to go with these dishes, but also a great color for a St. Patrick’s Day table.

I used these green goblets from Dollar Tree, and I really liked the way the place setting came together with the different shades of green.

For the centerpiece, I found a green pillar candle leftover from Christmas and put it on the black candle holder that you see me use all the time. With the last necklace, I cut it into one long strand and hot glued on shapes from the table scatter at intervals. I casually draped it around the candle holder and threw the rest of scatter on the table {I’m guessing that’s what you do with table scatter}.

Then I looked through my vintage pottery collection and found this small green pitcher. I used wire pliers to cut the Dollar Tree flowers from the bundle into single stems. I also had to cut some length off some of the stems for them to fit in the pitcher.

The last part of the centerpiece is a plaque called an Irish Blessing that I found in an unlikely place. As I was sorting, cleaning, and pricing items from our picking expedition, I found this little plaque. I decided that it was the perfect item to add to my centerpiece and that I had time to place and photograph it before I had to get it to the mall.

I ended up quite pleased with my finished table. Except for the items from Dollar Tree, I did it all with things that I had on hand.

To continue reporting on my hunt for bargains, I haven’t had any major deals land my way lately. The best buy that I have gotten lately was from Dollar General, two liter drinks for $1. I was able to buy a few extra to stock up.

A couple of weeks ago Fred’s had Irish Spring on for a good price. I won’t go back into when and why I choose name brands for some items and store brands for others, but Irish Spring is one of those brands that we prefer. Checking the CVS circular this week, there were several good buys this week. One of them was the same Tide plus $3 off coupon that they had on a few weeks ago. I have to look carefully when CVS offers these buys. If I don’t really need an item from CVS, it really does not save me money to take advantage of these sales. The Tide was full price, plus I had already bought some a couple of weeks ago, so I didn’t need any. Just like coupons don’t always save money, neither do these types of offers. You really have to be objective and analyze if this special will save you money or make you spend more! No CVS trip for me this week!

As for our having the youth over to watch Passion of the Christ, that went really well. We ordered pizza and wings and the kids brought drinks and sweet snacks. I also made some poppers. I knew that a lot of the kids wouldn’t want them, but those who did really liked them. Plus, they were a HUGE hit with the adults. The sweets worked out great; we ended up with cookies and two different kinds of ice cream. As I’ve said before, if teenagers are coming, just have food. We planned really well; only four pieces of pizza  and a few wings were left over. We did have a good bit of ice cream left, but it will last in the church freezer to feed them snacks for several Sunday nights. We tossed out throw pillows and sleeping bags. Both couches were full of kids; most of the adults were on chairs (although a couple chose the floor), and the rest of the kids took the floor and leftover chairs. David and I decided later that they had such a good time that we should have a movie night more often. It was really easy to do, and they seemed to have a good time.

As for the movie, most of them had not seen the entire thing before, but they were very well prepared for what was coming. We also kept telling them that they could leave the room at any time, but none of them did. It was difficult, but I think that they learned a lot from it. David explained a few things to them that helped, but most of them did not have many questions. I think that they just need to ruminate on it for a while.

I don’t have much of a flea market update. We expected a big slow down after Christmas, so we were pleasantly surprised with a small profit in January and a little bit more of a profit in February. I am hoping that March will be a good month, but that remains to be seen. I’ll let you know if my rabbits and spring dishes sell!

As for the art, I don’t have much to report. I have contacted a dealer who can do some appraisals for me. I’m going to just sit on them awhile until I have the extra time and $$ to get them appraised. So that catches you up on my life for now. I have some other big activities going on at the church that I will post about later. Hope you enjoy my St. Patrick’s Day table, and I can’t wait to see what everyone else has done this week!

***Click here for my review of the Bible, part 1 and here for part 2.***

I am joining: A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday (vignettes, tabletops, tablescapes), Home and Garden Thursday at A Delightsome Life (decorating, gardening, recipes, collecting), Vintage Thingie Thursday at Colorado Lady,   Sunny Simple Life (decorating, projects), Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday (tablescapes) and Metamorphosis Monday, Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage (crafts, home decor, thrifty finds),  Cozy Little House for Tweak it Tuesday (deocrating, garden, projects),  Under the Table and Dreaming for Sunday Showcase (any project or idea made by you this week), Gratitude Sunday at A La Carte, The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home (home & garden), Cuisine Kathleen for Let’s Dish (tablescapes), Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch to Yours,  Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill (home decor, projects, recipes), Cottage Style at Lavender Garden,   The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday (tablescapes),The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday (thrifty decorating, tablescapes), What’s It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants; Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now (recipes, crafts, home décor), Meet Me Monday at You Are Talking Too Much (projects, decorating, recipes),  Spotlight Saturday at Classy Clutter (recipes, crafts, home décor), Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage (decorating, crafts), Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous, Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound (anything pink),You’re Gonna Love It Tuesdays at Kathe with an E (recipes, crafts, home décor), Mop it Up Monday at I Should Be Mopping the Floor (projects, decor, recipes), Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style (recipes, crafts, home décor),  Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House (decor, projects),Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style,  Farmhouse Style at Green Eggs & Goats,  Creative Things at The Vintage Farmhouse,  Flaunt it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring (decor, projects, recipes),  Tuesday’s Treasures at Uncommon Suburbia (projects, decorating, recipes),  Return to Loveliness at A Delightsome Life (home decor, projects), Centerpiece Wednesday at The Style Sisters (centerpieces),Open House Party at No Minimalist Here (crafts, home décor), Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage (memories, projects), Tips and Tidbits at The Stone Gable(projects, home décor, recipes),Thursday Favorite Things at Katherine’s Corner (projects, home décor, recipes), Sizzle into Summer at DIY by Design (home décor, projects)