As many of you know I am blessed to be married to a retired Air Force veteran.
Veteran’s day is time set aside to honor the many military members we are so thankful for and for us, to celebrate Mr. Décor. To say we are proud of our own airman is an understatement. We are proud as Peacocks.
During Mr. Décor’s twenty two year career in the military he was stationed in Texas, Japan, England, Saudi Arabia, Crete, Germany, Georgia and of course California, where he met me. :) With each destination he immersed himself in the culture, possessing a true love for learning.
Our favorite hobby together is traveling. This fine feathered tablescape was inspired by a place setting used when we celebrated Thanksgiving last year at Colonial Williamsburg. By candlelight we could clearly see that the plates had peacocks on them. You can read about the symbolism of peacocks HERE. (You can also see the shade of lipstick I was wearing on my mug of ale. :)
During dinner we enjoyed the romantic ballads….
… and patriotic marches that were favored during Colonial times.
Dinner was authentic as well. While the presentation wasn’t pretty, it tasted delicious.
In thinking about a Peacock theme my mind recalled a favorite tablescape that I featured on my blog a few weeks ago.
With tongue in cheek I had said that anyone with excess pheasant plumes could send them to me. My very special friend, Susan, of My Place to Yours took me at my word and sent me a huge envelope of feathered finery. Susan is quite the talented tablescape artist and is well versed in the care of antique linens. She sells a wonderful cleaning product for delicate linen HERE.
Armed with Susan’s pheasant feathers I began this place setting of plumes by laying down a tablecloth that was last used as a curtain in my office. (I have since removed the yellow pom pom trim. :)
TIP: Curtains and large tablecloths can be used interchangeably.
The centerpiece was created by using a vase that once held beautiful roses given to me by my good friend Meri. I began with a bit of birdseed, positioned in the pheasant feathers, a few dried wheat stalks and added three peacock feathers for height and color. As this arrangement doesn’t require any water it can last all season long.
Wanting to add in another layer of color and texture I wrapped a piece of seafoam green velvet around the glass vase and secured it with a vintage rhinestone pin from my jewelry box.
Simple clear glass votive holders were also filled with birdseed. WalMart sells votive candles in clear containers when you don’t want the look of traditional aluminum containers.
TIP: Use unscented candles so they won’t compete with the scent of the food.
Miss Manners is probably horrified that I placed the silverware to the left of the place setting. But I somehow like it.
I tied the mismatched cutlery up with a bit of velvet ribbon.
The lovely peacock image used on the place setting/menu card (on back) came from the Graphics Fairy. I printed it out using a muted technique. The vintage cotton napkins were hand dyed on the stove with Rit Dye in teal.
When I was growing up the very best dishes, glasses and napkins were saved for use only on special occasions. This perfect set of gold glass goblets belonged to my dear mom Nadine and are now treasured by the Fashionista, who kindly let me borrow them.
I believe that every day can be a special occasion. One of my very favorite songs of all time is Garth Brooks “If Tomorrow Never Comes”. It is a beautiful reminder to treasure each moment together with those we love.
Today we salute all veterans and celebrate Mr. Décor!
Laura
Linking to:
The Charm of Home, Common Ground, StoneGable, Between Naps On The Porch, Today’s Creative Blog, Someday Crafts, SSS,Shabby Nest, Tatertots and Jello, Positively Splendid, The 36th Avenue, Jennifer Rizzo, Craftberry Bush, A Stroll Thru Life
Labels: Creative decor, Decor, Feeling crafty
