Between Naps on the Porch

Children's Party Table for Movie Night, Welcome to the 178th Tablescape Thursday!

2012-01-26T09:30:00.000-05:00

I'm not exactly sure where this tablescape came from. One minute I was using a gift certificate to purchase napkins for a Valentine's Day table setting, and the next thing I knew, I was off to the movies. I think the shift may have had something to do with stumbling across these cute popcorn containers for $1 each at Dollar Tree.

For the centerpiece I used a red and white bowl purchased from Williams-Sonoma years ago. Filled with candy, it made a fun centerpiece. Ya gotta have candy when you're at the movies. Popcorn doesn't hurt either.

If you create this table setting for a children's party, you may wish to use more practical glassware. I couldn't resist the red goblets for today.

A string of ticket stubs worked well as napkin rings. They are loosely tied around the napkins. You can buy a humongous roll of ticket stubs for just $7 at most party stores. Wish they had smaller rolls...I have enough now to last forever! lol

I cut one of the gold and beige "tickets" from one of the invitations and tucked it into the centerpiece.

Do you recognize the cake stand I'm using in the centerpiece? It's the base for the whimsical cake stand in THIS Alice in Wonderland table setting.

Place card holders are party invitations turned on their side. A guest's name could be written along the gold line that's just beneath the words, "You're Invited."

Bird's eye view... There's one more thing I would loved to have had when creating this tablescape. Just imagine 4 large film reels, preferably around 13-14 inches in size, as chargers underneath each dinner plate. Not sure how practical they would be for eating, but they sure would have been cute in this table setting. They have them on eBay, they even have red ones! The red ones would have been perfect, but the traditional metal, gray reels would also have looked great.

Did you notice the backs of the ~~invitations~~ place cards are red and white striped, also? Got lucky in finding those...they really worked well with this theme.

Tip: Spilling my secrets...when creating a centerpiece like this, just tuck a dish towel or paper down into the bottom of the container to fill up some of the space. That way you won't have to buy more candy than you really need just to fill up the container. I have a red dish towel tucked down inside mine.

Only expense to create this table setting was $7 for the ticket stubs (barely used any from the huge roll) $4 for the popcorn containers at $1 each and $4 for 8 party invitations used as place cards. I already had everything else.

I already had the candy stashed away for another project I've been thinking of doing. I promise this is not why I'm walking more now. It didn't contribute to the affliction I spoke of HERE. ;)

Since this is a children's table setting for our "dinner and a movie" tablescape, tonight's main feature will be Jumangi starring Robin Williams. The clapperboard, also known as a slate, is a picture frame I've had for about 20 years.

If you're not craving popcorn and candy right now, I haven't done my job. ;) Pssst: Click HERE to view a "game night" themed table setting using this same large red/white popcorn bowl. See ya at the movies!

Tablescapes and posts referenced above:
Alice in Wonderland
Game Night
Blogger's Butté

Resources for this tablescape:
White dinner plate: Gibson, from Big Lots, 2-3 years ago
Red Salad plates: HomeGoods or Marshall's, year ago
Ice Beverage: French Countryside Ruby Goblets, provided by Mikasa
Flatware: Treble Clef by Gourmet Settings, Marshall's, 2-3 years ago
Napkins, HomeGoods recently, purchased with a gift certificate.
Individual popcorn holders: Dollar General, recently
Large popcorn holder: Williams-Sonoma, years ago

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Found: A "Something's Gotta Give" Table...Sort Of

2012-01-25T20:00:00.000-05:00

A while back I shared a tour of the wonderful beach house in the movie, Something's Gotta Give, HERE. In one of the scenes in the movie, specifically this scene in the bedroom of the main character Erica Barry (played by Diane Keaton) I spied the cutest little table. Well actually, it isn't that little, but it's definitely cute.

Just prior to watching the movie, I had been on an all out quest for a small chest to go beside the green and white floral Rosalie chair in my office. Since I hadn't been able to find a chest I liked, I started looking for a table like the one pictured in this scene.

In the end, I found the chest I really wanted, so all turned out well. (You can read about that in THIS post.)

It's a good thing I found the chest because it turns out the table in the movie, Something's Gotta Give was definitely more than my office budget would allow. (Pssst: If you're looking for the table in Something's Gotta Give, Rose Tarlow carries it and it's called the Nantucket Side Table. You'll find a link to the Nantucket table in THIS post.)

During my search for an affordable table like the Nantucket table, I came across this table below at another online store, Cottage Chic. Notice the similarities. I loved it, too...but again, at $636.00, it was more than I wanted to spend.

So, imagine my surprise when I was shopping in Marshall's and spied this cute thing. Hold the phone! It looks a lot like those other tables, doesn't it? It's called a "Fleur De Lis Round Accent Table." The design does look like an upside down fleur-de-lis.

It's a fair amount smaller, but it's also just $79.99! I had exactly $80 left on a gift certificate I've been carrying around for a while, so I went for it. I think I know where I'm going to use it...just trying to decide if I'll paint it a different color or leave it as is. I'm pretty sure I'll paint it....maybe with some of the Annie Sloan chalk paint. By the way, if you live in the Atlanta area and you like this table, they still have one more left in the Smyrna store. Did you know Julia Roberts hails from Smyrna? Yup, it's true...random trivia fact thrown in for fun. :)

So, what color would you paint it? I definitely want to leave the darker tones in the grooves visible to accent the carving. Would love to know your suggestions. I guess I should show you where I'm thinking about using it, huh? That would help, wouldn't it?

I'm thinking about placing it here in front of the bookshelves with a small chair beside it. Sometimes I need another small chair in this room, a chair someone can pull over to the computer when we're looking at something together. I tried it out this evening and the table fits nicely over there since it's not very big around. I think it will be pretty there with the backdrop of the bookshelves.

Should I paint it a cream color, similar to the other colors in the room, or a nice accent color that pops again the shelves? I'm leaning toward an accent color. HERE's a link to this space if you would like to see the other colors in the office. I'm pretty sure I don't want to paint it green...have enough of that color in here already.

Do you like Annie Sloan paint? Have you ever used it? I haven't used it, yet...but I hear it's great.

See you tomorrow morning for Tablescape Thursday!

Edit Photos with Creative Kit at Google+, Picnik Alternative

2012-01-24T22:45:00.000-05:00

I was just reading my Facebook page and found some information you may find helpful if you are looking for an alternative to Picnik now that it's closing. Laurie with Tip Junkie shared that lots of the of the photo-editing features in Picnik can now be used in Google+ through its "Creative Kit."

Here are the directions for finding the Creative Kit on Google+:

Log into Google+ HERE
Click on the Photos button at the top
Click on "Your Albums" on the left
Click on any album on the right
Click on any photo to edit
Click on the specific photo you wish to edit
At the top you'll see some options like these shown below. Click on "Creative Kit" and you're all set.

Picnik will close on April 19th so you'll want to transfer or download your images stored there prior to that date.

You'll find 9 more photo editing sites (alternatives to Picnik) in THIS post.