Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Holiday Table Setting

Before I finish up with Kris's dining room, I'd like to talk for a minute about 
OY VEY!! Q&A!! Tuesday!!!!!
I am not going to do it this month......
I may not do it next month.....
or the one after that.....
and so on...
and so on...
etc.
etc.
etc.
Now the reason for this is because...
I don't feel like it!!!!!
I came to the realization that it wasn't fun any more,
I am retired,
I don't gots to do what I don't want!!!!!
I will spontaneously have it every now and then, 
so the folks that are religious followers and readers, will benefit....
(If you really can call that a benefit......)
SO BE WARNED!!!!!
Every now and then, I'll have it.
There will be no warning.
I won't even warn myself!!!! 
WE WILL ALL BE SURPRISED!!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now, back to my last post on my friend Kris's dining room....
Several years ago, Traditional Home did a table top dining room story on me.
Krissa, my editor buddy at Traditional Home, called me and asked it I would do a table top design for them to shot for the front of the magazine.
She wanted it to be something in warm tones that didn't have any flowers in the center of the table, since that was what most people used for the central embellishment, and she wanted something more interesting.
So, I asked Kris if I could use her house, and Kris
 (bless her little heart,
 having NO IDEA what was involved in a photo shoot, agreed.)
(She couldn't believe it could take hours
 just setting up one shot.)
(She was bored out of her skull.....)
(Poor girl, 
I still have to have her house shot for my book.....)
(Luckily, her husband is an anesthesiologist, so she has access to lots of drugs.....)
(Actually, I'm just kidding.)
(She can't get that many.....)
(OK, OK, I'm lying about the whole drug thing.....)
(Too bad, being a child of the 60's, I could use some....)
(OK, I'm still kidding.......maybe.....)
Traditional Home Magazine
I had to borrow some things for the table to look all glamorous and fabulous and grownup.....
So I hit some of the local antique stores.....
I used antique red coral branches set on wooden stands for the center pieces, along with a cache pot holding a boxwood shrub.
The cache pot came form Regency Antiques in Boston, a really cool shop if you're on Charles Street.....
Charles Street is a mecca for antique stores, so wear comfortable shoes.....
I also found some glass boules I set around the table.
This is when Kris was first exposed to boules, and she got hooked, as evidenced on the table in her living room.....
Remember this shot???
It's from her living room table.....
She is now a prisoner of the boule lust.....
 If you noticed that the chairs are different in the picture above from my previous shots of her room.....
That's because, this was years ago, and we hadn't found chairs yet.
SOOOOOOO.....
I had to bring my own chairs over for the shoot.....
Nothing is as it seems in magazines!!!

Here's the close up of the setting....
Traditional Home Magazine
I used jeweled necklaces for the napkin rings.
The charger, soup cup and saucer was Gianni  Versace's "Medusa, the plate was for Rosenthal by Jean Louis Coquet's "Hemisphere Gold".
Traditional Home Magazine
The champagne flute and wine glass are "Bubbles, the red wine glass is Cristal Saint Louis; "Scarlet" by William Yeoward.
Traditional Home Magazine
The card holders were antiques that I found at Devonia Antiques, also on Charles Street in Boston.
Traditional Home Magazine
I didn't write any of the names on the place cards. 
My script isn't good enough.
I had to get a pinch hitter (writer).

So that's the end of this room.....
You'll just have to stay tuned to see what's next!!!!!
Latah, Gatah
Photobucket
Partying at:
My Uncommon Slice of SuburbiaA Diamond in the StuffPhotobucket

11 comments:

cheapdiva said...

You are ONE funny lady (and talented)!

Anne Boykin said...

Hi Betsy, You're funny! Please do surprise us all with some Q & A from time to time. Love your place setting!

Anonymous said...

Jane Price

You've learned!!!---finally!!! Life is tooooooo
short to do anything that isn't fun!
Bee-u-tea-ful table

Woodside Park said...

Hi, Betsy ~
Loved this post! Lots of inspirations....those red coral branches: yummy!!! Krissa is awesome. We met for dinner a couple years ago when she visited DC. I bet you all have a great time :)
Cheers,
Loi
PS - I don't know how to bleach pinecones....I purchased them....$2.00 for 3. Not too bad since I only got 3!

Anonymous said...

OMG Loi ! I think I am the Betsy who asked about the bleached pinecones !!! Unless Betsy S and I are both on the same wave length at your blog ??

Betsy I don't blame you one bit - it takes so much thought and research and a blog should be fun to post on or you won't do it !!

Kris is a good friend Betsy !!

signed the OTHER Betsy !!

Betsy Speert said...

I didn't ask about the pinecones, but I looked at Loi's blog, and it's lovely!
The white pinecones were really pretty.

Anonymous said...

That must be what separates the real designers from the wannabes (How does one spell that word?) Anyway, I'm certain that it is the red coral in place of floral arrangements that does it! Who would think of that? That is really a stunning table!









Divine Theatre said...

I don't know anything about pinecones but I do know that I really liked this post! Furthermore, apparently you don't CARE if my hvac implodes because I hung a tapestry over an intake vent. Hmmf! That was a SERIOUS question!

xo

Andie

Anonymous said...

You could definitely see your enthusiasm within the work
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All the time follow your heart.
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Cynthia said...

I love this table setting it is beautiful and invites me in to eat. Thanks for sharing.

Cynthia

Silk Flower Arrangements said...

LOVE the warm tones; soooooo classy. The unique "festive" you bring to the table is enormously inspiring. Thank you for making a big deal about the boules; I learned something here. Thank you, Betsy, and I'm glad you're throwing in the towel on something that isn't working for you anymore. I've been rearranging priorities myself. THANKS!!

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