I am lucky enough to have a Caspari store in my town and I am always inspired by their fabulous displays! (Think Anthropologie but with an emphasis on entertaining!) It’s one of my “happy places”. When I was there the other day I spotted these robin’s egg blue faux lizard placemats and I immediately scooped them up. Then I turned and saw that they had matching paper napkins! I’m crazy about robin’s egg blue (or aqua or turquoise or whatever you want to call it!) and when it’s mixed with orange like this I think it looks like pure summer! I felt so inspired I couldn’t help but come home and create a table setting with them and share it with you. Whether you’re having lunch with a girlfriend or company for dinner – you can set a pretty summer table with these colors! Here’s how I did it:
When setting a pretty table I like to pull out the “good stuff” – even for everyday and that includes china & silver. But to keep it from feeling too formal I like to mix and match the pieces. Whether it’s layering complimentary plates or pairing random patterns of silver – mixing it up a little keeps it fresh. So now whenever I’m at a yard sale or antique shop I’m always on the lookout for pretty plates, forks, knives & spoons to add to my collection.
I like anything sparkly and making a napkin ring with some bling is a great way to make this setting shine! I chose this brooch because of the blue colors but also because the leaf pattern feels a little tropical which I thought suited the beach shell napkins quite well. To make this one I simply looped a small piece of ribbon through the back of this brooch and tied it to this plain silver napkin ring. Hot glue is a great way to attach these if you really want to commit – but I’m a little bit fickle with my table decor – so I prefer this ribbon technique. Accents like napkin rings are one of my most changed elements so I want to remain flexible.
I also want to mention that these napkins are paper! Yep, you sure can use paper napkins when entertaining – if they are this pretty! Here I doubled the napkins for a lovely layered look of the orange with a pop of the blue at the end.
As you saw in my video tutorial last week – I love paper medallions and use them whenever I can! Here I couldn’t resist embellishing this one with a starfish pendant to continue my beachy theme.
I was in Target last week and one row that I always like to check out is their candle aisle. I love candles! They are affordable decor that add style, ambiance and a pretty scent to whatever space you use them in. When I saw this lovely bird I knew she’d be a perfect compliment to this scene so I happily bundled her into the cart for safe keeping. I think she’s perfect on this table, don’t you? I don’t have the heart to light her though – she’s so pretty I want her to last as long as possible!
I like the mix of the crackly pot my oranges are nestled into and the reflective mercury glass vase! Because they’re both a little distressed I they compliment each other nicely. I also like the different heights. They help to add visual interest, I think.
You can put almost anything under a glass dome and it instantly becomes treasured art in my opinion! Here I am displaying a favorite piece of faux coral. I like how the cloche adds height without bulk because you can see through it!
This antique cheese server – yes, it’s really for serving grated cheese! – was an awesome yard sale find!! I thought it was for serving cream or something but it also has a tiny little scoop and the owner explained it’s original intent to me. I don’t know that I’ll ever serve cheese in it but I sure love how it looks – even sitting around empty!
While I did add a few fresh flowers to this setting – both easily available at your local grocery store – it’s the oranges that really steal the show in my opinion! Here I combined navel oranges and clementines because I liked the mix of big & small shapes.
I hope you enjoyed this tour of my aqua & orange table and maybe got an idea or two for creating your own! Do you have a favorite part? I’d love for you to tell me in the comments below!
And speaking of comments – I read each and every one of them – they mean so much to me! So please leave a little note letting me know you were here. You will really brighten my day!
Happy Celebrating!
July 06, 2012 at 8:34 am, Tracey Fisher said:
I really love this color combination! I love that blue and with the addition of coral – wow! Can I come over for lunch
?
July 06, 2012 at 8:50 am, Jennifer said:
> Absolutely! The table is set & ready!! Now, what to eat….?! {tee-hee!} Thanks for stopping in Tracey!
July 06, 2012 at 11:33 am, Kristen said:
What a fresh color combination! I’m like you…anything turquoise, pale blue, robin egg blue is enough to get my heart beatin’
You are so talented…I’m so glad that I found you’re blog. It’s definitely one of my favorites and I find that I look forward to your posts!
Kristen
July 06, 2012 at 11:41 am, Jennifer said:
> Hi Kristen! oh, yay!!! I am just so grateful that you found me and thrilled to know you care
When creating scenes like this and writing posts I always wonder – does anyone care about this?! Fortunately I enjoy the process and do it for myself but I admit to hoping that others will like it too!! So, I’m overjoyed that you do! Thank you for joining me on my journey of celebrating! Happy Friday! ~ Jennifer
July 06, 2012 at 6:28 pm, Ginny Justice said:
I love your table, Jennifer! In fact, I ran out and got some new accessories for our dinner table today during my lunch hour. Here’s a question for you: Do you set a table like this and leave it set for decorative purposes?
Thank you for sharing your ideas. I love your site!
July 06, 2012 at 7:10 pm, Jennifer said:
> Hi Ginny! Oh, I’m SO glad you like the table & the site!! Absolutely! I will set a table like this and enjoy it for as long as the fruit & flowers hold out.
Have fun setting yours!
July 07, 2012 at 11:32 am, Carolyn said:
Jennifer,
I love your style and blog. I actually get on daily and enjoy it so very much. Love love the table setting. Makes me feel happy.
July 07, 2012 at 2:50 pm, Jennifer said:
> Hello Carolyn! I’m delighted to “officially” meet you! Thank you for sweet comments and I’m just thrilled that you are enjoying the blog – Hooray!!! This table makes me feel happy too! I hope you have a wonderful weekend and I’ll “see” you on Monday!
~ Jennifer
July 07, 2012 at 5:34 pm, Diane | An Extraordinary Day said:
I love this Jennifer!!
Fun, festive, and as always….classy!
Thanks for the wonderful inspiration. It truly inspires me to plan ahead. I just had a week with two last minute calls from friends out of state wanting to drop in for a few days. It was wonderful!!! I’m sure my table looked nice…but how fun it would have been if I had a plan I could just pull out of the bag. I should have guests again toward the end of the month. Hmmmm….what shall I do?
p.s. I recently moved to another state so I’ve gotten out of the entertaining mode. :-/
July 07, 2012 at 8:55 pm, Jennifer said:
> Hi Diane! You are so sweet! I’m sure your table looked GREAT and I’m so happy to help inspire even more fun tablescapes!! Good luck settling into your new home! I know how fun but also exhausting that can be
July 11, 2012 at 2:59 pm, Sarah {Lacquer & Linen} said:
This is stunning Jennifer!! I absolutely love this color combination, it feels so summery and fresh. I love what you did with the tablescape, especially the coral and the graphic napkins. I live by the beach, this would be perfect for a summer dinner party here. Fantastic work!!
July 12, 2012 at 4:32 pm, Jennifer said:
Hi Sarah, Thank you so much for the lovely compliments!!! I’m totally blushing over here
July 13, 2012 at 1:40 pm, Merri Cvetan said:
Love this table setting. Gorgeous. Found you on BYW. Lovely site. I’m hoping to find time to add graphics and words to my photos. Do you use the program taught in class?
July 13, 2012 at 1:55 pm, Jennifer said:
> Hi Merri! Thanks so much for visiting!! Yes, I use Photoshop like Katrina (Pugly Pixel). Her tutorials are fabulous!! I also really like the tutorials on JessicaSprague.com for learning to use Photoshop. With great tutorials like these you’ll be up to speed before you know it! Good luck!!
November 26, 2012 at 9:39 am, Jaclyn said:
A friend just bought me the bluebird candle on your table setting for my ‘Twitter bird’ collection! Lovely photos, happy to have discovered your site. -j
November 26, 2012 at 8:07 pm, Jennifer said:
Hello Jaclyn! Thank you so much for visiting and stopping in for a quick chat! I’m so happy you found me and how sweet of your friend to get you that bird – it’s a beauty!! I will never burn it because I think it’s so pretty! I move it all around my house
Enjoy!!
March 15, 2013 at 5:55 pm, Natasha in Oz said:
This is so pretty! I just pinned it-I love everything!
Best wishes,
Natasha in oz