Friday Crush

If you've read this blog and/or know me, you know that Thanksgiving is my own personal table-setting Olympics. It's the one holiday that I really gear up for in the table and entertaining department. Examples can be seen here and here.

You also probably know that I'm loyally devoted to Caspari and all things paper and entertaining that they produce. LIKE THIS NEW TURKEY PLATE.

Let's be clear that I already purchased my set...for next year. Because I had already purchased Caspari plates for this year. But this beauty was just too good to pass up.

We are closing in on potentially finalizing our move. Fingers crossed. Real Estate = Emotional Rollercoaster. Hope you have a fun fall weekend. See you next week!

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Caspari Christmas Ballet

Humor me.

I know Christmas is LONG gone but I never showed you my Christmas table. And I loved it so much that it made me sad to put it away without showing you. So here it is.

You know Caspari is my fave and they debuted this Christmas Ballet collection this year...and I had to have it:

The Nutcracker Ballet depicted in a napkin full of hot pink, red, blue and green. Be still my heart.

I paired it with my wedding china, Derby Panel Green by Royal Crown Derby:

I also used my wedding crystal for wine and light pink glass tumblers from IKEA for water.

Paper napkins served as a table runner as well as coasters. 

Hot pink poinsettias took center stage inside small glass vases (Tip: Did you know you should "sear" the stems of cut poinsettias with a lighter/flame in arrangements? My cut stems are still going strong weeks later). 

Various crystal candlesticks with Caspari taper candles in shades of red, hot pink, and light pink provided ambience.

Everything perched atop a red tablecloth (also Caspari, obvi) that is wonderful for fancy dinners because it feels more like fabric than paper.

And then, we had the Christmas mice:

I made a little trip to IKEA where I picked up a dozen mice for 99 cents each, followed by a trip to the craft store for some pink tulle for the ballerinas and some felt for the gentlemice.

After a relatively short crafting session where I just eyeballed everything and went to town with a hot glue gun, I had a small army of Christmas mice to adorn the table. The perfect finishing touch to each setting and the kids loved them.

And that's a wrap on Christmas. Thanks for playing.

Have a great weekend...see you next week!

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Friday Crush

Well, here I am, the weekend before Thanksgiving and my table has not been planned. When it comes to entertaining, I either have it really together in advance...or it's a hot mess hours before. I can never seem to get it in between.

Regardless, I always love having guests in my home so I'm pretty pumped that Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and we are set to have a full house. One thing I do know - Caspari will be on my table. It always is. And the napkins above which are PERFECT for this holiday remind me of my Thanksgiving table from last year:

All the feathers.

If you are hosting, I hope your planning comes together this weekend! See you next week!

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Oasis by Harrison Howard for Caspari

Two of my most absolute favorites have teamed up once again - Harrison Howard and Caspari - for a fantastic new line of paperware, perfect for ushering in beach season.

Take a look at Oasis:

image via Caspari's Instagram

Harrison's art is breathtaking and I love that Caspari knows just what to do with it. The combination is always spectacular.

I basically hoard Caspari products - it's the easiest way to dazzle guests...just break out some beautiful napkins - so I'm sure this collection will be joining my stash.

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My Jewel-Toned Turkey Table

I got it together and styled my Thanksgiving before the holiday in the hopes of helping you gather some inspiration for your own table.

As you can see, color takes center stage this year on my turkey table:

It all started with Caspari's Kilim Spice napkins and their kaleidoscope of juicy color. I fell in love with all of the berry jewel tones punctuated with soft yellow, orange and turquoise.

And naturally, I paired the napkins with some of my favorite Caspari paper plates...I actually wanted to go back to using my china this year but the napkins were non-negotiable and mixing them wasn't really working.

I also blinged out the table with some awesome golden touches. First up is a pair of Addison Weeks' Dewey Cups (next to last picture) - gorgeous brass julep-type cups encrusted with a gigantic jewel. They make the perfect bud vase but I could also see them holding straws or cocktail stirrers on a bar. So chic.

And those awesome cheetah napkin rings are from Annapolis shop Strawberry Banke Studio, a recent find that I'm so glad I know about. Their curated website is perfect for your upcoming lady gifts - a tray for you sister, a clutch for your mom, a silver bud vase for your best friend...it's all there.

Now, I am no flower arranger. I hope to one day hone in on that skill, but I can pick out flowers based on color and shape and I adore how the carnations (always my go to) looked bunched together in the Dewey Cup. And the pink flowers in the middle (I'm not sure what they are called) had the loveliest drape but needed some height, so I threw in some feathers - always appropriate at Thanksgiving.

Hope your table is coming together if you are hosting. I would LOVE to see pictures of your own table in the comments or on Instagram (use #aotable so I see it)!

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Jeweled Thanksgiving

This is where my head is for the table that I have yet to set for Thanksgiving:

Jewel tones all the way. I have had these Caspari Kilim Spice napkins on the brain for literally years and I have decided this Thanksgiving is finally their time:

And, recently, Addison Weeks and their AMAZING jeweled-brass Dewey cups came into my life and you know how much I love a julep cup on my table. Especially a brass bejeweled one.

Deep pink, shades of lavender, lots of brassy gold, pops of orange...maybe a touch of black. This is how I'll treat our turkey this year. But a busy schedule (and an Amazon delay!) mean that this table is still only in my head.

Are you setting a table? I would love to hear your details!

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Friday Crush

image via Caspari's Instagram

My favorite shop in the whole wide world - the Caspari flagship in Charlottesville, VA - has these amazing prints for sale. The box buys you a set of 40 (!) and you know there are so many visual treasures inside - ready for some awesome frames and to be hung as sets. Call the shop if you want in - 434-817-7880. And ask them about that AWESOME lamp while you are at it.

Gearing up for a dreary weekend here...hope the sun is shining bright where you are. Have a fab weekend - see you next week!

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Easter Joy

Our Easter was joyous. The day was beautiful allowing a pause for spiritual reflection and quality time with family. And we had baskets, bonnets and so much candy.

My table was a bit last minute so it wasn't as layered as usual, but I did get some close-ups to show you the bright combination I settled on - Scalamandre's China Rose with Caspari's Garden Follies:

 The kids donned their first set of matching smocked outfits and let me tell you, my heart was full:

Ana Claire's Easter bonnet (from here) was just about the most precious thing I've ever laid eyes on. My phone blew up with all the pictures I took yesterday. Indulge me for a moment:

Holidays around here are ramping up in their excitement as Ana Claire gets older. She is just a joy to watch getting excited over special celebrations (and stuffing whole chocolates into her mouth like her father). And having Mac on hand to celebrate his first holiday doubled the fun. These kids...what a gift.

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Pagoda Placemat

I won't bury the lead. This is a placemat:

An awesome die cut pagoda placemat from Caspari. Die cut means it's actually cut in the silhouette of the pagoda...so it gives incredible dimension to a table. These would be bananas for Easter...or any holiday entertaining, really. I'm a huge fan and they are on my current wishlist.

Get a set here...

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Caspari Nutcracker Bar

I mentioned that my Caspari holiday inspiration wasn't quite done with my Thanksgiving coverage. The Christmas displays I saw at Caspari HQ when I visited in November were AMAZING. And none caught my attention more than this nutcracker bar!

Y'all know I'm devoted to nutcrackers and I couldn't stop staring at this gorgeous display accented with the most delicious tones of cobalt blue. I've really jumped on the blue train at Christmas as I love how it sets off the traditional red and green tones of the season and this bar captures the look exactly.

Not so great pictures but trust me that the look was ridiculously good in person. Caspari has the most incredible assortment of items with their nutcracker motif, as you can see. Like that big guy in the center? He's an advent calendar! Love, love, love.

Shop Caspari's Nutcracker Suite collection here...

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Friday Crush

Let's wrap up this week of amazing ideas from Caspari with this blue and white specimen. No, that is not a fancy fine china dinner plate - it's an AMAZING placemat. As in, a set of four will set you back less than $40. I think one of my favorite tabletop items is my Imari placemat set so I think I need to add these classic blue and white ones to my collection and use them on my Christmas table.

I hope you got some good nuggets of table-setting inspiration this week...godspeed if you are planning out your table this weekend. See you next week!

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My Paper Plate Thanksgiving, Caspari Style

I had just about the best time putting together this Thanksgiving table.

After my visit with Caspari, I came away with so much inspiration that this table practically set itself. Welcome to Thanksgiving chez AO:

Highlights:

- Yay for hoarding tableware! Nothing I already owned was off-limits for this table and I mixed and matched my little heart out.

- Centerpiece vase is the iconic Tobacco Leaf that my mother-in-law was going to toss! It's really shining bright in the center of my Imari tray. And the silver service was my mom's. Crystal is our wedding crystal. The little black eggs are a collection that I've had for YEARS and never see the light of day. Love shopping my house when setting a table and pulling out items with history to use as accents.

- Black candles! I had squirreled away this idea for four years and I love it here.

- I beat Kate and team by using SIX layers on my head place settings. Note that the head place setting (last picture) and side settings (first picture) are slightly different. I only had enough Imari placemats to go around for four since I doubled them up to create more of a rectangular placemat. But I LOVE the result of having the two head settings slightly different - especially with that touch of silver peeking out from behind the plates!

- Yay for hoarding fabric! I have had that green stripe fabric since we moved into this house and have never found a place for it...using it on this table was my nod to my recent Greenbrier escapades. 

Now, if you do the math, you'll notice Thanksgiving is still a week away. Meaning that I will now need to dismantle this table only to recreate it next Thursday as little hands were eager to experience the Gilded Gobbler:

Oh, Ana Claire.

I want to give a huge thank you to the Charlottesville Caspari team for loading me up with tips and inspiration and the paper products I'm using here. Such a phenomenal brand that is my holiday go-to. I'll be posting some more Christmas inspiration from the store in the coming weeks. 

Get the Gilded Gobbler Look:

Imari Paper Tray  •  Decorated Pears Cocktail Napkins  •  Harvest Gathering Salad Plates  •  Aubergine Grosgrain Border Dinner Plates  •  Highland Spice Guest Towels  •  Imari Placemats

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