Tablescape Thursday - Ocean Breeze

Ahoy, mates! Welcome to Tablescape Thursday hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch! Today I am taking a short break from spring decorating to set an ocean inspired table. Friday is Mr. Panache's birthday and we are having a seafood feast! So in keeping with my menu I've gone a little coastal with this week's table.

Of course we couldn't have an ocean inspired table without lovely shades of blue. I am using four varying shades of Mr. Panache's favorite color. I have used two placemats layered one on top of the other. They are aqua and royal blue. The napkin is a medium blue-teal and the decorative glass candle plates are translucent turquoise.

I filled a hurricane with glass beads of clear, teal and aqua to help tie in the color scheme.

Invited some little sea creatures over to decorate my table. A cluster of Starfish and shells picked up on Clearwater Beach during the years I lived there were the perfect accents to my Ocean Breeze table.


A lovely bronze Starfish securely holds my napkins in place.

I found these blue and white clam shell coasters at Target. They add a touch of whimsy.

A silver plated shell-shaped serving dish holds more aqua glass beads and a Starfish.

I just got these two large metal lanterns from my Celebrating Home interior accents line. I love them. They are so sturdy and versatile.

I love the way Vanilla Creme candles glow and flicker. The little candle plates were a find at Everything's A Dollar store.

I picked up three styles. I like this one. It looks like a flower or if you use your imagination, a Starfish.

You may remember my Shell salad plates from my Florida Sunset post a few weeks ago. This picture also gives you a better look at the layered placemats.

This candle plate is shaped like a daisy. My Eternity silverware add shine and sparkle in the candlelight. I hope you've enjoyed the Ocean Breeze. My seafood feast will feature Grilled Salmon with lemon-dill sauce, Peel 'n Eat Shrimp, crabcakes, stuffed mushrooms with crabmeat in hollandaise sauce, roasted garlic potatoes and a leafy green salad. Mr. Panache has requested a Strawberry Cheesecake for dessert! I'll post pictures on Saturday of our feast. We will pick back up with our Spring and Easter feature posts on Friday. Until then,

Happy Decorating!

~Alisa

Tablescape Thursday - A Walk Along the Beach

Okay, so I decided to marry a Florida native about 20 years ago. Up until that time I had never even been to Florida! And I had only seen the ocean one other time and that was in Virginia! Needless to say, not only did I fall in love with Mr. Right but Palm Trees, Seashells, Sandy White Beaches and West Coast Florida Sunsets fell right in line. I started thinking last week that next month is Mr. Right's birthday and wouldn't it be great to have a seafood buffet for his birthday dinner. Grill up a little Salmon in Lemon-Dill sauce, pan sear some Scallops and bake Crab-stuffed Mushrooms with Hollandaise Sauce....hmm. This started me thinking about table decor - naturally. So this week's TABLESCAPE is a forerunner of next month's birthday buffet but Ssh! Don't tell because I want it to be a surprise. This table is all about Seashells and the color of a Florida Sunset.

Burnt Orange linen placemats set the right amount of color punch to play up the white dishes. I love these Shell shaped salad plates. They were a real-deal at HomeGoods and work perfectly with my Ivory dishes from Better Homes and Gardens.

Silver accents and Mercury Glass give just the right amount of glitz.

A real Florida, West Coast sunset. Isn't that just beautiful? Thanks Linda Charlene for the use of your incredible photo! XOXO! Now you see where I got the inspiration to use the orange placemats.

Walking along the beach after a storm is the best time to find little treasures washed up from the depths of the ocean.

The color pallet is very simple - white, orange and silver - but it all glows in the soft flicker of candlelight.

I found these little bronze Starfish napkin rings at BBandB while I was still living in Florida. I pulled an ivory cotton napkin through the ring, then stood it up resembling an Octopus. Okay, work with me here - use your imagination. If you tilt your head and squint your eyes it COULD look like an Octopus.

Last week a Reader e-mailed me asking how many sets of dishes do I own. The answer is one. I do have extra salad plates and bowls or plates only from other patterns but as far as complete place settings go, I have one set, enough for 10 place settings. Most of my tablescapes use common pieces. The differences are all in the linens and the accessories. Invest in a neutral color and style, then you can mix and match to your heart's content.

The romantic glow of candlelight adds ambiance reminiscent of an evening clam bake on the beach.

Now, this little guy won't be center stage during the birthday dinner but I'm sure I'll find a nice place for him to rest.

Here is a close-up of the shell-shaped salad plate. Notice the raised details at the bottom of the plate - it is a cluster of little seashells.

This shell-shaped silver serving platter will most likely hold Peel and Eat Shrimp during the seafood buffet. I have three of these in various sizes. All of them were purchased at Target on a markdown sale. They will make the perfect buffet set-up and keep our seaside theme in tact. Well, I hope you have enjoyed the "Walk Along the Beach" table. For more great tablescapes be sure to visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. Friday we will feature The Cook's Corner and Saturday a very special "Junk to Gems" post showing the handiwork of Mr. Right and his thoughtful Valentine's gift. Until then,

Happy Decorating!

~Alisa