Westie, Art & Garden: table decorating

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Food Art Garden Cards Kids Mushrooms

Let the mushrooms show you where your place is at the table.

Food as art? Absolutely. Useful art at the table in the form of a name card or place card. It started out innocently as I was going to make a salad. My marker was on the counter from last night numbering the Christmas calendar. I couldn't help but pick it up and draw a face on the mushroom. The trials of an artist. This is one of those times inspiration struck immediately on what to do with it.

There is a wonderful 3-d quality to the name cards. (These were simple plain tags that I had in my drawer.) She looks like a sweet bird on a branch. I added lavender, cinnamon bark, ribbon and a dab of hot glue to hold the mushroom girl to the card and also for the lavender. My hands were very fragrant when I was finished.

When I cut the mushroom in half she had a perfect mate who I then drew his face on. He's here on the right. Every American family has a dog (or almost) so here is our westie dog mushroom. This last photo is before I hot glued them on the cards. It's so fun to get kids excited about coming to the table and making it fun and presenting food in an artistic way. These are not to be eaten but mushrooms have a pretty long shelf life so you could make them earlier in the day and they will keep and look beautiful all during dinner.

I am linking up with these friends linky parties:

Feathered Nest

Farm Girl Friday

My Romantic Home

Pin Inspirational

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Cinnamon Sticks Table Decorations - Holiday

Vintage silver sparkles for the upcoming holidays. I played around today experimenting with different cinnamon stick arrangements (sweet spicy scent) and other outdoor organic finds I gathered. I am a gatherer! My cream and sugar doing double duty. The tarnished look makes them even more primitive especially against burlap, don't you think?

Cinnamon sticks are versatile! I bought a big box last year of them and their scent is not as potent, it's subtle and yummy now. Some fir tree tips (wonderful scent) were inserted into one cinnamon log/stick and they make quite a cute vase. I like this gingham ribbon better than baker's twine. (Probably because I'm out of it!) The ribbon is soft and silkier and easier on little fingers. I'm thinking of the little sweethearts that will be around our thanksgiving table.

My idea of country farmhouse decorating is to use what you have to make some eye candy. If it's useful too that is even better. Now if it's eye candy, useful and also smells heavenly...I sit up and take note. My cookie cutters came out of their box.

The copper colored bird pulls out the warm browns of the cinnamon. It also means our creativity is taking flight ;-)

A bird filled with holiday greenery. There is a nest in it's heart.

So much fun. Arranging and rearranging and even more ideas blinked in my head.

Lavender stars in this napkin topper. Mini tree bouquets. I did add a pinch of lime green cedar. Greenery and plants make us happy especially as it dips into the 20's tonight.