A Single Candle

Hosted by "Between Naps on the Porch"
I know Spring is just around the corner. How because my son turned one year older! Since my son's birthday was on Sunday, we also celebrated it on Monday night by inviting friends over for a dinner party. We hit Walmart that morning for some last minute ideas for the menu since it was also my week for finals, the menu planning escaped my mind.
While cruising the clearance aisles, I found this light yellow candle without any tags and I quickly formed an idea for a tablescape. I certainly didn't have time for any elaborate centerpiece and since I am a Feng Shui practitioner, often my ideas are simple and harmonious to my family dynamic and to the people we often invite into our home. (Plus, "Brain" would like to point out that we are dirt poor and are currently apartment dwellers. Meaning, we don't have that much space to entertain and yet we do anyway! LOL)

THEME:"Start of Spring"
MY INSPIRATION:
A yellow mildly scented candle

It had no tag and it was almost hidden away at the bottom shelf. I happen to be looking for candles (to bring life and light to any gathering, just like my son), and it seemed odd that the only ones available for my budget happened to be squares. So it was a very nice surprise that I found it. I used only one candle as my main centerpiece to symbolize my only and very special little boy who we love very much. I quickly stashed it in my cart and since it was tagless, the customer service people gave it to me for 50 cents! The picture is reflective of its actual size, so its price is that much sweeter.

The placesetting was dictated by the menu and the guest combination of children, teens and adults. It was a rather formal table for an informal gathering, but the look of the table allowed for a more mature conversation that engaged everyone. I did have to employ a card table to stand as an additional children's table for four as we had a total of 10 people dining plus 5 others came for the cake.


As you can see, the plates were from a previous Thrifty Thursday post. Again, I focused the tablescape on the foods that would be served. Do you like the tablecloth? It is very nice that you can even hang them on your windows. Why, because they are drapes! Yes, I couldn't find any inexpensive dark taupe tablecloth for my budget but when I saw these at a great clearance price, I snapped it up! They were originally $25 as a set, but I got them for $11.00!

The rectangular serving dishes, I ignored those for several weeks until last Monday morning when I realized that they will hold the amount of food I needed to serve. They are normally $20 each, at least that's what I saw in one of the covered up tags, but I got each of them for only $8.96! The dishes and placemats are off white, so these very white serving pieces stood out nicely, anchoring the sole candle in the middle. They are heavy and each holds a lot of food.


TABLETOP GOODIES:
Plates- "Spectrum Stripes" by Culinary Arts- Kroger; $1 each
Flatware- "Highrise Sand" by Cambridge International- Kroger; $22 for 20-piece set
Glasses- "Fire and Ice" by Anchor Hocking- Walmart; $9 for 16
Placemats- "Fresh Ivory" by Home Trends- Walmart; 75 cents each
Serving dishes- Walmart; $8.96 each
Tablecloth (2 window tab drapes)- Walmart; $11
Candle- Walmart; 50 cents
MENU:
Garlic and Olive oil Vermicelli with kielbasa
Steamed Broccoli with light scampi sauce & diced tomatoes
Wheat dinner rolls with homemade honey butter
Chocolate "Hot Wheels" birthday cake
Calamansi juice (Filipino citrus)
Thank you for stopping by; I hope to see your tablescape for today, too! And make sure to visit and thank Susan of Between Naps on the Porch with me for hosting again today. See you all at the next table!