If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors
to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours.

~ Henry David Thoreau





Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Dressing up the take-out

I am joining the very talented Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.  Be sure to stop over and enjoy all of the wonderful tablescapes. 


Our church held a Chiavetta's Chicken BBQ last Sunday, so I convinced the neighbors to support the effort and invited them to eat at our place.  I decided to set a cheery table (one of these days I will take pictures of the food too.)  I served the hot chicken halves in the pretty green baking dish.





I pulled out some new red placemats, my everyday flatware (Gorham Studio), the plain old white Corelle that I've had for years, green salad plates from a sale at Pottery Barn years ago, new goblets from Christmas Tree Shop, and two different cotton napkins.  (folding tutorial to follow)

I'm keeping this very simple and easy.....just like the dinner itself.











This sweet little radish dish was a gift from my daughter several years ago, and I filled it with Feta Cheese, Crumbly Blue Cheese and toasted almonds to serve with a fresh tossed salad.



The view from my kitchen..


Napkin Folding Tutorial

1.  Start with one large square napkin, place hem side (wrong side) up.



2.  Lay second napkin on top (hem side up) matching the upper side and right side with the first napkin.  They do not have to be the exact same size.




3.  Fold the top napkin to the right hem.



4.  Fold the bottom napkin over so edges meet.


5.  Fold the napkins in half again, bringing bottom hems up to meet top hems.



6.  Fold top napkin edge under.



7.  Fold second napkin corner under.



8.  Fold third napkin quarter toward you and tuck under.



9.  Fold 4th napkin quarter under in the same direction.



10.  Turn entire napkin over.



11.  Bring right edges back to center.



12.  Bring left edge over and tuck under the right edge.



13.  Smooth out and flip over.



Voila!
Two napkins come in handy when you eat BBQ chicken.


The sunset was beautiful over the lake, but we were too busy eating and chatting to take pictures.

18 comments:

Anita Diaz said...

Oh I love the napkin fold idea and I will try it! Your table looks so festive and cheery. I love those colors...especially the green plates and the seeded glassware. And the view is pretty fabulous!!

xinex said...

Cue napkin fold! Thanks for the instructions. You really do have the most amazing view. Love your tablescape, love the bright colors! I'll have a Mexican tablescape posted by 6:30 tonight....Christine

Kathleen said...

What a pretty table and the view is gorgeous!
Of course I entered The Tablescaper's give away! And I expect her to deliver it to me herself, LOL!
Have a great weekend!

The Tablescaper said...

Great table. I really like the way you folded the napkins.And the green glass plates look wonderful on the white plates.

- The Tablescaper

All The Pretty Dishes said...

Wow! This looks great - sparkling white table with red and that great shade of green.

Beth said...

Gorgeous colors! Love your white table and your porch too and the napkin is so cute. Lovely tablescape!

Maria@ChicaBellaCrafts said...

Beautiful! I can look at your pictures for ever and be happy. Loved the colors you used. Hope your having a wonderful week.

Nicole said...

I love all those bold colors against the white table and THAT VIEW is to die for! I'd never get up from that table. :)

Joanne Kennedy said...

I am in awe of where you live. Look at the view! Wow! Lucky lady.

Your tablescape may be simple but sure is fun. I love the colors and that napkin fold is great. I'm going to copy that one. I love it. Thanks for the lesson.

Hugs,
Joanne

Tricia said...

The red and green combination looks so great with your white table -- and it echos the geranium, one of my very favorite flowers. LOVE the napkin fold idea and will definitely give it a try. It adds so much flair to the simple setting. Love your blog name -- and endorse that sentiment!

Chubby Chieque said...

Very smart idea. Cute & lovely.

Happy TT...

Marigene said...

What a beautiful table with a fabulous view...one could never tire of it!

Lori @ Dining Delight said...

That is a "cheery" table! Love the colour combo and what a nice setting/view to enjoy! Great napkin fold! I LOVE those green stems!

DD

Johanna Gehrlein said...

I love your folded napkins. That's great. And the green and red makes me happy.
Greetings, Johanna

Lia at Petite Little Bee said...

How beautiful!!!!!

Maria said...

I like tables where there's a lot going on . . . but it doesn't seem like it! Your table is beautifully understated. Love it!

Gloria said...

LOVE THE RED! It's my favorite color. And your VIEW is fantastic!
Best regards,
Gloria

Kim @ This Belle Rocks said...

I love your idea of dressing up takeout! And thank you for providing a napkin tutorial. I don't have many napkins, but now I want to go buy some!