Black And Silver Sequin Table Setting, Great For New Year’s Eve Or For Halloween

Welcome to the 797th Tablescape Thursday! Happy New Year! I hope your 2024 is off to a great start! Unfortunately, mine started out with a yucky cold. I had planned to make the drive from Ohio back home to Georgia on Tuesday, but I caught the cold that's been going through the family and it finally caught up with me on Monday. After a sleepless night, I didn't feel up to the 8-hour drive back home on … [Read more...]




Happy New Year! So Looking Forward To 2024!

Welcome to the 779th Metamorphosis Monday! Happy 2024! I hope you had a fun New Year's Eve. I spent it with friends and family which seemed like the best way to kick off the new year. I have two wonderful decor and centerpiece ideas to share with you for this week's Met Monday. My dear friend, Teresa, loves traveling more than anyone I know. She and I have shared some wonderful adventures over the past … [Read more...]




An Elegant, “Dress-up” Dinner Party for 10

Welcome to the 701st Tablescape Thursday! I have a wonderful treat for you today! Recently, I received an email from Warren about a special dinner party he and his wife Kathie hosted in their home. Warren said, "After setting too many holiday tablescapes, I felt like I had lost my mojo and was suffering from "tablescaper's block." (I am in all of Susan's talent and skill to have created over 600 … [Read more...]




Celebrating a Special New Year’s Eve with a Snowy, Star-filled Table Setting

Welcome to the 642nd Tablescape Thursday, a blog party sharing beautiful table settings for all occasions! I've been working on a table to share this week but it's not quite ready for prime time. Yesterday was my birthday so I gave myself the day off to relax and play a little. As you get older, seems like celebrating each birthday becomes a bit more important--know what I mean? I'll share in another … [Read more...]




A Festive Drink and Delicious Appetizer for Your New Year’s Celebration

I know most of us won't be throwing a big New Year's party this year, but the two recipes I'm sharing today are awesome for any size gathering, be it small or large. This is my absolute favorite punch recipe ever! At Christmastime, I dip the champagne rims in colored sugar for a festive look.   When I make it for New Year's, I dip the rims in these adorable nonpareils. I love how festive … [Read more...]




A Beautiful Wintry Tablescape in Navy, White and Gold

Have you ever thought about creating an "After Christmas" table? Darlene, a lovely BNOTP reader has had this table in mind for many years and this year she made it come true. Darlene said, "Wanted to show you my "after Christmas table." For several years I have wanted to do one, but this year I made it happen.  I was in our Big Lots prior to Christmas and saw beautiful table linens in navy blue with gold … [Read more...]




Bonnie’s Beautiful New Year’s Eve Celebration

Welcome to the 591st Tablescape Thursday! I'm posting Tablescape Thursday a bit early this week since I'll be spending all day Wednesday on the road. Gonna be a long day tomorrow. Thank goodness for Audible! I was so excited when I came across this beautiful table my friend, Bonnie, shared on her Instagram feed. I've shared several of Bonnie's tables in the past and they are always a … [Read more...]




The Best Champagne Punch, New Year’s Eve-Day Recipes and Celebration Ideas

Need a great punch for your New Year's Celebration? This is my absolute favorite!   When I make it for New Year's, instead of using red and green sugar around the rim of the glasses, I use colorful nonpareils instead.   It looks so festive for a New Year's celebration. If you're having a big group over to celebrate, make more than one batch because it's always a huge hit and … [Read more...]




One Dish, Many Celebrations

Welcome to the 478th Tablescape Thursday! Hope you are having a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends this week. I'm away enjoying visiting with family, so don't have a table to share, but I have something table related that I hope you'll enjoy. Recently I purchased something as a Christmas gift for a family member and loved it so much, I purchased one for myself, as well. You may remember … [Read more...]




17 Charger Plate Ideas for Your Next Dinner Party

Welcome to the 454th Tablescape Thursday! Whenever I set a table for friends or family, I often use a charger plate underneath the dinner plate. I love the way they enhance a setting, adding another pretty layer and providing a base for each place setting. They are also practical as they help catch drips that would otherwise fall on the table or tablecloth. Back in early 2008, before I ever began … [Read more...]




Blue and White Table Setting for a Special New Year’s Eve Dinner

Welcome to the 435th Tablescape Thursday! Recently I received an email from Gina saying, "Some friends gathered at our house for the annual New Year's dinner and the blue and white china was used.  It's was a fun time in that we discussed what we learned and (won't do again) and what we expect to accomplish for 2017." What a fun dinner that must have been. I would love to have heard what everyone … [Read more...]




Where Did You Get That Flatware?

Welcome to the 409th Tablescape Thursday! I've been out of town visiting with family for the last five days and just got back late yesterday evening. Since I wasn't home to create a tablescape, I thought it might be fun to put together a post all about flatware. Flatware is to a table setting what jewelry or shoes are to an outfit. The right flatware can be the perfect finishing touch to a beautiful … [Read more...]




A New Year’s Winter Table Setting

Welcome to the 331st Tablescape Thursday! Recently, my friend Bonnie created a beautiful winter tablescape for a New Year's Eve dinner.   This table setting included a Santa centerpiece dressed all in white, so this table would also work great as a Christmas tablescape, too.   Take away the Santa and this table setting would work great any time during the winter … [Read more...]




A “Hair Of The Dog” New Year’s Day Party

This morning I shared a book from my decor library that offers us a peek into some pretty amazing parties held in private homes in New York. I must have parties on the brain since I've even been dreaming about them. Are you attending any New Year's parties this year? Will you be hosting one? I'm kind of glad I didn't plan one this year since I've come down with a nasty bug or something after all my … [Read more...]




New Year’s Dinner Party Tablescape with a Winter Theme

Welcome to the 278th Tablescape Thursday! On New Year's day this year, I had a little dinner party here in my home. Originally it appeared as if 8 would be attending but that number happily grew to 10. Since my dining room table will only seat 8, and that's always a bit of a tight fit, I decided to set two tables, 6 in the dining room and 4 in the breakfast room. Last week I shared a few pics of the … [Read more...]




Down To The Wire & Behind the Scenes, It’s Party Time!

It's 4:30 Pm, New Years Day. Friends will be arriving in 30 minutes for a New Year's Day dinner party and suddenly a long list of things still needing to be done starts playing through my head: Mix up the champagne punch, pop the appetizers into the oven and get them onto a tray, put out the cheese and crackers, light the candles throughout the house and on the porch.  How did it get to be 4:30 so … [Read more...]




New Year’s Day Table Setting with Lenox Winter Greetings

Welcome to the 277th Tablescape Thursday! So how was your first day of 2014? I hope it was awesome! Yesterday I had 10 friends over for a New Year's Day dinner. I barely remembered to snap a few pics of the tables before everyone arrived. Since there were 10 of us, I ended up setting the dining room table for 6 and the breakfast table for 4. The centerpieces for each table were similar, but … [Read more...]




Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

A couple of days ago I shared plans to make a butternut squash soup for a New Year's Day dinner party. I found a recipe that sounded and looked pretty yummy at "Chow" online.   One of the things I like about this recipe is that it can be made up to 3-4 days in advance, then reheated prior to serving. So many foods actually taste better if they are made a few days in advance since it gives the … [Read more...]




New Year’s Eve Party Ideas

Welcome to 276th the Tablescape Thursday! New Year's Eve is just 5 days away! Here are a few past table settings and a couple of other links that may prove helpful getting ready for your New Year's celebration. New Year's Eve Table Setting, 2013     New Year's Eve Table Setting with Vintage Style Pottery Barn Clock Plates   New Year's Eve Tablescape with Black … [Read more...]




Emergency Substitutions for Common Ingredients

There's nothing more stressful when preparing a big holiday dinner than running out of a key ingredient, especially when there's no time to run back to the store. Here's a list I compiled of popular substitutions for some of the more common ingredients we sometimes run low on. Hope this helps your cooking go a bit smoother this holiday season! Happy Thanksgiving! Image from … [Read more...]




21 Delicious Party Drinks for the Holiday Season

It will soon be party time! Even if you're not having a big party this year, chances are you will have family and friends stopping in during the holidays. Treat them to a special drink that's as pretty as it is tasty! I spent several hours yesterday searching for the yummiest and most beautiful party drinks I could find. I'm pretty excited about this list, I think it will be my go-to spot for holiday … [Read more...]




A New Year’s Eve Table Setting

Welcome to the 228th Tablescape Thursday! Every year I plan to create a New Year's Eve table setting to share here on BNOTP and every year, time gets away from me and I never seem to get one done.  I've had an idea brewing in the back of mind forever.  Even though I didn't have a New Year's party this year, I decided to go ahead and put a table together just for fun.  Before I share my New Year's Eve … [Read more...]




A New Year’s Table Setting with Pottery Barn Clock Plates

Welcome to the 227th Tablescape Thursday! My friend, Bonnie, rang in the New Year with a wonderful dinner party.  Bonnie said, "The day started out on a beautiful note.... with snow!"   What a gorgeous view! Let's go inside where it's nice and warm.  The table is all ready, even the chandelier is decorated for this celebration.  And look!  It's the Blue Hour! Bonnie's dining room is so … [Read more...]




Pottery Barn Clock Plates, Make Your Own

Welcome to the 189th Metamorphosis Monday!   Back around New Years I posted a wonderful tablescape my friend, Bonnie put together for a New Year's Eve dinner party with friends.  I love vintage/antique clocks and this table was so perfect for a New Year's Eve gathering with its clock theme.   Bonnie used her Pottery Barn clock plates for this tablescape.   These plates were … [Read more...]




Elegant New Year’s Eve Table Setting

Welcome to the 175th Tablescape Thursday!  Can you believe this is our 175th Tablescape Thursday?  Wow!  That's a lot of fabulous tablescapes when you consider how many are linked here each week.  Thank you, thank you, thank you to all you talented ladies and gents who share your amazing eye for detail and beauty.  It's so wonderful to visit your blogs.  The world just melts away for a while as I lose … [Read more...]




Ice Chiller for Wine or Champagne: A Tutorial

I shared how to make this wine chiller last year, but I thought it would be fun to share that post again in case you're looking for something fun for your Christmas table or for your New Year's eve celebration.  It's easy to make...you'll just need a couple of containers, water and cranberries.  Sliced lemons and limes would work, too. Tutorial:  Make a wine chiller: Last year I received a catalog in … [Read more...]




Glamorous New Year’s Eve Table Setting

Welcome to the 125th Tablescape Thursday! This evening I'm excited to share a tablescape from my friend, Bonnie. Bonnie created a wonderful table setting for New Year's Eve recently. It's sparkly and festive and perfect for celebrating the start of a new year. As you can see, Bonnie had a little 4 footed help with preparing the table. I always love seeing what Bonnie's done with her hutch for the … [Read more...]




Champagne Punch Great For Christmas or New Year’s Party

Several folks have asked for the punch recipe I mentioned in our last Party Planning post. I'm happy to share it.   You'll find a printable version of this recipe at the bottom of this post.   The Recipe: Champagne Holiday Punch Ingredients: 1 cup water 1/2 cup sugar 3 cinnamon sticks 4 whole cloves 2 cups cranberry juice cocktail 1/2 cup pineapple juice 1 bottle champagne (Korbel Brut works … [Read more...]




Strawberry Cheese Ring Appetizer

Today, I'm sharing a yummy appetizer I've made several times and it is always a big hit. It's super easy and fast...can't beat that! The recipe comes from Paula Deen's cookbook, The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook.  Love this cookbook!  It's filled with lots of good Southern cooking.  I've also linked to one more of her yummy recipes at the very end of this post...Sweet Potato … [Read more...]