Imitation Mardi Gras Mask Tablescape

Mardi Gras at Plum Creek
Feb 28, 2014

Did you ever have an idea for something stuck in your mind  (like forever)  and you just couldn't seem to bring it to fruition?  You really want to do it and yet can't seem to make it happen.  I really wanted to make a Mardi Gras table with some super-cool Mardi Gras mask plates that I saw on Susan's Between Naps on the Porch about a year ago.  I hunted them down on the internet and found out they were made by Muirfield,  the pattern name is Magnificence Celebrity.  I saw one single plate sold on the Goodwill auction site last year, a single plate sold on Ebay and a set of four plates on Ebay sold for an arm and a leg plus your firstborn child.  Needless to say I dropped out of the auction early on. The four Ebay plates sold for over two hundred dollars plus shipping.  So I had to improvise by making my own mask plates,  please meet my imitation Mardi Gras mask plates. 

The mask is cut from prism finished paper plates and placed under a desert plate that is lime green on the outside rim and clear glass in the middle.  The glass desert plates came from Marc's (my favorite close-out store) for fifty cents each. I cut some of the masks with their prism like feathers and some without.

It probably should be noted that the wine glasses are improvised too.  I stuck a sticky Fleur-de-lis onto plain black wine glasses that I bought at Goodwill for fifty cents each.  The feathered head-dresses on my imitation Mardi Gras mask plates were made from black feathers and metal Fleur-de-lis clips that I bought at Hobby Lobby at two dollars for eight clips.  I made my own royal purple napkins (and tablecloth) and the yellow feather embellishments to place into the wine glasses.  

 

The centerpiece is a mask from Pat Catan's,  some lime green and purple Christmas berry stems from Marc's,  and orchids cut from my own plants.  The orchids had been in bloom for over three months and were rapidly fading so I trimmed what was left of the flowers to add to the vase holding the centerpiece.  The vase came from Goodwill for two dollars.

The peacock feathers are recovering from a near fatal incident that occurred the night after I took the photographs for my Paradise in Blues Tablescape post.  It seems one (or more) of my four cats has a  taste for peacock feathers.  After we went to bed on the night in question one of my sweet little cats proceeded to pluck every peacock flower in the centerpiece and from the napkin holders. I have my suspicions of who the perpetrator was.

Looks innocent doesn't he?  This is Cheetah.  He is one of several feral kittens that I captured and brought home to civilize several years ago.  Obviously you can take the cat out of the jungle, but you can't take the jungle out of the cat. I did manage to salvage several of the feathers,some had to be trimmed of their damaged areas.  But all in all they worked out fairly well.

 

I found several ceramic masks last week when I went shopping at Goodwill with my friends Gloria and Kathleen during our lunch break.

The purple votive lamps just happened to come in at Marc's this morning.  Some of the beads came from our visits to New Orleans over the years,  some were bought at Goodwill.  The mirrors on the table came from Marc's (I'm not to sure if I like them). The Fleur-de-lis candles are from Hobby Lobby (half price of course).

The dark purple chargers are a Goodwill find,  the gold chargers are from the HomeGoods Store, the light green salad plates are from Goodwill,  the purple diner plates are also from HomeGoods, and the flatware came from an Ebay auction.

 

My little friend in the white clown suit looks as if he is taking a bow,  perhaps for a job well done?

You may have noted that some of the pictures are taken with the Mardi Gras beads on the table and some were taken with the beads removed.  I liked the pictures without the beads. I will post a few more pictures of the table top tweaked later.

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Additional pictures with centerpiece removed and evening pictures.

Have a Wonderful week!  Thrift on ladies,  thrift on.

Linking with:

Karin's Centerpiece Wednesday

Susan's Tablescape Thursday

Laura's Friday Favorites

Kate's Flaunt It Friday

Sue's Meet the Neighbors Party

Alma's Seasonal Sunday's 

Nita's Mod Mix Monday                                                                    

Kathryn's Make it Pretty Monday

Kathe's You're Gonna love it Tuesday   

Marty's Inspire Me Tuesday 

Karin's Twirl and Take a Bow   

Dawn's History and Home Link Party   

The Scoop - Visiting for Debbie's Confessions of a Plate Addict  

Sharon's Be Inspired Linky Party  

Kim's Wow Us Wednesdays 

What's It Wednesday

Misty's This~N~That Thursday

Paradise in Blues Tablescape

Paradise in Blues Tablescape - A Late Winter Tablescape
February 21, 2014

A long time ago (about two generations back) I walked past a florist store that was going out of business and saw a peacock display for sale in the front window.  I was in love with this peacock.  I wanted that peacock.  I scrimped for two weeks to get fifteen dollars saved up to buy him,  I was so proud of this peacock until I realized that I had used money that should have been going towards a car so I would not have to take a bus to work.  My happiness disappeared and turned to shame and embarrassment. I knew my father would think I was more than just frivolous,  he would think I was stupid to be buying a peacock when I needed a car. I ended up hiding the peacock in the attic,  and later he ended up at a rummage sale without me ever getting to really enjoy having him.  I just could not bear to look at him and remember how misguided my priorities were when I bought him.  But now I have a car,  a home, and all of the usual stuff that anyone could ever need.  I can buy myself a frivolous thing now and again,  and I do.  Witness my new love,  peacock plates and all the trimmings for a Paradise tablescape.

 I came across the dinner plates made by 222 at the Home Goods store a year or two ago (apparently the pattern was being updated).  They had been marked down from $16.99 to twelve dollars for four plates.  A second box with three plates had been marked down to eight dollars.  Recently I found salad plates to go with the dinner plates (both are made by 222). 

After Christmas I found a set of marked down turquoise water goblets made with a mirror like finish that resembles peacock feathers.  I paired them up with aqua wine glasses that I had bought from Marc's (my favorite close-out store) for a dollar each.

Last fall I bought a vase and two candle holders at the Volunteers of America store at 75% off the marked prices.  The vase had been marked at $4.99 (= $1.25 net), and the vases had been marked at $6.99 (= $1.75 net)each (the original price stickers on the candle holders said Stein Mart and were marked at $29.99 each).

Vase ($1.25)

Peacock Candle Holder ($1.75 each)

I found this exotic tablecloth at Goodwill for $2.00 (less 10% senior discount = $1.80) it was made in India by a company called Trendz.  It is very colorful with birds and jungle animals on and surrounding a rendition of the tree of life.  I used the vivid blues in this tablecloth as the inspiration for the rest of my paradise tablescape.

The peacocks on the napkins came from Home Goods after Christmas and the Humming birds were bought at a garage sale last summer for twenty-five cents each.

Now you might ask if I ever saved enough money to buy my "first car".  And of course I did.  A young man in the neighborhood had received his orders to ship over to Vietnam and wanted to sell his car. I bought his 1960 white Corvette convertible for six hundred dollars.  I loved that car even more than I ever loved that peacock!

 Have a wonderful week - Thrift on ladies, thrift on.

New champagne glasses and a special friend to help celebrate Mardi Gras.

Coming soon.

Linking with:

Susan's Tablescape Thursday

Kathryn's Anything Blue Friday

Sue's Meet the Neighbors Party

Alma's Seasonal Sunday's 

Kathe's You're Gonna Love It Tuesday 

Marty's Inspire me Tuesday 

Karin's Twirl and Take a Bow 

Dawn's History and Home Link Party 

The Scoop - Visiting from Debbie's Confessions of a Plate Addict 

Sharon's Be Inspired Linky Party 

Venus Valentine Tablescape.

First things first - Happy Valentine's Day Eve.  I hope you are warm and safe and with the one's that you love on this very cold and snowy winter day.

Way back in 1967 I was walking my young son in his stroller.  We walked for about a mile and a half around the neighborhood.  Just as I turned around to start back home I noticed a white object partially wrapped in old newspapers laying on the top of the trash in the neighbors trash can.  I did not know then that I had just met an object that would follow me around for the rest of my life.  Always with me, usually residing on my vanity, always waiting there to hold my necklaces.

 She appears to be made of marble like materials,  I think her arm may have broken off prior to our first meeting  (maybe that was why she was in the trash).  I like her,  with or without her arm.  I decided on pinks and rose colors for our Valentine's Eve table.  The charger is a dark rose red made in Portugal by falancaSubtil bought from our local Goodwill for $1.95 each (I had a 35% off coupon).  The dinner plate was bought from the Goodwill auction and it is marked Nikko designed by Dina (see label), the auction was for fourteen dinner plates and twelve salad plates.  I was the only bidder at  $5.99, the shipping was almost twenty dollars.  Not that great of a deal but I do like the plates for spring and summer and of course Valentine's Day.  The lovely pink rose salad plates were found at the Volunteers of America store last year.  They are Bordallo Pinheiro made in Portugal (I bought eight plates for $12.50). The rose pink flatware came from Tuesday Morning a few weeks ago.  They were on clearance at 40% off.

 

I was with my good friend Gloria (a fellow thrifter) from work when I found the crystal water glasses and wine glasses at the Goodwill Store near where we work last year,  they came out to $1.30 each with my coupons.  Kathleen started to work with us recently.  She is a thrifter too.  When we go thrifting Kathleen calls the little strip shopping center by the Goodwill store the "G. W. Mall" (I love that!!).   The crystal  salt and pepper shakers (even the shaker tops are crystal) were bought at the Goodwill near my home at $1.00 each piece (less my Senior discount).  All of the crystal candle holders are thrift store finds too.

 

The blue and white flower pots all came from our local grocery store at a close-out sale with plants in them.  The crocheted tablecloth is laid over a rose red cloth both Goodwill finds, I just don't remember which store.  I am thinking it was the Goodwill by my house several years ago.  Tablecloths are $2.00 each (less the senior discount of course).

And now,  more pictures!!

 

A larger darker pink napkin is folded with a lighter lace trimed napkin and tucked into the water glass.  This is one of the few napkin folding techniques I can manage to do.  There is a heart shaped lollipop stuck into the back of the napkin to not only look cute but to help the napkin stay straight in the glass.

The Valentine's Day trees got a pink redo to help Venus feel more at home.

P. S.

Valentine's Day Dinner - Just for John and me.
Menu:
Petite Filets,  Lobster tails,  baked potatoes,  asparagus,  garlic bread,  and homemade chocolate pudding for desert.

We had a lovely dinner.

 If you are affected by this horrid winter storm -> Stay warm, stay safe, stay home!! <-

Thrift on ladies, thrift on..............

I am linking to Susan's Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on The Porch,  Marty's Inspire me Tuesday,  Dawn's History and home Link Party,  Kathe's You're Gonna Love It Tuesday,  and several other really fun favorite parties.



Tablescape Thursday


History and Home Link Party

The Scoop

Inspire Me Tuesday

You're Gonna Lave It Tuesday