Creative Dining {Round 2}

Happy Wednesday! I shared last week a few images from my Creative Dining piece for LPF Mag featuring items solely from your local hardware store. As promised, I'm sharing some more insight into the shoot as well as some tips and tricks for recreating it at home with you today. I want to focus on the items used in the place setting. A great find was acrylic wine glasses on clearance from the summer. I was struggling with what to use for glasses until I found those. Next on the list to be found were plates, napkins, escort cards, and napkin rings. This is where the hunt began and where the tips and tricks jump in…

Tips and Tricks #1: A great option for plates are plant saucers. I used chocolate brown terra cotta ones that worked out fabulous. This was actually an idea from my mom that worked out perfectly. Another option is to use duct cap covers (like I used for a serving piece as seen last week). They are a bit deep but will work just as well.

Tips and Tricks #2: The painting section of the hardware store is your best friend! The napkins are actually cotton painters rags. I picked up a pack of 12 and used them for everything from napkins to decorative covers for the escort cards. Also found in the painters section are flat paint scrapers that make for excellent serving utensils. You can even wrap the base in twine to make it more decorative.

Tips and Tricks #3: The napkin rings are my favorite idea from the whole shoot. I found a medium gauge steel wire (with the screws, nuts, bolts, etc..) and bent it to spell out the word "enjoy". I then cut a 3" piece, bent it into a circle, strung it through the "enjoy" and connected the two ends. All that was left was to put it over the napkin. Another option is to spell out guests names with the wire. 

Tips and Tricks #4: For escort cards, I found cute little succulents in the garden section. From there I wrapped the bottom in 1/4 of the white rag used for a napkin and tied it with twine. I created the first letter of each person's name out of the medium gauge steel wire and attached it to the succulent to sit at each seat. 

Creative Dining

For the latest issue of LPF Mag, I took on the greatest challenge yet. It's something that I had been longing to do for months and taking on the task certainly proved to require a lot of creativity and a little bit of craftsmanship. Creating a dinner party entirely of items found at your local hardware store (with the exception of food) was more fun than I ever thought it could be. So much so, that Rob even joined in on the adventure. I'm going to share some images from the party today and over the next couple of weeks let you in on the supplies used and the tips and tricks to creating your own gorgeous table scape with unconventional items just in time for Thanksgiving! Hope you enjoy!

**Tips and Tricks #1: I was not able to find silverware or something to use as silverware, so the entire menu can be eaten with your hands!

*Tips and Tricks #2: For serving pieces, I used different porcelain tiles and a duct cap turned upside down for the bruschetta.

*Tips and Tricks #3: To create more table space, I placed a 4 ft piece of wood painted brown on top of quart size paint cans. This allowed room for centerpieces and food! 

Weekend Reads {10.25.13}

Hello Friday! If words could express my level of joy right now, I sure would be doing so. After a long two weeks with little sleep and no time off, my schedule is finally clear for a full three days. Over the next couple days I've got a packed schedule of eating, sitting, sleeping, reading, and football watching and I could not be more excited. Sometimes you just need some days of very little to do. But the best part of all of this is that the release of the newest issue of LPF Mag coincides with the weekend. Just a few days ago the latest issue dropped and it's better than ever and full of fall goodness to indulge in this weekend. It features a ghoul-tastic Halloween bash, fall fashion, easy hearty slow cooker meals, and my DIY dinner party put together with only items from Lowes. So instead of sharing my five favorite reads from the week today, I'm sharing the one most fabulous read of the season! Click the link below to flip through the whole issue and be sure to have a relaxing weekend!