Simple and natural holiday table

My favorite meals are with a few people at a time, and I like an intimate setting that lets us all shed our worries, relax, and enjoy that exquisite pleasure of being appreciated. Without taking hours of time, I make a few welcoming arrangements of candles, flowers and pottery in my foyer, living room, and dining room. I like this a lot better than an over-the-top table runner packed with tall, intimidating objects so that you can’t see across the table. These look great when you are making them, but I’ve found that they aren’t truly inviting. No one feels comfortable being the only one who can’t recognize a Rookwood vase, or comment knowledgably on Japanese floral arrangements.  I pull more precious objects out for large gatherings but for my small dinner parties, I like simple and natural. Like this:

 

 

 

Click on any pic here to see details or purchase. Hope you have some guests over soon!

Vase with a frog lid- my new design

Is there anything more compelling than the tight buds you have watched that have burst open overnight? Do you fill with happiness to find a fresh bouquet on the table? I love this, And it takes at least 20 minutes to get an arrangement right, and I’ve rarely started my day early. I like floral blocks because they hold the large heavy bloom upright but you can’t reuse them so it seems wasteful. I took an old idea- the flower frog- a lid with holes that lets you separate and position flowers. I made it low, because that tall pitcher of flowers makes it hard to see across the table. After several tries, here is my perfect vase! I made each arrangement in just a few minutes!