Tag Archives: Indoor

Fresh Herb Garden Luncheon Tablescape Décor Ideas (with Parsley Pesto Pasta Recipe & DIY + Printable Links)

May 12, 2015 Leigh 2 Comments

You’re invited to a luncheon at the secret garden where the aroma of fresh herbs will guide you to feast of parsley pesto pasta featured in a vibrant tablescape.

Find your name scrolled upon a seed card herb marker set into an herbaceous culinary plant. Delight in the knowledge that this gift will season many future meals. Remember the seed card imagery from the invitation you previously received.

Feel the warmth of the sun on your face as you take a seat upon an intricately carved wooden chair. Free a cloth napkin from its handcrafted textile ring to place in your lap.

Sip the cool Sparking Italian Pomegranate Soda held within a washi decorated goblet, and notice that the flatware and salad bowl bear the same detail.

Realize the radishes in the mesclun salad are echoed by the motif in the salt and pepper shakers.

Find more of them shaped into flowers sitting perched atop aromatic parsley pesto pasta garnished with extra pine nuts.

Appreciate that the tempting pasta meal has been raised to centerpiece status with its elevation by another inverted salad bowl. Recognize that the fabric square sandwiched between the two bowls matches the checked table topper of pinks, ivory, and sage greens.

As you harvest mounds of mouthwatering pasta into your hand-painted bowl, recognize the plant spray depicted as that of the very same spicy sprout bearing your name. Dust the zesty pasta with a dose of parmesan scooped by a tiny vintage serving spoon.

Taste the scrumptious pasta and refuse to believe that this is a healthy meal free of gluten and dairy. Take a crunchy breadstick contained in a terracotta pot wrapped with the same fabric as the napkin rings. Observe tinier pots propagated with candles sitting encircled with further washi.

Note that every element was placed with regard to creating a pleasurable gathering for you and your friends… and smile, knowing you are cared for.

Faithfully Yours,

Leigh

P.S. Learn how to recreate elements of this secret herb garden tablescape in your own home here:

Healthy Herb Garden Fresh Parsley Pesto Pine Nut Pasta Recipe (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Vegan)

DIY Herb Garden Fabric Napkin Rings, Free Basil Seed Card Printables (Invitations, Place-cards, Food Tents, Menus, Herb Markers) & How to Customize a Table Setting with Washi Tape

Arts & Crafts

DIY Herb Garden Fabric Napkin Rings Craft, Free Basil Seed Card Printables (Invitations, Place-cards, Food Tents, Menus, Herb Markers) & How to Customize a Table Setting with Washi Tape

May 12, 2015 Leigh

Bring the splendor of the herb garden to an indoor tablescape resplendent with free basil seed card printables for invitations, place-cards, food tents, menus, and even herb markers. Craft matching napkin rings with herb printed fabric, and then learn how to effortlessly customize a table setting with washi tape. Practically zero budget is needed to create a splendiferous luncheon with every element detailed… what a splendid way to grow a party!

Let’s begin with crafting the herb garden napkin rings. Find a fabric with a lovely herb motif. Cut it into 6 inch long strips about 1 ⅜ inch wide.

Mark an empty wrapping paper roll (or use a paper tower tube) into 1 inch sections. Cut through these sections to make the ring bases.

Hot glue the fabric strips onto the paper roll sections. (The ends should overlap a little.)

Glue the fabric flaps down to the inside of each roll. (This will make a nice edge that won’t fray in the future.)

Tie on a thin ribbon that coordinates to the darkest color of your fabric, and knot it closed. Trim the loose ends to about an inch long each.

Now your rings are ready to use and are reusable too! Fill them with cloth napkins and place them next to flatware customized with washi tape. It’s a great way to accent your look without having to buy new dishes or utensils, and it’s better for the environment than resorting to the disposable stuff.

Simply cut small inch sections of a coordinating paper tape and wrap onto anything you want to embellish. It won’t leave any residue when you peel it off, so clean-up is a breeze!

Utensils, goblets, and even a salad bowl have been effortlessly washi-ed to wonderful.

I even added washi to tiny terracotta pots filled with candles. The easiest way to make your own is to slip a tea-light candle into one. (We had no burning incident, but if you’re worried about fire… try an flameless LED tea-light instead.)

Now let’s make basil seed card invitations, menus, food tents cards, place-cards, and even herb markers for your tablescape. (Please note that my seed card printables are free for your personal use only.)

Simply right click on a small image below and select print. Choose color and photo settings for the best results. Print them on a thick paper cardstock that won’t curl.

Cut them out by the lines, and fold the pieces that need them into tents.

I taped the flat herb markers to toothpicks and wrote names on them to use as place-cards. The herbs they were stuck into then became lovely take home gifts for the name bearers.

The herb pots were lovely to set around a centerpiece of parsley pesto pine nut pasta elevated by an inverted serving bowl. (A piece of cloth, sandwiched in between, ensured no slippage while serving.)

See the recipe for my Healthy Herb Garden Fresh Parsley Pesto Pine Nut Pasta Recipe (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Vegan) here.

Race you to the craft room!

Faithfully Yours,

Leigh

Parties & Tablescapes

Leaping Bunny Topiary Spring Indoor Garden Party Décor Ideas for Easter or even Showers, Luncheons, & Brunches

March 26, 2015 Leigh

Say goodbye to winter storms and hello to spring splendor with a vivacious indoor garden party resplendent with leaping bunny topiaries! Put away the pastels and embrace vibrant carrot oranges and greens echoing this time of growth. Add apropos messages spelled out in hedgerow letters declaring the true reason for the Easter season. Give lettuce-edged napkins the bunny ear treatment as a tongue-in-cheek homage to all those cherished family photos. Layer chevron patterning with textural fibers to modernize the fête’s décor, forming an ensemble proclaiming, “Hello Spring!”

Crisp orange and white chevron fabric awakens the senses, making it the perfect underpinning for this little soiree. (My mother actually made this tablecloth, which is amazing for someone who has repeatedly stated, “I don’t sew.”)

Layered on that are round raffia mats placed as chargers. Rustic sage green plates are topped with orange salad bowls filled with fresh garden salads of baby greens like kale, spinach, and chard, with orange heirloom cherry tomatoes, English cucumbers, fresh parsley, sprouted pumpkin seeds, and crunchy carrot croutons. (Find the easy recipe for it here.)

Daily flatware is used, with the exception of the knives which have been exchanged with lovely patterned versions. (Mixing patterns is not only okay, but fantastic!)

Orange burlap bunny ears napkin rings hold lettuce-edge napkins matching the sage plates. (Learn how to easily make your own rings here.)

Understated water glasses were chosen as the only simple elements on the tablescape. Carrot lollipops with jute bows sit in place of dessert spoons. (Find them on sale at affiliate Oriental Trading Company. The link in the side bar adds a coupon with free shipping to your cart automatically.)

Baby leaping bunny topiaries sprout from burlap covered carrot pots above each place setting. (Learn how to craft them easily here.) Tiny printable carrots act as place-cards for each invitee. (Snag my free printables here.)

Big bunny mama springs from the center of the table in declaration of a beautiful life.

Orange twine wrapped Easter eggs sit on the grass beneath her. Twine and crepe carrots suggest growth of one’s soul.

Faith stands as the center of the celebration both literally and figuratively. (The hedgerow letters are bandaged with burlap and jute symbolizing that one may be battered, but not broken when one has such faith.)

The side table holds another hedgerow spelling Believe. It sits with an additional egg enmeshed in a swirl of vibrant chevrons and burlap lilies.

A green trunk elevates another bunny constructed of grapevines holding both faux farm eggs and green bird eggs.

Above that a carrot wreath with my topiary printable hangs next to my banner. (Find the carrot wreath at affiliate Cost Plus World Market whose sale link is in the sidebar.)

The end of my printable bunny and carrot banner sits close to a burlap carrot sign extending an honest welcome to all enter. (Get my free printables here.)

Take an idea or two, or use all of my craft tutorials and free printables for your own indoor garden party that declares, “Hello Spring!”

Faithfully Yours,

Leigh

P.S. The Easter Bunny approves this message.

(This is one of the wild backyard bunnies visiting my porch!)

Living Faithfully ~ Embracing Creativity