The last stop on our whirlwind anniversary road trip was in Richmond, Virginia. We met up with our friends, the Petersiks (who happen to have one kick butt superblog) and were able to let Will meet his betrothed bride – little Clara (who was born about a month after the Tinkler), visit one awesome park, eat totally great food and even create a little video for all of you guys.
But first let’s just oooh and aww over these two…
They were hilarious together. During our photoshoot, all Will wanted to do was grab Clara’s face…and we had to teach him that courting a girl does not include a gnarly claw to the eye. And WHAT PRETTY EYES SHE HAS! lordie lordie…we thought that Will could have blue eyes (because the boyfriend has baby blues) and when his eyes turned brownish, I was thrilled to have him look a little more like me while still wishing he had those light windows to the soul. So it goes without sayin that I love those sparkly blue pools on a baby…so cute.
And yes, they are holding hands 🙂
Now that you are buttered up with those darling babies, let’s talk about some of the bloggy goodness that Sherry and I whipped together…and it’s all about white tablesettings. That’s right. Again. (we’ve done it before here). This time, we wanted to show you how to take a standard simple table and turn it into something that looks anything but plain. Here’s what we started with:
The basic white table.
White plates.
White napkins.
Glass cups.
Silverware.
And then we grabbed five items around the house (honestly it was like shopping in a zgallerie/westelm/ikea in that Petersik house) and threw them together to create five different looks.
Now for the video:
Three Ways To Tweak Your Table from Young House Love on Vimeo.
So for all those non-videoers out there, I thought I would be nice and give ya the read-able version too.
The first tablesetting was Asian Inspired.
All we added was a manzanita branch, a bit of fabric for the runner, chopsticks, a lotus flower votive, and a red vase with fortune cookies. Ok ok…so technically that may be more than 5 items. But seriously…who’s counting individual chopsticks?!? Unless you are a chopstick seller. And then…welll…umm…carryon.
It all began with the fabric. It was simple & beautiful with touches of blue and gold. And when we found the chopsticks in her drawer, we knew that the accent color had to be red. Hence red vase. Notice we also made the napkins look a little more drapey…kinda like a waterfall off the table.
The flower was actually perfect because of it’s nod to asian gardens and if you look closely on the fabric…it’s petals are right there…I swear. And the branch? Well, visually it took up the right space…and it was neutral which is great when you are working with bold colors like gold and red and turquoise. Overall, this is a simple but elegant look, dontcha think?
The next tablesetting we threw together is totally Sherry-style in my book. It’s bold, it’s graphic, it’s punchy with neutrals all at once. We started again with the fabric (hey it’s a great jumping off point for rooms AND tables!). Then we grabbed a pashmina to tone it down.
It was grey by the way. And believe me when I tell you that grey is the new beige. or the old one. you know before beige became the old ice blue. you know what I mean.
Anyhoo.
Then we arranged the silverware to be a little more modern/easy/we-just-threw-this-together-but-we’re-totally-chic.
After that it was all about the centerpiece which happened to be oh-so-shiny while still simple.
I love the mini candles…they look like short fat pillars…perfect for this arrangement where a tapered candle would look out of place. And those little persimmion just kill me. Literally I am dead. call the coroner…I have no pulse.
Plus, those natural elements are like the Bob to the candlesticks Jillian. You know…they help calm things down a bit.
The last and final (single tear rollin down my cheek) tablesetting is this natural and neutral one that totally looks fall-inspired.
It began with the simple linen runner and a large hurricane filled with corks and a candle. Then we began searching for items that would be good accents. I loved the little woven basket – which could be ideal for holding the matches for that pillar candle. Plus, it looks like an acorn, doesn’t it? And every nut needs a squirrel. Yeah. I just made that up. And it makes no sense.
But it does look cute with the little curly tail, no? And we are back to cute. Full circle.
But before we move on, I wanna show you something that is so kid-friendly and it would be the perfect task for keeping the kids out from underfoot on those days you are trying to cook…it’s these napkin rings.
Basically just a bit of twine and a couple Cheerios. This is a great craft for the kiddies…and I think it could buy you thirty minutes if you asked them to string twenty on each side 🙂
Soooo fun. I can’t believe it’s over. It may seem weird but honestly I get such a kick outta setting tables. I guess that is why Sher and I are friends…because she does too. Just another reason why we are best bloggin’ buddies. As for Will, he misses his fiance terribly. He told me just the other day (in grunts) that he can’t wait for our next Petersik-Bower reunion.
You guys rock! Thanks for the ideas/inspiration
I love this!! That bride and groom photo is SOOO flippin’ adorable. They’re a match made in heaven 😉
Those little bride and groom onesies are to die for! Where did you get them? Or did you have them made? And I love all the table settings, but my fav is the grey!
Eeee I love this!
Y’all are my 2 favorite bloggers!
Can we get a little “behind the scenes” post with what your weekend itinerary was like (ie – meals you had, things you learned about each other, funny stories, etc)?
Thanks for the great post as always!
Too cute Katie! Love the table setting ideas! The bride & groom photo is over-the-top adorable!
You two are my favorite bloggers, so I love that you are BBB. Looking forward to watching the video when I get home. You guys are adorable.
I love it when you and Sherry get together! The photo of Clara and Will holding hands is too cute! And I think I have that flower votive 🙂
Missing you guys mucho. Can’t wait til “Atlanta Or Bust!”
xo,
s (& j & c & b)
Thanks for the great table setting ideas! I love the asian one the best. It’s inspiring to see how you can take a boring white table…like mine…and make it so beautiful!
sounds like you guys had a great time!
Katie, you are loved by so many! I admit that I do not agree with everything you say/do, but you love Jeremy so much and even you admitted in your recent you guys fight over everything! I hope that if people feel the need to express their concern that they will do it kindly as you have always been so generous to let us into your life and not purposely been negative to someone. Keep up the good work! I hope that your positive comments today can bring you some encouragement!
hope you enjoyed your visit to Richmond (i know you did)!! can’t wait to see more adorable clara and will pix in the future.
Do you ever take bad photos? You always look great!
I loved the videos. You two are hilarious.
~Allison @ House of Hepworths
Oh my gosh, they’re just perfect together. And from one big headed girl to another, (in the nicest way possible) I think Will got your noggin along with those grogeous big brown eyes. I’m terrified to have kids because both my husband and I have ridiculously large skulls. I walk funny just thinkin about it.
YHL and Bower Power were the first blogs I ever started reading… actually they were the first 2 blogs I ever knew of. I’m so glad I found y’all!
I love both your blogs! So neat to see you decorate together. Keep up the great blog! You are awesome!:)
Woo to the hoo! Love to see the crossover. The Will + Clara pics are simply adorable, as I knew they would be. 🙂 Glad y’all had a fun weekend together!
ADORABLE!!!!!!!!
oh wow….i can’t believe i’m only visiting your blog for the first time today. thank goodness i hopped over from the youngters page! your blog truly seems to celebrate the sweet southern life and i can’t wait to see what adventures are coming for y’all! xoxo
how fun! we went to el dorado royale for our honeymoon too! we have some of the most hilarious pictures where they tried to spell our last name (very German) on our dessert plates 🙂 we went in march of 07 and would LOVE to go back for our anniversary sometime!
i LOVE clara’s face in that first photo.
they are going to have the cutest wedding video someday, haha.
Was looking at my fav blog YHL and saw you guys on there, and now I’ve gotta say, I’m falling for your blog too :). Bookmarking it today 🙂
So cute!! Clara and Will make a darling couple! And the table arrangements are fabulous as always! One day, I’ll have to try my hand at decorating the table… mine usually looks like the basic white version 😛
love the tablesetting ideas! It inspires me to get creative with my table :). discovered YHL earlier this year, and now I;ve found y’all :)…love Bower Power 🙂