Moss Garden Table Setting: Welcome to the 124th Tablescape Thursday!

Hi Everyone! Hope your week is going great! Recently, for our Blogging Bloopers 2010 Party, I shared some of the gaffes I've made this past year, including a tablescape that didn't quite turn out the way I had planned. Since I let that cat out the infamous bag by sharing a few pics, I thought I'd share the rest of the info about how I put that table together, just in case you'd like to try it...but minus the "shag carpeting" moss. ;)

The idea for a moss tablecloth table setting all started when I came across this tablescape on Paula Deen's website. I love creating what I think of as "fantasy" tablescapes...tablescapes that delight and make you forget how bad my cooking can be. ;)




When I saw in the close-up pic that Paula has one of my very favorite china patterns, Lenox, Winter Greetings, I knew I just had to give this moss tablescape idea a whirl. Don't you love those magnolia chargers! I'll definitely be using that idea sometime!




Now, I'm usually a stickler about the details when I get a project in my head, but after pricing sheet moss (the type moss used in Paula's table setting) I was a little discouraged. Sheet moss at Michael's was quite expensive and it was going to take a lot of it to cover a whole table. In early spring I came across this floral moss in Dollar Tree. I had long sense forgotten exactly what the moss looked like on Paula's table, so I thought the floral moss would work pretty well. I bought 20 bags to make sure I had enough. HA! I had 9 bags left over when all was said and done.




I also found an inexpensive, dark green, vinyl tablecloth at Garden Ridge...it was only a few dollars as I recall. It would be perfect as the base for my moss tablescape.




I wanted the moss to stay in place so I used a spray adhesive I already had on hand. I moved the chairs away from the table and sprayed the adhesive on the green tablecloth. Then I pressed the moss into place. It went very quickly and I had the whole table covered in about 15 minutes. Then I cut the edges of the vinyl tablecloth away so it only covered the surface of the table.




I had gathered the components for a "garden" tablescape a few weeks before, not really knowing how I would use them. They all came together in this whimsical table setting.




I actually would have been very happy with the tablescape if the moss had looked a bit more like the moss on Paula's table. I'm going to keep looking for some more affordable sheet moss and recreate this table again sometime...but in the meantime, here's how it came out using the Dollar Tree floral moss.




The china is by Spode and was a find at Marshalls a year or two back. It's part of the Kim Parker Collection and the pattern is, Emma's Garden. You may remember having seen it in previous tablescapes HERE and HERE.

I don't buy a lot of china these days since I have a good collection now. A pattern has to really steal my heart for me to consider buying it. This one is definitely one of my favorites. Click on the other tablescape links I've mentioned above to get a better view of the precious chargers. Shelia has this darling china, as does Christine...right ladies? :) We were all bitten by the Emma bug! You may still be able to find it online.





Since this is a "garden" themed table setting, I decided to use my daisy arrangement for the centerpiece. I originally shared where I found the pitcher and daisies for this little arrangement in a "spring fluffing" post, HERE .





It was a gorgeous spring day and the sun was shining in on the porch. As if on cue, Mr. Sun highlighted little parts of the table setting. :)







Flatware is Gourmet Settings, Treble Clef. I love this silly flatware. Anytime I am setting a whimsical tablescape, it finds its way onto the table.




The napkin rings are from Pier 1, a year or so ago.




I spotted the little garden angels at Dollar Tree and had no idea how I would use them...they were too cute to leave behind. I thought they would end up encircling a flower pot one day. This day they became a perfect surface on which to rest the flatware. The little angels have wire wings with little green leaves attached. The wings are hard to see since they nestled themselves right down into the moss.







Found the embroidered napkins one day while out antiquing...




The coasters are little clay garden signs and they are engraved with cute little garden sayings.




I removed the tall, metal hooks from which they hung and they became coasters, stabilizing the glasses atop of the moss. Glasses are another Pier 1 find from long ago.




I guess I don't dislike the moss as much as I did when I first created this tablescape, but I'd still prefer to see a bit more green and fuzzy and less brown and scraggly. Melody shared some good advise in a comment she left on the Blogging Blooper post. She said, "...a little tip when using sheet moss or any dried moss such as spaghnum, reindeer, chartruese.......always soak in water before using. This rehydrates the moss making it poof. And, you must keep spritzing it with water for the look."

Thanks Melody for that great tip! I do remember seeing something in the Paula Deen article about keeping moss in water or damp prior to setting the table. I'm not sure that would have helped this floral moss look any better because it just wasn't green or fuzzy enough to suit me, but that's a great tip to remember when I eventually get around to recreating this table with sheet moss.




I'm looking forward to viewing your beautiful tablescapes! :)



Sources:
Chargers and Salad Plates: Kim Parker Home Collection, Pattern is Emma, found at Marshalls a year or two ago
Dinner Plates: Big Lots a few years ago
Glassware: Pier 1, a year or two ago
Flatware: Gourmet Settings, Trebel Clef, HomeGoods
Candle Holders/Lanterns: Marshalls, a few years ago
Candles: Provided by Colonial Candle
Angels, Moss and Clay Signs/Coaster: Dollar Tree
Daisies and White Pitcher: Michael's a few years ago



Please Read:
If you are participating in Tablescape Thursday, please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on your post name. Then just copy and paste the address that shows up in the address bar at the top, into the "url" box for the picture linky. You'll also need to put your e-mail address in, but don't worry, it will not be visible to anyone.

You may see a red X once you enter your link. No one else can see the red X, it's just there in case you make a little mistake and need to delete your link and re-enter it.

If you'd like to use the Tablescape Thursday logo button in your post, just copy and paste it to your computer and upload it to your post as you would any photo. Or, just grab the html code you'll find under the "Join a Party" heading at the top of this blog.

Please, link back to the host blog, Between Naps on the Porch. This is important because it helps those who are visiting your blog, find the other wonderful tablescapes posted for this Tablescape Thursday, thus increasing visits for all participants.

Please, don't add your post name/blog name in ALL CAPS...it tends to create big spaces between the rows of links. Thanks!

Let's try something fun today! Please visit the person who linked before you and after you...that way everyone will get some visits. Hope you'll visit more, of course. :-)


Little Reminder: Thank-you for linking back to this post so the regular visitors to your blog will find all your fellow Blogger's posts linked here for this Tablescape Thursday. Don't forget to use your permalink. : )