My mom and step dad were here last week for a visit which happened to coincide with my mom’s birthday. I’d tell you which one, but she’d probably kill me.

I decided to host a dinner party to celebrate, but what started out as a simple cookout ended up being a full-on sit down dinner for 9. It all began with a plant, a pint size lavender beauty that captured my mom’s attention while we were food shopping. She loved the plant so much, but obviously didn’t want to take it all the way back to Reno with her. She was content to stare at it for awhile and put it back. The next day when I went to pick up the cake, I decided to get the plant for her as a surprise and put it on the dinner table.

But of course I didn’t stop there.

I’d have to make some arrangements to go along with the plant, so I checked out the cut floral. I spied some white stock (sooo fragrant and comes it a wide variety of colors) and some pretty purple flowers (which I didn’t recognize, but no matter!).

A mason jar made the perfect vase for the large centerpiece, but I also gathered a few other glass vases of different shapes and sizes to scatter along the table. Flower arranging can seem intimidating, but really it just takes practice. Here are a few tips to get you started.

  1. Warm water should be used in vases to help the flowers perk up.
  2. Stick to 1 or 2 colors to keep things simple.
  3. Think outside the box…fill in with herbs, foliage from your own trees, or branches.
  4. Arrangements look best when the height of the flowers is about the same as the height of the vase.

The inspiration plant, wrapped in drop cloth and ready to party!

For these two arrangements, I used a few stems of each flower and filled in with some rosemary and parsley I had on hand.

I made a small centerpiece for the counter from a bouquet of leftover parsley and some sprigs of rosemary.

Mike made a quick leaf for our new table, which meant I needed a table cloth. Enter a perfectly sized 6×9 drop cloth for the occasion.

Here was the dinner menu:

Caribbean Chicken Thighs

Coconut Rice

Tomato and Onion Salad

Everything turned out perfectly, and fun was had by all!

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9 Responses

  1. megan

    The flowers are GORGEOUS!! Now I totally want to run and pick some up for my house!! Your a good daughter to throw and little dinner party for her 🙂

    Reply
    • Lovely Crafty Home

      Yup! Warm water encourages them to drink, so it’s perfect for grocery store flowers that are usually a little pukey by the time you bring them home.

      Reply
  4. Ashley

    The setting is beautiful and your table runner is AMAZING! It’s so natural, organic, and beautiful!!! I love your work and creativity. Did you make the runner?

    Reply

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