Garden Table

Happy Earth Day!! For this week’s Tablescape Thursday, I have added a few eco-friendly elements to my table, along with a few whimsical items that pay tribute to Mother Nature. We live a pretty sustainable life here at Opulent Cottage already, but I’m always on the lookout for more ways for our family to leave a smaller footprint on our wonderful planet Earth.

 
  

Using live plants as a centerpiece is my first eco element, as they can go right into the garden when it’s time to change the centerpiece. This also allows me to avoid the plastic packaging that comes along with most cut fresh flowers. Best of all, those plant pots are all recyclable now!

 

I just adore these faux mushrooms, which will also go into the garden. Don’t we wish they really grew in these colors! A little frog hangs from the side, waiting for a bug to fly by. I brightened up a plain clay pot with red spray paint, rather than going out to buy something new. It sits atop a vintage, scrolly iron stand.

 
  

Cheerful plates really pop against the white table topper.

 

These pressed glass goblets really have a vintage vibe, don’t they? I love how they are similar to the vintage punch cups.

 

One of the reasons that I love thrifting so much is knowing that I’m giving vintage and secondhand items a new life. The pricing is pretty awesome, too! I found these Martha Stewart napkins for $1.50 at one of my favorite thrift stores recently. Isn’t the rick rack just charming?

Flowery napkin rings were in order for my Earth Day table, so I broke out my Cricut cutter along with some leftover scrapbooking paper, vintage paperbacks, and buttons from my stash. I glued a strip of the vintage paper around a recycled paper towel roll, and then scrunched the flowers and hot-glued them all to the ring. The flower is topped off with a vintage button.

 

For years I have wanted to do the Martha tea cup candles, and for this table I chose to use vintage punch cups. I melted down my old burned-down candles to make them! It was so easy to do, and kept those candles out of the landfill. One of my candles was huge, so I chose to melt it in the oven rather than on top of the stove. I just lined an old, beat-up baking pan with some used foil that I had saved (I’ll probably keep that pan as my “candle-melting pan” now). It only took about 10 minutes at 375 degrees. And yep, my oven is an Energy Star model! Now I won’t be tossing out those little metal holders from the tea lights all the time. I wonder how many billions of those must be in landfills all across the U.S.?

 

Garden stones remind us to Welcome Nature, Inspire Each Other, and Hope for a Better World.

 

Resources:

Plates, Dollar Tree

Napkins, a thrift store find from Martha Stewart

Lucite flatware, Ross

Glasses, Dollar Tree

Punch cups, from the thrift store (they’re always 59 cents!)

Mushrooms and Frog, Target and Dollar General

Garden Stones, from my garden

Table topper, vintage

 

Do you have something special planned to celebrate Earth Day? I plan to spend as much time outside as possible, working in the garden and watching for all of the migrating birds who are stopping to eat at our feeder. Our two pairs of cardinals are back this year, some finches and plenty of red-headed woodpeckers. The parrots have even flown over a few times lately!

 

To visit the other participants of Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch, go here.

 

 

Comments

[Cindy]

That is such a charming table, perfect for a cottage, I love it! The rick rack is so fun, Cindy

[Kim]

I adore the flower napkin rings you made. And I love the rick rack on the napkins. I found some vintage rick rack at my local thrift store. I may now have to sew some on some napkins.

[Tricia]

What a pretty table! LOVE those napkins, and the napkin rings you made are adorable! How clever to make those punch cup candles -- I have zillions of punch cups. I am old enough to remember the first Earth Day -- my boyfriend and I roller skated to school that day!

[Mid-Atlantic Martha]

This is charming -- love those napkins and napkin rings! Happy Earth Day.

[Susan]

Perfect post for Earth Day and SO many good ideas! Love the napkin rings and tea cup candles! The ric rac is adorable on the napkins--good find!

[Lisa]

You've got so many cute ideas here. Love the napkins and napkin rings. Too cute!

[The Style Sisters]

I love this tablescape and those napkin rings are to die for! How totally cute are they! Wow you scored on the deals at the dollar store! Thank you for your sweet comments on my blog! Tell your friends to come on by but it looks to me like you could teach them quite well yourself! Love how yours turned out!
hugs,
Karin

[Stacey]

Adorable! My favorite part is your precious napkin rings. I do love it all though.

[lori lucas]

LOVE your table. The napkin rings are precious. I will have to show them to my daughter that has the Cricut machine! I did Earth Day last week too! Very cute job.

[Johanna]

Nice table. I love the tablecloth and it looks alltogether so fresh and happy.
Greetings, Johanna

[Brenda Kula]

I love every single thing about your table! The rickrack on the cloth napkins, the centerpiece, the melted down candle. I thought of painting a pot today. But was too busy. You know, I didn't even realize it was Earth Day. I lead a secluded life! But I spent my day digging in the precious earth.
Brenda

[Wanda Lee]

What a fabulous Earth Day tablescape! Everything is so perky, sprightly and pretty and yet all of the elements speak so eloquently of the occasion! Good for you!

Hugs, Wanda Lee

[This Belle Rocks]

The tablescape is so pretty, but I especially love the mushrooms and the napkins :)

[Kim]

I love the candles in the punch cups! I've done it before in china cups but never punch cups -- very cute idea!

[Jane]

That is one nice arrangement! I totally like the sweet little mushrooms :)