It's hard to believe this is my first blog post this month. Living in Southeast Florida we are conditioned and prepared for hurricane season. I have lived in So. Florida for over 18 years and Hurricane Irma was the first time I was put under a mandatory evacuation. I live near the Hillsboro Inlet & Lighthouse that feeds in to the Atlantic. My home is across the street from the Intracoastal Waterway and we were warned of a possible 10 foot tidal surge so I had not choice but to leave. Miss Irma really put a kink in my tablescaping.
Two Summer tables were planned on the calendar prior to the first day of Fall, but Hurricane Irma changed those plans rather quickly. I set the Red Right Return table up on Sunday, September 3rd and made the photographs. On Tuesday, September 5th I was packing everything away and using the dining table as a hurricane prep station. Red Right Return is the name of the Lilly Pulitzer pattern on the place mats. They were made using Lilly Pulitzer shopping bags. I thought about holding off and posting it next Summer, but I decided to go ahead with the post. It's been a wild ride since Sept 8th (our evac date), riding out the hurricane in Ocala where it tracked right over us as a Hurricane 1. I returned home to no power for over a week in 90 plus degree weather. It was pure misery. As soon as I had power I had a family emergency in North Carolina and drove North for several days. I'm back in South Florida for the time being and look forward to creating a Fall tablescape this weekend.
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Red Right Return tablescape. The tall ship plates are from Home Goods. |
RED RIGHT RETURN
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The glasses reminded me of sea glass and the ocean. They are from Home Goods early in the Summer. |
The life ring candle holders were purchased at Cracker Barrel. They have the neatest items in their country store. I used mints to make the napkin rings.
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The carved wooden ship captain was found at a local antique store in North Carolina. The Lilly Pulitzer Red Right Return candle was a Home Good find. Every season Lilly clears out the warehouses and Home Goods, TJ Maxx and Marshalls end up with the items. The shopping bags I used to make the place mats were found at Home Goods. |
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Overhead view of the table. |
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I used a hot pink fabric tablecloth and covered it with fishing net. |
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The layers. |
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The place setting stack. |
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I used a standard charger plate as a template to cut the shopping bags. |
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Four place mats cut using two shopping bags before adding the ball fringe. |
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I sewed white ball fringe to the edge of the circles. I had planned on adding ric rac, but the hot pink color did not match the pink in the print. |
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Place mats finished. |
Catherine