Saturday, November 8, 2008

Church Ladies Tablescape Event

Last night I attended a holiday dinner at Trinity Baptist Church in Southaven, Mississippi. My friend Kara is a member there and invited me because she knows how much I love tablescaping and all the dining tables were to be decorated by the ladies of the church. There must have been about 32 tables all decked out for the season. After we oohed and aahed over them, we were seated and enjoyed a wonderful meal of salad, chicken cordon bleu, garlic green beans, scalloped potatoes, and rolls--served graciously by the men of the church! The guest speaker was Catherine Hickem. She has a ministry called Intentional Moms and has written a book called Raising Children with No Regrets. The book has gotten rave reviews, so if you have children, check out her website.

Being the gracious guest that I always aspire to be, I prepared a gift for Kara, since she invited me to the dinner. Kara loves to bake and I know she likes Paula Deen, so I prepared a cookie mix in a jar. I found the idea and recipe in the Paula Deen Holiday Baking magazine from Christmas 2007.



Cranberry Coconut Oatmeal Cookie Mix

The layers consist of the following:
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans

In a 1-quart glass jar, layer ingredients in order listed, pressing each layer down firmly before adding the next ingredient.

Be sure to attach the baking recipe:
1 (1-quart) jar Cranberry Coconut Oatmeal Cookie Mix
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine cookie mix, butter, egg, and vanilla, stirring until combined. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place dough 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool on pans for 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Store in airtight containers. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.



All the attendees were asked to bring an ornament to be placed on the church tree. I decided on a snowman-themed ornament and here's my gift package ready to go:

Snowman ornament with a peppermint theme gift package


Would you like to see the those tablescapes now?


Autumn tablescape--centerpiece
Autumn tablescape--place setting




Pink & black tablescape--centerpiece
Pink & black tablescape--place setting

Snowman tablescape--centerpiece

Snowman tablescape--place setting





Lime green, blue, and black tablescape--centerpiece
Lime green, blue, and black tablescape--place setting


Silver and black tablescape--centerpiece
Silver and black tablescape--place setting
Silver tablescape--centerpiece

Silver tablescape--place setting


Beaded reindeer tablescape--centerpiece

Beaded reindeer tablescape--place setting
Beaded reindeer tablescape--chair decoration
There were so many more, but I chose to feature just a few of the ones in each color or theme. I hope you found some ideas here that you want to use during the holiday season.
Charm School Saturday was canceled today by Rose Vignettes--maybe next Saturday?
Drop by tomorrow, I will be posting photos of an event I attended today at the home of my friend Debbie Sisk in Eads, Tennessee. Debbie is the owner of Rosebriar Dining and she and I have partnered together several times to present tea and dining etiquette programs. She held her annual holiday open house today and I got lots of pictures for y'all! Thank you for dropping by.

13 comments:

  1. Hi Miss Janice, Thanks for stopping by today and your nice compliments on my christmas decorating. I have many more houses to do including my own! I will be very busy the next 3 weeks. The ladies did a wonderful job on the tablescapes! I especially like the snowman one, but they are all really pretty. Thanks again for the visit! Kristen

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  2. Hi Janice...wow, that's a lot of great tablescapes! Mind if I link to that posting for Tablescape Tuesday?
    Loved your sweet gift for Kara...the toile was such a nice touch! Susan

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  3. Hi Miss Janice, Those are some beautiful tablescapes! I loved the beaded one, and the snow man! Thanks for sharing them with us! Hope you have a wonderful Sunday. Nancy

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  4. Sounds like a great evening...what fun to have all wonderful tablescapes in one place!

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  5. Oh, Wow! The tables are lovely, and your gift was wonderful, I loved how you dressed up the jar in toile. Thank you for sharing this great post. I enjoyed it!

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  6. Oh, my goodness, Mrss Janice! These tables are just fantastic and so fancy! There much be some pretty glitzy church ladies!! I really like your little cookie in a jar gift! You presented it so beautifully, too!
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  7. you are funny! will you post your draperies and rooms? i'd love to see! i'm doing some holiday parties...thanks for the tablescapes tips...now if only i can replicate! =)

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  8. Miss Janice,
    I loved this post. What a fun luncheon to attend. Your hostess gift was so nicely decorated.

    I am looking forward to seeing your next post. You must attend a lot of events. What fun!

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  9. Hello and welcome to blogging. How lucky you are to have shared a dinner in such beautiful surroundings. Those tables were so beautiful. I've got to figure out mine for Christmas dinner this year. I did set a pretty table last year but I really want to get more into it. It just makes the meal much more appealing.

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  10. Gorgeous tablescapes and topiary. Looks like fun!

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  11. Lovely themed table settings...each one is special.

    One year at the college where I worked each department was asked to decorate one table for the faculty-staff Christmas party. It was great fun to see each table design.

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  12. Okay I was torn.... I could not pick a favorite! I think this was a great event! Thank you for sharing!

    ~Liz~

    What a great hostess gift too. Who doesn't love PD!?

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  13. I just found your blog and I am enjoying it.you must have had a nice time at this dinner,it all looks so beautiful.There are some wonderful ideas for Christmas table scapes.Thank you for posting them it is giving me some ideas for my Christmas Table.

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