Tablescape Thursday...or...Supper with my Sweetie

Welcome to Tablescape Thursday brought to you by our hostess with the mostest, Susan at Between Naps on the Porch! Please be sure to drop by to visit her fabulous blog and to get some wonderful ideas for setting the perfect table from Susan and the other participants! Before we begin, I am excited to announce that management has decided to include a special bonus feature in this week's production! You will find it at the end of the post!

I'm calling this week's tablescape Supper with My Sweetie because my 8 year old grandson will be having dinner with me while his parents are out for a romantic Valentine's Day dinner. Sooo..we might as well have a special dinner, too! Of course, there will be a fire. Sometimes I have to turn on the AC when my Little Guy spends the night because a fire is required according to him! lol

We are being joined by our weekly co-host Baby Kitty, who is able to keep really close tabs on this week's production since we are dining at the coffee table. Please notice his good manners, Miss Janice, as he is keeping the hand...er...paw he is not using politely in his lap.

We are also pleased to welcome two special guests...Jinjing and Atsuko... who will be overseeing our holiday supper.

This week's tablescape has a kid-friendly Asian flavor. We will be having Chinese take-out for our special dinner, so I wanted to dress up the table to match. The kid-friendly part of our design requires some departures from the more traditional Asian tablescape. We will not be using chopsticks. I can't, no matter how I try, and I do plan to eat something! So I am using my Gorham pewter flatware and the matching candlesticks for a little atmosphere. I like the fact that the candlesticks have globes for safety!

Because we are dining Japanese style at a low table, we need cushions on the floor. Or I do. My big problem will be getting back up, however! lol These were finds from the Queen of Hearts on a recent shopping trip. They will go in the guest bedroom that I keep blabbing about but never finish.

Most of this week's tablescape came from Dollar Tree. The plates and bowls are melamine...no fear of breakage! The napkins are actually dishcloths...extra big in case we are messy! Our Asian rubber ducky friends are the inspiration of it all...although they are really ceramic!

Here's a close-up of the Little Guy's ducky. He has the Chinese ducky because it is a little more masculine. Don't you love his little jacket with its mandarin collar, gold medallions and frog closures? It looks so authentic! Do you think he is a Peking Duck??? lol lol Sorry...I couldn't resist!!

This is my place setting...a little more feminine because I have the Japanese ducky.

Isn't she cute? She's wearing a kimono complete with big cherry blossoms and tied with the traditional obi or sash. I fell in love with the duckies! They had others, but these two were the cutest!

We will be using mugs because they are harder to turn over and spill. They are also from Dollar Tree and continue the black and red Asian color scheme.

This is my favorite find...recycled paper placemats from TJ Maxx at $3.99 each. They were made in China and if you look closely, you will see the Chinese writing. The paper was rolled and then woven. Isn't this a great idea? Really unique and environmentally friendly! These will get several coats of polyurethane before our dinner. They were my most expensive item, but they will get a lot of use.

I have to share this with you.This red glass pitcher belonged to my mom. When I was little, I thought it looked just like the Kool-Aid pitcher! Yes, I know, it's red, but that's what I thought. I guess he's been around for a while, huh? Any way, we'll have lemonade from it. I know it's not Asian, but it brings back happy childhood memories, so it goes with our kid-friendly theme.

So there you have it...my kid-friendly Asian-themed supper with my sweetie! We hope you have enjoyed it! Please be sure to stop by Susan's to see many more tablescapes and be inspired to create your own! Our numbers are growing weekly. If you haven't already joined us, come get in on the fun!

And now as promised, our management would like to present our bonus feature for this week's tablescape, a montage of candid shots from our production crew:

top left: Kitty checks out the cushions for comfort factor...A-OK

top right: Behind the scenes shot of Baby Kitty under the watchful eye of our seldom-seen CEO Ozzie. Notice the trail of kibble!

bottom left: Isabella caught in the act of checking out the tablescape for food, finding none, and fleeing the scene.

bottom right : Our co-host taking a break in his private hide-away

Thank you for joining us and please enjoy the rest of your tour!!