Setting ​the ‍stage for a memorable dining experience‌ goes⁢ beyond just choosing the right ⁣menu - it's also⁣ about creating a ​visually stunning‍ table setting. Table ​linens play ⁢a‌ crucial role⁢

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Put away the tattered foam skeleton, and let’s get spooky with these 10 table settings that are sure to give your guests a fright in the best way possible.

You may have read my tale of woe about parking in Seattle a few posts ago. I must say that on my second visit, I was lucky enough to park in the actual convention center parking structure which was extremely simple to navigate, had numbered parking spaces, level letters and colors. All I had to do was follow the orange concrete path and it led me directly to the lobby of the convention center. If you're not familliar with the little jingle, Let's All Go to the Lobby, here's a video of it for you. The title of this year's show was "There's a Little Garden in All of Us." However, the theme was Hollywood Movies. I don't understand why the title didn't also state the theme but I probably missed out on some important facts because I didn't read the newsprint program prior to entering. Anyway, the lobby which eluded me on my first visit (I knew it existed as I've attended many events at this venue) contained lots of fun stuff. First to greet the visitor was the Washington Flower Growers Association's Wizzard of Oz themed garden complete with a yellow flower road to the Emerald City. The Emerald City is one of Seattle's monikers. Funny how dorothy looks so glamorous after traveling via spinning house all the way from Kansas. Maybe she's miffed because there are no poppies to be found. Can you see Toto in the basket of the bicycle? Our old pal Scarecrow hanging out on a rustic twig bench. The Cowardly Lion seems to be the first one to get close to the Space Needle which, although not mentioned in the book, is probably where the Wizzard hung out. For a nice wide view of this whole Oz garden look here. This awesome table was made by Live Edge Woodworks Near the table was a sign with the following words written by Kim Hoelting, the founder of Live Edge: Imagine being alive for a thousand years. Think of the storms, droughts, and brilliant sunny days. Now imagine dying but remaining vertical for another two centuries, with life swirling around you. Then one day you topple over but your body remains visible on the forest floor for many more centuries nourishing your offspring. This is the story of cedar, our totem species. Study these amazing specimens. Where is the line between life and death? Truly beautiful! On the opposite side of the lobby were the floral arrangements. Here is a small sampling of the many delightful offerings. This one was a crowd pleaser! Unfortunately, I've forgotten it's name and creator. "Red Carpet Ready" by Holly's Fine Flowers was interesting. "Much Ado About Nothing" by Pipper's Flowers "Fontaine de Fleur" by La Vassar Florists "Mae" by Capitol Florist "My Fair Lady" by Christopher Flowers "Star Struck!" by An Occasion Flowers made me think of all y'all from the Lone Star State. For me, the flower arrangements aren't the main attraction of the show but It's always fun to see what these creative folks will think of next. "Sunset: Strip" by Flora Laura was a tower of flower power!

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Lets talk about provocations... What is a provocation? The options really are endless! Provocations are happening wether you come from a Reggio Emilia inspired centre or not. They are the questions we ask, the materials we put out, the music we put on...even we as teachers act as a provocation sometimes... Heres how Journey in Early Childhood defines it... Deliberate and thoughtful decisions made by the teacher to extend the ideas of children. Teachers provide materials, media and general direction as needed but the children take the ideas where they want. - Journey into Early Childhood I want to emphasise something here... The children take the ideas where they want... See, I was asked recently by a volunteer..."Do your provocations always work?". I was taken back by this...what did she mean by 'work'? Then she said, "I haven’t seen the children drawing crosses here"... What she didn’t hear was the conversation happening at the drawing table... Jayden: Hey Kalen, thats an X aye Kalen: Yeah, I don’t have an X, I have a K Jayden: Oh I have a J and an A and a Y and a D and a E and a N The two boys then began searching for letters around the room, trying to find them on the walls, in the artwork and documentation. The boys did not see a cross...they saw an X. They did not feel compelled to draw the cross...instead it became a point of discussion. I’ve talked about the childs agenda before but I think it is important to mention it in this case as well. We need to consider this when setting up our environment or when we ask a question to children. Do not pre-empty an experience and decide what will happen. If you come with an agenda you may tend to restrict children. Remember children express themselves through a hundred languages...take a minute to observe how they speak. Check out a few of our provocations... The children take the ideas where they want...

In this article, we have a huge collection of the most creative and really cool business cards that will grab your attention. Let's take a look, enjoy!

Leica M7 Super Elmar 21/3.4 Velvia 50

I've had three beautiful and startling realisations this week. Number One: It is August. This means 2013 is two thirds complete. And... that doesn't actually feel wrong. Number Two: It's only two months until my 21st birthday, which marks the end of the first project of Scarphelia and the reason I started to blog - to create something remarkable before I turn 21. Number Three: All that has happened since I started this mission... has been beyond any realm of what I could've imagined. * I know that my life will never be the same after this summer. I've always lived in the anticipation of the winter months, counting down the days til I can whack out the luxuriant fur coats, leather clothes and resume my role as ice queen. That along with living so long in confusion and frustration with where my life is going, I've never quite figure out how to function in summer. But since that great dawning epiphany in the Summer of Silver with Florentine and Ariella, my newly-acquired gift of The Clarity and meeting my best friend in the universe Pistol, I think I've finally figured it all out. And this is the first summer I've felt truly alive. And I know that the rest of my life will be forever changed because of it. When I recall the past couple of weeks, I can't help but give a wistful smile as I envision the sunkissed culmination of exuberant memories, weaving and intertwining together in a rose-tinted montage. I'm haplessly in love with everything at the moment. There have been Garden parties in Regents Park with the TWC, coffee dates and storytelling with Pistol, lone wanderings around contemporary art galleries and museums in London, shopping in the hipster backstreets of Shoreditch and dinners out with Ariella, TWC gatherings and drunken salsa dancing with JK, and the sun has just been shining unhindered in the cerulean sky, mirroring my own beaming, barely-concealable glee. Also, I have found a very unexpected kind of happiness, one that I would've anticipated, especially for someone like myself. His name is Oliver. (I don't need to give him a crafty alias as he is yet to discover Scarphelia exists.) The guy I was referring to in the 'Crushing' post. He's a recent Business graduate from my University, and what has grown is a sweet and innocent mutual affection that just makes me smile without realising it. I'm surprised because I'm actually managing to not to be entirely over-analytical, and this affection does not seem to detract from life as I've always thought perhaps something of the kind would. In fact, everything just seems enhanced, an extra layer of happiness that I was never before aware even existed, like suddenly discovering a new colour on the rainbow you'd never seen before. Bloody hell, maybe I truly am growing up. There was one moment when I was with Pistol recently that truly made me realise just how lucky I was. I'd had a job interview in the City at an up and coming fashion label to be their social media manager, and deciding to make the most of the day, I'd called Oliver to see if he was about. We ended up going out for drinks with a some of his friends, one of which turned out to be a rather famous singer, and actually had a pretty mental night resulting in drinking beer on the balcony of a sweet flat in East London owned by a friend of his who was a music agent. The next morning he had to go to work, so leisurely left me a key so I could sleep a bit longer, potter round the flat and leave when I fancied. After he'd graduated last year he'd moved to Camden, and currently resides in an adorable flat in a converted warehouse, that overlooks the canal. So upon waking, I gathered my things, locked up and wandered down to sit by the lock and watch the canal boats for a moment. The air was thrumming with summer, the sun was warm and revitalising on my skin, and as the long slow riverboats slipped by gracefully through the water I just felt a resounding sense of absolute peace. With no other plans for the day, I called Pistol to see if he wanted to go for a coffee, and was delighted to find that he was in the city and free. He'd been working at a trading firm and crashing at his friend's flat above a coffee shop in Shoreditch, and invited me over to have a brief rendez-vous before we had to head home again. So I began what seemed to be the marathon slog from Camden Town to Shoreditch High Street in 35'c heat, hundreds of disgruntled and overheated Brit's shoving from all sides, but finally I made it. The street in which she lived was absolutely adorable, and her flat was equally as impressive. Flagged by Parisian-looking sandstone townhouses on either side, her flat was above an adorable vintage coffeehouse, and across the road from a quirky and modern sushi place. The whole street was adorned with colourful and expansive street art and lined with multi-colour bunting which swayed softly above the street market below. I was exhausted, extremely hot and a still a little bit hungover, but I couldn't help but smile. The interior of her flat was unbelievable too, it looked straight out of the architecture blog I'd put together to plan my perfect future, with whitewashed walls, wood paneled floors and huge sweeping french windows which opened out to look down upon the street market. Pistol and I got drinks, opened the windows and sat together on the windowsill, letting our legs dangle in the summer breeze. "You know how we always talk about the future as if all our dreams are already set in stone? Do you ever stop and consider that we actually might not ever get there?" I looked at him for a moment. Then in one collective clarity-thought moment, I looked around at everything, not just in my life, but the life I had with him too. I was sat in the flat of my dreams on a beautiful summers day with my best friend, after attending an interview for a city job in the fashion industry and hanging out with a guy that makes me happy, and his wonderfully fun friends. And he had just graduated with a 2.1 degree, was working as a trader in the City whilst staying in his friends incredible flat in East London and was about to jet off to Holland for two years to complete his Masters. "Pistol... This is the closest we have ever been. Do you see? Look around you... This is what we have always wanted. And we almost have it." He looked at me for a moment before his face broke into a massive grin. And today I found out I'd go the job. * What had started as the fear of growing older and time passing me by quicker than I can seize it, has blessed me with a foresight I've so long been void of, to be able to appreciate every single day, every single passing moment and see the beauty in every chance moment and strange encounter. This fear of the future has stretched out this year to feel as though it has lasted a millennium. I can barely remember being 15, 16, 17 years old - those years slid past at an alarming rate in a blur of dull routine and lacklustre ambition. But this year stretching from turning 20 in October 2012 and creeping up to my 21st, has seemed the longest year of my entire life, and the only one in my young life which I believe I have been consciously, spiritually and mentally aware, of everything and everyone. This year has allowed me to finally grow up, and I actually now feel ready to be an adult, to take on the world, and, excuse the cheesiness, but make all my dreams come true. And greatest of all, having this year of utter reflection has completely dispelled my fear of the future. It's not that I am no longer afraid of time slipping past me, it's just that I know, from here on out, I never ever let it will again. If there is one thing I have learnt from this journey, it's this. The future need not be your enemy, if you know how to treat the present. Scarlet-Ophelia @KatieOldham

I may receive a commission if you purchase something mentioned in this post. More details here. Fermented fruit sodas are so fun to make, simple, and delicious. I am working through my freezer right now– it needs to be defrosted, so I am using up the remaining bounty from last summer’s foraging walks. The blackberries […]

King or Queen bed set and two large endtables or nightstands. Made to order. If the reaction of Wow, OMG, or that's amazing is what You want in your life and your home. This is what Villa Bella Home is all about. Chateau Angelo is the perfect name for this Design. There is even a Armoire to make this room even more grand. King beds made to order. Sample of a extremely ornate level of decorations. Please message me for a custom bed, or additional items to complete a bedroom set. Custom beds or bedrooms can be from any size bed you request. I am in California. California King or Queen can be designed for You. I will start the bed with your order. I can Personalize the design. Takes 10 weeks to make. Please message me for questions and more images. Lets design your one of a kind interior masterpiece. We would like to introduce you to Villa Bella Home, a luxury furniture design store that offers a wide range of masterpiece level furniture for all areas of the home. We believe that our exquisite furniture will appeal to your impeccable taste and desire for the very best in design and craftsmanship. Our collection features everything from stunning bedroom suites, dining room sets, and bar stools, to intricate home decor and accessories that are sure to make a statement in any space. Our pieces are crafted by skilled artisans using only the finest materials, ensuring that each item is not only beautiful, but also built to last. At Villa Bella Home, we understand that your home is your sanctuary, and that every piece of furniture must be not only functional, but also a reflection of your unique style and personality. That's why we offer a wide variety of styles, ranging from classic French Louis XV Rococo Ornate furniture to modern and contemporary designs, all created with the utmost attention to detail and quality. Our commitment to exceptional customer service means that we will work with you every step of the way to ensure that your shopping experience with us is nothing short of exceptional. From customized design solutions to delivery and installation, we will go above and beyond to make sure that your furniture shopping experience is seamless and stress-free. Styles and prices are set with Your custom choice. Designs and craftsmanship take time. So please allow for the process. I ship with my special packing technique and have been shipping ornate large furniture for over 20 years. Shabby Chic, Rococo, Venetian, Masion Chic, European style, Italian Style, French Hollywood Glam. Would You like to consider other items for Your bedroom? Just message me so we can get you more info.

Interesting, and unique Life Celebration quotes gathered from around the internet, in formats easy to copy and paste or share in social media circles.

Guess What This Stunning Table Is Made From

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