THEY LIED! And Reminder for The Good Earth Party Wed. at 7!

 

So I bought it! I put it on, got on the scale,

and NOPE,

not one bit slimmer!!

Everyone of those jelly beans and chocolate eggs were still pushing against my clothes! False advertising for sure! :)

Just a reminder about the Let's Dish Challenge this Wednesday at 7 PM! The theme is the GOOD EARTH! Can't wait to see what you come up with! I have no idea what I am doing, a few things floating around in my head

Last week I made a stop in WSonoma and Pottery Barn Outlet. They had some bargain bins outside, so I had to look!

Red and white dot liners for baskets, not this size basket

, but I will find some to fit. 4 for TWENTY FIVE CENTS! The fabric is worth that!

  They also had these cute fabric houses.

Same price! You are supposed to make a hanging lamp out of it. Not doing that!

Any ideas? For less than 7 cents, I have to think of something. I was thinking some kind of deco for an up coming baby shower.

That's it from me! Hope you are having a good weekend!

See you Wednesday for Let's Dish!

Joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday!

Let's Dish # 4~ Pansy and Purple!

Welcome to Let's Dish!  Thanks so much for coming, and thanks a whole lot for visiting so many entries!  Please try to visit as many as you can. 

Reminder! Tablescape challenge, April 18th! The Good Earth is the theme.

In the last few posts I "pastelled "my self out.  :)  I love them, but didn't want to get in a rut, so today...PURPLE!  It is raining, so the light isn't very good!

I dug these out of my planter and put them in a reticulated pedestal bowl.  They are at least 3 years old, and keep coming back!  So FREE!

A pale green cloth is the base, it picks up the green in the pansy napkins. The purple toile pitcher was a gift

A lavender charger, CTS, purple plate, part of my birthday gift from The Tablescaper, white reticulated salad, CTS, and purple soup from HG.

The napkin ring is a soft purple flower from B B and B, in clearance for .99

Light green swirl flatware from CTS, butter domes from WSonoma Outlet.

Candlesticks are Mikassa, the  amethyst (pale purple, I used the dark purple stems last week , see HERE ) stems are handmade by Villeroy and Boch.  I bought them when they were closing their store here in Southampton, heavily discounted.

I tried adding a green glass, but decided to go with just the purple.

On to the Foodie Friday part!

I bought the cupcake cutters to hollow out the cupcake so you can fill it.

The first one is from WSonoma, more money and not as good as the second which was 3.99 at BBB.  The WS doesn't go down deep enough.

I used the white wedding cake recipe from recipegirl.com.  It is very good!

I changed it a bit, less sugar, and included the egg yolks.
I filled it with cherries, put the plug back in, dipped them in chocolate, and used the last bit of the whipped cream from Easter to top it.

Yummy!

That concludes meeting 4 of Let's Dish!  Can't wait to see what you bring to the discussion this week!

Thanks so much for coming!

I am joining Susan at BNOTP for Tablescape Thursday

Gollum for Foodie Friday****Her new book, A Teeny Bit of Trouble is out! She is doing a big give away on Susan's blog, so hop over and enter!
Natasha's got G'day Saturday


***When you link up please use your blog name or your name .  You can add your post title if you wish, there's enough room!  It helps me to remember your post when you put your name.  THANKS!

Link up info...

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An Eggs cellent Easter! And the winner is...

Podso is the winner of the years subscription to Taste of Home! Podso, you have a no reply blogger email addy, so please email me your snail mail address. The deal ends Monday night.

I hope everyone who celebrated Easter had a good one. We celebrated at my dil's sister's house. The weather here on Long Island was perfect, and the Easter egg hunt went off without a hitch!

I was a guest, but filled 120 eggs for the hunt, and goodie bags for the kids. We also did a Guess the # of Jelly Beans Contest.

There were 17 adults and 10 kids.  The hostess did a wonderful job with the seating and setting.

I made a whipped cream egg cake, cherry and whipped cream filling. I tinted the layers, pink and green, but didn't get a pic when it was cut. It did look pretty! The traditional chocolate cake eggs dipped in chocolate.

I put the jelly beans on when we got there as they run into the whipped cream!

The little bristle bunny is from WSonoma Outlet.  I picked up a few bargains there Friday, he was 2 and change from 19.95

I will show you the other things I got in my next post.

 

I had some extra chocolate batter and whipped cream left, so I made a few cupcakes, cut out the center, filled it with cream, and then dipped them in chocolate.  A few swirls of whipped cream.  It's Easter, you get to eat chocolate for breakfast!  :)

Dig in, I'll pour the milk!

Hope your holiday was happy! 

Don't forget Wednesday night at 7 for Let's Dish, meeting 4!

I think I got to everyone, if I didn't I will!

I am joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday.

Marty for Tabletop Tuesday

Shannon for Cozy Home Scenes Party

Hutschenreuther Hits The Table~Let's Dish 3

Lots to talk about tonight!  A few easy, frugal centerpieces to show you, and the table with the bargain German China , a recent purchase. (two different centerpieces)

I started with white 15 in. place mats ( cloth doilies) from the .99 and under store.  Those .99 and up stores are mostly up, so I like this one!

The charger and salad plate are the Hutschenreuther, (they were on sale, and then buy one, get one free , so 2.50 for the charger, 1.00 for the salad) and the kiwi dinner plate is the one Alma picked up for me for .98 in Reading.

The green twist flatware is by Cambridge, via Cmas Tree Shop.  Napkins from WSonoma Outlet, .99!  I got them a few years ago, but haven't used them yet.  8.00?  no way!

I tied them with the 100 % pure silk broomstick napkins I got on my last shopping marathon with Alma.  They were marked down to .49.

 

The pale lime cabbage leaf plate is from WSonoma Outlet, on sale. 

Purple stems from HG and green hobnail, recent from CTS.

On to the centerpieces.

We all have these wine glasses from the dollar store. You can pick them up for a lot less at yard sales.

Cut a piece of wet floral foam, oasis, to fit the top of the glass.  Use the glass as the cutter.  Wrap the bottom in Saran wrap, so it doesn't drip into the glass. I got these large balloon years ago from Fortunoff's, for .25.  They have a top, so with the cover on it looks like a large egg on a stem.

Fill the bottom with whatever you want.  For St. Patrick's Day I used green glass shamrocks, today I used mini eggs and shredded paper grass.

Next to the glass, I had these purple votive holders, .99 including 2 candles.  :)

I noticed the indented top, so I put a small piece of floral foam and a few blooms.

 

A bunch of flowers from the supermarket, or your yard if you are lucky enough to have them, will fill the tops of several glasses.  Perfect if you want to run them down the middle of the table.

Here, I removed the foam and flowers from the top of the glass, and placed it on a small cake pedestal flanked by the votive holders with flowers.

All these were done with one bunch of flowers from the market!

Here's another glass done with jelly beans.

I know some, like Shelia from Note Songs, love their faux blooms. Perfect for that.  Get some faux greens, a few blooms...and there you go!

One last one with free containers.  I save the glass after the candles inside burn out.

Here I used a square, with a small votive glass nestled inside some candy eggs.  I didn't use them last year, so they were stale, but for this they are fine!  :)

Here are all 3 done with the glass.

BJ, I hope this wasn't too sameo, sameo for you!  :)  I tried!

As this is the last week for meatless Fridays for me, I share this pecan encrusted filet of sole, and rice done with spinach,salt and lots of pepper, feta, scallions and a splash of half and half for creaminess.

Cook your rice, chop some fresh spinach, scallions, and stir in.  Add the feta , pepper, and enough half and half to make it creamy. Heat through, I put mine in the oven on bake till the fish was done.

Prepare your fish the way you usually do, but add lots of crushed pecans to the bread crumbs or Panko.  Still tasted like fish to me, but  the others enjoyed it!

*****I know that was long, so to reward you for hanging in till the end, all followers who comment will be put in a raffle for a year's subscription to

Taste of Home,

Healthy Cooking or

Simple and Delicious 

**** The winner will be announced Sat. and you have to get back to me with your address right away as the deal ends Monday!****

Just say you want in!

Please visit as many entries as you can, that's the fun of it!
Thanks for visiting, good luck with all your holiday preparations!

I am joining Diann for Thrifty Things Friday
Gollum for Foodie Friday
Susan BNOTP for Tablescape Thursday
Bev for Pink Saturday
Natasha for G'Day Saturday

Let's Dish!
ONE LINK ONLY PLEASE!

Please don't be a L A R, a Link and Runner! :) IF YOU LINK UP PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT.

AND DON'T FORGET TO LINK BACK TO THIS POST! Pu leeeease! :)

Getting on My Plaid a tude!

April 1 st is National Tartan today, no fooling! I am joining Sarah and Babs for their Tartan Parade. My tartan's are packed away till next winter, but the gals said plaid would suffice!  (please excuse the darkness, it is raining!)

I used a pastel plaid cotton throw that I keep on the porch rocker Spring and Summer.  Today is cold and raw, but they say we will be near 60 mid week!

The only thing new on this table is the covered bowl and the napkins.  I got the bowls  in CTS for 1.60.  They will be perfect for our soup, or even baked oatmeal Easter morning.  I have seen them for waaaay more in other places, but I thought these were worth the price.

The napkins started as this...

one panel of tier curtains, 2 in a pkg marked down to .67!

I knew as soon as I saw it I would use it in a scape.  I have enough for 8 napkins, or 4 and a topper.  I don't think you can get cheaper than that!

The flatware is by Cambridge, CTS, the little potted egg place marker, the blue goblet, and the napkin rings, all CTS.  Napkin rings were .25, Park Smith.

The centerpiece is from Villeroy and Boch.  There are holes, (frog) in the top for the pink tulips.

I have the large one too! I got it in the clearance section long after Easter and I think it was around 12.00. It is very large!

The egg candles were from a long gone pre cursor to 99 cent stores, and they were 2/1 with the ceramic egg holder included.

The pink stem is by Gorham via Lenox Outlet.

Bunny salt and p's from CTS...

as is the low cake pedestal filled with petit fours.

White porcelain charger, mint dinner, $ Tree, baby blue salad from Pfaltzgraff clearance years ago.  I think they were .50  I used a pink tulip doily under the covered soup dish.

Just to throw some real Tartan into the Parade, I dug out my Tartan Bunny from Pottery Barn, and took some pics down in the basement!  Excuse the darkness!

I sat him in a wicker chair, used a tartan mat, black bowl and cup.  The napkin ring is a pique rattle from PB, and I folded a matching plaid stocking to look like a napkin.

Now I don't want to start trouble, but do you think the National Tartan Day Committee could change the date?  April just doesn't scream dark plaids to me!  :)

I mean, we are all thinking Bunnies! :)

Please come back Wednesday night at 7 PM for Let's Dish.

Meeting # 3 ...sharing our collections of table related accoutrements  stuff, and table settings too!  All invited as long as you don't have word ID on your blog!

Monthly Challenge, The Good Earth on April 18th!

The early birds catch the worms! 

I'll have something more grown up for you, as well as a very easy affordable centerpiece idea.  Y'All be there...oh wait, I live in NY, so, I hope "youse guys" can come!  :)

I am joining Sarah and Babs for Tartan Parade, The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday, Bev for Pink Saturday , Marty for Tabletop Tuesday

Shannon at Cozy Home Scenes Party
Thanks for visiting!

PSST, Gina is having a great give away! Go read about it here!
Please tell her I sent you! I need the brownie points, :)!