A Summer Garden Table & a Giveway
You know how when you read a book, you create a mental image of the characters and the settings? I always marvel at an author's ability to do that, to give enough information and details, to create a mood, so that we as the reader feel we are right there in the story. Well today, I am attempting to bring some of a special book to life for you , how I see it in my head, with a summer garden table. 
Kristy Woodson Harvey just recently launched a book entitled "Dear Carolina" and I have created a table setting, along with Mikasa and several other talented bloggers, that helps tell part of the story. Of course, without giving too much of it away. No spoiler alerts are needed. I will just tell you that there are two main characters in the book, Khaki and Jodi and I chose to create a summer luncheon how I felt Jodi would set it. 
I imagine that there would be vegetables and flowers picked fresh from the garden. They would be center stage, like this beautiful lettuce placed in a low water bowl. 
There would be wildflower arrangements, with kale tucked in and they would be set inside simple and useful canning jars. 
The plates would be simple and classic, like this new style from Mikasa. The flatware would be simple, but with a little bit of a modern edge. There would be three types of plates for each of the courses that would be simple, but robust and delicious. We would probably start with some beef stew, move into a fresh salad with pickled vegetables and end with delicious quiche made with whatever was freshest in the garden. To bring in a little bit of southern flair, there would be cloth napkins in a classic and simple floral pattern. 
There wouldn't be too much fuss other than what we needed to eat a meal and make the table look pretty and welcoming. The arrangements on the table would likely have some herbs tucked in so that room smelled amazing before the food even hit the table. 
Candles would be added to make things just a little bit more special. Going with the summer garden theme, these candles would be just what the table needed. They are scented with cilantro, kale, peach, melon or wildflowers. Unusual scents for a candle, but they add just a light and pleasing scent to a room. 
I would like to tell you who I am pretty sure Jodi would invite to her luncheon and who I am positive she would not invite, but I don't want to ruin it for you. It was such an interesting challenge to create a table that helped tell a story. 
But then again, I guess I am telling stories about my home and the people in it here all the time. 
This was my interpretation of a table based on the novel Dear Carolina. However, several of my friends want to share their interpretation as well. Please stop by to visit...
Rhoda from Southern Hospitality
KariAnne from Thistlewood Farms
Heather & Vanessa from At the Picket Fence
And even better, you can enter for a chance to win a copy of Dear Carolina or the same set of Mikasa dishes!
a Rafflecopter giveaway Thanks so much for reading!
