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Simple Joyful Food

eat happily

live happily

The joy of setting a table.

January 17, 2016 8 Comments
#IloveStargazerBarn Sensory Seduction - main (c)nwafoodie AD

This post was sponsored by Stargazer Barn.

I love setting the dining room table. Like a good outfit, layering brings out the best and adds personality. I like to think of it as telling a story. If you want a casual meal, the table setting should reflect it. Want something formal? Bring out the silver candlesticks. Want to encourage conversation? Scattered candles, fresh flowers, and conversation pieces do the trick.

As a child, it seemed like I “set the table” more often than I do now. I wonder why. Collections of tablecloths, candleholders, serving trays, linen napkins and specialty dinnerware are housed in well-organized tub upon tub. Frequent antique mall shopping only adds to the collection. Yet I rarely venture into the storage room to retrieve them. Yes, life as an adult is definitely more cramped than a young child who yearns to make everything special and old-fashioned (as I used to say it). But doesn’t setting a table actually set a mood? Think about Thanksgiving and the decorations that go into the table setting. Think about a special date or anniversary dinner at your favorite restaurant where the lights are dimmed and candles on a table cast a magical glow. Ahhh… now you see what I am saying, don’t you.

While my personal goal is to get back to basics of joyfully setting a table, perhaps focusing on a new habit is a good start. Okay, I’ll say it. Friday nights will be the (re)start of my joyfully setting the table. I am curious, is this a habit that interests you, too?

For the next six months, I already have help and a push to jump-start my habit. My friends at P.Allen Smith andstargazerbarn.com are sending me a monthly subscription to Star Gazer Barn collections of flowers, chocolates, cookies wine or a combination of these products.

#IloveStargazerBarn Sensory Seduction - package AD
Last week my first shipment arrived with…
Tulips, my favorite flowers!
#IloveStargazerBarn Sensory Seduction - package 2 AD
Dick Taylor craft chocolate, one of the few bean-to-bar chocolate makers in the country. In fact, the latest February issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine selects this chocolate as one of their editors’ picks!
#IloveStargazerBarn Sensory Seduction - chocolate AD
#IloveStargazerBarn Sensory Seduction - martha stewart AD
Tulip eau de parfum trio of Mandarin Peony, lemon sugar, and coconut. I used these to scent my fake flower that I usually set the table with. Somehow it made it a touch better.
#IloveStargazerBarn Sensory Seduction - parfum AD
#IloveStargazerBarn Sensory Seduction - spraying parfum AD
Lastly, the collection included a detailed Barn School sheet talking specifically about the Ile De France Tulips that I received. I knew that since P.Allen Smith is partner with Star Gazern Barn that the flowers and collection would be top quality. They only sell American grown flowers (they grow themselves), are “veriflora certified,” and are members of the Slow Flowers movement. Quality.
#IloveStargazerBarn Sensory Seduction - cheat sheet AD
It was fun setting my dining table and incorporating my collection of old bells with the newness of fresh tulips and the metal vase.
#IloveStargazerBarn Sensory Seduction - old bells AD
I look forward to using and reusing this collection for as long as the tulip and chocolate lasts… while the vase and parfums will have a much longer lifecycle.
#IloveStargazerBarn Sensory Seduction - vase AD

If you are interested in this collection, it is called “Sensory Seduction” and it retails for $89.99 + $14 shipping. Shipping is free through February 29th if you use the code “flowerkiss” at checkout.

Hope you enjoy!

Happy table setting.

#IloveStargazerBarn Sensory Seduction - main with package AD
Eat well, my friend. Eat well.

 

Lyndi

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Uplifting the mood in my dining room. In praise of comfy-cozy. Decorate your​ Thanksgiving table the night before.

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  1. DesperatelySeekingGina says

    January 17, 2016 at 9:02 pm

    Tulips are my second fave.mlove peonies the most. Your table looks awesome!

    Reply
  2. lyndi says

    January 17, 2016 at 9:12 pm

    Gina, Peonies are my second fave and tulips are my first! We are so much alike!
    Thanks for the compliment on my table… hope to get better and better at it! xoxoxo miss you!

    Reply
  3. Joan says

    January 17, 2016 at 10:03 pm

    You always make meals and table settings homey and welcome.

    Reply
    • lyndi says

      January 17, 2016 at 11:39 pm

      I was thinking about how YOU do that for us when we come over!

      Reply
  4. Joan says

    January 17, 2016 at 10:04 pm

    you always make meals and table settings homey and welcome!

    Reply
    • lyndi says

      January 17, 2016 at 11:39 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  5. Heather says

    January 2, 2017 at 10:48 am

    Tulips are my favorite flowers, too! 🙂

    I love this post. I love having a dining room table for family dinners, even if they’re not fancy. It’s just a place that I know we’ll all gather at the end of the day to eat well, put our phones down and be TOGETHER.

    Reply
    • lyndi says

      January 3, 2017 at 11:17 am

      Kindred souls! I also love how to share your love for your home and making it a place of refuge for your lovely family. xoxo

      Reply

hellooooo Foodie!

author image of thejoyofeatingwell blogHi! My name is Lyndi Fultz, and I live in the beautiful Ozark Mountains that span Northwest Arkansas and Southwest Missouri.

I’m a foodie on a journey to EAT HAPPILY and LIVE SIMPLY. Learning and encouraging along the way and writing about it here on Simple Joyful Food.

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On a journey to EAT HAPPILY and LIVE SIMPLY. Learning and encouraging along the way and writing about it. Local eats @nwafoodie

Lyndi Fultz
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Planning.⁠
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Organizing.⁠
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Improvise.⁠
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Youtube a crackling fireplace video or a firepit on a beach. Dim the lights and turn the crackle up. Invite yourself to a friend’s home with ample backyard and offer to bring ‘smores. Go to a park.⁠
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“Just like becoming an expert in wine–you learn by drinking it, the best you can afford–you learn about great food by finding the best there is, whether simply or luxurious. Then you savor it, analyze it, and discuss it with your companions, and you compare it with other experiences.” – Julia Child

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