A Beachy Setting

It has been a whirlwind of a summer.  We have been to the beach for three weeks, and I am so thankful that we had the opportunity to share our vacation with family and friends.  Even though I am sad that the summer is coming to a close, I have great memories of fun times!  The weather continues to be hot through October, so hopefully we will get back there soon.

In the meantime, a beach tablescape will do.  It reminds me of eating delicious seafood, wading in the cool ocean, feeling the sun's warmth, and curling my toes in the sand.

I used a white and cream-colored runner as a base, and added a silver boat-shaped dish as the centerpiece, filled with an assortment of shells and votives.

I wrapped two cylinder vases with rope, and used these for my "beachy" arrangements.

A cream basket-weave design plate held my shell dishes which are tinted blue with beige.

Instead of using busy napkins with shell-design, I decided on plain white ones, with beautiful floral cut work.

The colors and textures of the shells are beautiful.

Starfish, shell, and votive holder add to the beachy feel.

A friend of mine gave me these great wine glasses that have a silver base with shells and a lobster.  The beverage stem has a silver rim.

A silver shell napkin ring holds the napkins in place.

Another close-up of the lobster wine glass.

Using battery-operated votives in the boat centerpiece keeps me from worrying about fire while entertaining.

The shell placecard holders were also a gift from my cousin.  Thank you!!

Your place is ready!  She-crab soup??

I hope you have enjoyed your summer.  Thank you for visiting with me today!

I also want to send my condolences to the families of the victims of the WDBJ shooting near Roanoke.  Alison Parker went to JMU, the same university as my daughter, and Adam Ward attended VA Tech, the university my son attends.  My heart aches for these families' loss.  Please pray for them!

--Betsy