The art of Tablescaping

Special occasions deserve the imagination and time that go into a well-dressed table. You want to make your guests feel pampered. A beautiful table is one place to begin. We can spend so much time creating a recipe, but forget to make that meal time memorable. In ten minutes we can add a little beauty to our meal time chaos even if it is created for four chicken nugget happy meals and a number one. Tablescaping is a sophisticated way to make paper plates look like China and take macaroni and cheese and turn it into miniature manicotti. 

A tablescape isn't just some coined term from some decorator blogger. It is by definition an arrangement of items gathered into a grouping and placed on top of the table. I know, I know you are all laughing about all the stuff you have already on your table. I'm not talking about junk mail! Clear that off. This does however give you the opportunity to shop from your home.  Look around and see what you can mix and match. Gather interesting items from different textures together.  You will want items with staggering heights. For instance, to draw eyes to varying heights you could stack books on each other and a centerpiece of flowers on top. The Sky is the limit with tablescapes and creativity soars when that imagination is set free. 

Some examples of what you could gather together are:

Photo frame, mirror, fabrics, pretty napkins, flowers or foliage, fresh fruit or quality pics, baskets, books, candles, tea trays, vases, bowls

A tablescape can literally be an arrangement of your favorite items or a centerpiece. Think of it as a painting. They refer to the way things are laid out.  If you don't intend to use the table for anything other they display, plan away. Otherwise, take up no more than 1/3 of your table with a tablescape. You want your tablescape to stay intact but make sure guests can still set down their plates and cups without bumping things over. Decorating is meant to enhance—not to cause hassle.

You may think that a tablescape is just for the dinner table. You might also consider coffee tables, picnic tables, couch tables, mantels and shelves. You can even venture into the bathroom if you so please.

Choosing a centerpiece for me is the fun part. A table without a centerpiece is like a birthday without a cake.  Think about the name for a minute. These flowers will literally be at the center of your table, the focal point of the party's aesthetic, but choosing the right centerpiece shouldn't be a point of anxiety. The centerpiece is the stuff atmosphere and ambiance is born of. Candles and flowers are the usual choice. But this is where you can get creative. A few things to consider when choosing the centerpiece is eye contact, fragrance, season, and size.  Make sure guests can make eye contact and not have to look around it to see each other.  Think of height. Most home flower vases are not meant to be table centerpieces. Fill them with flowers and you'll have guests bobbing and weaving all night to talk to each other. Usually low laying centerpieces all in a row are the safest play.  Feel free to consider food free game too: pumpkins, strategically placed bottles of wine and why, yes or course, a cake. This is where color and theme really take center stage. Another option is tall and thin vases with arrangements or branches that bloom overhead. Even better. Create a mix of both if the space allows. Don't go with the more fragrant flowers, your food should be the aromatic focus of your dinner party. Fragrant flowers can disrupt the flavor of the meal and take the focus away from your food. Choose flowers that match your meal. Think of season and color. Lastly size, if one main centerpiece seems too formal or bulky, choose several smaller ones instead. 

Aside from a dinner party, you may choose to keep fresh flowers on your table for daily enjoyment. You could join a flower of the month club and keep your tablescaping all week. Call Devault Floral to set up your subscription today. We will deliver your arrangement weekly and you will always have a fun fresh arrangement to enjoy all week. It's easy to subscribe. These are great for gifts too.  

The Language of Flowers

People have long used specific flora to convey secret messages, here's how they let nature do their bidding.

Now we have Hallmark and emoji, but there was a time when people borrowed from the plant world to express themselves. While using flowers to convey one's feelings was long used in Persia and the Middle East, the practice really came to fruition during the Victorian era. And is it any wonder? Those chaste Victorians weren't the most flirtatious bunch, so why not say it with flowers? And beyond bashful courting, there was an appreciation of botany that western culture seems to be lacking in now. We order a dozen red roses for our sweetheart because it's the thing to do; but how lovely was the intention of stringing together a missive with flowers and herbs – an ode to love created by things that sprout from the earth.

Known as floriography, flowers were sent to reveal secret sentiments of love and affection – but flowers meant to pitch woo could be arranged differently to impart a negative message instead. Just as the 19th century brought about complicated social customs, so was the language of flowers. So complex, in fact, that entire dictionaries were devoted to decoding the delicate disclosures.

Floriography entered the European imagination as early as 1809 with the publication of Joseph Hammer-Pugstall's list, "Dictionnaire du language des fleurs." The first mainstream dictionary of floriography, "La langage des Fleurs," was published in 1819 by Louise Cortambert (under the pen name Madame Charlotte de la Tour). Following that, the 19th century saw a flood of similar publications of which symbolic definitions were often dissimilar. By some accounts, as floriography spread to the United States and beyond, hundreds of different "language of flowers" dictionaries were published.

Given that there were so many interpretations, it can be tricky to know exactly what was supposed to mean what. With that in mind, we've borrowed from The Old Farmer's Almanac for our list here. Because if you can't trust America's oldest continuously published periodical, who can you trust? And if you're looking to resume the lost art of floriography, you certainly wouldn't want to send your sweetheart, say, lemon balm for sympathy when what you really meant was heliotrope for true love ...

Aloe: Healing, protection, affection
Angelica: Inspiration
Arborvitae: Unchanging friendship
Bachelor's button: Single blessedness
Basil: Good wishes
Bay: Glory
Black-eyed Susan: Justice
Carnation: Alas for my poor heart
Chamomile: Patience
Chives: Usefulness
Chrysanthemum: Cheerfulness
Clover, white: Think of me
Coriander: Hidden worth
Cumin: Fidelity
Crocus, spring: Youthful gladness
Daffodil: Regard
Daisy: Innocence, hope
Dill: Powerful against evil
Edelweiss: Courage, devotion
Fennel: Flattery
Fern: Sincerity
Forget-me-not: Forget-me-not
Geranium, oak-leaved: True friendship
Goldenrod: Encouragement
Heliotrope: Eternal love
Holly: Hope
Hollyhock: Ambition
Honeysuckle: Bonds of love
Horehound: Health
Hyacinth: Constancy of love, fertility
Hyssop: Sacrifice, cleanliness
Iris: A message
Ivy: Friendship, continuity
Jasmine, white: Sweet love
Lady's-mantle: Comfort
Lavender: Devotion, virtue
Lemon balm: Sympathy
Lilac: Joy of youth
Lily-of-the-valley: Sweetness
Marjoram: Joy and happiness
Mint: Virtue
Morning glory: Affection
Myrtle: The emblem of marriage, true love
Nasturtium: Patriotism
Oak: Strength
Oregano: Substance
Pansy: Thoughts
Parsley: Festivity
Pine: Humility
Poppy, red: Consolation
Rose, red: Love, desire
Rosemary: Remembrance
Rue: Grace, clear vision
Sage: Wisdom, immortality
Salvia, blue: I think of you
Salvia, red: Forever mine
Savory: Spice, interest
Sorrel: Affection
Southernwood: Constancy, jest
Sweet pea: Pleasures
Sweet William: Gallantry
Sweet woodruff: Humility
Tansy: Hostile thoughts
Tarragon: Lasting interest
Thyme: Courage, strength
Tulip, red: Declaration of love
Valerian: Readiness
Violet: Loyalty, devotion, faithfulness
Willow: Sadness
Yarrow: Everlasting love
Zinnia: Thoughts of absent friends

Entertaining 101

We all have a friend who makes entertaining seem absolutely effortless. We’d love to hate her, but then we wouldn’t get the invite. And these are events you don’t want to miss.

If you have been chosen to host this year’s Holiday dinner or party never fear, you will be able to throw the best event of all time and show off your hosting skills!

You want your guests to mingle, but you don’t want them literally rubbing elbows. This isn’t your elementary birthday party, so you don’t have to invite the whole class.

A good rule of thumb is to divide the square footage of your home by five (the approximate number of feet each guest needs in personal space). That equals the amount of people you can fit comfortably in your home. Then, assume that only 80 percent of your invitees will accept the invitation, but that five of those people won’t end up coming.

The biggest mistake people make when setting a table is choosing a centerpiece that blocks the view across the table. You can have a large centerpiece or tall candlesticks but move them off the table once people sit down.

How do you talk to your fellow dinner guests when you can’t see the ones on the other side of the table?

If you need a dramatic centerpiece, move it to a nearby credenza when guests sit down.

Keep the arrangement in proportion with the size of the room.

Perhaps no element of your table makes a bolder statement than the centerpiece. If you are hosting a cocktail party, you’ll still want a few arrangements on the buffet or bar to help set the mood.

If you are using non fragrant flowers, consider other sources of fragrance like pomanders, clove-studded citrus fruits. Cinnamon sticks tossed with miniature gingerbread men and bright red cranberries in a tall cylinder vase looks as good as it smells.

Another option for fragrance is diffusing essential oils. This can help set the mood and keep guests (and hostess) happy. I would recommend diffusing for Autumn entertaining this diffuser blend: 3 drops Wild Orange, 1 drop Ginger, 1 drop Clove and 2 drops Frankincense.

Here’s the final and most important entertaining tip. Entertaining is ultimately about putting your own personality and style on display. This is a display of who you are as a person. If you have a signature color, use it in the table setting. 

Maybe you don’t quite know how to decorate your own theme or your own personality, don’t force it. Your finest China wouldn’t belong if you were serving buffalo wings and beer.

Lets not overthink at this point. Your most important job as a hostess is to put your guests at ease. You want your guests to know that everything has been taken care of.

A room full of comfy, well-fed guests equals one happy hostess. In the midst of chaotic holiday seasons, you can’t ask for more than that.

For help in decorating call Devault Floral. We will be happy to create any size centerpiece to help you be seen as the best hostess ever.

Happy Entertaining,

Jenni Lemons

Owner, Devault Floral

806.797.0727

What do colors mean?!?

Rose colors and meanings 

Our Rose Colors and Meanings guide contains helpful hints about the meaning associated with the colors of roses and other rose information. As one of the most enduring symbols for love and appreciation, it’s no surprise that roses are among the most admired and evocative of flowers. Our comprehensive guide to the colors and meanings of roses is your resource for rose interpretation.

Coveted through the ages for its simply beauty and intoxicating fragrance, there’s no better way to send a heartfelt message than with the classic rose. Each color rose has its own special significance, though, so it’s important to do your research.

Red Rose

Love • Romance

Scottish poet Robert Burns didn’t compare his love to a red, red rose for nothing. Long associated with beauty and perfection, red roses are a time-honored way to say “I love you.” Whether it’s for a birthday, Valentine’s Day or just to express appreciation on any old day, there’s no better way than a bouquet of red roses to express your feelings.

Pink Rose

Love • Gratitude • Appreciation 

Bright and beautiful to behold, but pink roses are also fabulously versatile when you have something important to say. A classic symbol of grace and elegance, the pink rose is often given as a token of admiration and appreciation. Whether they’re for your best friend, fiancée or ever-dependable cubicle mate, a pink rose bouquet will create a bright spot in a special someone’s day.

White Rose

Marriage • Spirituality • New Starts

White roses are traditionally associated with marriages and new beginnings, but their quiet beauty has also made them a gesture of remembrance. When the occasion calls for reverence, whether stately or somber, a bouquet of white rose is a perfect way to say, “I’m thinking of you.”

Orange Rose

Enthusiasm • Passion 

With their blazing energy, orange roses are the wild child of the rose family. Whatever feelings you might be bubbling over with—enthusiasm, passion, gratitude—orange roses will get the message across with both oomph and elegance.

Yellow Rose

Friendship • Joy • Good Health

When it comes to sending a joyful message, yellow roses are your best friend. In fact, yellow roses are a traditional symbol of friendship, so there you go. With their warm, sunny disposition, a bouquet of yellow roses tends to light up the room, making them a perfect way to say thanks, get well, congratulations or just, “Hey, thanks for being you.”

Floriology

The official name of the Language of Flowers is floriology. Using flowers to send a message probably dates to prehistoric times as symbolic use of flowers is mentioned in Egyptian inscriptions, in Chinese writings and in both Greek and Roman mythology. 

In the 1600’s there was an actual "language" of flowers used in Turkey allowing specific messages sent of great importance through a seemingly harmless bouquet. Flowers could declare intentions, indicate acceptance, announce dismissal or even arrange a rendezvous. Flowers gained meanings which enabled lovers to convey messages to each other without having to write or talk. The passing of messages via the floral code was then adopted by the French, and returned to England during the reign of Queen Victoria.

While Shakespeare eludes to the meaning of plants and flowers in some of his writing at an earlier time, the language of flowers was widely introduced to Europe by a Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, a popular letter-writer and society poet who accompanied her husband to the Turkish Court in Istanbul, in 1716. During her stay, she sent a Turkish love letter to England which interpreted the meanings of some plants, flowers, and spices. Flowers, she proposed, could convey words and messages of love - even altercations - could be passed in a refined and subtle manner. 

Mme. Charlotte de la Tour wrote the first flower dictionary in 1818 in Paris. Entitled Le Language des Fleurs, and was very popular.. A Victorian lady, Miss Corruthers of Inverness, wrote a book on the subject in 1879. Her book became the standard for flower symbolism both in England and the United States

We still use flowers today to tell our sweethearts we love them, express our get-well wishes, share in the grief of others, celebrate our birthdays, anniversaries, congratulate others and honor our mothers. We choose flowers based on their beauty or their scent, but perhaps with a little help we can revive the romance of the secret language of flowers and make our selections that much more special!

Why I started the site devaultflowers.com

I created this site so when you wonder what our work looks like there is a place for us to put it out here for you to see. Origionally I designed it to show my brides and potential brides what to expect. But I have also seen a need for party and sympathy galleries as well.

I intend to keep a blog about our weekly party and wedding work so check back often and let your friends know about devaultflowers.com 

Remember if you want to order everyday and sympathy flowers you can visit our website www.devaultfloral.com