Monday, January 30, 2012

Impromptu Table Centerpiece

What do you do for a centerpiece when you decide at the last minute to invite guests to your house?


It was my daughter's sixteenth birthday party.  We were going bowling (her choice not mine) and then to her favorite restaurant for dinner.  Then at the last minute she said she REALLY, REALLY wanted everyone to come back to our house for cake and games.  So... the first thing was look at the clock, and wonder how I could possibly get the house ready in just a few hours for company.  The first thing to do was vacuum.  Okay, I asked Mr. CH to do it.  The house had not been vacuumed in 4 days, which may not be a big deal, unless you have a collie.  I had a ton of other things to do - make beds, get the leaf for the table, pick up the cake, make homemade lemonade...

When I had about ten minutes left, I realized I did not have a centerpiece for my table.  (I know the teenagers would not notice, but I had some adults coming, so I had to make some effort.)


I grabbed my scissors and went to work on our camellia bush.  There was no way I had time to run to the store for fresh flowers.  After cutting several camellias, I put them in an assortment of crystal pieces on my thrift store silver tray.



Did I mention that our daughter's middle name is Camille?



 Many of these crystal pieces were inherited from my MIL.


I barely had it all done when it was time to pick up my daughter from her play rehearsal at school and head to the bowling place.  (I still had to change clothes too.)


We were running late, but we DID make it to the bowling place, then to my sixteen-year-old's favorite restaurant, and finally back to our house for cake, lemonade, coffee and games.



We had lots of fun, but I was glad to sit down finally.  When someone noticed the fresh flowers and commented on how lovely they looked, I just smiled and brushed the hair out of my face. 


BTW, Happy Birthday to my Baby Girl!!





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24 comments:

Rosemary@villabarnes said...

Happy Birthday to your daughter. The centerpiece is beautiful.

rkbsnana said...

Happy Birthday!!! Good job Mom! I love the name Camile.

Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces said...

Sometimes those last minute parties are the best! Happy birthday to your daughter!

Artsy VaVa said...

Beautiful! This post reminded me of my mother. She would always cut her camellia blooms and float them in large bowls of water.
I'm a new follower.

Tracey@Breathing English Air said...

Happy Birthday to your daughter, I hope she enjoyed herself. What a beautiful middle name.
I could almost feel the panic when you realised you needed to get the house ready for company at short notice; been there, done that! Why do impromptu guests never turn up when you have just cleaned?

Tracey said...

Happy Birthday to you daughter.. ah,,, sixteen how wonderful. What a beautiful table you set..No surprise..you are great at those things.. perfect!

Rebecca said...

Beautiful crystal,
beautiful roses,
beautiful photos,
beautiful occasion.

Penny @ The Comforts of Home/Flea Market Makeovers said...

What a beautiful centerpiece arrangement....you work well under pressure!!

Betsy@ coastal-colors said...

Precious! Your table is gorgeous! Happy Birthday to your daughter! Sweet Sixteen!

Designs on 47th Street said...

What a darling post! ...brush the hair out of my face...LOL! Your centerpiece is truly beautiful. I love how you thought so quickly to pull this together and how appropriate with your daughter's middle name! Love that too. There would be no fresh flower picking in my neck of the woods, but luckily I have my stash of faux flowers since that is my business! Happy Birthday to your daughter. Such a fun age!
Donna

Heather said...

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Sarah said...

Camellias to the rescue! I did the same thing last year with pink camellias for my birthday dinner last year. ;-)
They are the perfect touch! Happy Sweet 16 to the Birthday Girl. ~ sarah

Shelia said...

Happy Birthday to your daughter and your centerpiece is gorgeous!
be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

carolpie said...

Lovely. Just lovely.
Happy Birthday to your daughter!

Designs By Pinky said...

Great idea, it looked beautiful! I would be in a big pickle: our daughetrs B-day is Fe. 8 so not one thing would be blooming here!!! Happy birthday to your sweet daughter! XO, Pinky

❁Velma ~Down Our Country Road❁ said...

Beautiful crystal! Your centerpiece is very lovely. So glad that it all came together for a very special time in your daughter's life.
BTW, I have a friend whose name is Camilla. :)

On Crooked Creek said...

Anita,
Lovely centerpiece! With the need to make your daughter's birthday a special celebration, I'd say this is a work of heart...and a work of art! This is one birthday you'll both long remember!
Fondly,
Pat

heidi said...

What a beautiful centerpiece you made for your daughter. It is just lovely, as is the love that your story radiates. I've been thinking of planting camillas in my side yard, and this post convinced me to do it. What could be better than fresh flowers in the winter?

Ginger Zuck said...

All too pretty. Happy Birthday to your daughter. Keep brushing the hair out of your face, cause you did an awesome job. Love the flowers and the centerpiece. Hope she enjoyed her day.

delightfuleclecticabode.com said...

Beautiful birthday table. Some of the best creations are made at the last minute. Synchronicity was in play with the camilla flowers and your daughter's name. Just perfect!

Sandy

delightfuleclecticabode.com said...

Beautiful birthday table. Some of the best creations are made at the last minute. Synchronicity was in play with the camilla flowers and your daughter's name. Just perfect!

Sandy

delightfuleclecticabode.com said...

Beautiful birthday table. Some of the best creations are made at the last minute. Synchronicity was in play with the camilla flowers and your daughter's name. Just perfect!

Sandy

JennyLynn said...

It is a beautiful center piece. Hope she had a wonderful Birthday.

Ms. Redo said...

I'm exhausted reading about it, but girlfriend you got 'er done! And the flowers in the crystal bowls are really gorgeous. My daughter will soon have her 16th birthday, we've talked about having a party here or just give her some $. (I personally hope she ops for the $.) Oh, I'm your newest follower, stop by to see me sometime if you'd like. Hugs ~ Mary

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