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Impromptu Table Centerpiece

By Anita 26 Comments

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.)

IMG_7882

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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Filed Under: crystal, flowers, Project, silver, tablescape

Comments

  1. Rosemary@villabarnes says

    January 31, 2012 at 04:46

    Happy Birthday to your daughter. The centerpiece is beautiful.

    Reply
  2. rkbsnana says

    January 31, 2012 at 05:09

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

    Reply
  3. Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces says

    January 31, 2012 at 05:35

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

    Reply
  4. Artsy VaVa says

    January 31, 2012 at 05:51

    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.

    Reply
  5. Tracey@Breathing English Air says

    January 31, 2012 at 08:03

    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?

    Reply
  6. Tracey says

    January 31, 2012 at 12:26

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

    Reply
  7. Rebecca says

    January 31, 2012 at 12:30

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

    Reply
  8. Penny @ The Comforts of Home/Flea Market Makeovers says

    January 31, 2012 at 13:52

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

    Reply
  9. Betsy@ coastal-colors says

    January 31, 2012 at 14:36

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

    Reply
  10. Designs on 47th Street says

    January 31, 2012 at 15:41

    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

    Reply
  11. Heather says

    January 31, 2012 at 15:59

    Hi i’m Heather! I have a question for you! Please email me 🙂
    HeatherVonSJ[at]gmail[dot]com

    Reply
  12. Sarah says

    January 31, 2012 at 16:21

    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

    Reply
  13. Shelia says

    January 31, 2012 at 16:56

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

    Reply
  14. carolpie says

    January 31, 2012 at 21:30

    Lovely. Just lovely.
    Happy Birthday to your daughter!

    Reply
  15. Designs By Pinky says

    January 31, 2012 at 21:45

    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

    Reply
  16. ❁Velma ~Down Our Country Road❁ says

    February 1, 2012 at 00:02

    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. 🙂

    Reply
  17. On Crooked Creek says

    February 1, 2012 at 01:50

    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

    Reply
  18. heidi says

    February 1, 2012 at 02:18

    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?

    Reply
  19. Ginger Zuck says

    February 1, 2012 at 05:01

    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.

    Reply
  20. delightfuleclecticabode.com says

    February 1, 2012 at 11:21

    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

    Reply
  21. delightfuleclecticabode.com says

    February 1, 2012 at 11:22

    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

    Reply
  22. delightfuleclecticabode.com says

    February 1, 2012 at 11:22

    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

    Reply
  23. JennyLynn says

    February 1, 2012 at 12:50

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

    Reply
  24. Ms. Redo says

    February 3, 2012 at 21:53

    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

    Reply
  25. Ann Pauley says

    February 23, 2014 at 13:56

    Dear Anita,
    That was very clever,, as well as beautiful for a centerpiece. Now I know how i can use those little
    Fostoria glasses i inherited also. Thanx!

    ANN

    Reply

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