An Edible Color Palette

I just got back from traveling to visit my daughter's family and have been AWOL from quilting of late. I cannot give quilting my full attention just yet because I have other commitments, but there is no reason I cannot enjoy fulfilling those previous engagements. How does the song go again? "Girls just wanna have fun". I choose to have fun. Color is not always about fabric and playing with color is FUN. So I am having a blast preparing the tablescape for a small dinner party I will be hosting tomorrow, two days before Halloween.

I wanted a classy Halloween feel but not a gross zombie atmosphere nor the garish primary orange of a kid's crayon box. I found a tablecloth on clearance at HomeGoods in a burnt orange tone that I think is yummy - like the top of the créme brulee which I will be serving for dessert. But I needed to be careful to steer away from the olive greens and mustard golds that harbinger Thanksgiving rather than Halloween.

I decided go the route of  a black and white stripe in some way to add sophistication. I'd seen some striped placemats at the gift shop of Alden Lane Nursery during the quilt show there this year. I bought them "on spec". Black napkins with brassy-gold napkin rings looked elegantly spooky - reminding me of a black cat with glowing amber eyes. I plan to insert yellow roses into the mini-pumpkins I bought for each place setting.

The burnt orange and black combination was a bit somber so I spiked it up with some more bright yellow accents - the candy corn I used a vase filler and the bright yellow Meyer Lemon scented pillar candles I added above. At HomeGoods I also found a cute, small, black and white striped, glossy pitcher and will use it for gravy or some sauce.

I dug around a bit and extracted my vintage Courac ware from the late 19790's - early 1980's out of the deep environs and back corners of my cabinets. The black and gold colors fit well into my theme. I was really into owls back then and happily they work well with a Halloween holiday. Serendipity! By the way, in the photo, that is not a flame under his tail feathers, just a reflection from the light above. He looks like he is a phoenix perched above the fire of his spontaneously combusting predecessor.

I plan to use my black and white Barnyard Toile place settings. The images themselves are not eerie or scary or in theme since they are really more country, but the colors go well and they are kind of classy and I lie that they are high gloss. As luck would have it, the chair seats go well with the burnt orange tablecloth.

I picked up some small ceramic ware in black and white stripes and polka dots. I will use them as accent bowls, probably for nuts to sprinkle on the salads as desired.

At The Dollar Tree store I could not resist picking up this mini-coffin for treats. Reese's mini peanut butter cups in gold wrapping or Werther's original caramel candies in their gold foil will look good in there.

Seeing the coffin lid inspired me to  add a lime green grosgrain ribbon bow to the pumpkin-rose place decorations to add a bit of zip. I like the look of the green apples and how they play off the "Booooo". I plan to keep a romaine leaf salad in the same color theme by adding raisins for black, carrots and mandarin segments for orange, sunshine-colored bell peppers and cheddar cheese for yellow, granny smith apples for lime green, hard boiled egg slices for a bulls-eye white and yellow dot motif.

I am not quilting this week, but this is still playing with color and a work in progress. I am having fun. When the dinner company is gone, and the dishes are done, I can re-direct my efforts back to the sewing room and a more traditional form of color play. First I need to clear my cutting table from half a suitcase's worth of the yarn, patterns, fabrics, books, instructions, and notions I dragged along with me on my recent travels. This assortment does not even reflect what I took out and left with my daughter. Can you understand better why I'd rather procrastinate-and-play instead of putting-away?

Now I will connect up with others who are having fun with their WIPs at this week's Freshly Pieced. link-up.