Truthfully, I love any holiday {they are all reasons to celebrate!} but birthdays are my favorite. I like the idea that your birthday is yours and yours alone…It’s ALL ABOUT YOU.
Now, some of us like being the center of attention more than others, but I don’t know anyone who doesn’t enjoy receiving a little extra love and attention on their birthday. {I know some who claim not to love it, but deep down…they really do.}
I always try to make birthdays an extra-special occasion for my friends and family. I have thrown more surprise parties than I can count, planned endless nights on the town, and even made a special carb-free birthday “cake” for a friend who was going through an Atkin’s phase. {Ok, it was just sugar free jelly shots with candles…but the point is, it was all about HER.} Of course, I’m no martyr…I throw myself fun birthday parties too!
This year, I instituted a new tradition that will hopefully continue for years to come. My close friends and family are invited over for a special dinner during their birthday month. I love that I can make the people I love feel special by cooking a meal planned specifically for them, and it gives us a great excuse to spend some time together!
Last week, a close family friend was coming over for her birthday dinner. I knew I wanted the table to have an autumn feel, but I didn’t want it to be all Thanksgiving-y. Off I went to Michael’s, where there is always inspiration to be found. Sure enough, a sparkly, purple paisley ribbon caught my eye and I immediately knew what my color scheme would be. What does this birthday girl love? Purple AND paisley. Fate in the form of ribbon!
I thought about what I already had at home, and whether I could complete my table design without spending much more. We have purple accents in our bedroom, so I knew I could grab a few small candle holders or vases from there. I have 4 silky purple napkins, 2 different sets of purple placemats, and plenty of gold chargers. All I needed to complete the centerpiece was some coordinating scrapbook paper to cover my cylinder vase/candle holder! {One basic $3 glass cylinder gets reinvented for every centerpiece, using just double sided tape and a piece or two of scrapbook paper!} On the way out the door I passed some purple chargers. Despite much temptation, I have managed to get by with just round silver chargers and gold square chargers for years, justifying that at least one of them would always coordinate with any given theme. I finally gave in when I saw these {I got 6} but my total expenses for the table were still under $20!
To finish it off, I used a brown tablecloth I’ve had forever {stained from many a drop of Thanksgiving gravy, thankfully in easy-to-hide locations}, a gold runner I’d forgotten bout, and those trusty gold square chargers layered underneath the purple ones. A small square vase turned upside-down served as a sturdy base for a gold platter and purple charger, creating a simple, elevated centerpiece.
I was really happy with this table, because it captured the birthday girl’s style and I managed to use a lot of things I already had in my home to pull it together! Try it - you will be surprised by what you can do with what you already have!
Oh, and the menu? Three easy harvest-inspired courses. Just right for a Friday evening, when keeping it simple is a priority!
Happy Birthday, C!
Purple Paisley Dinner Party Menu:
~Toasted walnut, spiced pear and goat cheese salad atop mixed greens, with homemade maple cider vinaigrette~Homemade pumpkin gnocchi in sage brown butter
~Slow-cooker "baked" apples with maple walnut ice cream
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