Beachy Table Setting~

A couple of week's ago one of my very favorite stores...IKEA in Draper, Utah and one of my favorite blog conferences...SNAP got together to host a fabulous blogger event at the IKEA store. 75 bloggers (and many of their kiddos) got together for a complimentary breakfast, a sneak-peek at the new IKEA catalog and a mini-shopping spree - which was a fun surprise.

via IKEA

We each got $25 to spend on whatever we wanted in the store to see what we could come up with for a fun project. Well, I'll admit...I was being very practical. My dishes are white IKEA dishes from their 365+ collection...but I've had my eye on the blue ones for a very long time. So I grabbed four of their bowls...along with two candles and this fabulous beachy vase-thingie.

Obviously, I intended to come up with a pretty table setting, and it certainly did turn out very pretty. Beachy and pretty.  I combined my new blue bowls with my existing IKEA dishes, some seashells, and some fabric swatches in shades of blue and gray.

 

I loved the outcome so much, that I guess I'll just have to go buy me some more bowls in blue...and very possibly the plates as well. It's such a GORGEOUS color.

One of my favorite tricks to create a casual table setting is to make a "tablecloth" out of mismatched - but coordinating - fabrics. You can see that I used three different fabrics (one by Schumacher and the other two are Windsor Smith for Kravet). More unique than placemats...and a little dressier...but still casual.

A big thanks to SNAP and IKEA for hosting such a great event! I had so much fun mixing and mingling with the other bloggers and exploring the great new IKEA merchandise!

xoxo
Wendy