As a Southern girl, I love pretty dishes and tableware, as I’m sure most of you do too. There’s just something so nice about sitting down to a beautiful table all set with dishes, flatware, glasses, and colorful napkins. Oh, don’t forget the fresh flowers. I cut these hydrangeas from my yard, which was a treat this year.
Today, I’m joining a few other bloggers and sharing a fun book and dish set giveaway with Mikasa. I love Mikasa and have so enjoyed my Italian Countryside dishes that I use everyday. 
Setting a pretty table on my porch is so fun this time of year. I enjoyed using this beautiful white set of Loria dishes with their pretty beaded edge.
With chunky bowls and mugs, the set has 4 of all of these. Those little bunny leaf plates are from Bordallo and I’ve had them for years.
I pulled out some of my yardsale and thriftstore finds to go on the table, using a scrap piece of green outdoor fabric I made into a tablecloth. You know how I love green!
These napkins were a yardsale fine and I love their white edge. My newly covered chairs look great with this tables cape.
Dear Carolina is a brand new book by Kristy Woodson Harvey. She and her mother, Beth, write the design blog, Design Chic and Kristy has been on a book tour recently promoting her new book. Southern fiction always has a little drama and Dear Carolina does as well. From main character, Khaki Mason, who has a thriving interior design business to Jodi, her husband’s 19-year old cousin, fresh out of rehab, pregnant and alone, this story weaves together 2 strong Southern women and one baby girl in the most difficult decision they’ll ever make. Written to baby Carolina by both her birth mother and her adoptive one, it’s a story of life circumstances shaping, but not defining and that families aren’t always born, but made.
So all of us are setting a pretty table today, in honor of Khaki and her love of interior design and Southern tables.
Mikasa is joining us for a fun giveaway for ONE of you too. Who doesn’t love a pretty table? I know all of you do!
An antiques store urn that I found a few months ago holds freshly clipped hydrangea blooms from my yard.
The flatware and glasses are also from Mikasa.
Doesn’t this bone china look lovely with green.
I really am totally sold on white dishes for the last few years. I’ve always heard that food looks more appetizing on a white plate and I’m convinced of that.
Mikasa has some new dinnerware, glassware, and flatware which is part of what they call their “every day sets.” All of these are what you’d normally see in a formal set of dishes, but they are meant to be used every day. Bone china is the best quality dinnerware you will find. The bone component makes this dinnerware extremely chip resistant and also gives it that beautiful, pure white color. The glassware and flatware have a similar philosophy – highest quality but for everyday use.
Click here for Mikasa Loria dinnerware, Mikasa Laura glasses and Kelby flatware.
This is a new program for Mikasa and they use the highest quality bone china and lead-free crystal, but these sets are meant to be used every day, not just for special occasions. These plates have a great feel to them and I love the beaded edge.
You can visit Mikasa on Facebook and Pinterest.
Mikasa is also offering ONE of my readers your very own set of Mikasa Loria dinnerware (service for 4). Please leave a comment telling me your favorite special occasion for setting a pretty table. Get out the good dishes and use them! Please click the Rafflecopter widget and click the box that you have left a comment and then leave a comment here on my blog. ONE winner will be chosen for a set of 4 Mikasa Loria dinnerware. US entries only. Be sure and add your email to the Rafflecopter widget, that is how I choose a winner!
And the winner will also receive a copy of Dear Carolina, the new book by Kristy Woodson Harvey.
Here’s to Summer entertaining!
Note: Mikasa gave me this set of Loria dishes, flatware and glasses.
I’m joining these other creative bloggers, so go over and see their tables too. They are all giving away different sets of Mikasa dishes as well:
I love to entertain our supper group of four couples – casual and fun!
I love setting a beautiful table to celebrate birthdays!
I may have a dishes problem. I love to surprise my husband with an unexpectedly pretty place setting for an ordinary meal. And switching out the regular dishes for the Spode Christmas Tree is one of the best parts of the Friday after Thanksgiving! When I got remarried, it was so fun go get new WHITE dishes!
I love to use pretty dishes and cloth napkins every day. No saving for “best.” My family gets the best. They’re worth it!
Life is too short not to use pretty dishes like this everyday!!
I like to set a pretty table at birthdays, anniversary’s and holidays.
I love a pretty table out of the blue, on an ordinary night. My kids will ask who is coming to dinner and I’ll tell them – ‘You are!’ They love it.
My favorite occasion for setting a pretty table is a toss up between my babies birthdays, and Christmas. I love making the table look pretty, festive and inviting!
I love to entertain and really do enjoy setting a beautiful table. Not only is it pretty but there is a feeling of knowing that I have gone the extra mile for my guests and this makes me feel good. Being from the South, I grew up with having a Mom that loved to set a pretty table and absolutely loved pretty china and glassware and I definitely inherited that love as well. I also have Italian Countryside by Mikasa which I love.
Holidays for sure. I have been setting the table more this summer. Our 20 year old daughter is home from college and dinner has become a more special occasion!! Love the white dishes. Time to upgrade from Corell.
I would love to say that everyday is a wonderful day but that is too ambitious so I will say that my anniversary because I like to make it a special day for my husband and myself.
I would love to replace my old dishes. You have such a beautiful table!
Love setting a casual but elegant table for weekend dinners with family and friends.
Christmas is the holiday for me. I have so many accessories that I can change out and make a new look each week.
Thanks for the giveaway!
Love to set a pretty table at Christmas! Thanks for the chance to win!!,
Birthdays are so special and always need pretty tableware for the occasion. These nice dishes would be just perfect for every get together.
I try to set a pretty table every night, even on work days when I’m tired, it’s a pleasant way to end my day and somehow pulling it together and clean-up don’t seem to be a big chore. My husband and I are empty nesters so it’s easy to do for the two of us and I love doing it when the “kids” are home. I’ve been using a set of Mikasa Just Flowers since the early 70s and now find all white dinnerware appealing. Thanks for this opportunity to win.
I like to dress up the table for anniversaries!!!
Anytime we are together as a family is a very special occasion, so I would use these lovely dishes every day to celebrate those times that we can shut the world out for a bit, and just be us.
I have always loved to do tea. When I was a little girl I did a pretend tea and now I do them for showers. Love Mikasa.
I love Mikasa.