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 setting my table for family gatherings, large and small.
I like to set a pretty table setting each week with placemats, cloth napkins, dinner plates, salad plates and a centerpiece of fruit or flowers. For seasonal celebrations like New Years, Valentines, Mardi Gras, Easter, St. Patrick’s Day, Halloween and Christmas I do go all out and match the table setting to the decorations.
What a lovely tablescape for some great friends to enjoy. Based on what I hear about the book, this would be a perfect setting for lovely ladies to enjoy each other. Thank you for the inspiration.
There were times as a single mom that I was not able to provide many luxuries for my kids. When meals were the simplest and budget was the tightest I would lower the lights, light the candles, and use the best tableware. Children appreciate a beautiful table too and would shop through their bedrooms for pretty things to accessorize our “fancy” table.
Honestly, I don’t need a special occasion for setting a pretty table but of course any holiday and along with that, those special days to celebrate any person in our circle of family or friends. That’s something we do each month – doesn’t have to be a birthday.
My favorite occasion is the daily occurrence of sitting down to dinner with my husband and two kids (both teenagers!) which I think is increasingly rare these days.
Karen U
I love Mikasa china
I love white dinnerware too! When growing up my favorite memories of setting a beautiful table were at Thanksgiving! My grandmother and Aunts always made sure everything was beautiful. The other occasions were bridal showers!
I love setting a pretty table when my family gets together to celebrate Thanksgiving.
This is hard because I love setting a pretty table so often – holidays of course but I especially love going the extra mile when girlfriends come over, even if it’s just one friend I love using my special dishes & setting a table for two.
I love Thanksgiving as life is busy but we all gather to say what were thankful for.
I love to decorate a beautiful table when my family least expects it! I try to celebrate the simple things in life, like the premier of Duck Dynasty, an excellent report card or just a gorgeous Sunday afternoon. Would love to win a set of beautiful Mikasa dishes!
I love to set a pretty table at Easter.
I love to set a pretty table whenever I have company. It doesn’t happen that often so when it does it is a special occasion no matter the time of year.
My favorites are Christmas and Thanksgiving, but I love a beautiful table anytime!
Entertaining is a delight for me and my husband. We so enjoy any excuse excuse to have folks over. Tablescapes are my weakness and enjoy creating them. Love Mikasa and so miss their outlet store that was so near to us. I have your chargers, just need the white beaded dishes to go with them. And, a rainy day to sit and read Dear Caroline.
Rhoda, Your table looks so pretty. Green is my favorite color too and it looks great with those white dishes. I love to use pretty dishes every day and I use our wedding china for my daughters’ birthdays. They really appreciate it. Kathy
It doesn’t have to be a special occasion around here. My girls and I love to set a pretty table for no reason at all. It makes those middle of the week dinners just a little bit more special. I agree with you Rhoda about white plates too. Your table looks lovely!
I love your tablescape! White dishes are so pretty. Thanksgiving is my favorite occasion to set a pretty table. I would love to win the beautiful dishes and the book.
The book will probably make me cry. I became a mom through adoption. It took a lot of love for our son’s birthparents to allow my husband and I to adopt him.
I love to set a beautiful table for Thanksgiving.