The “Race for the Roses” will be held this Saturday on May 4, 2024 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. If you cannot be there in person, then what better reason to have your very own Derby party. There is so much history surrounding this annual event and how fun to partake in its revelry.

A Little History

The Kentucky Derby takes place on the first Saturday in May every year, and typically draws a crowd of 155,000 people. It is the longest continually held sporting event in America, and it is one of the most prestigious horse races in the world.

Often called “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports”, the Kentucky Derby receives this nickname from the approximate length of time it takes the winner to run from the starting gate to the finish line. The Kentucky Derby is the first race within the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, where it is followed by the Preakness Stakes race and the Belmont Stakes race.

Setting the Theme

When my sweet blogging friends came to visit Bella Terra in 2022, we put together all the best tips to hosting your very own Kentucky Derby party and we want to share them with you today!

Chloe, from Celebrate and Decorate was unable to come at the last minute due to a family medical emergency. However, she did ship all the wonderful elements of a beautiful table beforehand. Using the black and white checks of a jockey’s attire, the harlequin table cloth is the perfect backdrop. Moss in a roll make a wonderful runner and adds the grassy feel of Churchill Downs.

The Centerpiece

Working with a laser cut wooden horse head, Chloe embellishes it with a Derby Day theme. Here is the Before:

And the After:

The horse head centerpiece is a clever use of craft materials and you can see the entire DIY here. Finding the wooden horse head silhouette on Amazon, Chloe covers it in moss, adds roses for the mane and adds a harlequin ribbon for the bridle. This can be used as decoration for the front door (add a hook) or as the table’s centerpiece.

Beautiful silver mint julep cups are filled with fresh red roses that I order from The Bouqs. Waiting for a 20% off promotion, I purchase 6 dozen (4 dozen would have been plenty)of these gorgeous red roses. I place 10 roses in each mint julep cup (6 cups) and surround the horse head.

If you are looking for mint julep cups, here is a resource for stainless steel ones. Silver or silver plated mint julep cups can be found here.

The Place Setting

Since the Kentucky Derby is one of the most prestigious races, it’s time to pull out the glamour of silver and crystal. After experimenting with different chargers and dinner plates, we decide a simple white plate with a beaded silver charger with a white embroidered linen napkin is the most elegant.

If you don’t have real silver or silver-plate, there are many faux silver chargers available. You can see these more affordable options here. Having a basic white dinner plate allows you the opportunity to make your table casual or more formal. Here is a good option on white dinner plates.

Chloe makes these stunning red rose napkin rings and you can see her DIY here. Even though she wasn’t physically present, we all greatly appreciate her creative contributions to this gorgeous table.

Sparkling crystal glasses, silver candlesticks and silver wine/champagne buckets add more glamour to the table.

Andrea from Design Morsels finds these small horseshoes which we scatter around the centerpiece. Adding the white slipcovered dining chairs around the table, again makes this dining experience extra special.

The table is placed under the very old date palms trees on the south side of our historic property.

Hors D’oeuvres

Even though mint juleps are the traditional cocktail for the Kentucky Derby, we dust off our best Waterford champagne flutes and serve a Thomson & Scott Noughty dealcoholized sparking rosé bubbly.

A variety of cheeses, crackers, salami, olives, nuts and fruit make a colorful, yet tasty tray of nibbles.

Icy shrimp with cocktail sauce on a vintage Fenton Spanish Lace Silver Crest ruffle edge milk glass pedestal cake stand gives some height to a small table. This is one of my favorite cake stands and as I am writing this, there is one available on eBay here.

Fresh shrimp and a wonton hors d’oeuvre create different textures and flavors. An interesting mix for your guests.

For more food and decorating ideas, see my Derby Day Fun post from 2019 here.

And a Hat, of course!

Hats are a long standing tradition at the Kentucky Derby! And what is a Derby party without a lovely chapeau!

On the Kentucky Derby website, you can download the entire Kentucky Derby 2024 information guide, the list of horses and you can even place a bet on their website. They even have an online store for your to purchase party supplies.

Thanks to Chloe’s creativity and the capable hands of Andrea from Design Morsels and Chas from Chas’ Crazy Creations, we hope you will be inspired to host your own Kentucky Derby party! What fun to put it all together here at our home and share these moments with such great friends.

10 Winning Kentucky Derby Party Food Ideas and Champion Recipes

My friend, Rachel from The Ponds Farmhouse is part of a supper club comprising of very talented women. In Rachel’s post, not only does she include recipes from Shrimp & Grits to Bourbon Bread Pudding, but the following as well:

Michele from Vintage Home Design~Traditional Mint Julep Recipe with a Lemonade Twist

Jen at Midwest Life and Style- Crockpot Bourbon Meatballs

Anne and AnnMarie at Simply2Moms~The Hot Brown

Stacy at Bricks ‘n Blooms~Best Blondie Brownie Recipe

Just writing this post is making me hungry and I cannot wait to try some of these new recipes. May is just around the corner and enjoying the Kentucky Derby is a great way to welcome in the month.Are you planning a Derby day celebration?

Some of the photos are taken by Emily Supiot from Cozy Clicks.

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Spring has definitely sprung here at Bella Terra. All the flowers are blooming, my garden is growing and what better way to share it than a spring themed dinner at home.

Recently we hosted friends of ours who are out of state that is still experiencing snow. It is their first time to our house, however, we spent a great deal of time together when we all went to Mongolia last June. With their differing food likes and dislikes, it makes sense to make a meal that can accommodate everyone’s culinary wishes.

The Tablecloth

I love this linen tablecloth embroidered with an assortment of spring flowers. This seems like the perfect base for the spring themed dinner. My recollection is that I bought it during a trip to Italy….or I found it in a thrift store. I think the Italy story is better!

The Centerpiece

On the way home from a doctor’s appointment, I stop at Trader Joe’s and check out their flowers. These purple decorative cabbages catch my eye and are the basis for the centerpiece.

Using floral wet foam and a plastic rectangular container, more flowers are added. Fragrant purple stock and freshly cut irises from the garden surround the cabbages. Mums, daisies and roses from the yard fill in the rest. Not only is the centerpiece a tribute to spring, it smells heavenly too. Here is another centerpiece I created using 4 of these plastic containers.

The Dishes

With such a light and bright tablecloth, I select these Fondeville Ambassador ware dishes because of the spring green and flowers in the pattern. Since I only have the dinner plates, I add a Leslie Roy neutral, clear glass salad plate with a gold rim on top.

I play around with different chargers and settle on this clear one with a golden beaded edge. Though they look like glass, the chargers are actually plastic. $2.99 each from Hobby Lobby. Don’t they look elegant?

Stemware

Lenox water and wine glasses with a narrow gold rim are simple and elegant, focusing attention to the pretty vintage dinner plate. Wallace Napoleon Bee stainless with gold accents is a favorite flatware.

Yellow linen napkins from Sferra (see similar here) add a bit of spring color to the table. Detailed bird candles are placed around the centerpiece for another spring element.

The lighted candles in the Waterford crystal candlesticks provide a romantic glow.

The Menu

In order to provide meat for some, my husband prepares the steaks on the grill. A large salad and baked sweet potatoes with lemon (my favorite recipe is below), provides sustenance for the non-meat eaters.

Dessert is homemade rangpur tartlets (shared with you on a recent Saturday Meanderings) and is served on vintage Fondeville plates (which can be found on eBay).

The food is delicious and the company is delightful! What a lovely evening with friends and setting a special table always makes your guests feel welcomed.

Are you enjoying Spring weather? Any spring entertaining on the horizon?

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Can you believe Easter is this coming Sunday, the last day of March? After having two VERY busy weeks, I am now finally shifting my focus to my Easter/Spring decorations and the holiday meal. Will you be hosting friends and family for dinner? We are expecting about 10 for an Easter brunch after we attend sunrise services at church. Today’s post is inspiration for your Easter weekend~ from easy Easter DIYs to family traditions at the table. If your children are on spring break, some of these ideas would be fun to keep them busy and entertained.

Decoupage Easter Eggs

With a plethora of pretty seasonal paper napkins and hand towels, you can easily make these decoupage Easter eggs with your children or grandchildren. All you need are neutral colored eggs~either plastic, wooden or actual eggs, Mod Podge, paper napkins, and a paint brush. If you are using real eggs, you can find instructions on how to do this here.

What’s nice about these decoupage eggs, is that they keep from year to year and you can use them in a multitude of ways. This sweet lady bunny has a space for an egg on her yellow coat.

Or in a basket of straw as an Easter/Spring decoration or part of someone’s Easter basket.

Of course, you can use your decoupage eggs at your Easter dinner table too!

Think of all the possibilities depending on the color and style of your napkin! To see the complete post on How to Decoupage Easter eggs, click here.

Making Easter Nests~a fun DIY project

The joy of spring brings new nests all over our property. Instead of using real nests (not sure how sanitary that would be at the dinner table), I make faux nests. Back in 2020, I use Royal Worcester soup bowls at my Easter dinner table. However, the table is lacking something. So I whip up these cute nests using items I readily have on hand.

Since I have never made these before, it is fun to experiment and try something new. The supplies are simple~shredded paper (from our paper shredder but you can use whatever you have), Mod Podge, disposable styrofoam bowls, a few colors of spray paint, glue and moss.

Don’t they look so pretty on the Easter table?

To see the entire post on making DIY Easter nests, click here.

Easter Table Ideas

If you haven’t starting setting your table for Easter, here is a plethora of ideas from centerpieces to place cards. Today I will be going through the Easter boxes in the garage to come up with a theme for our table this Sunday. It’s a bit like Christmas because I seem to forget year to year what I have collected over time. We hope to set a table outdoors (weather providing) in the palm orchard, like we have the last few years.

Many of my Easter pieces come with wonderful memories. My dear friend, Gwen, gave me these porcelain lamb napkin rings over 30 years ago.

The Easter menu

Since we will be having a brunch, it will be easy to serve a homemade quiche, both green and fruit salad, hot cross buns and perhaps a smoked ham (husband is figuring that out).

The hot cross buns are so tasty, however, I am still struggling with getting the crosses correct. Here’s the recipe from Sally’s Baking Recipes, as I have good luck with her content. The crosses are made with a flour/water concoction and orange icing is added after baking.

The annual family dessert is a lamb cake. Easter lamb cake (known as agnuszek or baranek wielkanocny in Polish) is a traditional Eastern European dessert. As a child, I looked forward to my mother making this for Easter as it signaled the beginning of Spring.

To read more about this cake, check out the original post here.

Please share what you are doing for Easter and any family traditions you enjoy. Happy last week of March! I cannot wait to share pictures of our newest family member, a 9 week old Akbash puppy. More to come on that, but have a glorious week!

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Even though we are not of Irish decent, we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th, because it is the birthday of my daughter, Julianna and my mother, Julia. That, in itself, is a good reason to set a St. Patrick’s Day Table. However, who is St. Patrick and why is this holiday celebrated around the world?

A Little History

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated annually on March 17, the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish observe this day as a religious holiday and have so for over 1,000 years.

St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and its national apostle. Born in Roman Britain, he was kidnapped from his home and brought to Ireland as a slave at the age of 16. He later escaped, but returned to Ireland and was credited with bringing Christianity to its people. 

Mixing Old and New

For this year’s St. Patrick’s Day table, I am using this fun piece of contemporary fabric from my friend, Anne. I couple it with my antique English china, Fondeville Ambassador Ware 6762. The rich shades of green, gold, pink, blue and yellow make these gold-rim plates one of my favorites.

To me, this is the essence of collected chic~mixing bold patterns with elegant tableware.

Stacking the antique china on the simple brushed gold chargers enhances the gold in the pattern. Adding the crackled gold rim clear salad plate from Leslie Roy does not diminish the platter floral design. Similar chargers can be found here. These chargers are so affordable and I use them frequently.

Of course, I love my Wallace silver/gold bee patterned flatware (see link here) which seems to go with just about any place setting I create. The combination of green and gold in this setting lends to the luck of the Irish!

Made in Waterford, Ireland, the Waterford crystal Marquis water goblets and Lismore wine glasses are in keeping with the Irish theme. Gold trim napkins softly fold and find a home inside the wine glass. See similar napkins here.

Making it Festive

With a fun and festive holiday like St. Patrick’s Day, it is easy for the table decor to become kitschy or juvenile. Trying to keep the table elegant, but fun, I add gold shamrocks to the tablecloth. Since I bought these several years ago, resource unknown, you can use gold coins instead.

Each place setting gets a light up shamrock necklace for added whimsy for our guests. See similar necklace here.

The Centerpiece

Brass candlesticks from West Elm brighten up the table. Set up in our family and surrounded by windows, the table changes color as the day progresses.

The centerpiece is a vintage Westmoreland oval footed milk glass bowl with hydrangeas, peonies and green glitter shamrocks. Again, the glittery shamrocks are fun but the centerpiece still looks elegant. The shape is the perfect size for this round table.

Will you be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day? My daughter will be 27 years old and my mother, if alive, would be celebrating her 99th. Time marches on, doesn’t it?

Wishing you all a happy Wednesday.

Just a reminder that any words that are italicized bring you to the source. If it is a product on Amazon, please note that I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you purchase something through my website, I receive a small (very small!) stipend, which doesn’t affect the price you pay at all. My goal is to make sourcing the items easy for you. Thank you for your continued support.

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This post shared with Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday #650

With Valentine’s Day just a day away, will you be sharing the love? Is it a romantic dinner for two or a dinner party with friends? We are having a very low key evening at home this year but whether you enjoy Valentine’s Day quietly or pull out all the stops, here are some Valentine-inspired table ideas for you.

A Quiet Dinner for Two

I like to experiment with setting up a table in an atypical part of the house. It’s fun to get a different perspective and not always eat in the same spot. Our front entry hall is the perfect place for a small round table to seat two guests. If the weather is pleasant, then it’s even more inviting to sit by the open door.

Pink and white matte ornaments (used at Christmas) are hung with clear fishing line from the overhead light fixture for a bit of whimsy. The two upholstered chairs (see similar here)from Ballard Designs bring a sense of comfort and elegance to the table.

The antique Black Forest carved drop leaf table provides the perfect backdrop to the gold chargers and Juliette china from Royal Doulton Romance collection . Pink stemware, both vintage and new add to the pink theme. Vintage napkins are a thrift store find.

Since the table is small, a narrow row of fresh hydrangeas is just enough. Candlesticks by West Elm. The blush linen table runner is from Williams Sonoma but they no longer carry this color. Here is a very affordable one on Amazon.

Do you have a fun location where you can set up a small table for dinner? There is something refreshing about having a meal in a new place! You can see more details about this dinner set up here.

If You Prefer Red

As you know, I love all types of linens~antique, vintage or new. Typically before I set a table, I select the right linen and then go from there. Here’s a favorite one with deep red roses~another perfect Valentine basic and can often be found in thrift stores.

Finding a quiet corner in our living room by two bright and cheerful windows, makes the perfect place for a Valentine meal.

With silver chargers and beaded white dishes, the place setting compliments the grays and whites in the tablecloth. The heart-shaped glass ornament (I purchased and hand carried back from Paris) serves as a napkin ring.

Crystal glassware and candlesticks captures the light and ups the elegance factor. Again, the table is small so a gathering of deep red roses in a small crystal vase is perfect. To see more about this table, click here.

For a larger crowd

We love hosting an elegant Valentine dinner party for friends. It is not an annual occurrence anymore, but we still enjoy putting it on every other year or so. With a larger group, we tend to set up on the back terrace patio, where the dinner table easily seats 10-12.

There is a great deal of planning that goes into this event~from unique invitations to gifts at the dinner table. The outdoor heaters are set up just in case it gets too chilly as the evening progresses.

When it comes to flowers for this event, I tend to go all out. There is something so magical about a table lush with flowers and candlelight. There are so many details to this event, that I wrote two blog posts about it.

You can find Valentine Dinner Party ideas, Part 1 here and all the resources for the table and Valentine decorations here in Valentine Dinner Party ideas, part 2. If you are thinking about having a fun event, you will find lots of inspiration in these two blog posts, from the initial invitation to the actual event.

Here is another Valentine dinner party setting on the back porch table but without linens. The mahogany table really makes the flowers and dishes pop. Similar set up but isn’t it interesting how linens (or no linens) can completely change the look?

Here is an evening shot and isn’t the table just magical?

Experimenting with a New Tablecloth

I just recently received this lovely shade of pink tablecloth from my friend, Darviny. If you don’t follow Darviny on Instagram @dayswithdarving, she is the queen of Indian block print fabric. So I am playing a bit with different dishes and colors. My photos don’t really capture the warmth of this soft pink, but it is perfect for Valentine’s Day.

For this 60″ x 90″ Juliette tablecloth, I got it on sale (25% off)for $43.50. It looks just fabulous on my dining room table too!

The brushed gold chargers are a staple and I like how they pick up the gold in the Famille Rose salad plate by Williams Sonoma. You can find similar chargers here. And it appears that William Sonoma still has these plates available too. The Emma white dinner plates with the dotted edge are a regular item at Pottery Barn. Pale pink linen napkins can be found on Amazon here.

Well, I am hoping this post is inspiring you to think about Valentine’s Day and a very special table. Happy Tuesday to you! I love Valentine’s Day as it helps me stop and absorb all things of beauty.

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This post is shared with Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday #697 and Peacock Ridge Farm Fabulous Friday Link Party 2.4.22.