St. Patty's Table and Dinner

Cheers! Another St. Patty's Day passed. Check out the table settings all put together and the menu served on it. (The boys were a little late for dinner, but everything held and it ended up just as yummy and just as nice as they devoured the feast in their typical record time.)

The Table Settings

Menu
An Irish Inspired Stew
Peas (we have to make the separate since not all of my brothers like them)
Pot of Gold (or Cheddar Beer Soup) (with some alterations since I am vegetarian and have no interest in a meaty stew, including using vegetable broth instead of chicken)
Deep Fried Battered Pickle Chips (not b/c they are Irish, but I like them & they are green)
Traditional Soda Bread
Apple Cider
Beer
Shamrock Cut Out Cookies (from a favorite local bakery)
Rainbow Cupcakes
Brownies

Rainbow Cupcakes

It's been a  busy day of baking and cooking to getting ready for tonight's St. Patty's dinner. For a special treat, I made rainbow cupcakes. (They're going to double as part of the center piece.) I started with mixing a white cake mix batter (in this cake I just used a boxed cake mix that was already in the cupboard) according to the directions.Then divided it into six bowls and colored with the colors of the rainbow; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple.

 I layered each color in paper lined cupcake pans. The large cupcakes have a bit of every color, the small cupcakes have at least three colors or more each. I like mixing the regular sized cupcakes with the small bit-size ones. Then into the oven to cake (according to the recipe/directions) until done. (Usually sticking a toothpick in and coming out clean is the best way.)

Let cool. Ice and decorate. (I used a white cream cheese frosting with some green sugar sprinkles. I looked for shamrocks, but had trouble finding them.)

I don't need to a rainbow for luck... I made my own. Sweet, yummy, and might lead to a treasure all it's own.

Bottle of Irish Spirit - Video How To

Check out my video for the complete how-to, from just en empty bottle start to finish project.

Bottles of Irish Spirit

Still in the prep work for my St.Patrick's Day dinner I knew I needed some festive centerpieces for the table. So, I came up with these festive Bottles of Irish Spirit.

Using an empty and clean green bottle, I removed the labels, then dried thoroughly. (In this case I used bottles from Hard Cider that were in my recycle box.) Using a white and shamrock ribbon I attached a "label" with my hot glue gun (a wonderful invention). Then embellished the bottle by attached a fabric white rose I made before hand and ribbon to the front, again with the hot glue gun. (Find the instructions for the Fabric Rose here.)

Inside the clean bottle (no cider remnants here), I stuffed some green shamrock decorative wire I had left over what something I wore to a St. Patty's Day party last year. (Don't worry there was more involved than just the shamrock wire.) Then topped the bottle off with a green felt circle and a little bit more of the white ribbon with my hot glue gun.

The whole project cost nothing extra, using things I already had here, empty bottles for recycling, and scrap fabric from the place mats I already made and took very little time. And they are going to look great with the rest of the St. Patty's goodies for my table.

Luck of the Irish Napkin Rings & Cloth Napkins

To go with my St. Patty's Day dinner plans and appropriate-themed table setting, I need green cloth napkins and some gold napkin rings to with them.

For the napkins: I cut eight squares, 18 inch by 18 inch, out of a green cotton material and hemmed about 3/4 inch from the edge, leaving the outer edge raw to be fringed.

For the napkin rings: I made a dough using 1/2c. salt with 1 c. flour, enough water to make a dough. I also add just a touch of vegetable oil to help make smooth. I made sure it was mixed and kneaded well, then formed into the desired shape around a discarded paper towel tube covered in foil. (I made ball of dough and divided it into eight pieces, with a little bit leftover.) The rings then went into a 200 degree oven until thoroughly dry & hardened. (This took a couple hours and I turned then after the top side was dried well.)

From the oven, I let them cool, then using a gold metallic spray paint, painted them. (When using spray paint I often place the item(s) to paint inside a large box to keep the over spray contained.) I turned then a few times to get everything covered.

Once dry, they are ready for the table. (I personally like that chunky, gold nugget-like appearance.)

Bring on the leprechauns!

St. Patty's Day Place mats

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I have planned a St. Patrick's Day dinner for my family, complete with an appropriately-themed dinner table. I need a few things for this, starting with white place mats with Irish Blessings, backed in green.

I cut eight rectangles of each color (white muslin fronts and green backs) all the same size that would later be sewn together. (Eight may seem like a lot, but we have a big dining room table that comfortably seats eight, and big family, and I'm not sure who all will be at dinner that night so I'd rather have extra than not enough.)

Using a word program on my computer I printed off sheets that included 8 Irish Blessings & Toasts with some clip art on the t-shirt print setting (this prints everything backward for ironing onto the fabric). I've used these transfer sheets before and just followed the instructions that came with them. (You could also use store bought iron-ons, fabric crayons, fabric markers, or fabric paint, or embroidery for decoration.)

Following the manufactures instructions, I ironed each white front with a different blessing/toast, letting cool completely before gently pulling away the paper.

I chose to use a straight seam all the way around the place mats, right sounds out, about 3/4 inch from the edge. Instead of a regular finished hem, I left the raw edge to be fringed out by pulling the loose strings.

This proved to be a rather inexpensive project. (I love those!) The white fabric was fairly inexpensive, then I used s coupon from Joann Fabric's Store. I bought three yards for around 5 dollars, having enough for the 8 St. Patty's Day Place Mats, a table runner and 6 other place mats for another project, and some left over. The green fabric used on the back was something I already had and used for both the 8 place mats as well as for 8 cloth napkins to match. The Iron On sheets were also something I already had, simply printing off what I needed for this project.