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Love & Best Dishes: Setting a Table with Emily Peterson - Today Paula's having some fun with her friend Emily Peterson and they're settin' the table!
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0:00
- Hey, y'all, I'm here with my favorite hairdresser
0:04
and makeup artist of all time.
0:07
This is Emily Peterson, and she has been doing my hair
0:10
and makeup now for four or five years.
0:13
And if you like my hair, thank you, it's cause' she did it.
0:19
I had nothing to do with it.
0:21
So, the other day,
0:24
Emily was doing a video with me,
0:28
and we got to talking about table dressings and all that.
0:32
She said she loves setting tables
0:34
and wishes she didn't have to cook the meal. (laughs)
0:38
You know, just set the table.
0:40
So Emily said that she would show us how to set a table.
0:45
So Emily, I'm turning it over to you, honey.
0:49
And this is such a elegant dinin' area
0:52
that you gon' get to decorate in my son's guest house.
0:57
- [Eddie] Well, tell us before we cover it,
0:59
tell us about the little runner.
1:02
- [Paula] Yes.
1:03
- This is a runner that my grandmother crossed-stitched.
1:06
And it's been really special to me.
1:09
It definitely has the character flaws in it
1:11
like any vintage piece would have.
1:13
So I strategically put my plates on top of those things,
1:16
(Paula laughs)
1:17
but I really loved it because it has the pagoda in it.
1:21
And it kind of reminds me of a lot of the things
1:23
that I really enjoy now with the blue and whites and greens.
1:27
- If you turn it over Emily, her work was incredible
1:32
because when I do cross stitch, mine's a mess on back,
1:35
but her's is, it's almost like you could use either side.
1:41
It's incredible, her work.
1:43
- Well, thank you.
1:43
She really did enjoy doing it and she did a lot of it.
1:46
I unfortunately did not learn how to do that from her.
1:49
And it's kind of a lost art, so
1:52
maybe one day you can pick it up in your free time.
1:55
- [Paula] All right. Now tell me about the tablecloth.
1:57
- I don't think this is anything really special.
2:00
This is just something that my mom had
2:01
that I wanted an awful lot
2:03
so that I could lay the runner on top of it.
2:06
So it's just-
2:07
- [Paula] All right.
2:08
So kind of tell us,
2:10
what's the number one rule when you're going to set a table?
2:14
- Well, I think use your imagination.
2:16
Don't want to get too stuffy.
2:18
You know, that takes the fun out of it.
2:19
I like to mix old with the new,
2:22
kind of gives you a conversational piece
2:23
for your dinner party.
2:25
You kinda have to have something that you can talk about
2:28
while you're enjoying your food.
2:30
- [Eddie] Do you like to do a theme?
2:31
- I do love themes, especially for different holidays.
2:36
Valentine's is a great theme.
2:38
There's so many different things
2:40
that you can go with St. Patrick's Day.
2:41
- I like themes too.
2:43
- [Emily] And it goes with the blue and white.
2:45
- [Paula] Yes,
2:46
I like for my things to at least coordinate. (laughs)
2:52
How do ya' like my fine china? (laughs)
2:56
- There's a good time for everything, even paper plates.
2:58
- Well, I hate that all my stuff is in storage,
3:01
but Emily was kind enough to bring some of her china.
3:06
- I did bring a few of my little pieces,
3:10
things that I like to kind of pair together.
3:12
- [Paula] Yes.
3:13
- [Emily] This is just a brass charger.
3:15
And then this is-
3:16
- [Paula] I like those
3:17
and apparently you bought those. Those are new.
3:18
- [Emily] I did. These are new.
3:19
So I like to mix old and new.
3:21
This is my grandmother's China,
3:23
and I don't love the-
3:24
- [Paula] My grandmother had that same set.
3:26
- [Emily] Really?
3:27
- [Paula] It might not have been that navy blue, but-
3:29
- [Emily] There are different colors.
3:31
- [Paula] Uh huh. I definitely remember that in the center.
3:33
- [Emily] I love the cobalt,
3:35
and then this is my China pattern, which is very plain.
3:39
I picked it because I wanted to be able to incorporate it
3:41
with some other pieces that I had.
3:43
And then, this is the napkin that goes with the runner.
3:46
- [Paula] That her grandmother did.
3:48
So Emily purposely puts the bread plate
3:54
with the charger and the dinner plate to cover the part
3:58
that she doesn't really care for.
4:01
I think that's a good trick, you know.
4:04
- And I feel like china was a little bit smaller
4:06
back whenever my grandmother had china.
4:09
So I used the extra bread plates instead of a salad plate,
4:13
cause' I liked seeing just this little bit
4:15
- [Paula] Yes, this is just beautiful.
4:17
And like you said say, that cobalt is so today.
4:23
You know, it's really today.
4:25
- You can get really like dated,
4:27
if you don't mix the new with the old sometimes,
4:29
I feel like you can get really dated in your table setting.
4:32
- [Paula] Right, right.
4:33
- So, I like to bring both elements in.
4:35
- [Paula] Right.
4:36
And you said today,
4:40
because of where we are in our limitations,
4:45
and I so appreciate you bringing all this stuff
4:48
so you could show us.
4:53
Oh, what was that? What was I going to ask you?
4:56
Oh, no, I was going to tell everybody,
4:58
that earlier you told me that your theme
5:01
for this table was going to be a shabby chic.
5:04
- [Emily] Yeah. It's a little shabby chic.
5:05
- [Paula] And I love shabby chic.
5:07
I've got plenty of shabby (laugh)
5:11
and I have to hunt for my chic. (laugh)
5:14
- [Emily] That might be harder to find sometimes.
5:18
So I'll just put out the bread and butter plate.
5:22
So you can strategically put it over those characters.
5:25
- [Paula] Yes.
5:28
How long has your grandmother been gone?
5:31
- [Emily] She passed away
5:32
when I was a senior in high school.
5:34
So I'm not even going to tell you how long that's been.
5:36
It's been awhile.
5:37
(Paula laughing)
5:38
- What? Two or three years? - Five. (laughs)
5:45
- [Eddie] I think we graduated the same time, Emily.
5:47
- [Paula] Yes, we all did. Didn't we? (laughs)
5:50
- [Emily] Okay, and these are her just-
5:53
- [Paula] These are her every day? Or was this her-
5:56
- [Emily] I believe probably used this,
5:57
maybe for everyday or,
5:59
she would always have the preacher over on Sundays.
6:02
- [Paula] Oh she would. For fried chicken?
6:05
- [Emily] Yes, and she made fantastic fried chicken,
6:08
which is something I can't do.
6:12
- [Paula] Isn't that pretty?
6:15
- I like to use these, these are smaller.
6:17
I feel like my crystals are actually a little bit larger
6:19
than that and sometimes it can over take
6:21
your table a little bit.
6:22
So I like these whenever you're doing like a luncheon.
6:25
- [Paula] Yes.
6:27
So this would be the smaller one, is that your water glass?
6:32
Or iced tea?
6:34
- This is actually your water.
6:35
And then this is your wine.
6:37
- [Paula] Oh, your wine, or iced tea.
6:40
- Or iced tea, yeah.
6:42
- Yeah. Okay.
6:43
And you know, here's a good trick
6:46
that somebody shared with me years ago,
6:49
you know, on how to remember where the bread plate goes
6:55
and your drink.
6:57
So this is what they told me.
7:00
They say, stand in front of your plate, Paula,
7:03
and this is a "b," and that's for bread.
7:07
- That is a great-
7:08
- This is a "d," that's for your drink.
7:13
So we can always remember by our hands.
7:16
- That is a wonderful tip.
7:18
Cause' I always have to think about it,
7:21
but also the way that I remember which side
7:24
your knife and fork is on,
7:26
is "knife" has five letters, you put it on the right side.
7:28
- [Paula] Okay. That's great.
7:30
Now I was going to say now show everybody,
7:32
because this is a common mistake that people make, to me,
7:36
is turning the blade out, and that blade
7:39
is supposed to be turned in towards your plate.
7:42
- [Emily] Yes. And normally you can tell
7:44
because it'll have your label on the-
7:47
- [Paula] Oh.
7:48
- So, if you turn it in, you don't see that.
7:50
- Oh, okay. Yes.
7:52
- Which is another way to remember that.
7:55
- Yes, yes. And that's beautiful silver.
7:56
Now, is that yours? Or was that your grandmother's?
7:58
- This is actually my mom's.
7:59
So, there's three generations of us present on this table.
8:03
- [Paula] Oh, wonderful. And this was your mom's mom that-
8:06
- So, this is actually my dad's mom
8:08
that does the needlepoint.
8:09
My mom's mom has this China.
8:11
She was a little bit more,
8:13
she liked frilly, fancy, shiny things.
8:15
- [Paula] So there's four of y'all involved.
8:17
- [Emily] Actually, yes.
8:18
- [Paula] Both grandmothers, your mother, and you.
8:21
I know that you've got to treasure this.
8:24
- I do treasure.
8:25
And I'm so thankful that they shared these things with me.
8:29
- [Paula] All right.
8:29
Now, tell us all, because I get mixed up too,
8:34
When it comes to setting the table.
8:36
They say
8:38
that your silver that's out the furthest
8:43
is the one you pick up first.
8:45
- [Emily] To start with.
8:46
- [Paula] Yes.
8:47
So this is here because we'd start with our salad.
8:50
- [Emily] Absolutely, yes.
8:52
- [Paula] Right? And now why is the spoon there?
8:54
- [Emily] Well you know, Paula, I don't know.
8:56
(Paula laughs)
8:58
I guess it depends on what you're serving.
8:59
If we had coffee or tea, maybe you could use it.
9:03
And I am going to put out a coffee cup because I just like-
9:08
- [Paula] They're beautiful.
9:10
- [Emily] And who doesn't enjoy coffee after dinner?
9:13
- [Paula] And I love coffee in a cup.
9:16
- [Emily] I do, too.
9:17
- [Paula] There's been a lot of coffee-
9:21
- [Eddie] Yes. - [Paula] drank out of that.
9:23
- [Emily] Well loved. - [Paula] Yes.
9:24
It's just beautiful.
9:26
It's a shame those plates weren't just like this,
9:30
you know, like the cups.
9:33
Just so pretty.
9:35
- [Emily] I'll keep going with this.
9:37
So the knife is on the right
9:39
cause' five letters in that, five letters in right.
9:42
Four letters in fork, four letters in left.
9:45
That's how I always remember it.
9:48
So I'll have to Google it every time.
9:50
- [Paula] Yes. It's amazing how easy we forget things.
9:54
- [Emily] Absolutely.
9:55
And how easy you can second guess yourself.
9:57
- [Paula] Yes. You overthink it.
10:03
All right, let's see.
10:04
I will help you gather your coffee cups.
10:07
Now how many place settings do you have of this china?
10:11
- [Emily] I have six of the blue,
10:13
and then I have 12 of my pattern, which is good
10:15
that you can just mix and match them up.
10:19
- That's great.
10:21
- So sometimes you have to readjust a little bit
10:23
to fit everything in, so it's good to kinda...
10:26
- [Paula] Uh huh. Just kind of play with it.
10:31
- [Emily] Absolutely. Yeah.
10:33
Play with it til' you get it just about.
10:36
- [Paula] Yes. Well, I will sit these down in the area.
10:40
- [Emily] Perfect.
10:41
- [Paula] And then you can place them where you want them.
10:43
So this is your mother's silver?
10:45
- [Emily] It is, yes. - [Paula] Very pretty.
10:48
And she said, you'll use it more often than I will,
10:49
so just go ahead and take them. (laughs)
10:51
She does still set the table every Sunday-
10:54
- Does she?
10:55
- We eat lunch with them most every Sunday.
10:57
And she does that, but obviously not with fine china,
11:00
but she has always done that.
11:02
- [Paula] She doesn't use beautiful blue china? (laughs)
11:06
- Well, she does it, I won't say that she doesn't,
11:09
but on Sunday's she has blue willow,
11:12
which is her favorite thing.
11:14
- [Paula] Oh, I love, love, love, blue willow.
11:16
- [Emily] I do too. So we have Sunday lunch on that usually,
11:19
And it's always a nice time.
11:21
And I have just always enjoyed having dinner.
11:26
You don't just eat with your taste.
11:29
There's five senses involved,
11:31
and so especially with everything going on with COVID.
11:34
- [Paula] This is the first thing you eat it with your eyes.
11:38
- And we don't get to go out as much as we did.
11:41
So, it's nice to just set the table
11:44
and enjoy that at this time.
11:46
One of the simple pleasures we can have in life.
11:49
- And you just picked up the flowers from the grocery store?
11:54
- I did.
11:55
Just Kroger down the street has tulips
11:58
and I just put it in a little-
12:00
- [Paula] Now, this container,
12:01
was that your mother's or grandmother's?
12:04
- [Emily] That was actually mine.
12:05
It was a wedding gift that we got.
12:08
- [Paula] Good, yes.
12:09
I have a piece similar to this that I bought
12:13
and I use it a lot for candy.
12:16
All right.
12:17
Well give us some ideas
12:19
on some other, maybe, themes or things we can do.
12:24
- I really like to use like things that you have outside
12:26
in your yard that you can incorporate in.
12:28
So I like to go outside and clip.
12:30
If you have a herb garden,
12:32
you could throw a sprig of Rosemary
12:33
or somethin' on your plate.
12:35
- And it smells so good. - It does.
12:37
And if you need like a name place,
12:40
sometimes I'll get a magnolia leaf
12:42
and just use a metallic pen and write the name on it.
12:45
- [Paula] What a great idea!
12:46
- Easy, organic way to cost-effectively upgrade
12:50
your plate a little bit.
12:51
- [Paula] See, that's what I want you to tell us.
12:53
- And I love using fruit
12:55
because obviously you can reuse it
12:57
after you're done with it,
12:58
but it just is such a beautiful addition.
13:00
- [Paula] And what would you do with fruit?
13:02
Say if you had some fruit.
13:06
- [Emily] If I had some there around where I live the little
13:09
oranges that, what are they called?
13:12
- [Paula] Kumquats. - [Emily] I love those, too.
13:14
- [Paula] I love them, too. You eat the skin and all.
13:17
- Yes, the whole thing.
13:19
- [Eddie] And we had tangerine, satsumas.
13:21
- Satsumas, yes.
13:23
Those are growin' right now, where I'm from
13:25
and when they pick them off the tree and you can buy them
13:27
they have a little leaf already on them or some of them do.
13:30
- [Paula] Yes, I love 'em when they come with a little bit
13:32
of the green still left on 'em.
13:33
- So I think it would be pretty if you just scattered
13:36
a little bit of orange through this, to-
13:38
- [Paula] What? You're telling me just lay
13:40
a tangerine, just kinda-
13:44
- [Emily] You could even put it on your plate
13:45
to mark your place, too.
13:47
Just to kind of give it a pop of color.
13:48
I think that would be really nice.
13:50
- [Paula] So you use that metalic pen
13:51
and write the names on the tangerine, couldn't you?
13:54
- [Emily] Absolutely.
13:55
Yeah, that would be a great way to do that, too.
13:57
- [Paula] You know, I'm from the school of make-do, Emily.
14:00
- Me too.
14:01
- [Paula] 'Cause I had to make do.
14:03
And, you know, I think that that's great
14:06
for our brain to get our brain working.
14:10
I'll tell you who sets a beautiful table.
14:14
Eddie, Eddie has exquisite taste.
14:16
- [Paula] He does. Eddie's taste
14:18
is more formal than my taste.
14:22
- So Emily, you did real good honey.
14:24
And I so appreciate you hauling all this stuff
14:27
from Metter, Georgia. (laughs)
14:30
- Well, it was my pleasure and my grandmother's
14:32
and my mom I know would be and will be so proud to see
14:36
how their treasures could be shown to other people.
14:40
- [Paula] Yes.
14:41
Keep givin' much pleasure to the next generations.
14:44
You know, and that's what scares me.
14:47
You know, I'm all about food and recipes
14:50
and things like that,
14:52
but I ask people all the time,
14:56
don't lose your recipes
15:00
and things that your mother and grandmother did
15:02
because once they're gone,
15:04
there's no getting that knowledge back.
15:07
- You are so right about that.
15:09
- Yeah, so salvage what you can.
15:12
So this table looks so pretty and inviting.
15:16
Well, in the next video,
15:18
I am going to make a first course for this beautiful table.
15:24
I'm going to make a sherried avocado broth or bouillon.
15:31
'Cause we gonna be proper today. (laughs)
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