Set to Celebrate features tablescapes and other holiday display inspirations from designers, businesses, and organizations from throughout the area.
Set to Celebrate 2017. Photo credit: Deb Key (courtesy photo)
Submitted
The Connecticut Valley Garden Club, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary, will host its eighth annual Set To Celebrate 2018, featuring more than 30 tablescapes designed by decorators, businesses, organizations and individuals. These tabletop creations will inspire and impress when it comes to dressing up the home for the holidays, special celebrations and everyday dining.
This year’s event, which will be held Nov. 9-10 at the historic Town & County Club in Hartford, will include creative and clever holiday tables, a display of miniature rooms, theater tables, traditional tables, fireplace mantles, sideboards and small spaces.
Event co-chairs are West Hartford residents Barbara Kiefer and Beth Montgelas.
Highlights for the 2018 Set to Celebrate event include:
Two raffle tables: a buffet tablescape for 16 designed by Bill Cusano (DeVars-Phillips Florists & Antiques) and a seated table for 8 designed by Richard Ott (Robin Jones, Robin Jones Designs)
- A display of miniature rooms from the collection of Marcie Sener. On display will be a collection of miniature rooms created by Marcie Sener and her late mother in law, Mrs. Joseph W. Sener of Baltimore, Md. The West Hartford resident has been building and creating these unbelievable tiny rooms over the last 25 years. Marcie finds all the miniature furnishings in specialty stores, trade shows and antique shows; sometimes a little cameo or piece of jewelry can become an accent on one of the rooms. The key to the perfect piece is the scale of one inch to a foot. “The hunt is the most fun,” she said. “I love to create anything from cooking to painting to medieval costumes. Miniature rooms are just another medium for me to work with. It is really good therapy for me and another way to express creativity.”
- A tribute table celebrating the Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s 75th season, by Bruce Valicenti, BFV Designs
- Also featured will be the opportunity to “Try Your Hand at Tablescaping”
Among the 2018 participating designers:
Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Cindy Montgomery designer
Crazy Rich Asians – Nancy Zwiener, Richard Ott, Linda Graydon designers
An Affair to Remember – Farmington Garden Club
A 75 Year Symphony Celebration – Bruce Valicenti designer
A Greek Family Dinner – John Bates designer
Friendsgiving – Barbara Kiefer designer
Chinoiserie – Elizabeth Montgelas designer
Lunch with Monet at Giverny – Hill-Stead Museum
The Music of Opera – Nancy Mather
Oh, Yes, It’s Ladies Night … 50s Style – Sharene Wassell
Welcome to El Flamingo Club – Hartford Stage
Floral Forever – John Rohatsch Chekered Past Antiques
Winter Solstice – Bill Cusano – De Vars-Phillips Florists & Antiques (Raffle Table)
Festive Spring Engagement Party – Robin Jones – Robin Jones Designs
Tablescapes will display live, complementary floral designs and the event will also include a hostess-gift boutique and a “Tabletop Treasures” sale of dinnerware, accessories, crystal, linens and other “finds” for entertaining and decorating.
The Hostess-Gift Boutique will feature a range of unique items for sale, including Bloody Mary Mix from Waldo Stone Farm in Maine, finely packaged toffee treats, organic soaps and lotions, organic honeycomb from Willie’s and a House Beautiful coffee table book.
Proceeds from “Set to Celebrate” will be used to fund Auer Farm’s Nourishing Garden, garden improvements at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House Hartford, and will continue to support the fully handicap-accessible Heritage Rose Garden at Hartford’s Elizabeth Park.
Past garden club projects have included Sunrise Overlook at Elizabeth Park, The Hill-Stead Museum Sunken Garden (with Garden Cub of Hartford) and the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center topiary garden.
Tickets for the event are $25 online and $30 at the door. “Set to Celebrate” is open both days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Information on ticket sales is available at: www.ctvalleygardenclub.org.
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