how to host a garden party

 

Let’s talk easy Garden Party vibes… 

Every garden party must have flowers and cake! My favorite way to dress up an alfresco soiree is to set the table with pretty floaty linens that can rustle gently in the breeze.

Stop and take a peek at this gorgeous new Garden Pink Tablecloth and Napkins from August Table. This is a super easy way to instantly set a beautiful table when you start with pretty table linens like this and then simply add your everyday tableware and a big bouquet of flowers.

 

A lovely bouquet of cottage garden flowers always helps to brighten the table. The theme of this bouquet is “what’s blooming today in the garden.” 

I’ve recently been watching Sarah Raven floral how-to videos on YouTube, and she inspired me for this floral creation!  

All of these flowers were all grown in our cottage garden and are just loosely arranged in an antique Majolica pitcher that belonged to my husband's great grandmother. 

 

The look of these table linens is so cozy thanks to the fact that these are all 100% linen. The darling little stylized floral pattern is a classic.

 

A store-bought apple bundt cake from Irvine Ranch Market is perfect for adding adorable garden flowers to the top.

Here’s what’s blooming in my garden right now and what is topping the cake:

💗Roses
💗Dahlias
💗Geranium
💗Yarrow
💗Mint

💗Sweet Williams
💗Verbena

💗Borage

  

Creating a cozy and welcoming ambiance is all about paying attention to the little details and making your guests feel comfortable.

 

This year I’m growing fewer vegetables in this garden, and I’ve been focusing more on cut flowers, especially dahlias, with a few zinnias and cosmos sprinkled in.

 

This delicate bloom is a "collarette dahlia", and the variety is Hartenaas. It's one of my favorites!!

Raspberry pie is such a perfect summer treat, especially when topped with fresh whipped cream and berries from the garden. I grow Boysenberries and Jewel Black Raspberries, and we also have a few strawberries and blueberries in pots near this garden. 

There's nothing quite like home-grown fruit for quality and taste!

 

June in the garden is the most magical time of the year, and I couldn't resist setting an impromptu little table to share with all of you and with my friends Cindy, Mary Ann, Annie, Juliet and Kim.

 

They also know a thing or two about styling beautiful outdoor tables and are queens of entertaining! Check out their newest posts here:

 

CINDY HATTERSLEY DESIGN 🌸 Cindy

CLASSIC CASUAL HOME 🌸 Mary Ann

MOST LOVELY THINGS 🌸 Annie

MAKE MINE A SPRITZER 🌸 Juliet

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA STYLE 🌸 Kim

In case you haven’t heard, I started a new Instagram page in October and named it Claudia Fabiana Home. My former page is still up, but after getting a new phone, I was no longer able to log into this account, so the new profile was born!

 

I hope you’ll follow along with me on Instagram for all the latest projects and décor I will be sharing in 2025.

 

 

 

ciao fabiana

You can check out some of my favorites here at “Tablescaping Essentials” 

 

 

 

Please note that this post may contain affiliate links.

 

a sunday spent in the garden

Sunday’s the perfect day to take a little hunk of time and reserve it to spend in the garden. Whether it’s 20 minutes or all day, time spent outdoors enjoying a garden is beneficial to the mind and body.

Earlier this year, I discovered two Netflix shows that kind of changed my life. The first one is English gardening master "Monty Don’s Big Dreams, Small Spaces".

Believe it or not, watching folks in London or in smaller British towns transform their small gardens into fantastic spaces got me soooo motivated to dig and totally enhance my own backyard.

Now that summer’s here, I can actually go out to the garden and gather hydrangeas, old-fashioned roses, lavender, herbs and even some vegetables from my garden.

Just like everyone on Monty’s show, I had a “Big Dream” of what I wanted my garden to look like, and it’s literally come to fruition! My vision was to have a relaxed English cottage garden or French potager that incorporates pretty flowers intermixed with vegetables.

Now I’ve got my tomatoes and flowering sage growing under my apricot tree. I’ve got beautiful eggplant growing amongst the roses and hollyhock. My garden has truly been transformed and it’s so rewarding!  

So, in honor of “time spent in the garden”, I’ve gathered a few pretty garden snapshots from pinterest and combined them with some of my favorite inspirational garden quotes.  

“A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust.” –Gertrude Jekyll

“There is no real need for decorations when throwing a barbecue party - let the summer garden, in all its vibrant and luscious splendour, speak for itself.” –Pippa Middleton

“I have an organic garden and love being able to say, 'I'm going to see what I can pick to throw in my salad.'” –Christie Brinkley

“It gives you a good feeling. Each year, you rediscover in a garden the magic of life. A flower arrives, and it is a miracle. The leaves fall in the autumn, and it looks fantastic. There is a tenderness about a garden, and you can't help but be sensitive to that.” –Hubert de Givenchy

“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”― Audrey Hepburn

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”  ― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

“Gardening adds years to your life and life to your years.” – Unknown

“If you have a garden in your library, everything will be complete.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero

“Life begins the day you start a garden.” – Chinese proverb

I have yet to photograph the favorite parts of my garden but I’d love to share them with you soon. You may have caught a little glimpse of it during my magazine photo shoot with Cottages and Bungalows. Check it out here.

And if you’re wondering what the second Netflix show that changed my life is, it’s “The Paleo Way” with Australian Pete Evans. The amazing recipes are what got me hooked, and yes, I’ve been eating Paleo since February 1. More on that later!

ciao! fabiana

photos:  pinterest

Here are some of my favorite new garden books...

      

a tablescape for a great friend

You may remember last August I styled a photo shoot at my good friend Laura’s adorable vintage home for Cottages & Bungalows magazine, and I’m happy to say the issue is now available! 

Laura and I are two peas in a pod. We have so many of the same interests, especially when it comes to cooking, decorating and hosting parties. We even started a “Gourmet Club” years ago that included six couples, and that’s where our love of tablescaping really took off! 

Back then the hostesses, which also included Angi, Elizabeth, Juliet and Stacy, came up with a theme for the dinner and the menu and décor reflected everything we loved about that particular motif. 

We covered everything from Moroccan to Southern home cooking and had so much fun coming up with recipes and decorating! So, when I was asked to set a pretty alfresco table in Laura’s backyard, we searched for some of our favorite pieces from her collection of tableware.    

I love that writer Meryl Schoenbaum called the article “Garden Party”, because a garden party is one of my all-time favorite things in the whole world! 

The table came together effortlessly. Laura had most of the components stashed at home, and we just added the green vintage glassware from a flea market, the iron candlesticks from my shed and fresh flowers to bring the whole look together. 

This backyard is a dream setting, created by Laura and her husband Dennis on their own. The table is shaded by a pergola and has view of the firepit, seating area, and bar. It’s also conveniently located next to the vegetable garden, barbecue and pizza oven.

Here are a couple of behind-the-scenes looks taken with my smart phone. You can see the Adirondack chairs in the background and the huge grapefruit tree in the far end of the yard. It's just such a cozy setting with beautiful scenery on all sides.   

Here’s a close-up of the place setting. 

I chose the mums and dahlias specifically for their shape and color to mimic the floral pattern on the plates.  

Every inch of Laura’s backyard is a hostess’ paradise. 

And what better than fresh-picked fruit and mint for making a cocktail?   

Here’s Laura’s special recipe... 

This is a little unexpected, but I make a surprise appearance in the article. A little out of my comfort zone, for sure, but I’m quite honored to be a part of this pretty issue! 

You can even check out my tips for dining alfresco... 

Here I am, busy at work clipping flower heads while decorating the table (from Jickie’s instagram). Boy it was HOT that day last summer! A lot has changed in the last few months, and I hope we can get back to hosting dinner parties at home soon! 

We did shoot Laura’s whole house that day, which you’ll get to see soon in an upcoming issue of Cottages & Bungalows. In fact, her lovely kitchen will be featured in the next issue that they’re currently working on right now.  

You’ll get to see her gorgeous white kitchen that is lovingly decorated with vintage details, dear family treasures, lots of fresh flowers and beautiful heirloom tomatoes--- fresh from the garden.    

But wait!! 

Here’s the best news of all... you can now download this issue for free, courtesy of Jickie and her team at Cottages & Bungalows.  

Just click HERE for the link. 

ciao! fabiana 

For lots of fun extras, follow me on instagram! 

If you'd like new posts delivered to you directly, subscribe here. 

Info on table accessories: 

Everything used on this table is vintage.

Table and chairs: Home Depot

Pergola: Lowe's

Flowers: Trader Joe's

When time is of the essence, and I have last minute projects or events to work on, so I turn to Amazon for one or two day delivery. You’ll be surprised at how many amazing items they have to offer! And I'm constantly updating this page with my new favorites.  

  

You can check out my page here, at “Tablescaping Essentials”*. 

*affiliate links used.