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Bright colors for spring:

ranunculus and lilacs.

Simple elegance dresses the table and party.

LINDA BACHRACK

Special to The Jewish News

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i75 MERRILL STREET •

248.644.6506
fa : 248.644.3632

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at the -1 -,, ti - ti.ertd. ticytti Erttrance
for ottr Baknry Cuctorskers

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A stone throw
from the picturesque
Links Pinewood
Golf Course

Now Booking For Your 2000 & 2001 Event

4/9

1999

C48 Detroit Jewish News

S

o maybe you're a little sick of
Martha telling you how to
decorate, how to cook, how
to garden, even how to make
your bed. But you must admit, she
and her army of consultants often
have some stunning ideas.
Take the 'March special gardening
issue of Martha Stewart Living, for
example. Illustrated on these pages are
some of spring's simplest and prettiest
centerpiece arrangements.
If you're planning a party, you cer-
tainly don't want to have the table
under-dressed. According to Martha,
less often is more when it comes to
centerpieces.
Less, however, must make the appro-
priate impact. She suggests an opaque
pressed-glass candy jar filled with
Elizabeth magnolias, perfect and fra-
grant for a wedding reception. Consider
placing tiny beakers or apothecary bot-
tles on the table and fill with single
stems of muscari, iris or lilies.
Tulips, the garden's most graceful
blossoms, are beautiful alone in a clear
glass vase or combined with primroses
or pansies and ivy. Of course, if you're
Martha and you entertain for a living,
you have a weatherproof cedar table
built with removable planting boxes.
The table becomes a sculptural setting
for succulents and sedums in muted
grays and purples.

Mary Beth Winkworth, one of the
owners of Festivities in downtown
Birmingham, agrees with Martha's
"keep it simple" philosophy.
"Especially for weddings," says
Winkworth. ''Brides-to-be are choos-
ing elegant and unadorned Vera Wang
dresses and Beverly Clark accessories.
No lace, no beading. So they're look-
ing for simple designs for the table."
She likes single-species flowers as cen-
terpieces rather than a mixed bou-
quet. "White tulips in clear glass vases
are beautiful," says Winkworth.
"Provide candlelight with masses of
tiny white votive candles."
For buffet tables or dessert tables,
Winkworth recommends a tall cande-
labra wrapped in ivy, tulle or organza
and placed in a clay pot. The cande-
labra can be embellished with rib-
bons, eucalyptus, silk or fresh flowers.
Gift bags also make great, inexpen-
sive centerpiece containers. Fill with
fresh pots of flowers or balloons.
Winkworth once made a photo collage
of a 60th birthday honoree, glued the
photos to foam board and used them to
surround gold mylar gift bags filled
with balloons and tinsel. The photos
were instant conversation pieces.
"For summer," says Winkworth, "I
like fresh lemons, limes and oranges
mounded on the table, or branches
arching from tall, slender vases."
Party planner and caterer Floreen
Halpern of Amaryllis in Birmingham,
revs her imagination for outdoor-