Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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Katie Bower In The House

Well not anymore, but she was this weekend. Along with her main man Jeremy and their adorable bambino Will. And if you don’t know who the heck I’m talking about, you can read up on the Bowers over at their blog: Bower Power.

Clara And Will

We had tons of fun feeding them, showing them around and just generally having a grand old time from Friday all the way through Sunday.

Clara Will And Fam

We even squeezed in a little video (as is the tradition whenever we’re together- check out this original one along with these three shot during our rendezvous in Nashville last summer: hotel inspiration part 1, hotel inspiration part 2 and shopping for DIY inspiration). We went back to our table setting roots this time and took some basic items that everyone should have (white plates, glass cups, regular old silverware, etc). Then we added five things to create three different looks for your table. Granted these aren’t the types of tablesettings where there’s tons of room for giant cassarole dishes in the middle of the table, so they’ll work better for people who entertain like we do (we serve food in the kitchen and people then bring their plates back to the table to eat it). Or you can just take some color and item ideas from the set ups and adapt them to work for the way you serve food (by leaving room in the middle of the table for platters, etc).

And for those at work who can’t watch a video, if you mute it you can see the set ups and read each of the five items without sound so it’ll still make sense. Hooray for no-sound work video options, eh? Oh, and you can watch it here on YouTube too.

Baby & family pics by Katie (come on, you know we’re not that good).

Comments

  1. Tatyana says

    The babies are SO cute! You do know they will hate you for those embarrassing videos when they become teenagers… ;)

    Reply

  2. Jess H. says

    ok… please don’t think i am a bad person, but i am normally not that into babies.

    HOWEVER, o… m… g… those videos were the cutest. thanks for sharing ;-)

    and as for the hater out there (you know who you are)… i think your post qualifies as a little malicious and most definitely snarky.

    just sayin’…

    Reply

  3. Dina says

    Such cute babies!! I always love all of your/Katie’s tablesetting ideas. One quick question – do you have any suggestions for how to work runners/centerpieces with square tables? We have a bar-height marble-topped square dining table. I love the look of the runners in all your tablesettings (especially since I don’t want to completely cover up the pretty marble pattern with a full tablecloth), but it seems like they wouldn’t work right with the shape of square table. Any ideas?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yeah, they’d totally work just as well with a square or round table! We actually used the runner going in the other direction for the last photo (not sure if you noticed) so anything goes!

      xo,
      s

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We met through blogging! It was like a blind date! Katie and Jeremy invited us to stop in during a road trip that would take us out their way and we’ve been buddies ever since!

      xo,
      s

  7. Karla @ {TheClassyWoman} says

    I love this! I missed seeing videos of you two ladies together. The videos of the babies are adorable too! I was just going to ask how you two met but I see from above it was via blogging-very cool. You seem like you might have been friends since high school or college.

    Thanks for sharing, glad you guys got together again. :)

    Reply

  10. Val says

    I really love your flatware. Where’s it from? Do you know if it still exists?

    And P.S.: The extreme baby close-up just made my ovaries do a back flip. So freakin’ cute!

    Reply

  11. Jess Rasemont says

    My 3yr. old , Leila is always sooo excited to see videos of Clara. She always says “I WUV that baby and her mommy!!!!”

    Reply

  12. Gloria says

    Loved the videos! The table setting ideas were great and you two gals are fabulous. And, the babies…..oh the babies are adorable! My baby (age 2) watched with me and said, “funny babies, Mama…funny babies!” I think he enjoyed the videos as well. Thanks for sharing your ideas and your families!

    Reply

  13. Allison @ House of Hepworths says

    OMG you guys are so adorable! And I love that you are keepin’ it real, yo.

    I have people tell me all the time stuff like, “OMG we would totally be BFF’s in real life” and I’m all, “um, that’s kinda weird/creepy? ~ish because there are all these people that “know” me but I don’t know them at all.”

    But, you know what??

    WE’D TOTALLY BE BFFS IN REAL LIFE.

    ;) lol

    You guys are great. Love the blog (as usual. Dur.)

    Take care,

    ~Allison @ House of Hepworths

    Reply

  15. Katie H. says

    I wasn’t going to comment til I read the comment from “Beth”…Soooo in my best Stephanie Tanner impression I’d like to say “HOW RUDE!!!” and blow an internet raspberry. Pffft!!! I love Katie and the Bower Power blog and think she’s hilarious, adorable, and creative. Honestly “Beth” must not have much of a sense of humor at all.

    Reply

  16. Cassie says

    How sweet was that!? Will and Clara are just exponentially cute together. And I LOVE IT when Katie and Sherry make videos together! More projects/videos/meet-ups with the Bower Clan, please. :-)

    Reply

  17. Alicia says

    I totally scrolled down and watched the babies before I watched y’all. LOL. I can’t help it. They are just too darn cute!

    I like how y’all incorporated Clara’s backdrops into your tablesettings. I was wondering what y’all were going to do with all of them. Bower Power and YHL are my favorite blogs. It’s great seeing y’all get together. :)

    Reply

  18. Crystal Cole says

    My son is 5 months on Monday. Don’t you just love it when they smile with their whole face?! I saw a few pics of Clara smiling like that :) Oh and he said to tell Miss Clara that she’s the cat’s meow so if it doesn’t work out with Will to let him know.

    Reply

  20. joy says

    I love your table settings and how simple they were to create. My only suggestion would be to not stick the chopsticks in the wine glass like that in the Asian-inspired one. Usually chopsticks stuck in a bowl of rice vertically (similar to what was done with the wine glass) is considered rude. Yes, I know it was not a bowl of rice, but it looked similar. I would suggest just laying the chopsticks across the plate or there are chopstick rests (http://asianideas.com/chopstickrests.html) you can purchase. Just a suggestion… :) Love the blog!

    Reply

  21. Joi says

    I haven’t commented in quite awhile, but after watching the table setting video I had to.

    We all know you can’t be rainbows and butterflies all the time! So it was nice to see some sass out of Sherry. It makes you seem more normal if that makes sense. : )

    Reply

  23. Carmen says

    Love the pictures! They are so cute together! Wanna tell us the story and the how to behind that first picture of them. It is really a gorgeous shot. Have a good one!

    Reply

  24. Erika says

    Kinda of a random question since it is not decorating related but music related. What was the song playing durning the table setting video?

    Reply

  25. Ange says

    Whoah! I already thought Clara looked alot like John, but she couldn’t be more like her Daddy if she tried; in that group shot of you all. That’s totally one of John’s posing faces I’ve seen featured on the blog! So cute! I love when 2 good blogs come together…keep up the great work Youngsters & Bowers! Hooray!

    Reply

  26. Rhiannon says

    Beautiful couple! Lady lumps and all, I’m pretty sure little Will is smitten by the lovely grunty Clara! So much fun! Keep up the awesome table scapes and the baby friends! Just watching them gives me a natural rush of baby hormones/nesting. “Honey, what do you think about some wainscoating, in the guestroom/nursery?”

    Reply

  28. Lindsey d. says

    What about table settings for round tables? I have the Saarinen knock off from Ikea (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40063632) and am never sure what to do beyond either a table cloth or a simple centerpiece on a round place mat in the middle of the table. I’d love some tips for incorporating a runner without it looking silly. Maybe some places to buy a shorter runner?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hey Lindsay,

      You can totally use a runner on a round table! It just has to be shorter so it doesn’t drag on the ground! But any of these settings could work with the items in the middle of our rectangular table clustered or displayed differently in the center- just play around with things and have fun!

      xo,
      s

  31. susan says

    Fun video. You two are darling. Thanks for inspiring me almost daily. I posted about your blog today on my blog. I write about my 3 kids with down syndrome and yes I had to reference your blog today and tell everyone how awesome it is in my post called-Paint Chips! You can check it out here: http://www.aprilanecdotes.wordpress.com Susan

    Reply

  32. Jen Z. says

    Loved this blog. Babies are adorable and put a big smile on my face and I loved the table decor video. One table I would love to see you do would be a round table. We have a round table in our family room and I would love some more ideas for it. Round seems hard to decorate sometimes. Would love to see what you and Katie would come up with for a round table. Thanks and keep doing what you both do so well.

    Reply

  33. Patti says

    Love the videos, the table settings, and your babies are so precious! You guys should do more how-to’s together, I’d watch. Katie’s blog is so funny too, that girl makes me laugh.
    p.s. sherry: response “oh no she di’int” LOL!!

    Reply

  37. Janny A. says

    Adorable babies!! It is so great to have friends with whom you can share life!! Petersiks and Bowers what an awesome pair!!

    Reply

  38. jan says

    Love you guys, but the whole “Asian” -inspired table setting really surprised me and turned me off. Can you not imagine how somewhat insulting that is to actual , um, Asians? The whole using the word “Asian” to describe a very Imperialistic and Westernized notion of being Asian is something I thought you guys would never do. Asians are from India, China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea, etc–by using the word “Asian” to describe table settings that involve fortune cookies is somewhat insulting to your Asian readers. (fortune cookies were invented by Americans–no one even eats them in China and in fact, are quite looked down upon by any Asian I know).. Again, please please believe me that I am not trying to hate; I just want to try and help you understand when you use that word for decorations that Americans have designated for people of Asian origins, it’s kinda uncool. It’s pretty stereotypical and would be the equivalent of a design team from Japan pinning up cowboy hats and bandanas in a room and calling it “American-inspired.” Perhaps simple re-naming it would help? Thanks so much. Signed, a long time reader and fan…

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So sorry to offend! Katie and I both have read many a design book and magazine article with “Asian inspired” food, architecture, decor etc- so we just referenced that “Asian inspired” term that we see so often these days. And we had no idea there aren’t fortune cookies in China. We’re just stupid Americans I guess! Unfortunately we have “rasterized” the video which means we can’t go back and edit it, but please take this response as a true apology for offending you or anyone else with our ignorance! We honestly had no idea.

      xo,
      s

  41. Julie says

    *dies from the cuteness that is Clara and Will*

    And I especially love the fact that Clara’s brother saw fit to chaperone their date!

    Reply

  43. jan says

    Thanks so much, Youngsters! I knew I could count on you to take helpful (and hopefully friendly) criticism on this point. I just see it ALL the time and it’s just so….tired, ya know??

    But I am THRILLED to bits for your acknowledgment of my concern. Sending virtual hugs (high fives?) your way…xoxo

    ps. Clara just gets cuter every. single. day!

    Reply

  44. Lauren says

    I love the tablescapes! I’m looking to buy some all-white plates to replace my chipped striped ones. Just curious where yours are from. They are classy and streamlined – just what I’m looking for. Please let me know! Thanks.

    Reply

  47. Valerie says

    Love the two of you together, you guys are hilarious! I had to go back and watch the previous videos as well! Now I am hooked on the Bower Power blog as well. Thanks for letting us know about it!

    Thanks,
    Valerie
    alanandval.blogspot.com

    Reply

  48. Elizabeth says

    Hmm…being Japanese American I was always taught as my Grandmother put it, Asian is used to describe the culture of the Eastern world, so there was not even the slightest offense taken here…
    On another note, how did the Bowers like the guest room/office? Was there enough room for a porta-crib for baby Will?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      They seemed quite comfy! They actually co-sleep with Will sometimes, so he ended up in bed with them most of the time but he also napped in Clara’s crib from time to time (since she sleeps so long and hard at night she’s not much of a day napper). He’s such a cutie! Clara thinks of him fondly and drools with anticipation of their next meet-up.

      xo,
      s

  49. Sarah says

    Love the videos! Hahahaha and Clara’s face in the double family photo is cracking me up!! :-)

    PS loved the natural table setting – very easy but classy!

    Reply

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