A Wedding Gift Like No Otherw/ Linda McAndrews
My niece is getting married this summer on the island, and I
wanted to give her a really special wedding gift.
I had seen Nantucket’s own Leslie Linsley découpage plates at
Marine Home Center and thought that would make the perfect gift. I had first
seen Leslie years ago on the Oprah show when she demonstrated how she creates her
plates and I had admired a friend’s hydrangea bowl form Leslie’s collection. I wanted to know more, so I asked David Holland
in the Home Furnishings Department.
”You can see why this is everyone's
favorite, Nantucket and hydrangeas just seem to go together. The blue hydrangea
designs come in different sizes and in square or round styles. They’re not just
for decoration either. Imagine using these to set a beautiful table. You can
serve food on them and they’re hand washable. Of course they’re also lovely on
a wall for an interior accent in any room. Leslie can even custom design plates
to match fabric or wallpaper.”
I turned over the plate in my hands. I couldn’t believe how
vivid the colors were. It was perfectly smooth as if the pictures had been
fused to the inside. I told David that I had tried decoupage once, but it had looked
more like a kindergarten project.
“Well,” David said as he took the plate from me, “it’s more
involved than that. These plates are each one of a kind works of art. Each
original color print has been meticulously cut out and applied to the underside
of a clear glass plate, bowl or platter. Some of the plates are then treated
with a marbelizing technique and backed with enamel or hand-crafted papers. The
edge of the plate is rimmed with gold leafing. Each process is protected with
several coats of a special decoupage sealer that is totally non-toxic. Since
all the work is done on the underside of the glass, you can safely serve food
on these items.
I thought my favorite design was the hydrangea series, until
I saw set of green and white “veggie” plates. Everyone knows that green veggies
are good for you, but I never imagined them to be so pretty!
However, I knew I had found the perfect gift when David
showed me the custom made plates using the couple’s wedding invitation.
The original invitation is reproduced to fit the center of a
10-inch round or square plate. Using the floral
(or other) theme of the wedding, the design motif is created, cut out from paper prints and designed to work with the invitation and size of the plate. The plate may be used and hand-washed or displayed on the wall or on a tabletop.
(or other) theme of the wedding, the design motif is created, cut out from paper prints and designed to work with the invitation and size of the plate. The plate may be used and hand-washed or displayed on the wall or on a tabletop.
I was already picturing my niece serving a piece of cake on
this plate on their first anniversary and many more thereafter. I decided to
order two. I knew this would also be a very special keepsake for the mother of
the bride to remember her daughter’s special day.
With my mission accomplished, I couldn’t resist revisiting
the green and white veggie plates and choosing some for myself. The fresh,
contemporary design will fit perfectly with my décor whether they are hanging
on the wall or gracing my own table.
