It’s Golden Hour, the hour that winter sunsets pour in right on time for happy hour. It’s fleeting but it’s savored by disco balls that flood the room and make little light squares dance across the dining table. Savory sage and mozzarella aromas sashay into the room as the cheese-daisy pizza makes its debut from the oven, she thinks she’s the main act at the disco pizza dinner party. Little does that tasty snack know, the real MVP is the tablescape. 

It was carefully crafted by two pen pals quarantined in respective homes from Brooklyn, New York to the shore in Rockport, Massachusetts. Here in Brooklyn, this tablescape was birthed out of a deep longing to gather friends to celebrate togetherness and joy. That warm fuzzy feeling of high-vibing mixed with the exhilaration of personalities that differ from the all too familiar ‘me, myself & I’ that got its fill in too much solo-isolation. 

…

The party is lively, nobody needs to wait for the eve. We’re dancing with the sun, peeling clementines, pouring wine from bottles gifted in Morgan Dyer wine bags. Spilling marinara sauce on Anna Stabler’s ice-dyed and embroidered tablecloth right between the letters spelling out “COMPARISON IS THE THIEF OF JOY.” It is, isn’t it? Empathic energy vibrates from one dinner party guest to the next, we dab our greasy pizza faces in sunset-painted napkins, basking in the light that has passed from the golden hour and into one another. It’s now the full-hearts hour, the time that goes on and on that leaves us waking up happy and loved. 

It was all a dream, one to capture in quarantine and plug friends into later. A love note to all our loved ones we can’t wait to share a slice with.

Anna Stabler is a multidisciplinary artist in Brooklyn, NY. By day she works in experiential marketing in Manhattan; the rest of the time she is found savoring colorful moments in the natural world, vintage shops, and in her community which is directly reflected in the tablescapes and artworks she creates.

FOR JOY Tablecloth: If the tablescape is the medium, Anna wanted to create the canvas with a tablecloth that would serve as the base for interpretation. The tablecloth is ice-dyed by hand over the course of 24 hours with a variety of blues that reflect the deep texture and tones of the ocean and sky at sunset. Intricately spelled out in the middle of the fabric is an ombré hand-chain-stitched quote that says “COMPARISON IS THE THIEF OF JOY,” a quote that pushed both artists through the self-doubt and imposter thoughts that would creep into the creative process of this collaboration. As a cherry on top, Anna sculpted clay napkin holders and wine glass charms for a pop of color to complement the oranges in the chain-stitching and Morgan’s napkins.

The FOR JOY original handmade tablecloth is available for sale for $420.
Please inquire directly to purchase.