Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Snowy Smiles





The arctic blast also hit Texas this week,
 though nothing like in the midwest and northeast.

It's cold and blistery outside,
so come on in and warm up by the fire.

I've set a table for us on the sun porch
where we'll be warm and comfortable.

These cheerful fellows are so 
happy you have joined us today.

They've actually been patiently waiting
for their turn to be featured on a tablescape.

Salad plates, designed by Williraye Studio, 
are called "Snowy Smiles". 

To pull out the red and yellow colors 
of "Snowy Smilies" I used a yellow dinner plate 
for one setting and a red one for the other. 
 The Courtly Check chargers mimic 
the border of the salad plates.

The snowpeople thought these colorful glasses
with etched "snowballs" were a good choice.

Along with the "Treble Clef" 
flatware with its curled shape.

White winter berries ring 
the napkins which are edged in lace.

The delicate lace designs remind me of
the little snowflakes of the "Snowy Smiles" plates.

I layered various textiles 
to give the table a cozy feel.

These are actually vintage tea towels 
which are large enough to use as 
 tablecloths on my small drop leaf table.

Both have fringed ends, and the largest of the two
has rows of red check details at either end.

The other has wonderful textural details 
and end borders of this red design.

The napkins are actually 
beautiful little hand towels.

I wanted you to feel warm and cozy, so 
I pulled in a couple of my French provencal 
pillows to use as chair cushions.

Layers of rich colors
highlighted with my favorite
black and white checks
warm my heart.

Even the snowpeople 
are happy to be inside today.

So pull up a chair and join me
for a light lunch and a little conversation.

We can talk about 
your plans for the new year.

Perhaps you have a few garden tips to share, 
a fun new project in the works, 
or travel plans to some fabulous destination.

I'm eager to hear all your news!

Sarah
Sarah

The summer we married, my husband was in graduate school, and I was employed as a teacher. We took a portion of our savings that summer and purchased a sailboat. We christened our Catalina 22, “Hyacinths For The Soul” after Saadi’s poem. Our "Hyacinths" provided years of pleasure.

66 comments:

  1. Hi Sarah:

    Love that stack of rich beautifully colored dishes! Great table. It's a bit different. Is it the coloring? Just wonderful.

    - Alma, The Tablescaper

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  2. What a cute tablescape, Sarah. I love your wooden snowman collection. The mix of plates are really pretty too.....Christine

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  3. I love the snowmen and the napkins are so pretty with the lace.

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  4. Brrrrr! Its pretty bad when TEXAS is freezing!!
    Your darling snowmen made me smile & you did a perfect job of picking up the accent colors in their plates. That yellow & red were great contrasts & your black & white checks are always in style.

    I love your little napkin rings...they remind me of pussy willow, which my Mom always brought into the house in the Spring, to force them open. Fond memories!

    Thankfully, we're warmer today so I know you must be, too.
    Only 69 more days till Spring!!!
    Yay!
    Hugs,
    Rett

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  5. Sarah, Your table with your Snowy Smiles plates is guaranteed to put a smile on anyone's face! Love the colorful graphics and beautiful textured linens! It's been in the single digits this week here but the temperature is going to warm up to the low 60's this weekend with rain. Hope you're staying warm & cozy :)

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  6. What a wonderfully perfect winter table setting Sarah! I would love to be there in person talking about this coming years plans with you!

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  7. Boy it sure has been cold (especially up in my neck of the woods!). I like your Snowy Smiles table! The snowmen are so cute and I love the "treble clef" flatware. The MK chargers add such a cheerful look to things. I like the mix of the dishes you chose and the linens. I'd love to gab about gardening, food, travel or projects with you!
    Hugs,
    Liz

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  8. We think alike this week! Love snowmen....they always have happy faces! It certainly has been cold in Texas this week.
    Blessings My Friend,

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  9. Love, love, love your table!! I collect snowmen, so I felt right at home!! Your colors are outstanding: and you've coordinated them beautifully. And your textures are perfect: that's one thing I often forget about when tablescaping. Everything is warm and welcoming! Bravo! Rosie @ The Magic Hutch

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  10. Happy Pink Saturday, Sarah. I love this snowy table setting. And, I would love to share it with you in your sunroom. Lots of chatting and smiling.

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  11. Love your darling snowmen.. They are wonderful. The plates, the figures.. A perfect way to share a cold day in the New Year.. Happy New Year.. Happy year ahead! xo marlis

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  12. Sarah I love the snowmen and the table is sooooo cute!!! Love those dishes! What a fun tablescape!
    hugs,
    Linda

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  13. Sarah, What a great idea to use those pretty hand towels as napkins. I love those. I also really like the linens you've layered on the table top. Great ideas for all of the fabrics on this table. (you know I love the Fr. Provencal pillow). My snowmen are still hanging out in the sunroom too. laurie

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  14. What a fun and happy table you have created. Such lovely colors and dishes. Love all the layers.

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  15. This is the most adorable table! I just love those snowmen, Sarah!

    I used to have those same pillows and I miss them! I loaned them to someone for what I thought was a temporary fix, and they changed their room without telling me and got rid of them. Argh!

    Hope it will warm up for you soon. It is starting to here.

    xo

    Sheila

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  16. Well of course I love all the beautifully layered linens! I think it definitely makes things cozier. Your cheery dishes make all the cold weather worth it! The napkins remind me of snowflakes too!

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  17. Sara, Your winter tablescape is so beautiful in it's snowy decor. The rich colors of the plates warm the heart just to look at them. The winter berry arrangement in the gold and checked container brings everything together perfectly. I really love the the black and white checked chargers, I want some of those too.

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  18. Sara, Your winter tablescape is so beautiful in it's snowy decor. The rich colors of the plates warm the heart just to look at them. The winter berry arrangement in the gold and checked container brings everything together perfectly. I really love the the black and white checked chargers, I want some of those too.

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  19. Dearest Sarah,
    Hope the Arctic blast has left your area like it did ours. We only hit 5°F with the windchill factor but now it rains... mild again into the 70s.
    You show us a perfect table setting for cold winter days!
    We went during those cold days to Atlanta and stayed over for the night since it is too far in one day. We had such an extended list for shopping, like dropping my Rado watch off for new battery at an authorized repair shop. We made it all and I was exhausted when we got home by 6:00 PM the next day. Unloading, putting things in the fridge and freezer took us one-and-a-half hour. The driving is all mine as Pieter in his age no longer is good at driving in big cities. But today I feel rested up again.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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  20. Awesome snowmen collection, I love them! I love the entire Winter tablescape, gorgeous dishes and all! Thanks for your kind visit.
    FABBY

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  21. Love your stack of dishes - the snowman dishes are just perfect with your checks!! And I think you need some NY snow to go along with your snowmen - I will gladly ship it all to you!!

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  22. Love your stack of dishes - the snowman dishes are just perfect with your checks!! And I think you need some NY snow to go along with your snowmen - I will gladly ship it all to you!!

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  23. So darling! We're back in the 60's today...such a welcome change. Otherwise, I be on my way to your table, wearing my big fluffy socks. Thanks for inviting us for a peek. Happy New Year! Cherry Kay

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  24. Sarah, what precious and adorable pictures of your snowmen! Your dishes are just awesome and I'm telling you, your decor is just superior!

    Hope it's warmer up your way!

    Nancy

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  25. Sarah I always love visitng your blog and being amazed by your wonderful attention to details. This table is so adorable and I don't think I've seen dinnerware with snowmen before. I also think you should do a post one time about your storage for all your dishware and stemware. I would love to know where you keep everything. I'm always looking for tips on organizing my own tablescape items.
    xo
    Leslie

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  26. Sarah I always love visitng your blog and being amazed by your wonderful attention to details. This table is so adorable and I don't think I've seen dinnerware with snowmen before. I also think you should do a post one time about your storage for all your dishware and stemware. I would love to know where you keep everything. I'm always looking for tips on organizing my own tablescape items.
    xo
    Leslie

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  27. Hi Sarah!
    Your snow people certainly put a smile on my face this morning. What a cheerful, fun table you've set. I wish I was sharing it with you. I love the layers of plates, the beautiful napkins (swoon), the vintage tea towels (sigh) and your cozy pillows. What a delightful setting for January. Happy weekend to you. xo
    p.s. For some reason, I didn't get your post emailed to me. It's happened with some of my other favorites, too.

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  28. Even your snowmen have their unique qualities.. and do they ever go well with Courtly Check.

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  29. Just beautiful!!! Love this table!
    Suzyq

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  30. Sarah, I love the warmth of the vintage textiles. It's all so warm and cozy! Better be careful, it might just melt your cute men made of snow. lol! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  31. How I'd love to sit at the table for a long chat. I'd bring you some tea from Murchie's - our favourite Island tea merchant. I think we'd have lots to talk about!
    I love the layers on this table. It's a winter table, but with none of the cold edge that it could have - just warm and cosy. I'll bet those snowman are glad they ended up in Texas!

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  32. I love your snow people Sarah! I bring my snowmen out after Christmas too, of course they get put away quickly if we get a little too much snow:@) Happy Sunday!

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  33. Sarah, what an adorable table! Your dinnerware is wonderful and certainly made me smile. I enjoyed how you used the two black and white check pieces in the stack and I adore those lace napkin/hand towels. This week, we made a quick (very quick!!!) trip to Baltimore and ran into icy rain and lots of other cold rain. Not what we are used to in Georgia, usually. Hope Texas had warmed up a bit!!

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  34. Your snowmen makes the table look warm and cozy. Patricia (Pat)

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  35. Good morning Sarah! So you too got a bit of that polar insult? It was like Mars here, as one weather reporter put it! YES! Imagine that?

    We are now out of the woods and today is a sweltering 35 degrees. But that doesn't mean we can't still enjoy such a lovely and welcoming display of winter beauty as you share here!

    Thank you so much for coming to leave a comment; no, I no longer create paper dresses. They are too time-consuming and that activity does not go well with my busy teacher schedule, but what I am working on is poetry, but not what I write for my blog. That is totally different; what I'm trying to practice here requires weeks and even months of revision and "massaging" the poem. I hope to get better at it!

    Enjoy your Sunday my dear friend! Anita

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  36. Sarah,

    This is a spectacular table; the colors, the layers of linens, the whimsical snow people (I love that you call them that...why should they all be men??!). I've mentioned that I have a small collection of snowmen (people) and I try to find very original ones because I actually don't want a large collection. These would be perfect. Just so cute. And I just love your flatware! Fun, fun, fun! :)

    I fell off the follower list again so now I am following by email. That has solved the problem for me in many cases. I will be seeing you almost every time you post, which I look forward to, dear friend.

    XO,
    Jane

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  37. Very cute Sarah! Our snowmen here are confused with the temperature swings between warm to frigid to warm to frigid...!
    Happy New Year!

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  38. Hi Sarah
    Thanks for stopping by today and leaving a comment. I'd love to see some of your sister's quilts. As always your tablesetting is so cceative, colorful and cheerful.
    Rhondi xo433`

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  39. Your new plates are so darling. Love all the layering, and the chargers are always a hit with me. Your snowmen are so cute too. Just perfect for a wintery day. Joni

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  40. Oh what an adorable and pretty table! Love the courtly check in between the layers! Your snowmen are a delightful group on your table. Yes it has been so cold but glad the sun has finally returned with a little milder temps too! Your table is so fun!
    Miss Bloomers

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  41. Sarah~ thank you so very much for visiting my blog {cowboy's daughter design} what a lovely blog you have! Of course I am happy if you would like to pin anything, that would be such a delight for me! Very nice to meet you, look forward to seeing more of you~

    xokelly @ cowboys daughter design

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  42. Your attention to detail is unmatched. It is all so beautiful. Happy January!

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  43. Happy New Year Sarah....snowman are such fun and happy creations. xo

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  44. Your little snowmen look so cute with the courtly check! Adorable tablescape, Sarah! We had the prettiest day on Sunday…blue skies and 68 degrees! But I think the cold is coming back (boo!)

    xo,
    Ricki Jill

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  45. Hi lovely lady.
    I love your snow people certainly put a big smile on my face this morning as I have my coffee. looks so cheerful with your Beautiful dishes. I also wish I was sharing it with you for lunch. Thanks so much for your sweet comments on my new Tablescape for Spring. I hope you and your family have a wonderful week.
    xxoo
    Diane

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  46. Hi Sarah, I absolutely love this table. I love the juxtaposition of the warmth of your setting and the "snowmen". Your salad dishes are so cute and you have displayed them perfectly.
    I am planning a snowman/girl first birthday party for little AJ the end of the month. This gave me some ideas.
    Have a blessed week, Ginger

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  47. Hello Sarah,
    Such a lovely, whimsical tablescape - with such bold colors! Beautiful! I do appreciate you sharing with Home and Garden Thursday,
    Kathy

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  48. Hi Sarah,

    I love all your sweet snowy friends. This blast of cold we are having is the perfect time to feature this patiently waiting group. Sarah, you always do such fabulous place settings, love this stack! The snowmen plates look so good with the Courtly Check. Love the flatware and napkins and I smiled when I saw the pillows. A perfect French touch.
    Stay warm my sweet friend.

    ~Emily

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  49. Sarah, this is so sweet! Looks so cozy and warm, and inviting! Your snowmen are wonderful!
    Have a good week! I am working away here!

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  50. Hi Sarah.....love all you little snowmen....I like that you can decorate with them all winter and just just at Christmas.....Usually every year I fill a big square basket full of them on my kitchen table...and leave them there until Spring....and I love your checked chargers....love them!!

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  51. Everything looks amazing...I so love all your dishes, snowmen, black and white checks...everything. :)

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  52. What a perfectly WONDERFUL winter table setting. Snowmen are something I collect and yours are so sweet.
    Your colors are some of my very favorites that decorate with all the times..so..I really liked every bit of your creative tablescape.
    Love,
    Mona :)

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  53. Love your creative snow scape, so pretty.Let it snow!!!
    Hugs,
    Patti

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  54. ♫♫ Happy Birthday to Youuuuuu! ♫♫
    Sharing a birthday with you, Sarah, makes is a double treat!

    I hope you have grand plans that include chocolate & presents & NO COOKING OR CLEANING!!!

    Hugs,
    Rett

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  55. Oh Sarah, I can't help but smile with this table again, as it looks like the snowmen wanted to come inside and warm up too, lol!
    Thanks for your sweet visit hon...
    Have a lovely week ahead.
    FABBY

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  56. Sarah,
    All your snowmen are perfect for this time of year. The table is so inviting, and I bet your sun porch is nice and toasty from the solar heat.

    Judith

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  57. Sarah,
    Your delightful Snowman tablescape are so~o~o inviting, dear friend!!!
    Those expressions on each face are irresistable! Love the cushion on your chairs!!! The towels are gorgeous used as napkins!
    Still don't have your post coming through, but I do come looking for you when time allows!!!
    2014 is packed with amazing possibilites here on the Prairie.
    Much like your Snowman, I'll be back to visit, soon!
    Fondly,
    Pat

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  58. A lovely table! I like your use of vintage linens "outside the box"!!! Sometimes I think my CCD in Januiary is because I am OCD!

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  59. love love love your snow people and those salad plates! It's all perfection and the layering of the textiles is cozy indeed!
    Jenna

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  60. Oh- I am late getting here but it is just a darling table. I love snowmen this time of year. It kind of tides us over until Valentine's Day. Your snowmen are all just darling! xo Diana

    ps-You take wonderful pictures!!!!

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  61. HI Sarah! I always feel warm and cozy with I come over for a visit. Your table is just darling and the table linens look so nice. Thank you so much for popping in to see my Kiki blog. Yes, this is a wonderful little RV. I can drive it too. It handles just like a car. It is smooth to drive and doesn't bounce you around like one of the large RVs do. It is very compact but it has everything we need - kitchen, bathroom and bed.
    Thanks for popping in to see me.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  62. Lovely post Sarah. I adore the snowmen. The table is so sweet with all of your fun elements. I can help you with your RSS feed problem.

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  63. Oh what a beautiful tablescape. I love the snowmen and the lovely dishes. Everything makes you feel so warm and cozy. Love how you have everything layered. Thanks so much for sharing your post with us.
    Have a wonderful week.
    Mary

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  64. Such pretty linens and all of the colors in the place setting are so cute!
    Sherry

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  65. How cute, Sarah! I love the snowmen and your tablescape is so pretty! Just thought you would like to know that suddenly 3 posts from back as far as Christmas have shown up in my feed! :-) Yaaay! Hope it's fixed! Hugs...Debbie

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  66. You have the cutest collection of wooden snowmen. You table is just adorable. I love the dishes too!

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Thank you to each of you who take the time to leave a comment. I read and appreciate each and every one and will respond to any questions. Your notes are the only way I know who has stopped in for a visit.