Pink Splendor

Pink Splendor

a Haiku by Hyacinth

Pink jewels of splendor

Dance along slender green reeds

Joyful abundance

September 2009

The spectacular blooms on this Phalaenopsis are veined with deep magenta. The elegant blooms grow along the graceful stems and are truly a sight to behold.

Thank you to our hostess Beverly @ How Sweet the Sound. I invite you to visit another Pink Saturday post I left for today and also to stop in to meet Pink Saturday participant Kelley of Teacups and Ponies.

First please click on "Comments" below to leave a note to let me know you stopped by today. I so appreciate your thoughts. Thank you!

Click here to visit my QCI post of some interesting pink pottery from France.

Click here to visit Kelley @ Teacups and Ponies for some beautiful prose and breath taking pink roses.

Then click here for more Pink Saturday fun at Beverly's How Sweet the Sound.

Fall Dinner Celebration

Welcome to Tablescape Thursday with our hostess Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch. Tuesday ushered in the beginning of a new season. A cool front blew through the previous night, temperatures dropped into the 60's, and much need moisture has moved into our area. So we are celebrating!


If you joined me for my "Fall Nesting" on Tuesday, you've seen the simple arrangement of white pumpkins and oversized acorn that greets guest from the bachelor chest in our entry. A lovely bouquet of fall blooms, a hostess gift from a thoughtful friend, has now been added.

The weather is so pleasant, with cooler temperatures, let's go out to the sun porch, have a glass of wine, and visit before dinner.

Mr. Scarecrow is here to set the mood. The fall leaves that landed on this sweet guy are about the only colorful fall foliage you'll see here in Texas.

But the flower markets are full of beautiful fall asters, hypericum berries, and godetia.

Pumpkins and blackbirds ring out "Fall Is Here"!

A bunch of bittersweet makes the perfect fall statement.

And what fall decor is complete without candy corn!

But I know you don't want candy corn with a glass of wine. So help yourself to a little gouda and crackers.

The jewel like grapes will be a better choice with the cheese. Leave the candy corn till later.

We'll go into the dining room for dinner.

My "Fall Tableau" posted for Metamorphosis Monday this week, will set the stage for dinner.

I wanted to include the rich hues of the fall season in as many elements of this table as possible.

I've selected a bottle of red wine to go with our meal.

The squirrels will feast on their stash of acorns.

We will dine on a salad of greens with figs and blue cheese, roasted pork tenderloin, potatoes dalphine, and fresh French haricot vert. OK, I know that's not what is printed on this vintage menu card, but don't you think it is a nice touch for the fall table?

There's a spot for each of you, so find your place at the table.

Of course Susan is joining us. I recently assured her that there would always be a place set for "Our Queen of Dishes and Tablescapes".

Brass pear shaped placecard holders are from Pottery Barn. Fall leaf accents are simple foil confetti added to plain cards.

Napkins are from William Sonoma. The lush gold textile with its embroidery of French royal bees and fleur de lys give the table a touch of France. The silver and enameled flatware is Talisman by Christophe.

I started with Zrike porcelain chargers with a wide band of deep green.

The dinner plates, our wedding china, are Palermo Brown by Richard Ginori.

Salad will be served on Royal Crown Derby's Olde Avesbury.

We'll finish with a baked apple drizzled with a warm caramel sauce and a swirl of whipped cream served in the Denby sherbet stemware.

The crystal, also from our wedding registery, is a rich amber color by Denby.

Fresh hot dinner rolls will be served in an Italian silver basket with Le Jacquard Français linen to keep them warm.

What a treat it is to celebrate the change of the seasons!

Here's to fall and a most welcomed change of crisp, cool air!

I'm so happy you joined me for a fall dinner celebration.

Now that my guest have departed and the dishes are done. I think I'll have a little sweet snack before heading up to bed.

It's going to be a wonderful fall! Thanks for joining me today. Would love to have you leave a comment to let me know you stopped by. Don't forget you are just a click away from more tablescapes here at Between Naps on the Porch.

Fall Nesting

Welcome Fall! Today I'm joining Rhondi @ Rose Colored Glasses to join in the fun of her Fall Party.

No one is more ready to Welcome Fall than I am. This has been our hottest summer on record, and today, the last day of summer, the high was 96. The weather people tell us that a cool front is moving in tonight. We may actually usher in Fall with temps in the 70s. Rain is also in the forecast. Hurray!

If you joined me for Metamorphosis Monday this week, you already know that I've begun to do a little Fall nesting around our home. (Click here to see details on this fall tableau.). I plan to wait till we are into October to add some Halloween decor, but for now I've added a few fall touches here and there over the past few days.

A couple of the white pumpkins and an oversized acorn greet guest in the entry of our home.

I choose not to use the mini orange pumpkins in the setting on the dining room table. So I've scattered them about to give a bit of color elsewhere. These sit on a silver try on the hunt board in our living room.

The vibrant yellows of the sunflowers and yellow bells play off the colors in the painting that hangs above the hunt board.

I preferred using the white pumpkins with the green and gold veining to compliment the shawl on the dining room table, but mixing the orange ones into this group makes for a nice contrast.

I put the remainder of the little mini pumpkins in this brass compote and set it in the bay window.

The painting above the mantel provides a visual salute to fall. I like the simplicity of the wooden boxes and assortment of pear shaped items.

The patina of the wooden boxes and pears adds a bit of warmth below the painting.

The pair of French faience vases on either side are from Desvres.

We have an oak bench that is home to seasonal pillows. The pumpkin is made of felt and the larger one is hooked wool.

This pillow is a favorite with the rooster perched among the pumpkins and sunflowers.

There are a few more fall touches out on the sun porch and in the morning room off our kitchen, but I'll save that for another time. Thanks for stopping in today to help greet the beginning of a new season. Please leave a comment below so I know who was here for the party.

Then click Rhondi's @ The Rose Colored Glasses to see a list of others who are participating in today's Welcome Fall party.

Fall Tableau

With the recent rain and cooler days, there is now a hint of fall in the air. That combined with all the wonderful fall nesting going on around Blogville, I've been inspired to do a bit of fall nesting myself. I do love this time of year, but there is never a real noticeable change in seasons here in central Texas like in so many other areas of our country. So one has to provide their own touch of seasonal change around their home.

I picked up these bags of pumpkins at the grocery store last week and found the faux acorns at Hobby Lobby. I wasn't certain what I'd do with them, but decided I need to start with something to get a little fall going on in our home.

I thought I'd start with something for the dining room table. I often like to arrange a tableau on a tray so it can be easily moved if I need something different for a dinner. I decided to start with a silver tray and this beautiful pashimina that a friend brought back to me from her summer trip to Egypt.

This silver dish was an eBay purchase in a box lot of silver pieces. You can see that it is very dark with little silver left, but I rather like the look. It gives it a shabby chic look,and actually I don't think shiny silver would look as appropriate for the theme. I was charmed by the squirrel detail. This was my favorite piece in the box.

Next I pulled out a silver bride's basket. It too was an eBay find. I decided to give it a good cleaning with some silver polish, but as you can see, this too is a bit shabby chic.

With these basic pieces I now had a theme in mind. The squirrel offered an obvious link to the acorns and the shawl would guide my choice of flowers.

I found these lilies at the grocery on special for the week.

In addition to the price, I also liked that they were still tight. I know from experience that lilies open slowly, unlike many flowers. I'm having some friends over on Tuesday, so they should be perfect by then.


I cut some yellow blooms from my garden. The yellow bells and golden thryallis make wonderful filler for arrangements.



I filled the silver squirrel dish with the faux acorns and started to place some of the pumpkins across the shawl. I only used the white ones. I didn't like the typical orange pumpkin color with the shawl.

I liked that the bag had a nice mix of plain white pumpkins and some with a dark green and gold in the veins. I scattered more acorns across the pumpkins and the shawl and about the large silver tray.

I mixed in a few purple asters to give a little punch of color. I think the color of the lilies compliments the shawl. I love the deep color of the center as it fades to a lighter orange.

The shawl is beautiful handwoven cotton with deep rich colors.

Mr. Squirrel is very happy with his new found bounty. I think he's set for winter!

Perhaps he'll share with all his brothers and sisters who enjoy our backyard.

I love the look of the contrast within the group of pumpkins and the acorns scattered among them.

Found this little squirrel with his own acorn at Hobby Lobby. Decided he would fit right in.

So there you have it....a simple fall tableau for our dining room table.

Hope to see you again on Tuesday for Rhondi's Welcome Fall Gathering and again on Thursday for Tablescape Thursday. By then I hope to have a fall table setting to compliment this fall tableau. In the meantime you should scurry on over to Susan's @ Between Naps on the Porch for a list of others participating in Metamorphosis Monday.