Monday, October 26, 2020

Black Hat Society Breakfast



It's the last week of October 2020, and
I've noticed a lot of activity around here.

The girls, as I call them, you know, 
members of the Black Hat Society,
have flown in to gather round the table.

They each have their own personality, and
rest assured, each one is a good witch, 
ready to help with Halloween fun.

I was asked to style a Halloween table with elements 
from my collection of French Quimper pottery.

19th Century Quimper Plate Marked HB Only
Photo Courtesy of Lucy Williams

Quimper pottery comes in various forms and decor,
though Halloween isn't a typical motif.

The antique witch plate is not in my collection, but it inspired this pair of
limited edition witch plates which were produced in 2010.

Join me for breakfast with "the girls".
Let's eat, drink, and be scary!"

We can start with a pumpkin muffin.

A mug of coffee or tea?

Sit and visit with these sweet girls 
while I prepare our breakfast.

You might note the plates are not as detailed as the antique version,
yet I find them  charming for a touch of whimsy on the table.

A different witch and border on each plate.
Do you have a favorite?

I used my favorite black and white ruffled linens from 
Crown Linen Designs as my base and layerd them 
with a smaller ruffled black placemat, green rimmed charger,
and orange and black buffalo check napkins.  
Silver flatware. with French ivory handles, is vintage.

Our dining room table is a dropleaf that opens to an oval.  
It is not easy to find table linens that offer a good fit, 
so generally I simply use placemats.  
For this table, I wanted to repeat the orange and 
black buffalo check, but my round cloth was too small.
What I did was lay it crosswise on the center of the table and then folded it to make pleats on either side of the center line.  
I liked the look, especially the ruffle effect that was 
a nod to the ruffled placemats and napkins.

My friend Rita @ Panoply  taught me how to
make these cute witch hat napkin folds.
You simply roll a ruffled napkin, slide down a ring,
and then fluff out the ruffle at the base to create the illusion of a brim.
They stand up perfectly and make the cutest witch hat!
Be sure to pop over to visit Rita where she shares beautiful tables.

Waffles with berries and whipped cream and 
a side of sausage is the menu for the morning.

You will find previous posts on this group of ladies below.






To read more about the Quimper witch plates go Here.

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃 Happy Halloween! 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃


Saturday, October 17, 2020

Sunflowers Make Me Smile


Fall has arrived bringing 
us beautiful weather.

 We enjoyed this sunny arranngement for over a week,
but after the stems began to rot, 
it was time to restyle.
    
Years ago, a florist shared a wonderful trick 
for extending the life of cut flowers.
She taught me to gather the blooms into a tight bouquet, 
secure them together, and cut the stems short.
Instant beautiful presentation!
It works especially well for tulips.

I repurposed my sunflowers to a smaller container, 
letting the petals fall where they may, 
and set a sunflower table for two.

These Nicloe Miller Home beaded placemats
were paired with plaid napkins from World Market 
to set the stage for my plate stack.

Plaid Chargers, Willisms Sonoma
Plaid Dinner Plate, Two's Company
Whimsical Rabbit Salad Plate, Anthropologie.

I used a pair of Two's Company mugs as
napkin holders for Crown Linen Design napkins.
I appreciate the quality of these linens as 
well as the classic touch of an elegent 
crown embroideried in a corner.

I'm eager to have a group of friends and family 
gathered round our table, but for now
it's a sunny table for two.

Sunflowers Make Me Smile!

Do you have a special flower that brings smiles?