Showing posts with label Tablescapes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tablescapes. Show all posts

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?

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Sunday, July 5, 2020

Independence Day 2020

~ July 4th ~ 
American Independence Day!
As we all have learned,
2020 is different.
I never miss the neighborhood 4th of July Parade,
though this year, there was no parade. 
Instead, neighbors were encouraged to decorate their
laws with a patriotic theme
I missed sitting on the curbside! 
It's always heart warming to see the hundreds of neighbors,
young and old, who come out on the 4th of July to 
participate in these little community parades.   
All parades were canceled because of COVID-19!
No large outdoor gatherings for family and friend meals!
No public parks open!
No Austin Symphony Orchestra concert along the 
grassy banks of Lady Bird Lake,
culminating with a spectacular fireworks display 
above the beautiful Austin skyline. 
None of the traditional festivities for the 4th this year!
Fortunately these two didn't let COVID-19 
dampen their patriotic spirit.
They had their own little solo parade!
There were no plans to join friends for a traditional gathering.
For us it was a quiet evening at home, dinner for two
with our sweet Sadie girl at our feet.
I kept the decor simple this July.  
Between our ongoing remodel and no entertaining 
at home, I hesitate to bring much out.
Though I am enjoying this new cachepot 
filled with summer blooms.
 A tray filled with flags and 
Uncle Sam figures sits on the buffet.
I couldn't resist these special 4th of July party crowns,
though admitedly they were strictly to add a festive touch.
These fun party crowns are by Bethany Lowe Designs.
They came in red and blue, each with a different sentiment.
Do you have a favorite?

They give a festive party feel to the stack of dishes,
Blue Pinstripe Chargers ~ Neiman Marcus
Royal Check Dinner ~ MacKenzie-Childs
Red Italian Salad ~ Spode
Royal Linens ~ Crown Linen Designs
Mother of Pearl Flatware ~ English Antique
I think a varried stack makes for an interesting table.
This one alternates the red and blue 
with a touch of black and white.
Love Letter Placemats ~ Hester and Cook
Black and White Ruffled Placemats ~ Crown Linen Designs
We are fans of colored glass, and these blue glass stemware and tumblers are pieces we have enjoyed for decades.
  What about you, do you like colored glass?
No fireworks here! 
Our finale was a Stars and Stripe 
cupcake with faux sparkler.
~ America the Beautiful ~
Happy 244th Birthday!

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Sunday, May 10, 2020

Mother's Day 2020



Mother's Day 2020
I set a table in tribute to my mother.

My sweet mom lived a long full life,
and as an avid gardener, most of her days
involved working in her garden.

 She, herself, was raised by an avid gardener!
One of my fondest memories of my grandmother
is being hand-in-hand with her, among garden flowers, 
snipping my favorite sweet peas to make a petite bouquet.

Are you familiar with these old fashioned blooms?
            In Victorian Times, when flowers were used as a language 
of sorts, the sweet pea bloom meant "lasting pleasure".

For me, gardens create lasting pleasure.
They provide a sense of being one with nature, time spent
digging in dirt, observing the miracle of things sprouting, 
blooming, and then fading as the cycle is completed, while 
something new opens to take its turn on the garden stage. 

I don't have a good sunny spot for sweet peas, so you can imagine
my delight when our  local Grassdale Flower Farm delivered
sweet pea bouquets for curbside pickup at a nearby flower market.

These hand painted floral plates were a street market find in Italy, and though the simple stylized blooms are not sweet peas, the colors are a perfect fit for the bouquet from Grassdale.

I carried home two salad plates and two dinner plates for a table of two with these rather flat plates and a gently scalloped border.
Not heavy like most ceramics, they made a perfect trip souvenir.

 I paried them with Ambiance Vintage Garden 
chargers and Hester and Cook's gorgeous Woodland Nest placemats, the whimsical art work of Vicki Sawyer.

A small Nature Table bee plate from Anthropologie was added 
as a green accent between layers, along with a linen napkin, the handwork of my husband's grandmother in the early 1900s.
The Napoleon Bee flatware is by Wallace.

 I think it makes a lovely statement to all gardeners!

With a garden full of birds this time of year, 
an added treat should any want to fly in and join us.

 So there you have it, a tribute
to my mom, the gardener!

 Thank you for joining me today.
I hope you'll leave me a comment and tell me
a little something about your mom.


 Happy Mother's Day ~ 2020
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Sunday, September 22, 2019

September's Morning Glory Table



A few years ago, my sweet friend, Emily @ The French Hutch ,
gifted me a pair of beautiful MacKenzie-Childs 
Morning Glory napkin rings.
These beaded rings are serious tabletop jewelry!
I was in fact so smitten with these that I later ordered
a few more for when we have dinner guests.


The Morning Glory is September's birth flower.
You can read another recently shared post on 
Morning Glories here.  


In recent weeks on my morning walk,  
I've noticed small volunteer vines of Morning Glories
trailing through beds of flowers and climbing up branches of trees.
 These pretty blooms with their heart shaped leaves
are trailing gently through the bed along our front walk.  


Not the Heavenly Blue that is so common, but the
Pink Morning Glory that is a native wildflower here.

The flowers are funnel shaped and 
are a lavender pink with a dark pink throat.
How appropriate that this gift should appear in September!


 These delicate blooms prompted me to snip a 
few of the vines and set a morning table.


I started with a favorite fall textile,
the MacKenzie-Childs Vendage tablecloth.
The rich hues within the botanical inspired design are set 
off with a border of my favorite Courtly Checks.
I tossed on a wool throw to add texture and a touch more blue.


Vintage French demi-Johns came home with
me from a previous trip to France.

A pair of blue gray pumpkins with golden stems
offered a welcome to the fall season that 
officially begins on September 23 this year.


I added a Courtly Check charger and
mug for my morning coffee.

The majolica leaf plate, sourced from some antique market years
past, is a vintage piece by Jamison Ceramics, Capristano, CA.


It provided the perfect little touch for my morning treat 
~ a pumpkin spice scone.

Silver flatware with "French ivory" handles 
added a touch of elegance.

My favorite morning 
Cafe de Cuba filled the mug.


 Such an elegant way 
to start my day!


It all made for a cozy morning table out on the terrace.
A Morning Glory Table to welcome a new season. ~
~ First Day of Autumn, September 23, 2019


They bloom up the fresh, green trellis
In airy, vigorous ease,
And their fragrant, sensuous honey
Is best beloved of the bees.
~ Madison Juluis Cawein
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