Thursday, October 3, 2019

Cottonseed Trading Company at Marburger Farms

Still roasting here in Texas, but we know its autumn 
when it's time for Round Top Antiques Week. 


Marsha Smith, of Cottenseed Trading Company, 
created the unique corn cob wreath above.
Step into her booth with me and 
take a look at her clever, artistic tablescapes
featured at the 2019 Fall Marburger Farm Show.           


Marsha often has a long farm table at the front of the 
 booth dressed to welcome her shoppers.
This year's table offered place settings for four, set with simple details, including framed images of Hereford cattle.



An antique copper wash tub was filled with dried wheat, 
catkins, sunflower pods, and orange pumpkins.


A vintage bible laid opened to Ecclesiastes.


Each place setting featured framed 
black and white images of Hereford cows.  
Sprigs of hay and a simple pine cone wrapped in a corn husk
were added for a rustic touch. 


Interesting fixtures made from farm equipment hung above.


A second long farm table with long benches was set for five guests.
All of the pumpkins on this chippy white table were already sold.


Each of the place settings included 
an open book atop a wooden bread board.
A stack of vintage plates held a feathered pumpkin.



You can count on Marsha to add whimsical, 
unexpected details to her tables.
One has to smile at the vintage wire rimmed 
spectacles added to each pumpkin.
The charming salad plates are Rosemary by Myott.

Marsha was very kind and sent me a photo 
of this charming plate and the mark.
Wishing I had come home with these.  
I love the colors for fall!


Eyeglass cases lined in velvet were laid 
open to hold the vintage siverware.
Ivy from the centerpiece added an artistic 
touch as it meandered across.


Wooden candlesticks, a stack of salad plates, and 
additional cases with glasses gave varried interest to the potted ferns and ivy at the center.


Marsha's booth is a favorite of Marburger shoppers.
There is always a line at the cash register.
If you are attending the Marburger Farm show this week
stop by and say hello to Marsha and tell her I say, "Hello!"
You can follow Marsha on Instagram
cottonseedtradingcompany


I've shared some of Marsha's creative tables before.
Click here to read about Marsha's spring table set in 2017.
Have you ever visited Round Top Antiques Fair?
Tell me about your visit!
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Sunday, September 29, 2019

Autumn Tableau



It's the end of September, and yet day after day
the temps reach into the high 90s or above.


 This September has been the hottest ever on record for Austin, 
but I'm like a squirrel gathering nuts, as I gather up a few
of my own things to add a touch of fall here at
home despite the summer-like weather. 


These vibrant fresh cut flowers from Petals Ink 
at the Farmer's Market and a mixed bouquet from Trader Joe's,
inspired me to create a vignette on the terrace to trick
our minds into thinking perhaps it's a crisp fall day outdoors.


I'm always inspired by my dear friend Janice at Fig and Twigs.
Janice's floral creations are pure magic and full of whimsy.
Her flowers appear to dance in the container, so, Janice,
loose and floppy was my goal!

A pair of faux Jarrahdal pumpkins were 
a favorite HomeGoods find last fall.
The darling squirrel carved from wood was a gift
from a thoughtful friend years ago.


I added an older piece of MacKenzie-Childs, a covered box from the Maclachlan Series that features beautiful scenes 
of the MacKenzie-Childs farm in Aurora, NY.
The pair of tapestry pillows plopped in the arm chairs 
were souvenirs from Chateau de Chenonceau of the Loire Valley.
Hopefully the mosaic above offers a sense of the 
whimsy in the details of these pieces.


I pulled a shawl from my 
closet for added color.



Here's to cooler days ahead!



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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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Saturday, September 14, 2019

An Apple for the Teacher




Apples 
This post was first published
September 2013, but the topic is timeless.

Although many schools in Texas begin 
a new school year in late August,
I always associate September with
 Back To School.

An Apple For The Teacher
My table is a tribute to teachers everywhere.

Centerpiece Simplicity
~ Faux Apples in a Basket ~


APPLES
by Helen H. Moore
Apples, apples, what a treat,
sweet and tart and good to eat.
Apples green and apples red,
hang from branches overhead,
and when they ripen, down they drop,
so we can taste our apple crop.

~ The Stack ~
Vintage Quilt ~ Irish Chain
Quilted Placemat
PB Chicken Wire Charger
Arita Tartan Charger
Rainbow Gate Apple Slice Plate

Vintage Mother of Pearl Flatware
Woven Water Vine Napkin Ring

Apple Green Glass Stem

Sweet Treat ~ Apple Pie
Trader Joe's

~ An Apple For The Teacher ~
The beautiful apple slice plate above 
was an end of school gift from my class in 1998.

Rainbow Gate Ceramics 
are handmade and painted in Santa Fe, NM.
Visit their site HERE to see the 
beautiful ceramics they offer.


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