~ What's Your Choice ~ A Bowl of Cherries or A Chair of Bowlies?

ME Metal Sculpture by Enesco 1998

"Life 

is just a 

chair of bowlies!"

Mary Engelbreit coined this phrase 

when she launched her very first greeting card.

 Collection of Assorted  ME Products from 1990s

To say I'm a fan of Mary Engelbreit

and her work is an understatement!  

I've been purchasing her greeting cards since the very first ones were available.  Mary's art work was a favorite in my classroom during the years I taught elementary school, and Mary's whimsical work remains a favorite here in my home.

Fresh Oregon Cherries 
in the grocery this summer prompted 

me to gather my ME cherry things for a recent tablescape.

Hood River Cherries 

from Oregon are the BEST!

I filled one of my ME cookie jars 
with bright golden sunflowers.

Then I set the table with  ME cherry dishes 
paired with solid black dishes 
and MacKenzie-Childs Courtly Check.  

I added some cute cherry napkins, 

a recent find at Tuesday Morning.

Love the way they all stack up together!
You can see another tablescape 

that features the ME cherry
dishes paired with plaid here.

I added in the crystal 
compote for a special treat.

 ~ Cherries Jubilee ~

September 24, 2012  

 National Cherries Jubilee Day

Celebrate with your own bowl of 
Cherries Jubilee
Recipe Here

Tutorials, Tips, and Tidbits @ Stone Gable
When it comes to containers for flowers,
don't limit yourself to an ordinary vase.
Get creative and use other 
containers found around your home.
This ME cookie jar was a perfect fit for the sunflowers.

Have a Happy Day!

Joining

On the Menu Monday @ Stone Gable

Masterpiece Monday @ Boogieboard Cottage

Tuesday Treasures @ Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
You're Gonna Love it Tuesday @ Kathe with an E
Cowgirl Up @ Cedar Hill Ranch
Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Rednesday @ Sue Loves Cherries

Centerpiece Wednesday @ The Style Sisters

Let's Dish @ Cuisine Kathleen

Tutorials, Tips, and Tidbits @ Stone Gable

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

House and Garden Thursday @ A Delightsome Life 
Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm

Open House Friday @ Bernideen's Tea Time

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Potpourri Friday @ 2805

Show and Tell Friday @ My romantic Home
Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home
Seasonal Sunday @ The Tablescaper

Sunny Simple Sunday @ Sunny Simple Life

Bee Happy

It doesnt' take 

much to make me happy.

Take for instance ~

a simple setting 

for an evening meal.

Italian Pottery

Happy Blues and Yellows

Printemps by Sigma 

Wine Stems 

of Blue Glass

French Provencal Napkins

The Sweetest 

Bee Napkin Rings

Parade of Vintage 

Aqua Ball Canning Jars

Flowers From the Garden

~ Menu ~

Spinach

Rack of Lamb

Lime Basil Risotto

Lime Basil Risotto

New York Times Recipe here.

This happy little sign 

hanging in my friend's kitchen.

Tutorials, Tips, and Tidbits @ Stone Gable

My tidbit for the week........

Savor the simple things in your life.

~ Meals with family and Friends ~

~Flowers in the Garden ~

~ Bee Happy ~

My entry into  

The Charm of Home's Home Sweet Home Party 

sponsored by Appliances Online

.

Joining

Let's Dish @ Cuisine Kathleen

Tutorials, Tips, and Tidbits @ Stone Gable

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Home and Garden Thursday @ Delightsome Life

Open House Friday @ Bernideen's Tea Time

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm

Potpourri Friday @ 2805

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

Happy Hour Friday @ Craftberry Bush

Seasonal Sundays @ The Tablescaper

On the Menu Monday @ Stone Gable

Blue Monday @ Smiling Sally

Masterpiece Monday @ Boogieboard Cottage

Tuesday Treasures @ Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

You're Gonna Love It Tuesday @ Kathe withe an E

Cowgirl Up @ Cedar Hill Ranch

Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Embellished with Flair

Recently we've been enjoying cooler temps,

and I'm beginning to sense a whiff of fall.

My friend Patti @ Pandora's Box 

found this beauty while out thrifting.

She immediately 

knew just what it needed!

Now this charmer lives here at 

Hyacinths for the Soul.

Part of a fall vignette 

for the sideboard in the dining room.

~ Silver tea pot embellished with flair, 

sunflowers and a favorite piece of art ~

Sunday I stopped by Barnes and Noble 

to  pick up a few magazines 

for some fall inspiration.

Then fixed myself a tea tray.

I've had this darling tray by Mary Engelbreit for more than 

20 years, and I still smile when I pull this into service.

My husband's grandmother 

monogramed this vintage tea towel.

It's the perfect size for a tray. 

Tea cup is part of 

MacKenzie-Childs' Taylor Series

All paired with Patti's version of

silver dressed in my favorite black and white.

~ A Teapot Embellished With Flair ~

MacKenzie-Childs compote 

in Fran, a sassy new pattern.

Sables, a tasty French butter cookie, 

for a bite of something sweet. 

Tutorials, Tips, and Tidbits @ Stone Gable

If you are not a crafty person like moi,

go see Patti @ Pandora's Box.

Pattie knows how to embellish with flair!

Joining

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Today's Thrifty Treasures @ Southern Hospitality

Masterpiece Monday @ Boogieboard Cottage

Let's Dish @ Cuisine Kathleen 
Tutorials, Tips, and Tidbits @ Stone Gable

Tuesday Treasures @ Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
You're Gonna Love it Tuesday @ Kathe with an E
Cowgirl Up @ Cedar Hill Ranch
Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

Tuesday Tea @ Sandi's

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays @ Coastal Charm

Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

Centerpiece Wednesday @ The Style Sisters

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

House and Garden Thursday @ A Delightsome Life 

Open House Friday @ Bernideen's Tea Time

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Potpourri Friday @ 2805

Show and Tell Friday @ My romantic Home
Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home
Seasonal Sunday @ The Tablescaper

Sunny Simple Sunday @ Sunny Simple Life

http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/2012/09/welcome-to-90th-masterpiece-monday.html

To Market, To Market

To market, to market, to buy a good dinner,

Thoughts of a menu to help us get thinner.

Though it's still very warm here in Texas, 

as evenings begin to cool with pleasant breezes  

we can once again enjoy alfresco dining on the terrace.

My little wooden pig with his cart full of veggies 
inspired the theme for this summer table. 

I pulled in a linen scarf that features veggies

to use as a table topper over a green tablecloth.  

These little rectangular plates

 are the perfect size for a small meal.

Hand painted by local artists, they 

add a bit more whimsy to the vegetable theme.

I layered them atop pewter chargers and 

colorful plates and linens to compliment 

the bright colors of the garden theme.

Mustard Yellow with Aubergine

Aubergine with Fern Green

Flying pig candlesticks 

to offer a bit more whimsy.

Dinner is a salad of crispy greens 

with orange and yellow peppers, 

red onions, and zesty radishes

Along with a steamed salmon steak

To complete this healthy, 
colorful, and tasty meal.

Served with a glass of 

Chateau St. Michelle Chardonnay

Perfection for a late summer meal.

Tutorials, Tips, and Tidbits @ Stone Gable
Shop the things within your home and wardrobe, such 
as the scarf used here, that will add a creative touch.
The wooden pig and cart ~ Craft Fair 1980s
Metal flying pig candlesticks ~ NYC Street Fair 2001