Memorable Father's Day

First things first...We are truly blessed to have the means to set a pretty table and invite our friends to join us for good food and fellowship. I am mindful that many are not so fortunate. My daughter has a passion for the work of the Food Bank. As a singer-songwriter, she has written and recorded a song that is the anthem for the world wide Crop Hunger Walk project. Her song, "Raise Your Voice" is featured in their video. I've included a link in the side margin of my blog. I hope that it will encourage you to support projects in your community that contribute to the effort to overcome hunger.



Entertaining Women's first blog post was July 7, 2010.  It's hard to conceive that I've been blogging my tablescapes for almost two years.  I never dreamed that I would be "published" in any format. It was always my Aunt Ida's dream for me, and I think that she would be happy.  I'm having even more fun with my blog today than when my daughter-in-love, Jamiann at THE BLACKBERRY VINE, graciously helped me figure out how to even start a blog.  I look forward to my third year.  I adore the many new blog buddies that I've come to care about, and I am humbled by your support and unending encouragement.  Thank you seems so inadequate.  I introduced my blogiversary give-away week before last...a set of 12 Mottahedeh "Sacred Butterfly" dinner plates.  To read about it and learn how to be the winner, click HERE.

Father's Day at our house was pretty laid back this year.  Although I had prepared to serve a Pork Tenderloin with appropriate trimmings, Sweet Mister requested that we make breakfast for lunch, and that's what we did right after we returned home from church...an old fashioned breakfast of Dirty Scrambled Eggs, Toast and English Muffins, Crisp Bacon, cold milk, and orange juice.  We were a small group of five, so I created my table for Sweet Mister at the games table in the living room.  I wanted it to be masculine and pay homage to family.

Come on in, I'll give you a tour de la table.

To keep a decidedly masculine flavor, I started with a woven tweed tablecloth that I made.  The

Williams-Sonoma "Flax" hemstitched linen napkins picked up the taupe in the cloth's color mix.  Soft colors were added by simply placing a hydrangea from our garden on each napkin...just enough without becoming too foo foo.

One of my go-to white patterns, I always enjoy using the Wedgwood "Countryware" dinner plates.  The antiqued copper service plates were a great get at an estate sale.  They've already been pressed into service a number of times.  The everyday Mikasa "French Countryside" goblet was just the right size for a big ole glass of ice cold milk.

Keeping color to a minimum, I chose the L'Argent "Sophia" flatware, bought from Tuesday Morning and Horchow.  Horchow still has this pattern listed on their website.  It is available in a number of lovely colors.

I had fun creating my centerpiece, with an emphasis on family memories.  I used baby shoes to create my mood.  These black leather high top button baby boots belonged to my mother-in-love.  She wore them in 1919.  The anchor of my design was the Wedgwood "Patrician" tureen and under plate, an eBay find.  Green garden Hydrangeas perched on a trio of Lenox creamware urns. Tip:  These urns are a good example of the importance of waiting and watching items on eBay before deciding to bid.  There is currently a pair of these listed with an auction asking price of $125.00.  I bought mine for about $25.00 each at estate sales and on  eBay. Take Your Time!

The red cowboy boots were...mine!  I wore them when I was two years old.  I made Sweet Mister a father, after all.

The white leather soft-sole high tops belonged to KC....who will have her first baby and make Sweet Mister a grandfather in September!  We're all eagerly waiting for the arrival of Beatrice Emmaline!  Little Honey B will be our third grandchild.  Our son and daughter-in-love are the parents of our two beloved grandsons, Haden and Jack.

Cards and gifts were placed on the refectory table.  I added a framed photo that we have of Sweet Mister's daddy.  His daddy was 7 years old in this photo, 1925, and he grew up in Portland, Oregon.  I never knew him.  He passed away when Sweet Mister was 13 years old.  The three silver pieces lying next to the photo belonged to Sweet Mister's father and to my daddy.  Left to right:  the sterling cigarette case and flask were carried by Hal's father during WWII.  He fought in the Battle of the Bulge with Patton.  The sterling cigarette case on the right belonged to my daddy, who fought in the Battle at Salerno Beach.  He was a combat engineer.  It was given to him after WWII by my Aunt Ida.  She bought it while stationed in Tokyo, Occupied Japan, as an intelligence officer after the war.  

I adore this photograph.  Sweet Mister told me that is a salmon.  

It was a sweet memorable celebration.  We had a ball talking about all the shoes!  Do you have old baby shoes stashed away some place in your house?

Thank you, yet again, to Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for hosting her magical meme, Tablescape Thursday.  I'll be linking my post to "TABLESCAPE THURSDAY."   Hop on over and check out the myriad of marvelous tablescape designs, after 10:00 AM on Thursdays.  You'll be glad that you made the trip...it's a wonderful adventure.

When I think of June, I think of lazy summer days and time to share a meal with friends.  How about you?  With thankfulness for her dedication and efforts, I'm joining the multi-talented Tablescaper for her fabulous meme SEASONAL SUNDAYS.  Hope to see you there!

Wednesday evening is the fifteenth edition of Cuisine Kathleen's meme, "LET'S DISH".  So excited to be a charter member.  Pop over (pun intended for the Chef Supreme Kathleen) and join the fun!


It's always a treat to learn something new when I go exploring in blog land.  Tonight I'm excited to join Yvonne @ Stone Gable for her new meme, TUTORIALS, TIPS, & TIDBITS.  Bring your notebook...there's so much to learn!

You can check out KC's music at www.kcclifford.com, on iTunes, and on YouTube.  I hope that you'll take a few minutes and give her a listen.  You'll also enjoy reading back through her blog on this site.  The girl can really write!  KC has just released her 5th studio CD project, "The Tag Hollow Sessions".  The sold out CD release concert was this past weekend.  "The Tag Hollow Sessions" is available on iTunes or through her website.  I hope that you'll give her music a chance.  I know that I have zero objectivity where she is concerned, but I think that you'll fall in love with her music and her!

Adrift On a China Sea

First things first...We are truly blessed to have the means to set a pretty table and invite our friends to join us for good food and fellowship. I am mindful that many are not so fortunate. My daughter has a passion for the work of the Food Bank. As a singer-songwriter, she has written and recorded a song that is the anthem for the world wide Crop Hunger Walk project. Her song, "Raise Your Voice" is featured in their video. I've included a link in the side margin of my blog. I hope that it will encourage you to support projects in your community that contribute to the effort to overcome hunger.



Entertaining Women's first blog post was July 7, 2010.  It's hard to conceive that I've been blogging my tablescapes for almost two years.  I never dreamed that I would be "published" in any format. It was always my Aunt Ida's dream for me, and I think that she would be happy.  I'm having even more fun with my blog today than when my daughter-in-love, Jamiann at THE BLACKBERRY VINE, graciously helped me figure out how to even start a blog.  I look forward to my third year.  I adore the many new blog buddies that I've come to care about, and I am humbled by your support and unending encouragement.  Thank you seems so inadequate.  I introduced my blogiversary give-away last week.  To read about it and learn how to be the winner, click HERE.

CUISINE KATHLEEN issued an "At the Beach Challenge" for this week's meme, "Let's Dish."  It didn't take this prairie lady long to realize that I didn't have a single shell, lighthouse, beach ball, beach towel, etc. in my stash of supplies for tablescaping.  "Adrift in a China Sea" (pun intended) is probably a stretch, but I had a good time digging through drawers to create my entry for Kathleen's blog party.

The color story would be paramount for my tablescape today.  I needed to establish a vision of water and sand...

After using one of the flip-top tabletops to extend the 48" games table to 60", I chose a light teal/aqua matelasse quilt to use as my tablecloth...the color of sea and sky...  ✓.  Tip:  If you check the dimensions of quilts, coverlets, even duvets, you can often find a king size piece that is almost a square shape.  They are generous enough to be used as a floor length cloth.  I use duvets frequently, and they are often reversible with a different pattern on the other side...double duty.  Give it a try!

I remembered that I had ordered these wonderful textural cloths, made in the Philippines, from Christine at CHRISTINE'S HOME & TRAVEL ADVENTURES.  She had used them in one of her 

tablescapes, and I was pleased to learn that she had some extras available in her shop.  When I placed them on my table, I was thinking about sand, sand dunes, and sea grasses...and strolling for miles down the beach searching for treasures tucked here and there...

...like sand dollars.  Remember that I told you that I didn't have any shells...well, I didn't.  I did, however stumble across an unopened box of soaps in one of the guest baths that looked like sand dollars.  Shells...✓. ...

...or a box of pirate's treasure!  The malachite box belonged to our precious Nana.  I looked for my roll of pearls from Michael's, but I couldn't find it, so I used my strand of pearls that once belonged to mama.  I did finally remember the Nell Hill's mother of pearl spoon with a shell handle.  Found treasures... ✓.

Now, it's important to stay hydrated when exploring the beach....right?  I've had this Japanese brass teapot for many years.  It belonged to my beloved Aunt Ida.  It normally lives in the kitchen.

The large antique bronze bowl was found at the same estate sale that produced the 12 Mottahedeh "Sacred Butterfly" dinner plates that will go to the winner of my give-away.  The bowl is one of my new/old favorite things.  I filled it with hydrangeas from our garden for my centerpiece.

My place setting continues the color story  of the sea.  The blue and white rice bowl and under plate were estate sale finds.  

The antique Imari chargers belonged to my Aunt Ida.  She was an intelligence officer stationed in Tokyo after World War II.  She bought a number of antiques during the years that she lived there.  I am blessed to care for them.

I used the Mottahedeh "Sacred Butterfly" because it reminded me of deep sea coral, and because I wanted to remind you to 1.  follow me, and 2. leave comments on this post as well as archived posts between now and July 7.  The more comments, the better your chance to win a set of 12 of these beautiful plates!  The antique carved ivory flatware reminded me of the orient.  The napkins were an eBay purchase, and the Waverly napkin rings were a give away prize from our "Let's Dish" hostess, Cuisine Kathleen.

I admire the simple, clean lines of the two goblets chosen for today's table.  I paired the Rosenthal "Iris" clear crystal stem with the Vietri Smoke optical goblet.  The Vietri is currently available on the market.  I've really enjoyed using them in a number of different designs.  Check them out at a store in your area.  For nice crystal, they are not too expensive at about $20.00 per stem.  I've collected them one or two at a time.

I would love to have you join me.  We can sit at my table and dream of sea, sand, and sky...far away places and found treasures. Sounds like the perfect way to spend a summer day.

Thank you, yet again, to Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for hosting her magical meme, Tablescape Thursday.  I'll be linking my post to "TABLESCAPE THURSDAY."   Hop on over and check out the myriad of marvelous tablescape designs, after 10:00 AM on Thursdays.  You'll be glad that you made the trip...it's a wonderful adventure.

When I think of June, I think of lazy summer days and time to share a meal with friends.  How about you?  With thankfulness for her dedication and efforts, I'm joining the multi-talented Tablescaper for her fabulous meme SEASONAL SUNDAYS.  Hope to see you there!

Wednesday evening is the fourteenth edition of Cuisine Kathleen's meme, "LET'S DISH".  So excited to be a charter member.  Pop over (pun intended for the Chef Supreme Kathleen) and join the fun!


It's always a treat to learn something new when I go exploring in blog land.  Tonight I'm excited to join Yvonne @ Stone Gable for her new meme, TUTORIALS, TIPS, AND TIDBITS.  Bring your notebook...there's so much to learn!

You can check out KC's music at www.kcclifford.com, on iTunes, and on YouTube.  I hope that you'll take a few minutes and give her a listen.  You'll also enjoy reading back through her blog on this site.  The girl can really write!  KC has just released her 5th studio CD project, "The Tag Hollow Sessions".  The sold out CD release concert was this past weekend.  "The Tag Hollow Sessions" is available on iTunes or through her website.  I hope that you'll give her music a chance.  I know that I have zero objectivity where she is concerned, but I think that you'll fall in love with her music and her!

  

  

  

Fortune Cookie/Mottahedeh Blogiversary Give-away

First things first...We are truly blessed to have the means to set a pretty table and invite our friends to join us for good food and fellowship. I am mindful that many are not so fortunate. My daughter has a passion for the work of the Food Bank. As a singer-songwriter, she has written and recorded a song that is the anthem for the world wide Crop Hunger Walk project. Her song, "Raise Your Voice" is featured in their video. I've included a link in the side margin of my blog. I hope that it will encourage you to support projects in your community that contribute to the effort to overcome hunger.



Entertaining Women's first blog post was July 7, 2010.  It's hard to conceive that I've been blogging my tablescapes for almost two years.  I never dreamed that I would be "published" in any format. It was always my Aunt Ida's dream for me, and I think that she would be happy.  I'm having even more fun with my blog today than when I began, and I look forward to my third year.  I adore the many new blog buddies that I've come to care about, and I am humbled by your support and unending encouragement.  Thank you seems so inadequate.  

I've been contemplating my blogiversary for quite a while now, and I've been seeking something special for one of you.  I think that I've found it...no...I know that I've found it!  By now, you know that I enjoy "the hunt" for a great and grand deal at estate sales, especially at the tail end of the sale.  I've had some really good luck in the past, but I think that I've recently scored my most amazing 'get' ever....and I want to share my good fortune with one of you.  Just one week ago, I was able to purchase a set of 47 Mottahedeh "Sacred Butterfly" dinner plates, plus 36 cups and saucers, for the same price that Replacements gets for one plate(click, if you're curious).  I've decided that my give-away gift will be a set of 12 Mottahedeh "Sacred Butterfly" dinner plates.  

I really liked the give-away that the Tablescaper held recently, and I'm going to base mine on her model.  Starting tonight, 1. become a follower or tell me that you already are one... 2. leave me a comment about my posts from now through Saturday, July 7, 2012...and 3. take a stroll through my archives and leave me comments on my older posts.  I'll record each comment entered by my followers from now through July 7, and use the automatic generator to choose a winner with an address in the lower 48 United States to be announced the following week. (Fabby, I think that I remember that you have a mailing address in the US...right?)   Now on to the good stuff...

The original of this magnificent Chinese export pattern may be found set in the dining room of Charleston's famed Nathaniel Russell House. Butterflies, a popular design in China, are often found as porcelain decoration or embroidered on robes. Perhaps the popularity of the butterfly comes, in part, from the fact that Chinese word for butterfly, tieh, is a pun which expresses the wish that the owner might live to a ripe old age. Mottahedeh, in cooperation with Historic Charleston, offers an updated version and is true to the antique. The name reflects the many birds and butterflies featured in the design.

As I designed my tablescape, I kept thinking of Alycia of TABLESCAPES AT TABLE TWENTY-ONE.  Alycia introduced us to the marvelous Bormioli Rocco Figlio of Fidenza, Italy glass charger plates on clearance at Gordman's.  I'm fairly gaga over these turquoise ones, and I like the way that the Williams Sonoma Hemstitch Linen Tablecloth makes the colors pop.  I've bought them in four colors, and I'm pretty sure that you're going to see them a lot this summer.  Alycia also has told us that orange is her 'go-to' color...

...I've never given much thought to the color orange, but the "Sacred Butterfly" is rapidly becoming one of my favorite patterns...I think that I'm becoming a convert.  How do you feel about orange?

It's always a pleasure to use the antique carved ivory handle flatware, purchased from a local antiques store.  Amending the antique pieces with the L'Argent "Sophia" Gold flatware from Horchow and Tuesday Morning, has always been a good solution for a complete setting.

The Tiffany Blue Hemstitched napkins are once again from an eBay seller, NAPKINS ONLINE.  They are a linen/cotton blend, and you can purchase a dozen of them for $23.00, often with free shipping.  This lovely napkin is available in a large variety of colors...I highly recommend them.  The wonderful beaded tassel napkin ring was a give away prize from CUISINE KATHLEEN.  Thanks again, Kathleen!

I continue to find great pleasure in mixing a variety of cased crystal (colored) and sparkling clear crystal.  I think that it really adds to the color story of the entire table design.

 Today I enjoyed mixing the Vietri Amber Optical Goblet with the Tiffin "Elyse" wine goblet, another great estate sale find.  I love that the clear crystal picks up the reflection of the Tiffany blue napkin.

  

I don't know if we'll have guests at this summertime table, yet, so for the time being, I've kept the centerpiece and sideboard relatively simple.  If we choose to actually use this setting for a meal, I'll add some florals and probably candlelight.  For now, just use your imagination.

The pair of Rose Famille Republic Period lidded rose bowls were another one of my buys at the tale end of a good estate sale.  I want to say that I paid $30.00 for the pair.  I've had the quartet of Lalique Love Birds for many years.

The Rose Famille Republican Period Tureen was purchased much later through eBay.  I've used them often since obtaining the trio.

Our sweet Nana's antique salts were added to the table as an unexpected touch.

I'm so excited to think that in just about a month, these dinner plates will belong to one of you!

I can hardly wait to see the tablescape that you'll design with your new set of 12 Mottahedeh "Sacred Butterfly" dinner plates.  I hope that I have lots of comments from you, so you'll have more chances to win! 

Thank you, yet again, to Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for hosting her magical meme, Tablescape Thursday.  I'll be linking my post to "TABLESCAPE THURSDAY."   Hop on over and check out the myriad of marvelous tablescape designs, after 10:00 AM on Thursdays.  You'll be glad that you made the trip...it's a wonderful adventure.

When I think of June, I think of lazy summer days and time to share a meal with friends.  How about you?  With thankfulness for her dedication and efforts, I'm joining the multi-talented Tablescaper for her fabulous meme SEASONAL SUNDAYS.  Hope to see you there!

Wednesday evening is the thirteenth edition of Cuisine Kathleen's meme, "LET'S DISH".  So excited to be a charter member.  Pop over (pun intended for the Chef Supreme Kathleen) and join the fun!

You can check out KC's music at www.kcclifford.com, on iTunes, and on YouTube.  I hope that you'll take a few minutes and give her a listen.  You'll also enjoy reading back through her blog on this site.  The girl can really write!  KC has just released her 5th studio CD project, "The Tag Hollow Sessions".  The sold out CD release concert was this past weekend.  "The Tag Hollow Sessions" is available on iTunes or through her website.  I hope that you'll give her music a chance.  I know that I have zero objectivity where she is concerned, but I think that you'll fall in love with her music and her!