What's Brown, and White, and Red All Over?

"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. 
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What's brown, and white, and red all over?  Why my tablescape for Cuisine Kathleen's "Apple Challenge"!  The Garden Friends are coming tomorrow morning for Bible Study and our first birthday luncheon of the new semester.  I'm thrilled to have them gather around my table once again to share food, fun, and priceless fellowship.

The dining table is festooned to welcome Fall and 10 guests.  Kathleen's challenge saved me a sum of money because I didn't buy flowers.  The apples were already in the refrigerator.  Sweet Mister likes to eat apples; I'll need to replace a few.

A Williams-Sonoma deep red tablecloth with a brown and white toile motif set the color tone for today's design.

Whitewashed wood finials are making an encore performance in my centerpiece.  This time I'm saying that they are pine cones.....yes, definitely pine cones.  Two pair of the Barley Twist candlesticks contributed another touch of brown...

 I acquired the antique oriental bronze bowl at an estate sale.  Today it displays....what else?...apples.  The fall leaves meandering down the table are just two garlands from Michael's.  I've used them for a number of years.

I had fun with these little goodies.  A friend once gave me a Barbuzzo Candle Carver.  Have you ever seen one?  They can be found on Amazon.com, if you want to take a look.  They are very inexpensive.  Tip:  With the Candle Carver, you can make a candleholder out of a wonderful variety of items.  A tea candle fits perfectly in the opening that the tool creates.  It's pretty easy to make, and I thought that an apple candle was just the perfect touch for you, Kathleen.  Today they are sitting on Copeland Tower Pink individual ashtrays that belonged to my mother-in-love.  Do you remember the days when our parents had guests who sat and smoked at the table after dinner?  These little guys would have been a part of each place setting...so foreign to most of us now, I think.

 The Maryland China Company Minuet charger created a nice frame...

 ...to make the Spode Delamere Brown dinner plate stand out against the toile tablecloth.  You might be familiar with the Woodland Spode pattern.  The Delamere is the same plate, minus the animals in the center.

  Coalport's Athlone Brown salad plate will be removed and returned later for dessert.

 The brown handled flatware was a great bargain from one of the Horchow Click Tock Sales, available to their customers who allow Horchow to send them emails.

This Pottery Barn Flax Hemstitched Linen napkin is one of my favorites.  Today it is caught with the Coalport Countryware napkin ring.

  A pair of crystal goblets lend yet another touch of the browns...

The Vietri Smoke Optical goblet was a nice companion for the rather contemporary brown stem, that I found on eBay.  I don't know the maker of the brown goblet.

Everyone is bringing a dish to share for our luncheon, so my work is done...

I'll be up and around early tomorrow morning to make a treat for the Garden Friends to enjoy while we share our Bible study, so I'm off to bed as soon as I hit 'publish.'  I can hardly wait to see my treasured friends, and I can hardly wait to see what you all do with all those apples! 

This week I'll be joining:

Inspire Me Tuesday with Marty @ A Stroll Through Life
Centerpiece Wednesdays with The Style Sisters 
Let's Dish with Cuisine Kathleen
Tablescape Thursday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch
Seasonal Sundays with The Tablescaper
Autumn Tablescape Link Party with Centsational Girl


  

Honey Bea's First Birthday Party

"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. 

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Things have been buzzing at Honey Bea's house.  First birthday parties are a pretty big deal, and KC outdid herself in planning Beatrice Emaline's special celebration.  The invitation simply said, "Come for cake and ice cream," but oh it was so much more.  Come along, and I'll share some pictures of the day with a few observations about details.

 It was a gorgeous afternoon, and everything was ready for a party...

The table and the seating group that KC built were perfect for extra seating on the front porch.  KC found the beat up Adirondack chairs on the curb, dragged them home and rebuilt them...They are so comfortable.

 It's party time at the bungalow...

... KC made the puffy tissue flowers.  So darling.

 Cupcakes from the talented Cookie Princess...The smash cake was made by my talented daughter-in-love @ The Blackberry Vine.

Thanks to Sonia @ Miss Bloomers, I learned where I could find these darling bee skeps at a  local store.  They were a hit at Honey Bea's party.  The delightful bee platter was a gift from my dear friend Kathy.  She bought it with Beatrice in mind.  We found the girly dessert plates at Nell Hill's in Kansas City.

Beatrice Emaline is ready for her smash cake rendevouz...Let the fun begin! 

This week I'll be joining:

Inspire Me Tuesday with Marty @ A Stroll Through LIfe

Let's Dish with Cuisine Kathleen...Next week I'll be participating in Kathleen's "Apple Challenge."  Join us!

Tutorials, Tips, & Tidbits with Yvonne @ Stone Gable

Tablescape Thursday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

Hannah's Bridal Shower and Supper

"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. 
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Did you miss me last week?  I certainly missed you!  KC hosted another party at my house last Wednesday.  I kept thinking that I could get all the details together in time to publish my post about the evening, but it just didn't happen.  Not only did I work up to the last minute, I was totally pooped by the end of the party.

Hannah is one of KC's close friends, so I was blessed to be able to open our home and the china closets to KC to create her party.  KC was excited because this was the first of the fetes that she planned that featured a seated dinner.  She was excited to use a number of her grandmother's and great-grandmother's things to design her tables.  Because KC was the matron-of-honor in the wedding and busy with a multitude of wedding party duties, she chose to cater the food.  Fair warning:  this is a photo intensive post.

 KC prepared the dining table...

...and the games table in the living room for her 16 guests.

From the get-go, KC knew that she wanted to use our dear Nana's antique Limoge gold incrusted, Dresden Flower dinner plates.  Tip:  The tables were going to be a bit crowded, so KC chose to forego a large charger plate to create a feeling of more space.  Dinner was plated and served on the Castleton Laurel luncheon plate.  I forgot to snap a picture of it.  For the record, I try to avoid serving food directly on these great old Limoges plates.  They've survived this long, and I want them to be available for the enjoyment of future generations of our family.  The Reed & Barton Francis I sterling flatware belonged to my mother-in-love.  KC also chose this pattern for her wedding silver.

An assortment of four colors of the Waterford Simply goblets was paired with Nana's antique French cut crystal wine goblets for the dining table.

The games table also featured the Waterford Simply goblets with the Lalique Treves wine goblet, part of my wedding crystal.

 My mother-in-loves peach Madeira napkin was held by an engagement ring napkin ring...

...It matched her magnificent tablecloth...such a noble old piece.  I don't know the maker for certain, but I have often suspected that it might be Marghab Madiera.  The workmanship is exquisite.

 The games table was laid with the Williams-Sonoma light pink hemstitched linen table cloth.  The lace topper and the Madeira napkins  also belonged to sweet Nana.

KC's centerpiece for the dining table featured Nana's English silver presentation bowl, bursting with Hydrangeas, and flanked by the Val St. Lambert crystal candlesticks, the Dollar Tree crystal votives...

...and a quartet of peach rose nosegays in Nana's antique French crystal tumblers.

The games table centerpiece featured Nana's Black Starr & Frost presentation bowl overflowing with assorted colors of Hydrangeas.

KC knew what she wanted to achieve from beginning...

...to end.  

I even managed to capture some candlelight shots...

Hannahs bridal supper and lingerie shower was a delightful and lovely evening.  After the gifts were opened, the wedding party departed for downtown to continue the celebration.  I don't know how KC was able to keep going...I couldn't get in bed quickly enough!  Ah, youth!

This week I'll be joining the following parties:

Inspire Me Tuesday with Marty @ A Stroll Through Life
Centerpiece Wednesday with The Style Sisters
Tablescape Thursday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch