A Garden Friends Fix, July, 2018

Things have been hopping in the month of July.  Dinner with friends over the 4th, meant no tablescape at our house. With the exception of a few weekend trips, we've held pretty close to home. I've been blessed to welcome guests to gather around our table on several occasions. Today I'm eager to share a luncheon that I hosted for my Garden Friends Bible study group. 

 

With some of us away for a fair chunk of the summer, I set a table for seven. After I finished taking my pictures, we had a late addition, so the luncheon was actually for eight. Ahhh, about the pictures. I've been doggedly trying to wrap my head around shooting in manual with my trusty Nikon. I fear that the quality of the photos to follow will reveal that for me, it's going to be a very steep learning curve. I hope that you will bear with me. Right now my results seem to yield aces and spaces. Okay, that's my disclaimer, now on to the luncheon.  I find that since we redecorated the kitchen, I enjoy entertaining in the space more and more. Today we gathered for lunch in the breakfast room. Come on in and join us... 

For my dear Garden Friends, I wanted to sculpt a softly feminine, creatively colorful tablescape. 

It's hard to go wrong when your art work is framed by the Mottahedeh Cornflower Blue Lace charger. 

The Mottahedeh Tobacco Leaf is easily one of my favorite patterns in China Town. The colors are truly magnificent. 

The Williams Sonoma banded linen napkin was the perfect amendment with its aqua accent border. 

Making an appearance after the luncheon began, the Tiffin Minton luncheon plate was used for dessert. The coupe soup and underplate held an avocado cucumber soup as a first course.

The taller Pier One wine was purchased many years ago, and I've used it often over the years. The larger goblet was a recent purchase at Hobby Lobby on the clearance aisle. I found a full dozen, and they are a perfect color match. I think I will now use them even more.

This canvas was complete, and my guests loved the place setting. 

Two different pair of petite bouquets from Whole Foods Market were snipped and placed...

...in a quartet of green vases found at a local florist some years ago.

The vases surrounded a Mottahedeh tureen. The celadon background and the pink trim worked well with the colors in the Tobacco Leaf plates.

It was a blazing hot summer day out here on the plains. It was one of those days when no one wanted to eat anything heavy or hot. Following the chilled avocado cucumber soup, we dined on chicken salad, egg salad, and a fruit salad featuring a variety of summer berries and fresh peaches.

Dessert consisted of birthday cake and brandy ice.

When we finally stood to leave the table, everyone realized that they would need to rush right home. It was almost time for them to have supper on the table. 

Sweet Mister called with plans to take me out for supper, a wonderful ending to a fabulous day. Remember, if you're coming my way, give me a call, and I'd love to set a table for you.

This week I'm joining:

Tablescape Thursday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

Inspire Me Tuesday with Marty @ A Stroll Through Life

The Scoop with Anita @ Cedar Hill FarmHouse

Mottahedeh Duke of Gloucester, May 10, 2018

Spring was slowly beginning to rear it's gentle head, and it was a nice sunny day, still not warm enough to dine al fresco, but nice, none the less. I invited the Garden Friends Bible study to celebrate my dear friend Kathy's recent birthday. Today I prepared a table for six in the breakfast room. Come on in and join us...

I had a great time designing this tablescape. As I do so often, I found myself turning to lovely appointments that can be found in my repertoire because of our dear Nana. She was quite the entertaining woman, and I am blessed to shepherd her treasures until it's time for them to move on to the next generation.

 I was also eager to share one of the newer denizens in China Town...

...the classic Mottahedeh Duke of Gloucester. I have long admired this pattern, and the more I play with it, the more I understand that there are a myriad of ways in which it can be used. It's really an amazing design. It reminds me of that priceless little black dress in the back of all of our closets. You know, the one that can be dressed up or down, and it will always be perfect for any situation.

I kept the plates to a minimum this day, and the first layer of my design was Nana's antique lace placemat...just the right touch of texture. The flatware is my wedding silver, Reed & Barton Grande Renaissance.

Duke of Gloucester offers four different center designs that share the same rim design. This pattern has quickly worked it way to one of the top spots in my favorites list.

I was in a mood to use clear crystal, and I selected what I call the "Lost and Found" crystal goblets. These are Nana's goblets which were stolen by a woman who pretended to be a friend of my sister-in-love. They were missing for years, and then one day I spotted them among the pictures marketing an up-coming estate sale for a pawn shop that was going out of business. There they sat on a shelf where they had gathered dust for years. I made sure that I was one of the first people at the sale, and I was able to get my hands on most of them, so now they are back with the family. I say a little prayer of thanks every time that I use them. 

A linen napkin caught in a gold beaded napkin ring and the whimsical individual s&p's that I use so often completed my place setting. Simple, but effective, I think.

My mind kept thinking about the gardens of early spring with buds suddenly appearing . I had a great time slipping crocus buds into the small assortment of Glastonbury Lotus gold vases. The Lenox urns were simply "snip and slip" prepared bouquets that I bought at Whole Foods.

 

Being a less than accomplished gardener, I really appreciate the bounty to be found at our local grocery stores. Currently I'm praying that my hydrangea bushes are going to make a come-back from a particularly late and hard freeze that we experienced in April. Thank heaven for good old fish emulsion. They are finally starting to fill with their lovely leaves, and I'm beginning to see the hope found in baby buds nestled in the leaves. Now if they would just hurry, hurry hurry! I have two luncheons in the next two weeks, and the second one is supposed to be served al fresco. Maybe it will, and maybe it won't.  It's yet to be seen.


The centerpiece is completed with the Royal Copenhagen Gold Fan tureen, which is elevated on the Schumann Empress Dresden Flowers reticulated compote.



Everything was ready before my precious friends arrived for our Wednesday morning Bible study.

The birthday girl had requested a light salad luncheon, so the chicken salad, tuna salad, egg salad, broccoli salad, and fresh berries salad were waiting for each one to fill one of the dinner plates.


Dessert was a delicious Tiramisu birthday cake. It was so incredibly light, I'm fairly certain there were few if any calories. Sure. As happens so often, I was blessed to have my friends gathered around my table long into the afternoon. I sent everyone home with flowers and left overs for their husbands, so they didn't have to worry about fixing dinner.


Remember that entries are still being taken for Entertaining Women's 8th Blogiversary Give Away! Just make a comment on today's post, and for extra entries take a stroll back into my archives and leave as many comments as you want on older posts. The drawing will be made the week of July 7, so you have plenty of time.

This week I'm joining:
Tablescape Thursday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

The Scoop with Suzy @ Worthing Court

Christmas Eve, 2017

It ended up as quite the eventful Christmas by the time all was said and done. On the 23rd, I was feeling just slightly cocky that everything was so well organized.  I could see a wonderful Christmas Eve Dinner and Tree at our house, followed by Santa ClausTree and Christmas Brunch at KC's house Christmas morning.  We weren't scheduled to make the trip to Texas this year, so Christmas afternoon was beckoning us...an afternoon for just the two of us, doing just whatever we wanted to do.  Then came the phone call.  Sweet Mister's sister, who was spending Christmas deep down in Bryan, Texas with Sweet Mister's brother and family, had taken a fall and had broken her leg about one inch above the ankle.  We knew it was a hideous break that would require surgery, and we would need to drive to Dallas to pick her up from her brother, and then drive her the rest of the way home.  Kiss that lazy Christmas day afternoon goodbye. Suddenly everything went into overdrive.  We were still able to pull off the Christmas Eve dinner for KC's family, two of our closest friends and their family visiting from Texas. This night I set a table for 12.  We're in the dining room;  come on in and join us...

 I wanted something a little different tonight.

 I knew that the Williams Sonoma Black Watch plaid tablecloth would lend a relaxed and welcoming tone to the table.




I had been keeping an eye on the California Gold poinsettias at a local nursery.  I couldn't resist them, and they were pretty much the inspiration for my design.  Aren't they wonderful?!

 My choices kept reminding me of a homey table that might appeal to an Anglophile...

 ...so I headed straight for the cabinets that housed the antique English Oak bowl and biscuit jars.  I relish the opportunity each time that I use the antique Barley Twist candlesticks.


I even went against type (for me) and chose a caramel colored candle. 

Now I was pretty pleased with my slightly different take on our Christmas Eve tablescape.  Five year old Beatrice Emaline, on the other hand, proffered her own opinion, "What in the world was Mo thinking.  Did we really want to have a second Thanksgiving table?"  It tickled me that she cared and knew enough to have an opinion.  I'll obviously need to coordinate plans more closely with her next year!  Lord, I adore that little girl.  I'm gaga over my three grandsons, too, but they show little interest in tablescaping.  If I set the table with an assortment of football, soccer, basketball, and baseball equipment, they'd be right in there from start to finish. That's the way it should be.  They've mainly been concerned about the food on the table.  It's all good!     

 I've had the della Robbia style fruit trees for years.  Some holidays I forget about them, but they offered a level of charm for tonight's table.  "Luca della Robbia (1399/1400–1482) was an Italian sculptor from Florence. Della Robbia is noted for his colorful, tin-glazed terracotta statuary, a technique which he invented and passed on to his nephew Andrea della Robbia and great-nephews Giovanni della Robbia and Girolamo della Robbia. Though a leading sculptor in stone, he worked primarily in terracotta after developing his technique in the early 1440s. His large workshop produced both cheaper works cast from molds in multiple versions, and more expensive one-off individually modeled pieces. The vibrant, polychrome glazes made his creations both more durable and expressive." (Wikipedia)

Let's look at the place settings...


I love these Pier One Copper chargers.  To me they say, "Pull up a chair, relax, and enjoy a good meal and some excellent conversation.  Stay awhile!"


Remember that not all chargers and dinner plates are "married".  To avoid a spinning dinner plate as my guest attempts to cut food, I use 8 1/2 - 9" doilies to anchor the dinner plate.  You may be lucky enough to have piles of wonderful old doilies from your grandmama.  You can also acquire some nice and inexpensive doilies via eBay.  The ones that I use most often are 8", new, and available in ecru or white, in sets of 6 for $13.00 - $15.00 and up.


I am mad for this Hartley Greens Leeds reticulated creamware dinner plate.  

The Williams Sonoma "Flax" hemstitch linen napkin is one of my all time favorites.  This is the napkin that I want to have enough to use for a luncheon or dinner with 10 round tables.

Waterford Simply Lilac is easily paired with the Tiffin Elyse wine.

The antique Fraley & Clark molded knife and fork are easily paired with the L'Argent Sophia gold teaspoon.  Remember!  Never soak flatware that is made with assembled pieces.  Long term, the adhesive that holds them together will eventually become brittle and the pieces will fall apart.  Bummer!

The place setting is complete.  Will you be comfortable seated here?

The menu for tonight:  Beef Tenderloin, Simple Salad, Green Beans, Crescent Rolls, Coconut Cream, Key Lime, and Chocolate Bourbon Pies for dessert.

You've pretty much seen the table from all angles.  No place cards tonight.  Where would you like to be seated?  

Our celebration of the most important birthday party of the year was energetic, relaxed, joyous, and relation building.  I don't know what more I could ask.  I pray that you had a blessed fulfilling Christmas and New Year!  I'm so looking forward to learn God's plan for me during 2018.  Praise and Glory to Him and unending thanks for the gift of His precious Son, Jesus, Lover of our ragged souls.

This week I'm joining:

Inspire Me Monday with Maryann @ Domestically Speaking

Inspire Me Tuesday with Marty @ A Stroll Through Life

Tablescape Thursday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

The Scoop with Confessions of a Plate Addict

It's A Party @ DIY By Design