Exotic Birds on a Late Spring Evening, 2017

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to entertain a few dear friends for supper.  I wanted it to be really special because two of them had never sat at one of my tables.  I wanted both of them to feel like the guest of honor.  Actually that's pretty much my goal every time I set a table.  It's why I always go the "extra mile".  Tonight we are seated at the games table in the living room.  Come on in and join us...

The weather is rapidly becoming too hot to dine al fresco, none the less, I wanted my table to remind my guests of a wonderful, cool spring evening.

I made the light teal matelasse tablecloth.  It is one of my favorites when choosing linens.  The Vietri gold rimmed glass charger plate set the mood for a girly but still elegant tablescape.  This charger is still in production and probably available at one of your local shops, should you be interested.

My camera had been giving me fits for some time.  I finally figured out why so many of my shots seemed slightly out of focus.  Please, forgive me for some of the shots in this post.  I think that the problem is solved going forward.  Again, one of my favorite things...the Coalport Exotic Bird dinner plate.  I've been collecting these for about 15 years, and to date I have found 5 dinner plates on eBay.  Normally, I don't start a collection unless I know that I have the ability to complete it.  I like this design so much that I made an exception! 

I've had better fortune with the Exotic Bird luncheon plate.  

The Waterford Simply Pink and the Lost and Found crystal goblet lent plenty of sparkle and shine to our special evening.  Why Lost and Found?  Years ago, a friend  of my sister-in-love's stole half of all of the crystal that she had inherited when my mother-in-love passed away.  One day, I attended an estate sale for a pawn shop that was going out of business.  I turned the corner, and voilà, there they sat!  The friend had pawned them, probably years ago.  My sister-in-love decided that I should keep them, and she would use them whenever she wanted.  And now you have the story of the "Lost and Found Crystal".

Finishing touches were provided by the Reed & Barton Grande Renaissance sterling flatware, my whimsical tiny blown glass salt and peppers, and the linen napkin with teal trim.

  It sings of late spring to me.

When I'm designing a table for four, I often find that a full sized tureen is out of proportion with the rest of the small table.  It makes an already packed table way too crowded, so...

...I usually turn to a covered vegetable dish and elevate it on a stand.  Tonight I used the Minton Cockatrice.  It works beautifully with the Coalport plates.  The hydrangeas are from my garden, except for the blue ones which I bought at the grocery store.  I am not a talented gardener...more of a "seat of the pants" gardener.  I plant something in the ground, pray for a few years, and cheer when I happen to have any success.  I love hydrangeas, and I can't believe that they have actually survived my lack of skills.  Tonight they are placed in the small urns that used to hold Seda France candles.

Candlelight sparkles from my Dollar Tree cut glass votives.  I love Dollar Tree, don't you?

Tonight I served Chicken Tetrazzini, a simple salad, hot garlic bread, and cheese cake for dessert.

We visited long into the evening (Sweet Mister was on a fishing trip in Colorado).

If you're coming my way, I'd love to set a special table for you, too.  Just give me holler and let me know you're on the way.

This week I'm joining:

Tablescape Thursday w/ Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

Mother's Day

Mother's Day 2016, made me very happy.  I had been unable to sustain enough energy to entertain larger groups for what seemed like way too long.  This day I felt like my life might be returning to something that looked like normal.  I was so excited to gather our family around our table to celebrate such a sweet holiday...Mother's Day.  I set a table for ten in the dining room.  Come on in...

 Mother's Day...an opportunity to invite the men in the family to sit down at a completely feminine table.


I knew that I wanted to use the Williams-Sonoma matelasse tablecloth.  I like the texture, and it doesn't hurt that I rarely need to iron it!  I found it on eBay, and I use it often.  It's really not long enough for my new dining table, and I don't care!  That's how much I love it.  Some day I'll find one that's the 144" the table needs.


Mother's Day and Spring...a perfect match...new life and new beginnings...delicate blooms...pinks and greens...oh the possibilities!


Come a little closer and have a better look...


Always a regal base for any place setting...the Mottahedeh Blue Lace charger plate is flanked by Horchow's hot pink flatware.  Howchow called this a red.  I disagreed but kept it anyway.  I use it fairly often, and I'm still looking for a red flatware pattern.


I adore the Royal Doulton Lowestoft Bouquet dinner plate.  Did you happen to notice the wavy scalloped pink line just at the top edge of the verge?  That simple little detail adds so much interest to this very English design.  The whole design just makes me smile...so old fashioned, yet timeless.


  I alternated the Waterford Simply Lime and Pink goblets along side our Nana's antique French crystal goblets.  I wish that I knew more about her crystal.  It's so special.  Nana also provided the Limoges open salts.  It's always a treat to use her lovely things.  Seemed appropriate for her to be represented at our Mother's Day table.

                         
I probably was slightly carried away with the candlelight for our luncheon.  I just loved the way it made the crystal dance.  I've had the Val St. Lambert candlesticks for decades, and they remain one of my favorite decorative elements when creating a centerpiece...minimum effort for maximum effect.


As happens frequently, my centerpiece is really a no brainer...the crystal candlesticks...votives from Dollar Tree...


...Lenox china urns... and Hydrangeas from my garden...let me say that again...Hydrangeas from my garden.  I am not a talented gardener, and I have fought for years to finally have a number of precious Hydrangea plants that are actually flourishing  in our yucky red clay earth.  You would have thought that I had won the Westminster Flower Show.


Oh...and the Herend Rothschild Bird tureen, found during a great sale at a local jewelry/gift store.


A combination of pieces lovingly collected over time often make the best centerpieces, and we only have to shop our closets.

Delicate lady-like touches...


...to celebrate the important women in my life...the moms in our family.

I pray that each and every mother knows that she is truly appreciated and loved as we celebrate this year's Mother's Day.  I miss my mama every day, and I can't even measure what I would give to be able to share this day with her and honor her one more time.  HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

This week I'm joining:

Tablescape Thursday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

The Scoop #274 with Stone Gable

Centerpiece Wednesday with The Style Sisters

Guyanne's Birthday Luncheon, January, 2016

 January is a month full of birthdays for beloved family and friends.  This week I was pleased to host a birthday luncheon for my friend, Guyanne, whom I have known and loved since we were in the first grade.  We're seated once again at the games table in the living room  Thanks to my old stand-by, the flip-top-tabletop, I have prepared a table for six.  Please, join me...


Guyanne is a gorgeous blond with sparkling bright blue eyes and peaches and cream complexion.  I wanted to created a tablescape that spoke to her gentle personality and beauty.


A combination of soft yellows, blues, lavender pinks, and creamy white-on-white, all fit my desires perfectly.  Let's take a look at the playbill for this production...


The Mottahedeh Cornflower Blue Lace charger takes my breath away each time I get to use it.  Pictures don't do it justice.  It has an amazing jewel like appearance.  The creamy yellow matelassé tablecloth was an eBay acquisition.  It's reversible to a lovely blue field with yellow motifs.     

 It's been quite a while since I've used the Copeland Spode Jewel dinner plate.  The lace rim and the scalloped verge have such an incredibly wonderful texture.  I can't remember the maker for the carved flatware.  I do remember that it is antique and was made in Boston.  Because I only have the knife and fork, I amended the place setting with the L'Argent Sophia Gold.

 An ingenue in my chinatown population, the Royal Ducal unnamed luncheon plate was the inspiration for my design.  I love the delicate blue edged scallops, and the intricate embossed rim offered an interesting contrast to the Jewel's lace.  I recently picked up a set of 12 of the luncheon plates on ebay for $29.95.  I think I received way more than my money's worth!

Go to work, my detail enthusiasts.

 To add even more to the color story and the softness, I used the Waterford Simply Blue goblet and the Italian Stelle Pink Scroll goblet.  I bought the Stelle goblets at Home Goods.  Come to think of it, I haven't been there in quite a while.  I need to make a visit!

 I love to use the Glass Act handblown mini salt and peppers whenever possible.  The tiny silver trays were found at On A Whim, an amazing store that also offers the complete line of
MacKenzie-Childs.


How would I complete a tablescape without at least a small contribution from our dear Nana?  I don't know.  The white napkin with light blue embroidered touches was used many years ago in her amazing and gorgeous dining room.  I'm blessed to have her things for my tables.


And my place setting is complete.


Today's centerpiece continued my soft and fluffy concept.  Soft and fluffy...a concept...right?  Sure!


The Copeland Spode Jewel tureen...


...was surrounded by a quartet of hydrangeas in a mixture of colors...


...seated in the small Lenox creamy white urns.  The tiny blue and white Asian compotes, maybe rice bowls, were found at an estate sales for minimal cost.  I've used them as candleholders several times.


For Guyanne's birthday celebration we dined on King Ranch Chicken, a green salad with vinagrette dressing, hot yeast rolls, and once more, Italian Cream Cake from La Baguette.

 We laughed until we cried, and we shared cherished good times and fellowship late into the afternoon.

 If  passing my way, please, touch base!  I'd adore setting a table just for you.

This week I'm joining:

Tablescape Thursday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

A Sneak Peak at Fall, 2016

I adore Fall.  It's my favorite season of the year, and in our neck of the woods, Autumn always presents us with the most beautiful, good for the soul weather of our entire year.  Did I say that I love Fall?  I also love to decorate for and entertain in Autumn; but I must concede that if I start in September, by the end of November, I am completely over the color orange and all things pumpkin!  As a result, I usually prefer to introduce Fall into my tablescape designs a little bit at a time.

 Today the Garden Friends Bible study reconvened for another year of fellowship and sharing the Word.  I invited them for lunch and a time to catch up with each other.  Some of us are still out of town, so I set a table for 6 at the games table in the living room.  I considered this wonderful Pier One copper charger (probably still available at a Pier One near you), but I decided to wait to use it later in the season.  Today I wanted to design an Autumn tablescape with a lighter touch.
Cone on in ...

My always favorite blue and white cozied up nicely to the lightest touches of coral and orange.  Four small pumpkins made the show at the last moment.  They were really just an after thought.

 Keeping it soft, I chose an ecru matelasse tablecloth as the underpinning for my design.

 Here's the shot for Marlis @ Creative Journeys.  Marlis likes to see the Fortuny silk screen tucked behind my piano. I've had the cotton lace trimmed napkins for eons.  They seemed to be the perfect choice to go with the reticulated dinner plates.


There are some new additions to my collections that I want to share with you today.  Making its premier appearance, the Mottahedeh Cornflower Blue Lace Charger makes me smile a great big goofy smile each time that I use it.


Ditto, the Hartley Greens Leeds large pierced plate.  Word to the Wise:  This pattern has been on my "list" for years.  I never got around to buying it because quite frankly, it was pretty high priced for my wallet.  When I finally reached the point that I felt I could begin to collect it, I ordered 4 from Williamsburg Market Place.com.  After placing my order, I told the operator that I was excited to call again the next month and order a few more.  The operator then informed me that I had just bought the last four plates that they would ever have in stock because the Hartley Greens of Leeds Pottery had gone out of business.  I was sick to my stomach!  The lesson...if you see something that you really want, don't wait too long to make the purchase.  You may never get to have it.  Luckily, I recently found a company in Great Britain ( ka ching, ka ching) that has some, and I am now collecting more as quickly as possible.   Sometimes silly dreams really do come true.


Topping the stack, another new baby...the Wedgwood feather edge Queensware luncheon plate in that peculiar Wedgwood lavender blue. I bought 12 for a steal on eBay.  Accompanying the place setting is my wedding sterling flatware, Reed & Barton Grande Renaissance.   


La stack for you detail lovers!


The Waterford Simply Blue goblet and the Tiffin Elyse wine paired nicely for our luncheon.

 If you're just down the street, I still have time to add another place setting for you!


The Hartley Greens Leeds Chestnut Bowl was an obvious choice for the centerpiece.


I surrounded it with a quartet of coral colored bouquets...


...set in the Lenox Classic Urns.  I use these urns in so many situations.  They are some of my favorite appointments.  Look for them when you go to estate sales.  I usually find them for around $25.00.

 The menu for today consisted of Chicken Tetrazzini, green salad, hot rolls, and a chocolate mousse cake.  Which reminds me...we have a brand new Trader Joe's opening this week.  I may never cook again!  Well...unless Cuisine Kathleen is coming for a visit at my house!

 It's so good to be together again with my Garden Friends.  We dined and laughed and shared stories well into the afternoon...my favorite kind of day.

 I really would love for you to come join me for lunch!  Let me know if you are coming my way, and I'll have the  table set by the time you ring the door bell.

This week I'm joining:

Tablescape Thursday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch