Garden Friends Christmas, 2016

I'm thrilled to begin entertaining for this year's Christmas season.  It's been a long time since I've been able to keep going through the preparation, the event, and the clean-up process that follows; it's such a blessing to have more energy again.  Today I am hosting the Christmas luncheon for my precious Bible study, the Garden Friends.  We're in the dining room, and I've prepared a table for 8.  Come on in...

 This table seemed to happen organically.

 I pulled the charger and dinner plate first.  After that everything seemed to say, "Here I am...pick me!"


This is the second time I've used the Vietri gold charger.  You also saw it here.  It's quickly becoming one of my favorites.  The Oneida Gold Beethoven flatware, an estate sale find, continues to get a good workout this season.  Although I've had it for quite a while, this is the first time that I've used the Waterford Anya Red tablecloth.


The keynote speaker for my design was the Royal Crown Derby Old Avesbury dinner plate.  Although definitely not an identifiable Christmas pattern, the Avesbury is absolutely a desirable choice for any celebration...such an exuberant and beautiful design.


The white hemstitched linen napkin with gold embroidery design was a recent eBay acquisition.  I think that these lovelies will be found on my table frequently!  The napkin ring is a Macarone ornament that I sent home with my guests as a party favor.


I love the deep amethyst tail feather on the exotic bird in the Avesbury dinner plate.  It was the reason that I chose the Waterford Simply Lilac goblet.  The wine is Glastonbury-Lotus Goldenrod.         



Voila!   Ready to party.


I took an old Glastonbury-Lotus gold bowl filled with floating orchids...


 ...a glittery gold garland that loops like a ribbon...


...a pair of Williams-Sonoma Brass Arlington  Hurricane lanterns...


...an assortment of sparkling gold Christmas trees from Hobby Lobby...


...a pair of hand blown amber glass balls...


...and bam!...we had a festive centerpiece for our Christmas luncheon.

 We dined on Chicken Tetrazzini, green salad, hot bread, cherry pie, and Texas chocolate sheet cake.  I was still full when dinner time rolled around.

Although it was a bitter cold day outside...

 ...it was welcoming and warm around our table today.  We lingered at the table a long time after lunch, laughing and sharing funny stories and sweet Christmas memories.  That's my definition of a successful Christmas party!

This week I'm joining:

Tablescape Thursday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

Coalport Leighton Sprays & a Birthday Party

I love birthday parties, and my favorite birthday celebrations are the ones that I get to host for my precious Garden Friends Bible Study.  This day we were celebrating Barb's birthday. 

 Barb loves blues, and pinks, and greens...lots of color, color, color!  We're seated in the dining room, and I've set a table for ten guests.  Come on in...

Not a lot of stacking going on today.  There are just some plates that it kills me to cover, and this is one of them.  I knew that Barb would adore the Coalport Leighton Sprays dinner plate.  I was also certain that she would love the extra pop of color provided by the Bormioli hot pink glass charger plate.

 My wedding sterling flatware, Reed & Barton Grande Renaissance, was close at hand, so on the table it went.  The Williams Sonoma white hemstitched linen napkin was quietly caught in the Coalport Countrywide napkin ring.   Continuing the color theme, the Stelle pink scroll goblet, a great get at Home Goods, partnered nicely with the  Waterford Simply Blue goblet.   I collected the Waterford Simply goblets over a span of probably five or six years on eBay.  I use them often.

A special birthday deserves a special centerpiece.  I have been pretty much gaga over the Mottahedeh Musee Des Arts Decoratifs tureen since I found it on eBay.  eBay Tip:  By the way there is currently one of these available on eBay, if you should want one.  The one that is listed right now is priced for about half of the usual list price.Still not dirt cheap, but comparatively it's a good deal.

The tureen was flanked by our Val St. Lambert crystal candlesticks and the Lenox urns filled with flowers from Whole Foods Market.   Easy peasy!  

 The Williams Sonoma soft blue linen hemstitched tablecloth provided a gentle, feminine  underpinning for my design.  Soft, feminine, colorful, and relaxing....elements for a  delightful afternoon of celebration and fellowship.

 Be still my heart...I so love to set a pretty table to honor my precious friends and family.  I pray that each of my guests always feels like the guest of honor.

Chicken pasta salad, fresh berries, hot bread, and a chocolate mousse birthday cake was served for lunch.

It was a delightful day.  We visited long into the afternoon.  Let me know if you're coming my way.  I would 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

Thoughts of Home with White Spray Paint

Rennaisance

It's been so very long, but here I sit with my new computer...a pocket of time...and so many things and tablescapes to share with you.  I've longed to join my circle of blogging friends for just about a year, and I'm thrilled to renew our friendships.  I've missed staying up with you.  So many of  you have touched base periodically, and you can't imagine how your notes have encouraged me.  Our little family is doing well, and we've enjoyed pretty much a normal and traditional Christmas this year.  I've decided that I'll try to begin again where I left off...Christmas of 2014.  If you have followed me you will remember that I had my first knee replacement on October 27, 2014.  KC and David were so generous to host us for Thanksgiving that year, and indeed, her beautiful tablescape was my last post for quite a while.  Although I was hobbled with a walker and then a cane, and I definitely didn't have the agility or stamina to do much at all, I did have a secret weapon...Cindy, my home care giver and I became friends, and she came back to help make sure that I was able to get Christmas decorations displayed and tables cape designs assembled for a variety of entertaining opportunities that I was determined would indeed take place.  And take place they did!  First up:  a Christmas luncheon for my dear Garden Friends, my Bible study group of about 30 years.  Come on in, we're in the dining room...

Traditional colors set the mood for our luncheon...

 Now, I still wasn't allowed to drive when I designed this table, so motoring to the market for fresh flowers was definitely not an option.  My storage closests yielded an assortment of ruby glass bells and hurricanes, a pair of AJKA green crystal pedestal bowls holding glass raspberries.  and one of my tureens...

 ...the Copeland Spode Camilla Pink tureen.

 My anchor...a 50⍧ acrylic charger from WalMart

 An additional charger, just because I could, the Maryland China Company "Minuet" charger.  Check out their website.  They sell mostly to china painters, and their "blanks" are superbly priced.  They also offer pretty nice price breaks for quantities that we could consider purchasing.

 Just because I couldn't blog didn't mean that I couldn't continue to collect.  Offered at very good prices from Replacements,  I've grown quite fond of the Johnson Brothers, "Great Britain Pink Castles Christmas dinner plate.  I chose to buy it with a plain white center because I knew that I could use it beyond the Christmas season.

 I picked up the coordinating luncheon plate with the Christmas tree for when I wanted to make it scream Christmas.  Tidbit:  These puppies are dishwasher safe, and my family is now eternally grateful that I bought them.  Silly family...they think that I'm going to use them every time.

 Do we still do the close up of the stack?  I'm sure that I'll learn that now that I'll be able to peruse more of your blogs.

It's been a year, but I'm fairly certain that it was the Williams Sonoma Holly Damask that was my inspiration for this table. The sterling flatware is Reed & Barton Grande Renaissance.  The Madeira napkins were an estate sale find....very inexpensive!

 Thought you might enjoy seeing the drop of the tablecloth.  I really like this piece!

 For most of the last year, there were times that I was pretty certain that I was going to spend the rest of my life in physical therapy...more on that later.  Anyway, I made certain to always have my trusty iPad or iPhone with me, and during the incessant time spent icing (not griping...ice was a life saver on many occasions), I completed my collections of AJKA Arabella goblets and Waterford Simply goblets through eBay.

This luncheon for 10 turned out to be the first of 6 opportunities to entertain during the Christmas holidays!  I'm going to try to post the additional parties as quickly as possible.  I'm going to lean heavily on the knowledge that there are really 12 Days of Christmas...after all I have two years worth of tablescapes to share with you.  Hang on...it's going to be a holly good ride!  I've added some more posts this week for Christmas, 2014.  If you're interested, check out:  Christmas Two Fer and Simply Plaid for Christmas

This week I'm joining:
Inspire Me Tuesday #298 @ A Stroll Through Life

Foodie Friday & Everything Else @ Rattlebridge Farm

The Scoop #203 with Debbi @ Confessions of a Plate Addict

Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday

I am so out of touch that I'm not certain who is hosting memes, old or new.  If you host a meme, or know of one that will be appropriate for Entertaining Women's content, please, let me know in a comment?!  Thanks for helping me.

For Mary Kate Danaher, 3.11.14

"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.  ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Our new dining table is finally in place.  As I thought about setting my new/old table to share with you for the first time, I began remembering one of my lifetime favorite movies, first seen in a theatre when I was six years old.  Since then I've watched John Ford's "The Quiet Man" starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, many many times when it shows up on one of the classic movie channels.  Do you remember the movie?  In the story, a rather mysterious American, Sean "Trooper" Thornton buys his family ancestral farm in Inisfree Ireland.  As the story progresses, Sean falls in love with the beautiful Mary Kate Danaher, younger sister of Sean's nemesis, Squire "Red" Will Danaher, her guardian and the village bully.  Will finally allows Sean to wed Mary Kate, but after the marriage, Will refuses to give his sister her dowery.  Chaos erupts between Sean and Mary Kate because Sean won't demand that Mary Kate be given what is legally hers.  He just doesn't understand how important it is for her to have her family treasures around her.  She can't "feather her nest" without them.  I'll never forget when she finally receives her share of the family furniture, china, crystal, and other treasures.  She lovingly arranges her belongings in the old Thornton cottage, and she proudly sets a supper table for Sean.  There's much more to this wonderful old movie, but it's this scene that I was remembering as I chose the items for my St. Patrick's day table.  I hope that you'll enjoy my table; I created it with Mary Kate Danaher in mind...   

 I found the Karges dining chairs in a local consignment shop.  They are 30 years old, and I got a fantastic deal on them.  I brought one home for Sweet Mister to try for comfort.  He liked the chair, so....just in case...I checked for a Karges table on eBay...


Sure enough...I found the Karges dining table for 12 through Stenella Antiques, located in Perkasie, Illinois.  It was also an amazing deal.

 It was well worth the wait.  We are thrilled with our new addition, and I am excited to share it with you tonight.

 Because I wanted to share the table with you, I decided to go with one of Nana's lovely old sets of placemats and napkins, done in organdy with linen appliqués.  I wonder if Mary Kate had some fine old Irish linens in her hope chest.  I'll bet that she did!

 I've always enjoyed utilizing a variety of greens in my designs.  It was a welcome day when I was told to look in the garden...all those shades of green abide very well together, and they'll work well together on the table, too!

 Yep....

 ...Works every time.

 Now, for some of the details...

 Nana's lovely old white organdy placemat and my mother-in-love's Francis I flatware.

 Bernardaud Limoges Artois Green, bought from a friend who was a Haviland dealer for many years.

 The Coalport Z3137 Exotic Bird luncheon plate, acquired over a long, long time through eBay.  This is one of my favorite patterns, and I continue to search for more dinner plates.  I find one every 2-3 years.

 When we think of Ireland, beautiful crystal and the color green inevitably come to mind...The Waterford Simply Green goblet works nicely with the AJKA Arabella emerald green wine stem. Both were collected slowly via eBay

 Also an AJKA piece, I bought a pair of these green crystal presentation bowls at the tail end of an estate sale...for $30.00 for the pair.  I couldn't grab them quickly enough!  The runner matches the place mats.


Good ole eBay yielded the pair of Minton lidded tureens.  The border design is similar to the Minton Cockatrice, and I love the way that it works with the Coalport Z3137 Exotic Bird.  The adjustable silver stands belonged to dear Nana....just the right elevation.

 I think that Mary Kate would have set the table just the same way!

 So what do you see?  I see a fairly traditional setting to celebrate St. Patrick's Day...

 A punch of greens that sing of shamrocks...

 ...Lovely antique linens...

...Family silver and beloved vintage china...Treasured elements that I love to use as I feather my nest.  I understand Mary Kate Delaher's determination to gather her family things around her.  I'm waging a pint at the pub that you do, too!  Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Old Irish Blessing:  "I pray that when one of you sheds tears, the other one tastes salt."

This week I'll be joining:
Cuisine Kathleen for her St. Patrick's Day Blog Crawl
Tablescape Thursday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch
Seasonal Sundays with The Tablescaper