Tour de Halloween

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. As the harvest season approaches 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.

We're not entertaining at our house this week...although my dining table is chock-full...

And I've pulled out lots of silver...

So what's happening?....

IT'S FINALLY TIME TO PAINT THE DINING ROOM!  I'm so excited...I'll share the results, hopefully in the next Metamorphosis Monday...or the the one after that.  We'll see.  Instead, I thought that this would be the perfect week to share my photo's of my friend Debbi's Halloween House with you.  I'll let your imagination provide appropriate captions.  I do want to warn you that this post will be photo intensive....Enjoy!  Happy Halloween!

The black apothecary jars used to be mine.  They worked so well in Debbi's dining room that I gave them to her for her birthday.  I can always borrow them if I need them.

Everything is so BOOtiful!  Have a Happy Halloween this weekend!

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!  Her latest CD is called "Orchid."

    

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.  Click on the button below to hop on over and check out the myriad of marvelous tablescape designs, after 9:00 pm on Wednesdays.  You'll be glad that you made the trip...it's a wonderful adventure. 

Owls About Lunch?

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. As the harvest season approaches 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.

October is such a blessed time of our year here on the prairie.  Temperatures are just perfect, and the winds are minimal.  Friday was just such a perfect day for dining al fresco.  Three of my sorority sisters came together to join me in hosting a luncheon for a group of ladies who all lived in the sorority house during the time we were in college.  We were thrilled to welcome several who traveled from out of state to join us...one of my pledge sisters traveled half way across the country from San Diego.  Some of our guests had not seen each other for more than forty years; it was a precious time for reconnecting.  There were about twenty of us who gathered for a reunion lunch.

Three tables are set and ready for our guests when they arrive.  I periodically check eBay for 120” round tablecloths.  These were in an auction where the seller was an event planner who was going out of business.  I picked up these cloths for $12.00 each.

Two of the tables are our patio tables, topped with my ‘flip-top table tops’ which turn them into 60” tables.  The other table is a dining table height, 60” folding table, available from Sam’s.

Fall mums perched on the capped columns around the back porch.  The colors are Cardinal and Straw, our sorority colors...otherwise known as red and  yellow.  I wanted to feature Autumn colors, and I was pleased to find these lovely blooms that gave a nod to Fall and to our sorority.

 I like to offer my guests a special treat when they arrive for a party.  Today we prepared Mimosas and served them from the dispenser that you see on the table.  I painted the champagne flutes.  The flutes can be purchased inexpensively from Bed Bath and Beyond.  Tip:  I used glass paint that calls for the glassware to be baked in the oven to permanently set the paint.  The instructions say that items can be place in the dishwasher, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Over time I’ve painted about 75 of these flutes.  They live in their original boxes on a shelf in the garage, and I pull them out as needed.  I like to think that this small extra touch makes my guests feel special as soon as they walk through the door.

 I found the reproduction Victorian wire baskets at Hobby Lobby.  I bought inexpensive ready made mixed Fall bouquets from Sam’s, deconstructed the bouquets, and arranged the blooms in Oasis.  I had always thought of these ivy patterned tablecloths as ‘summer cloths,‘ but they seemed to work well today.  I like that the cloths repeated the motif in the Majolica dessert leaf plates as well as the colors in the goblets and the napkins.

One of our hostesses owns a booth in an antique mall.  She ordered the darling faux pumpkins to add to our Autumn theme.  She also provided the small framed owl charms and tied them to the pumpkins with orange and black striped ribbons.  At the end of our luncheon, each guest took a pumpkin home as a party favor.

Tip:  Especially when I’m preparing a party with multiple tables, I like to place decanters on  each table filled with water, tea, and/or wine.  Today I I liked the texture provided by the rattan wrapped decanter from Nell Hill, in Kansas City.   Guests appreciate the ability to easily refill their drinks, and I don’t have to worry that their needs are unmet.  The heavy cotton green napkins were bought on after-Christmas clearance at Pier One.  The forest green goblet is either Colony or Viking; I can never remember.  I’ve had them for many years.  The olive goblet is by Libby, and I found them at The Dollar Tree.  I was pleased that the mix of greens could be found repeated in the goblets, the napkins, the Majolica leaf plate, and the tablecloth.  It provided an element of cohesiveness in my design.  The bamboo flatware is from The Jennifer Farrell Collection.  I found it at Big Lots for $1.00 per piece.  Great get!

 I so like to stack plates!  The dark rattan charger is from WalMart, and I chose it because of the texture that it provided.  The black and white checked service plate is MacKenzie - Childs, “Courtly Check.”  I  like the point-counterpoint of the graphic design against the other design elements that I have used.  The dinner plate is Luneville, “Louis XV.”  I bought these plates for bargain basement prices through eBay auctions.  The Bordallo Pinheiro, “Leaf Plate,” ties everything back to the tablecloth and completes the Autumn motif.  The leaf plates were also eBay finds that I have collected over several years.

 Because we were dining al fresco, I used the dining room table to serve lunch.  The invitation asked each guest to bring a salad or dessert, and everything was so delicious!  I don’t know about where you live, but here it is common for friends to call and ask if they can bring something for the party.  I’ve learned to say ‘yes.’  It makes my guests feel like they are more a part of the party, and it certainly makes preparations much easier for me, especially when serving large groups.

For the centerpiece, I used the Fitz & Floyd, “Pumpkin Tureen.”  I flanked it with a pair of the same reproduction Victorian Baskets that I used on the luncheon tables.  The fabric is simply a remnant of fabric from a window treatment in my small office in the back of the house.  I turned under the selvedge and scrunched to my hearts content.  More of the wonderful faux pumpkins are scattered around the cloth.  I know that you recognize the Val St. Lambert candlesticks from past posts.  See the candle rings?  I think that you could easily use some of The Style Sisters napkin rings in this way.  http://www.thestylesisters.blogspot.com

 I’m so excited about this luncheon.  I know that we all have groups of friends that have been special parts of our lives, but we’ve lost touch with them over time.  I am convicted that God put these dear people in our lives, all those years ago, for a purpose, and it’s important that we reconnect with them.  We need to be good stewards of these gifts that our sweet Lord has poured over us.  I know in my heart that He would have us be there to lift each other up in the good times and the hard times that will inevitably come our way as we grow older.  I encourage you to also reach out to your special groups from years past.  The tenderness of these moments will cause your heart to gently swell.  I know from this experience that ‘if you invite them, they will come.’ 

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!  Her latest CD is called "Orchid."

    

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.  Click on the button below to hop on over and check out the myriad of marvelous tablescape designs, after 9:00 pm on Wednesdays.  You'll be glad that you made the trip...it's a wonderful adventure. 

I'm also linking my post to Centerpiece Wednesday with The Style Sisters.  I appreciate that they sponsor this fun meme for our participation.  Be sure to check out all the wonderful posts!

Soup & Haviland

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. As the harvest season approaches 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.

As my little blog rolls along, you will become more and more aware that I love chicken noodle soup.  I enjoy making it, I enjoy eating it, and I enjoy sharing it with my friends.  I also have a great fondness for Haviland china.  We inherited some pieces of Haviland Ranson from our precious Nana, and I collected it for several years until I had a full service.  Once my set of Ranson was complete, I discovered that I really enjoyed mixing it with other Haviland patterns...and there are thousands of Haviland patterns just waiting to be discovered by you and by me!  This day I invited a small group of friends to join me for a lunch of....what else....chicken noodle soup.

I discovered 9 of these Haviland rimmed soup bowls at a Haviland dealer's shop one day.  I was enchanted by them, and they were priced well.  They came home with me that day!  I invited my friends for lunch mainly because I wanted a reason to use these bowls.  The tablecloth is actually a king-size duvet.  It's a marvelous stripe on the reverse side, and you'll see it again on my table.  Tip:  Think outside the box!  Use what you have sitting in your closets, in your linen cabinet, or on your bed.  I bought this one at an estate sale for $10.00.  Someday I may even use it in a bedroom.

The charger is the Bordallo Pinheiro Cabbage Leaf pattern.  Sandwiched between the charger and the soup is a Haviland Ranson dinner plate.  The crystal is Mikasa Stephanie Gold; it belonged to my sweet mama.

I was attracted to what I refer to as almost a piecrust edge on the soup bowls.  I like that the design element is repeated in the optical design of the Stephanie Gold goblets, as well as in the two crystal decanters.  The decanters were to be filled with ice water and wine for the guests to refresh their drinks.  I used Haviland Ranson crescent dishes as bread and butter plates.

Again, we are so blessed by our precious Nana's amazing acumen for entertaining and collecting lovely tabletop items.  The Madiera napkins, the green cloisonne centerpiece bowl filled with very inexpensive Sweetheart Roses from Sam's , and the Lalique 'Game Cocks' once graced her home and her table.  I think that she would have liked that I mixed her beautiful things with my bamboo flatware from Big Lots.

Are you hungry?  That soup smells really good!  Let's take our bowls into the kitchen...we'll serve from the stove.  Grab a hot roll from the oven.  Yummo...I'm famished!  Let's eat.

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!  Her latest CD is called "Orchid."

    

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.  Click on the button below to hop on over and check out the myriad of marvelous tablescape designs, after 9:00 pm on Wednesdays.  You'll be glad that you made the trip...it's a wonderful adventure.    

  

Paisley, II.

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. As the harvest season approaches 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.


When my Russian Paisley Scarf arrived from the Australian eBay seller (see Paisley, I HERE), I immediately knew that I wanted the ability to create multiple tablescapes with the scarf.  Therefore, I needed more than one!  I contacted the seller in Australia, and sure enough, she had an additional scarf.  This particular day, I used both pieces on my dining table to create a casual autumn tablescape, and I invited the Garden Friends to stay after our Bible study for lunch.  

Today there were ten of us who shared lunch.  Poppy Seed Chicken, a green salad, and hot bread were easily prepared ahead of time.  I didn't want to spend time or money for floral arrangements, so for centerpieces on the table, I pulled from my pumpkin collection.  The pair of Della robbia topiaries on the buffet make an appearance every year from Fall through Christmas.  I put them in assorted containers depending on my design for the table.  Today, I chose a pair of Chinese red tole jardinieres.  

       The Val St. Lambert crystal candlesticks fit right into the seasonal template with the addition of beaded candle rings in the colors of Autumn.  Trios of ceramic pumpkins were purchased years ago on clearance at Hobby Lobby.  I've used them in many locations throughout our home.  I like the curve in the paisley design against the shapes of the pumpkins.

The pumpkin tureen with the lettuce leaf underplate is an early Fitz & Floyd piece.  I am still as thrilled to use it today as when we bought it, oh so many years ago.  Every once in a while, I actually put soup in it.  The chunky green  goblets were originally purchased to use with the Spode Christmas Tree dinnerware. They were made by Viking or Colony.  I just can't remember for certain...brain freeze.

  The Bordallo Pinheiro "Cabbage Leaf" charger plates were a great get at an estate sale for $3.00 each.  I'm quite fond of the honey colored Luneville "Louis XV" faience dinner plates.  They were a bargain that I scored on eBay.  I think that the Country French napkins worked because of the touches of black and the red that tied them to the various hues and shades in the paisley scarf.  The classic shape of my everyday stainless, Wallace, "Antique Bead," again captured the curve in the paisley design.

The timer on the oven just signaled that the Poppy Seed Chicken is ready.  Grab your dinner plate; we're serving ourselves in the kitchen.  We've had a wonderful Bible study; now I'm looking forward to good food and precious fellowship.

Poppy Seed Chicken

3 Cups cooked, diced chicken               8 ounces Ritz crackers

8 ounces sour cream 2 cans -Cream of Chicken Soup

2 T., poppy seeds 1 stick melted butter

Crush crackers with melted butter and poppy seed. Cover bottom of lightly greased 3 quart casserole with crumb mixture, saving some to put on the top of the casserole.

Mix soup, chicken, sour cream and spread over the crumb mixture.  Sprinkle with the remaining mixture. Bake one hour at 350º.  Freezes well.  Serves 12.

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!  Her latest CD is called "Orchid."

    

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.  Click on the button below to hop on over and check out the myriad of marvelous tablescape designs, after 9:00 pm on Wednesdays.  You'll be glad that you made the trip...it's a wonderful adventure.     

The Bungalow, Part V.

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. As the harvest season approaches 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.

You've seen the before and after for the dining room, the living room, the kitchen, and the master bedroom. This week I want to share the bathroom in KC and David's bungalow. I apologize that I don't have the before picture. Suffice it to say, It. Was. Heinous. The tub and sink were badly peeled away and a hideous pink layer peaked through a dull and dirty white finish. The same condition revealed itself in the pedestal sink. Yuck! There was a nasty, large, ancient medicine cabinet, on an ugly tan wall, whose surface was corroded and rusted, and above the cabinet was an old, pitiful light fixture that had seen better days. Tiles were missing, and the tile towel bar was gone, leaving a gaping hole in the wall. That bathroom would have been a deal breaker for me....but not my KC! Once again, she had a vision, and she charged ahead to give this little bathroom a new life! I am amazed and impressed by her accomplishments.

KC replaced the awful medicine cabinet with a lovely, black mirror. It is a nice accent against the soft blue wall color that she added. Situated just to the right of the newly epoxied pedestal sink is a rattan trunk, used for laundry.

A simple glass shelf with a few well chosen appointments is a nice complement to the decor. I like the texture of the branches placed in a glass vase...just the right touch.

A black toile shower curtain works nicely with the black and white original tilework in the bathroom. The tub also has a new life with a bright white epoxy treatment.

The most phenomenal metamophosis in the bathroom has to be the light fixture. Working on an extremely limited budget, KC removed the cover from the old light. She bought a metal hoop and cut it into two equal half-circles, using a pipe cutter tool. She then then took two pieces of decorative paper, seamed/glued in the middle, and glued it to the metal pieces. She covered the ends with cream colored paper. Finally she attached her new handmade shade over the existing base for the old fixture. I was amazed at the originality and creativity that she used to solve her lighting dilemma.

The finishing touch in the newly renovated bathroom is a small white shabby chic stand from Hobby Lobby that KC placed by the door. The blue and white lamp was a $10.00 estate sale find. I think that a number of her friends have tried to commission her to come save their bathrooms, too. I know that I'll consult with her the next time that I take on a project.

There are a few more spots that I want to share with you in KC and David's bungalow. They are still works in progress, and as KC has time off the road from her touring with her music, they will be completed. As soon as I have more to share with you, I'll be back. I hope that you've enjoyed the tour to date.
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! Her latest CD is called "Orchid."

I am linking to Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for her weekly meme, Metamorphosis Monday. On Sunday evening click the button below to link to all the wonderful bloggers who are participating in Susan's party this week. Thank you, Susan, for providing this marvelous forum.