Father's Day '14

Yesterday, I wanted to honor the most wonderful, devoted father, Mr. Pressed Pants.  There's not a man alive who loves his girls more, or is prouder of his children.  Since they are 750 miles away, it falls to me to make him feel special and pampered.  

After church and a round of golf, we grilled steaks and lobster tails and enjoyed a lovely evening on the back deck. 

I wanted to use something that looked masculine, so I chose these bird plates on a green and brown table.  Last year, I used the fish plates that this company makes, and the table was very similar.  You can see that table here.

I've probably had these plates 8-10 years, but they are probably still available.

Each plate and salad plate has a different bird on it, and I just love the acorn and oak leaf border.

I used a wicker charger, and this plaid dupioni runner over a brown cloth.  This flatware is used so often, it's a wonder it isn't worn out.  I got these soup bowls at Tuesday Morning several years ago, but I'm using them as salad bowls here.

These glasses are often used, too.  The green wines are from a wonderful gift shop in Atlanta called Swoosie's, and the brown etched glasses are from the Bobby Flay line at Kohl's.

The little tapas plates make good bread and butter plates.  

This salad bowl is one of several serving pieces I have for this pattern......

and this sugar and creamer are others.

I gave a quick look around the garden for some flowers, but there were none blooming yet in the right colors, so I started with some foliage from a Japanese maple and added several shades of hosta and some herbs.  I think the fennel foliage adds a lovely texture.  I slipped it all into a faux bois vase and grounded it all with a twig tray and a primative wooden decoy.

These wonderful old wooden candlesticks added a little drama and some much needed light after dusk.

This was a cozy little dinner with colors that looked more like fall than early summer, but it seemed appropriate for Father's Day.

We sit on 7 acres, so it was private and quiet.

There weren't even any geese on the lake.

But the frogs were going crazy!

This is the other end of the deck,

and this is the chimney between the French doors that lead into the living room.  The ferns are struggling after the cold winter we had, but they are slowly coming back.

You can see another table I set in the woods with these dishes here, but this one was just for my sweet, sweet guy.

Joining:

Centerpiece Wednesday @ The Style Sisters

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Ferns in the Garden - 100th post!!!!!!!

Welcome to my 100th post!!!!

I could never have known, almost a year ago, how much I would love this wonderful use of the internet.  As a celebration of your interest and friendship, there is a giveaway at the end of the post.

First, though, I invite you back into my garden for a dinner among the ferns.

 

This round tablecloth was the inspiration.  Homegoods!!!!  Again!!!!  It came with eight napkins.  I'm not sure who could use eight napkins with a 90" tablecloth, but better too many than not enough.  I'll be set to replace those lipstick-ruined, grease-stained, or just plain lost-in-the-laundry napkins that we all have.

 

As soon as I saw this fern design on the border, I had a great idea. 

I decided I wanted to set the table along this fern bank that we have in the woods.  Then, the thought of dragging the table, chairs, dishes, flowers, ice, and so on into the woods made me come to my senses.

I did take a few shots of some of the elements among the ferns.

So, I left the ferns to the wildlife and set off to the garden.

I brought out this unfinished table that I keep in the potting shed.  If you want to see the shed, take a peek here.

Also, on the border was this design of ferns with white flowers.  Ding, ding, ding!  The flowers were now planned out of the ones that were growing right there in the garden.

And here's the result.

Just two place settings tonight.

Here's how I brought lots of different shades of green together. 

Starting with a wicker charger, I added these simple dinner plates.  You might not believe this, but these plates came from Goodwill.  I was so sure as I picked them up, that they were old French plates, but when I turned them over, they said "microwave and dishwasher safe"!  Hummmm.  Guess they're not old!  They also have "mse" in tiny letters on them.  What do you think?  Martha Stewart Enterprise????

Then I layered the apple green salad plates from Target and the white lion's head soup tureens, also from Target, I think.

Years ago, I bought these little plates at the floral wholesaler.  I use them for tapas, appetizers, or as I have here.

These green glasses for water are made by Imperial Glass, and the little wicker covered ones are for wine.

The flatware is from World Market.  I got it a couple of months ago, and they still carry it.  It is available by the piece.

This green urn is a good size for this small table.

I added these two small baskets for interest and texture.  One is wicker and one is carved ivory.  I bought them from a sweet little antique store on Cape Cod.

There's one more thing on the table.

Our anniversary is coming up in a few days.  I'm giving Mr. Pressed Pants some golf lessons and he has to schedule them, so I'm giving them to him tonight.  Don't tell.  I love pretty papers almost as much as dishes, so I love to wrap pretty gifts and make cards.

These French burlap pillows make these generic chairs more interesting and more comfortable.

This wooden tray holds a brown glass bottle I like to use for water, a couple of bark covered votives, and some bark gathered in the woods for a project I'm working on.

And what have we here?

An ice cold bottle of white wine in this faux bois cachpot.

I put the pasta salad in this lidded tureen from Portmerion.

The ferns on the lid are perfect for this table. 

It was a nice night, and we sat for a long time until we were either going to have to use bug spray or go in.  It was getting dark, the dishes needed to be loaded, and Design Star was soon on.  In we went!

And NOW....may we have a drum roll, please?

I'd love to invite you to enter to win this beautiful book by Joe Nye.

Wouldn't you know that I would find something with toile?

Joe is a Los Angeles interior decorator and party planner.  This beautiful book is rich in photographs and inspiration.  He covers exquisite invitations, lush flowers, and gorgeous table settings. He also offers shopping resources and host/hostess etiquette.

To enter, please become a follower, or tell me if you already are.  If you are not a blogger, be sure that I can reach you by email.  Anyone in the continental US is welcome to enter.  Then leave me a comment and let me know what you like best about this blog.  I promise to have an independent party fairly choose the winner. 

I'll be linking up with Tablescape Thursday with Susan's Between Naps on the Porch at:

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/  



Father's Day and Fish Plates

I'm reposting the table I set last year for Father's Day.  We're eating out at Mr. Pressed Pant's favorite restaurant tonight, so there's no table to photograph.  My love and respect for this man will never change!

There are not enough words to tell you what a great father my husband is.  We have raised two beautiful daughters and they would be the first to tell you how great a dad he is.  I wish they could have been here today, but it was just the two of us for a lovely dinner at home.  

I set the table on the lower terrace since it was such a beautiful night.  We have had two bad storms this week, so things are a bit messy outside, but it still felt nice.

For a masculine look, I chose our Portmerion fish plates.  It is the "Complete Angeler" pattern.  Our dinner was grilled sea bass, so this was sort of ironic.  These usually hang on the French plate rack in our bar room. 

There are six different fish designs on these dinner plates and different ones on each salad plate.  I used them with wicker chargers on a dark brown tablecloth.

Aren't they pretty?

I love the ferns painted on the edges.

The bright apple green linen napkin shows up nicely on the brown cloth.  I tucked a bobber into the wicker napkin ring just for whimsy. 

These apple green wine glasses are some of my favorites.  The water glasses are Bobby Flay's from Kohl's.

In place of a bread and butter plate, I used a wooden bowl for the rolls.

Faux bois salt and pepper shakers.

Since there were ferns on the dishes, I used them in the flower arrangement.  These are just two sleeves of spider mums from the grocery store and the rest of the material came from the yard.

You can't see it very well on the table, but I used this beautiful antique wooden bowl as a container....with a plastic liner, of course.

Here it is peeking out a bit.

This is the only serving piece I bought to go with this pattern.  It's a small covered casserole.  Aren't the colors great?

One woven coaster was used for the wine, and one for the water bottle.  Here's to you Mr. Pressed Pants.  I salute the father that you are and the way you love all of your girls!

See this and lots of other tablescapes on Susan's Tablescape Thursday blogparty at:

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com