Zinnias in the Meadow

I love to go the the farmer's market and let my imagination run wild.  The produce inspires me to make dishes that I've never tried, the cheeses inspire me to give a cocktail party, and the flowers inspire me to dig out dishes I've not used in a long while.  That's what I've done here.  

I brought home a large bunch of multi-hued pink zinnias and added them to some hydrangeas I had in the garden.  Then I threw in a few miscellaneous blooms and called it a day.  

This cachepot is made by Spode and was a birthday gift from a girlfriend.  I won't say which birthday!!!!

I love, love, love this old table.  I use it in my studio to hold my sewing machine most of the time.  Here, I've placed it in the meadow just on the edge of the woods.

I don't know what it was originally used for, but it is made of ONE board!  It certainly has seen some kind of heavy use.

I noticed how beautifully the sun was hitting the meadow, so I brought everything outdoors to enjoy this beautiful, lazy day.

No neutrals here!  I went for vibrant pink and green to compliment the hot pink zinnias.

I bought these plates on One King's Lane.  I've loved them ever since the postman delivered them.  I wish I had more than four.  

Here's the mark on the back.  I don't know anything about them other than this.  I guess "Pescador" means "Fisherman".

I bought the bow-back chairs from our breakfast room out to the meadow.  Then I added some pillows for comfort.  They are covered with a green french grain sack material.  They usually reside on the sofa in our keeping room. 

These napkins are from the Palm line of linens and these knots are from Old Time Pottery.  I've seen them in lots of high end shops.  The flatware is old and I can't remember just where I got it.  Everything went on these bright leaf green placemats, which added a real punch to the table.

The glassware is a mix of high/low for sure.  The green stems are from the Dollar Store, and the other are very old etched cranberry glass.  I have no hesitation to use them together.  I'm just glad that they all made it back into the house without incident. 

The salt and pepper shakers are as old as our marriage.  They are made by Imperial Glass. 

I swear it was a few degrees cooler here in the grasses. 

This wasn't terribly far from the house, but it felt like sort of a break with reality!

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Zinnias in the Meadow

I love to go the the farmer's market and let my imagination run wild.  The produce inspires me to make dishes that I've never tried, the cheeses inspire me to give a cocktail party, and the flowers inspire me to dig out dishes I've not used in a long while.  That's what I've done here.  

I brought home a large bunch of multi-hued pink zinnias and added them to some hydrangeas I had in the garden.  Then I threw in a few miscellaneous blooms and called it a day.  

This cachepot is made by Spode and was a birthday gift from a girlfriend.  I won't say which birthday!!!!

I love, love, love this old table.  I use it in my studio to hold my sewing machine most of the time.  Here, I've placed it in the meadow just on the edge of the woods.

I don't know what it was originally used for, but it is made of ONE board!  It certainly has seen some kind of heavy use.

I noticed how beautifully the sun was hitting the meadow, so I brought everything outdoors to enjoy this beautiful, lazy day.

No neutrals here!  I went for vibrant pink and green to compliment the hot pink zinnias.

I bought these plates on One King's Lane.  I've loved them ever since the postman delivered them.  I wish I had more than four.  

Here's the mark on the back.  I don't know anything about them other than this.  I guess "Pescador" means "Fisherman".

I bought the bow-back chairs from our breakfast room out to the meadow.  Then I added some pillows for comfort.  They are covered with a green french grain sack material.  They usually reside on the sofa in our keeping room. 

These napkins are from the Palm line of linens and these knots are from Old Time Pottery.  I've seen them in lots of high end shops.  The flatware is old and I can't remember just where I got it.  Everything went on these bright leaf green placemats, which added a real punch to the table.

The glassware is a mix of high/low for sure.  The green stems are from the Dollar Store, and the other are very old etched cranberry glass.  I have no hesitation to use them together.  I'm just glad that they all made it back into the house without incident. 

The salt and pepper shakers are as old as our marriage.  They are made by Imperial Glass. 

I swear it was a few degrees cooler here in the grasses. 

This wasn't terribly far from the house, but it felt like sort of a break with reality!

Joining:

 Tablescape Thursday 

at

Between Naps on the Porch

Dishing It and Digging It (Sun.)

at

Rustic and Refined

Share Your Style (Wed.)

at

No Minimalist Here

The Scoop (Mon.)

at

Cedar Hill Farmhouse

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at

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Be Inspired (Tues.)

Elizabeth And Company

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Celebrate It Sunday

at Celebrate and Decorate

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designthusiasm.com

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21 Rosemary Lane

The Creative Exchange (Thurs.)

The Happy Scraps

Coral and Turquoise On the Coral and Turquoise Terrace!

Since this isn't a terribly hot evening, we're having a couple of neighbors over for a simple cook-out.  I couldn't wait to use these pieces which I've had for years with our new cushions and tablecloth on the stone terrace. 

Even the flowers are re-runs from an event earlier in the week. 

I added a piece of white coral, some sea shells, and a bit of sea glass to make the centerpiece a bit more interesting.  Then I snuggled a votive with an orange candle into the mix.

Then I added these little china starfish.

I started without the orange placemats, but the plates were lost on all of that pattern.  That's ok, since, even though the cloth is outdoor fabric, I probably won't have to wash it now.  :-)  

Here's the placesetting I settled on. 

These dishes are from a wonderful store that has closed in Atlanta called The Plantation Shop.  They are made by Murval and are very heavy, which is good for outdoors.  I thought the bamboo flatware would be a good choice to go with them.

I think I bought these embroidered napkins at the same time at The Plantation Shop.  I'm wondering why I bought eight napkins and only 4 placesettings of the dishes.  Maybe that's all they had, but I sure wish I had 4 more.  The coral shaped napkin rings were from Pottery Barn, I think.

I really don't remember where I got these coral stemmed plastic glasses.  Aren't they cute?   I have no problem mixing "real" dishes with plastic, or melamine, or even paper.  Many would faint at the idea, but I say, that unless you are entertaining royalty, the mix is interesting and fun.

Since I had these cute little bowls to match, I decided to serve gazpacho as a first course.  It's perfect for a summer night, and soooo easy.  I was at the Alpharetta Farmers' Market this morning and all of the produce I needed for it was so beautiful.  It was a no brainer. 

Serving soup also meant I got to use these spoons from World Market.  I got some other serving pieces like this, too, but I was already bordering on coral overkill!

Something tells me that I'll be using this frequently this summer, as it is the perfect combo for our new outdoor colors.  You can see a post I did about them here.

See that dock at the lake at the bottom of the lawn?  I bet the men will be down there fishing before dark.  Janet and I will be reading my new copy of Annie Falk's Hamptons Entertaining.  It's so inspiring that I think I might plan another dinner party for tomorrow!

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