In The Forest

Before I throw away the rest of the pumpkins, I was eager to try this treatment of succulents on an heirloom pumpkin.  All of these succulents have been in planters in our cutting garden, and while I know that they won't winter over outside, I also know that I'm just not good about remembering to care for them out in the potting shed.  So, I had no reservations about cutting them up to decorate this lovely Cinderella pumpkin.  I photographed it on a white paper background to get a really good photo for you.

Then, the day was so beautiful and the woods so inviting, so outside I went!

In order to elevate the pumpkin from the table, and give a little more room, I thought it was the perfect day to use this wooden compote dish with carved acorns around the edge. 

 

I decided to tuck a few leaves around the base of the pumpkin, since it didn't sit level on the dish.

This green and brown plaid tablecloth is really two very wide runners of dupioni silk.  Well.....polyester that looks like dupioni silk!

These salad plates were on sale at Ballard's outlet a few weeks ago.  Didn't take me long to get those puppies in my cart!

I used them with some dark brown chargers that are really pot saucers from Pottery Barn, and some cream scallop-edged plates from ZGallerie.

Oh, mama!  Don't you love these napkin rings????  They were gifted to me from my very dear friend, Barb.  You often see lovely things on this blog that were given to me from her, because she has the best, best, best taste and is very generous.

And look here!!!!  This incredible salt and pepper set is another gift from her!  Am I the luckiest girl?

My standby wooden handled flatware suited me fine for this.

Lime green stems and raffia wrapped glasses fit the bill.

These bow back chairs from the breakfast room were softened with pillows from the keeping room.

Since these guys are still hanging around, I thought they looked cute here.

The way the sunshine hit the table was the best part of the day.  You just can't fake this feeling.  

Although winter is not harsh here in Georgia, we sure do store up these last mild days.  

As I soak in the beauty and joy of this season and the land we own, my heart goes out to those in the northern part of our state and the agony they are experiencing from the wildfires.  Our air quality has been terrible from the smoke, but it is a small inconvenience when I think of their loss.  We are all praying for rain. 

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21 Rosemary Lane

   

Faux Wood in the Real Woods

This morning, as I looked out our front window at this glorious day, I was so moved by the way the sunlight was filtering through the trees in front of our house.

Our landscaper calls this area "the park", but I feel that is a very fancy way of saying "our front woods".

I wanted to celebrate this warm, sunny day with a table set in the midst of this glory. 

So, I brought this little, old work table out and found just the right spot in the midst of the oaks. 

The top is one board, and it has seen a lot of action.  I'm sort of obsessed with the wish that these wonderful old things could tell stories of some of the things they have seen. 

I added a burlap tablecloth and this was the base of the centerpiece.  I think they are sold at the floral wholesaler as casket forms.  The base is styrofoam and the top is oasis, with a wire cage around it.

Here it is when I finished fiddling around with it.

I wanted to use this wonderful old wooden bird, but he needed some elevation.  What kind of bird do you think he is? 

 

Along with preserved sheet moss, reindeer moss, and acorns, I added these mushrooms made of pinecones that I found at Michael's.  Then I cut some ferns and some baby pine trees, and stuck them into the form.

I love the way it looks in the dappled sun.

The bottom plate was big enough to use as a charger.

Then, I used two sizes of these wonderful faux bois plates from Boxwoods.  Are you tired of hearing me rave about that store?  Seriously!!!  I never, ever fail to leave that store with inspiration, and usually a big shopping bag full of their incredible selection of merchandise!  It's the best store in Atlanta!

Then, I used my favorite flatware.  It's not our "everyday" stuff, but is some I use very, very often.

I placed the green linen napkin between the plates for contrast, and added a sprig of pine and a twig, just for interest.

What better choice for water stems than these glasses with fall leaves and acorns etched on them?

We weren't having coffee, but just for a photo, I put the cream and sugar pieces on this faux bois tray from Pier 1.

These bow backed chairs from our breakfast room and french linen pillows from the keeping room were easy to bring outside.

All done!!!   

No flowers, no pumpkins, and no bright colors, yet this couldn't be anything but fall.

It's so natural in color selections that you can hardly see it.

Then, back into the house I went to get Mr. Pressed Pants, who was working from home today. 

Our lunch menu wasn't particularly fabulous, but the setting and the company were spectacular!

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Lunch in the Woods

I am posting this previous post with Happy To Design's Sunday Favorites party.  It's an invitation to post one of your favorite previous posts.  It's fun for me to revisit this one.  Not only was it one of my favorite tablescapes, but it is a fond memory of a wonderful day spent with a rather new friend.  A year later, I can't imagine not having this woman in my life. 

Enjoy this re-run!!!!

This beautiful weather was crying for lunch outside, so I made a quick phone call to invite a friend and set up the table in the woods. Lunch was mostly grocery store pick-up, but the table was so much fun for both of us.  She never expected to find out that we were eating in the sun-dappled woods. 

I started with a simple card table and covered it with a curtain panel from Pier One.  I just loved the colors in it and how it made fall tones seem just a little more vibrant.  Then I used our Portmerion "Birds of Britain" dinnerware.

This guy was the centerpiece.  He is usually up in our tv room on the mantle, but I think he enjoyed the fresh air today! 

These few flowers at the base were just stuck into a little bit of oasis.  I was able to find them all in our cutting garden or back yard. 

What do you think drew me to these dishes? The acorns, of course! They're great, classic dishes, but the borders made them must-have.  I used my oldie but goodie Target brown salad plates in between the dessert and dinner plates.

Here's the dessert plate with the Nightingale on it.

And here's the Harlequin Duck dinner plate.

I never heard of this bird, but the colors are great.

Pier One had a stack of four of these wooden bowls in a darling net bag.  I think I'll use them often for nuts and such.  I used them here in place of a bread plate.

I didn't want to use any fine crystal out there, so I grabbed these sturdy Imperial glass stems.  I've had them forever.

This flatware has a good look, but is not very high quality.  Good enough for an outdoor meal, though!  I can't remember where I got it.  It sure works well with the red in this "tablecloth".

I took two of our breakfast room Windsor backed chairs outside and put gold cushions from Pier One on them for comfort.

Here you can see that I just tucked the napkin from Crate and Barrel under the dinner plate.  It was a good space saver on this little table.  I have to admit that by now I was working pretty fast to photograph this before the sunlight shifted.

I thought about using a carpet under the table, but I decided that I already had the most beautiful carpet on the ground already!

I used a nearby stump as a side table for a faux bois tray with the cream and sugar and s/p.  It makes me sad (and poor) to have to take trees down, so it is nice to find a use for the remains.

Here's the close-up view.

So.....what's your feeling about taxidermy on the luncheon table?  It doesn't bother me, but I know some might feel differently.