Holiday Picnic

We had a group of friends here for an early Fourth of July party.  Everyone brought a dish and  we had such a good time.  This is what greeted everyone at the end of our driveway.  I've started putting any gate decorations on with zip ties, as some have been stolen.  Grrrrr.

I tied this little tag on the front door so no one would have to keep an ear out for the doorbell.  I think it also set the tone that this is a casual event.

The color is awful on this photo, but this is the dining room table.  We ate outside, but served buffet style from the dining room.

This was earlier in the day before I put the centerpieces out.  I cut lots of hydrangeas from the cutting garden and the rest came from Kroger.  Super simple.  I learned the hard way to wait until the evening to take these outside, as the afternoon sun will wilt them, sure as can be.

Also on the dining room table, I placed a stack of plates and sets of flatware tied with twine.  Yes, I have 20 melamine red, whit and blue plates, napkins, and flatware, but the mix is the key.

When everyone brings a dish, you never know what serving pieces will be necessary, so I always try to put some out.  It saves digging while everyone is waiting to eat.

Also in the dining room, I placed a bowl and hurricanes with shells and sand.

We set up a drink station in the bar.  This jug has cucumber, lemon and mint water and it was very popular.  The big copper container is filled with ice to nestle beer and wine.

Sweet and unsweet tea is a must in the south.

This runner is from Ikea and the festive napkins came from Party City.

It was meant to be a self-serve station, and for the most part, it was.

Outside on the round white deck, we put two tables.

The long one had our wooden chairs from inside, so that if the rain returned, it would just take a second to get them inside.

The outdoor lines were a mix, too.  Who needs a bunch of all one thing? 

Checks are always picnic appropriate, and blue and white pots go with just about anything.

On the upper terrace, around the pool, we served all of the appetizers.  We were all so glad to be outside and we were grateful for the lovely weather.  I used the chairs from this table down below, so people sat on the stone wall.  It is the perfect height.  If I ever re-do an outside area, I'll be sure to remember that.

The lower terrace held ten more seats.

Do you love our new chairs?  Target!!!!!

And an old quilt top covers this table for six.

Inside in the breakfast room I set the table for dessert.  One bachelor brought home made ice cream and it was such a hit!

Here's my appetizer before I took it outside.  It's a  clam dip with chips and veggies.  I've never served chip and dip when it wasn't devoured.  Sometime the old standards are really appreciated.

It was a fun warm up for the Fourth!

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Sundays at Home

French Shelves for Halloween

I always rush to decorate for fall, but delay the Halloween decor, because frankly, I love it, but tire of it.  So, here's my first Halloween display.  These French shelves in our bar are always fun for me to decorate.  In my previous home, they were hung much lower, so I decorated the top of them, too.  

One reason I was looking forward to this year's Halloween shelves is because one of my dear Bridge Buddies gave me these darling plaid plates last year.  I was so surprised and thrilled.  I thought of a million ways I wanted to use them, but this display won out.  (At least for now!)  

There are six plates with four different designs on them.  The top row allows a taller plate, so I backed the dessert sized ones with our everyday white dinner plates.  I love the way they show up against the wood here.  Then on the bottom shelf, I needed a smaller plate, so I found these black rimmed salad sized plates in my stash.  They don't show up as well, but they looked too small without them.  Then I  used real pumpkins and black glittery ones and filled in with black glittered garlands that I cut up.  The black stuff came from Michael's, but they are all out at my store now.  I was looking for more yesterday.

Since I needed eight plates to balance the display, I used two of the salad plates by themselves.  They looked too stark, so I added a black raven in front of each one.  Better!

I have a special watercolor that usually hangs under this shelf, but it detracted from the black and white and orange.  I removed it temporarily, and hung a bit of felt garland flags. The rest of the garland went on the front of the table.  My daughter bought me this last year.  Thanks, Susie......I love it!

On the table below, I used a white caterer's linen tablecloth covered with black netting from the Dollar Store.    Then I raised two big pumpkins on small glass pedestals and used the rest of the black garland around them. This table will be used next weekend for desserts when my wine club meets here, so I made sure that I can put up the drop leaf and have lots of room.  The front of the table has the remainder of the felt garland.

Several years ago, my favorite store, Boxwoods, in Atlanta sold this pair of glittery Halloween crowns.  They have sharp picks on the bottom which keeps them on the pumpkin.  I chose this one for the girl pumpkin.  Then I added lipstick and press on eyelashes tipped in gold from the drug store.  She's something, isn't she?

Her prince is apparently the strong, silent type.

Oh yes........there's a little uninvited friend checking out the whole thing.  Hope he's here stag!

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Garden Club Party II

I thought I'd add another post about the luncheon I recently had for my Garden Club.  You can see the first post here.

This is the beverage area in the bar.  It photographs poorly because of all of the reflection of the lights on the granite counter and backsplash.

These coffee mugs match the garden dishes made by Essex that I used for lunch.  (Please pretend that I didn't forget to move that ice scoop.)

I prefer cloth napkins, but for a group this size, I used these paper napkins that I've had for a long time.  I don't know why I once bought about a hundred of them.

I served water flavored with oranges, cucumber and mint in these glasses.

This silverplated coffee set added to the garden theme, and I used a little terra cotta saucer for the sweetener.

Some bright pink asters in these little birdie vases were a bit of height and color.

The other side of the room has had a little freshening up for summer.

I replaced the Portmerion Birds of Britain plates with these white faux bois plates and custard pots.  I like the lack of pattern that they have here.

Old candlesticks sit on the buffalo check runner.

The edges of our woods are filled with these Oak Leaf Hydrangeas and they are just beginning to have color.

One of the guest powder rooms was given a bit of a garden wink.  

I added these mini canvas gardening gloves and a watering can candle to the simple flower arrangement and these Caspari hand towels.

The other guest powder room just got a bit of seeded flowers from some shrubs down by our gates.  Is this lacothia?

My next post will be the garden and potting shed and the way it looked for the party.  It was a bit of pressure to make it look good for these ladies, but now it is done for the season.  Well, sort of.  A living thing is never done, but, by golly, the mulching better be!!!!!

More Madison House Tour

  

I've made a new friend in the design world!  His name is Jimmy Stanton and he owns a wonderful home furnishings store in Atlanta.  I enjoy every visit to this happy place and my clients do as well.  He had his beautiful home in Madison on their spring house and garden tour a couple of weeks ago.  I thought you might like a peek at this darling place. 

This house was built in 1818 and is called The Brick Cottage.  It is the oldest brick structure in Madison.  Jimmy and Patrick Greco have lived here for three years and during that time they added the tin roof and the must-have picket fence.  It had a fire in the '60's and, ironically, the timbers petrified and became stronger than ever!

This arrangement of pressed botanicals hang in the entryway.  They make such a great statement,
                          don't they?

 

This is where Jimmy's very lovely mother greeted guests the day of the tour.  She is so proud of her boy and his lovely home.  She absolutely sparkled when she talked about him!

 
The whole place is done in restful grey, khaki, and putty.  This allows the accessories to shine.  This is the family room. 

The dining room is so beautiful in it's simplicity.  It strikes the perfect blend of rustic and refined.
Check out the chandelier.  It's reflected in the mirror.

Here's another view.  I love this French cupboard with it's great hardware and how it is filled with a mixture of treasures.

This grouping of green canning jars with candles flanked a basket simply filled with blue hydrangeas.

Jimmy has such a way putting together vignettes.  Here are three mantles on which he takes a few items and they become an eye-catching grouping of  objects.  This one is in his bedroom.  It is just perfect in it's simplicity.

And look at this one....I wouldn't change a thing or move it one inch.

This mantle is in the living room.  What a knack for asymmetrical placement.  These objects are so disparate, yet just fantastic together.

Here's the entire living room.  I love it ALL....the sisal rug, the nailheads on the stools, the old bench used as a coffee table, and that wonderful statue.



Every good weekend house needs a bar and this one is jaw-dropping.  It is made of reclaimed wood and inspired by an old ship.  I wish I had a photo of the kitchen, but I just went on through, enjoying all the wonderful details and never took a shot.

But I do have this kitchen!  Have you ever seen an outdoor kitchen like this?  Those plates on the "wall" are genius.  And I'm just drooling over those ivory garden seats ever since I first saw them in a showhouse room that Jimmy did.

The garden part of this tour was just as special as their interior.  This fountain!  This fountain!  This fountain!  Their back yard is not at all large, but every inch is charming and beautiful.

Look at this special intimate dining room tucked in the back.  I just love how they have used furniture and walls to suggest the inside, but with the added joy of being outdoors.  Look carefully at the items on the console here.

These books are cement!  Isn't that so clever?

Terry is their cherished pet.  I think this pretty much tells you how they feel about him.

If you are in the Atlanta area, please be sure to stop by Jimmy's store:

Stanton Home Furnishings

1194 Huff Road

Atlanta, 30318

404-351-3890

http://www.stantonhomefurnishings.com/

Atlanta Homes Magazine did a 19 page double feature spread on this home and his city home called "City Chic/Country Calm".  It is the longest spread I have ever seen and every page is spell-binding.  It is so well deserved.

Check it out:

http://www.atlantahomesmag.com/article/city-chic-country-calm