Grandma Would Love This

When Mr. Pressed Pants told me (sort of at the last minute) that he was not going to be home on Valentine's Day, we decided to have a dinner for two on Sunday.  We never go out on February 14th anyway because of the crowds and the "prix fix" menus, etc.  So surf and turf at home suited me just fine.

I had just arranged these flowers for a sick friend, so they became an impromptu centerpiece for just this one meal.  Sort of "borrowing" up front! The more I think about this, the more I think it might be tacky.  Oh, my! Well, they could sit on the counter, or they could sit on the dining room table, right?

I love this combination of colors.

Grandma's Haviland china matched them perfectly.  I buy very few "sets" of dishes.  I'm more of an impulse buyer of miscellaneous pieces which I use to mix and match.  But this pattern was my Grandmother's and she gave me all of the many, many pieces for our wedding.  The best part is that her name was Rose Ellie, and my name is Linda, and the pattern is called "Rosalinda".  I just love that.  I didn't use any of the serving pieces, cups and saucers, or even bread and butter plates.  I kept it special, but not at all over the top.

The linens kept the dishes from being too precious.  They are just a bright pink tablecloth and a scalloped linen placemat.  No charger, and no fine silver.  Just French reproduction flatware that reflects the cream colored dinner plates.

Then, I chose light pink linen napkins and tucked a bright pink carnation into the ring.

The napkin ring is made of ivory.  It is old and I've collected these for years.  They can't make these anymore, of course, since ivory is a protected resource.  So they are becoming very hard to find, but that makes the hunt more fun.

These cranberry glass stems are another antique, or maybe just vintage element.

Not old, but fun, are these gold cherub candlesticks. 

Some special things and some casual things.

I don't mean to be flippant about being apart on Valentine's Day, but our marriage can surely survive an early celebration and short notice of travel plans! 

Joining:

 Tablescape Thursday 

at

Between Naps on the Porch

Dishing It and Digging It (Sun.)

at

Rustic and Refined

Inspire Me Monday

at

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

The Scoop (Mon.)

at

Cedar Hill Farmhouse

Inspire Me Tuesday

at

A Stroll Thru Life

Home Sweet Home (Fri.)

at

The Charm of Home

Feathered Nest Friday

at

French Country Home

Foodie Friday

at

Designs By Gollum

Wow Us Wednesday

at

Savvy Southern Style

Monday Funday

at

All Things Heart and Home

Make It Pretty Monday

at

The Dedicated House

Moonlight and Mason Jars (Wed.)

Amaze Me Mondays

at

Dwellings

Merry Mondays Link Party

Twelve on Main

Celebrate It Sunday

at Celebrate and Decorate

Sundays At Home

at Love of Home

Share It One More Time (Sat.)

designthusiasm.com

Share Your Style (Thurs.)

21 Rosemary Lane

    

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

Inspire Me Tuesday

at

A Stroll Thru Life

Be Inspired (Tues.)

Elizabeth And Company

Home Sweet Home (Fri.)

at

The Charm of Home

Feathered Nest Friday

at

French Country Home

Foodie Friday

Designs By Gollum

Wow Us Wednesday

at

Savvy Southern Style

Monday Funday

All Things Heart and Home

Make It Pretty Monday

at

The Dedicated House

Moonlight and Mason Jars (Wed.)

Celebrate It Sunday

at Celebrate and Decorate

Share It One More Time (Sat.)

designthusiasm.com

Share Your Style (Thurs.)

21 Rosemary Lane

The Creative Exchange (Thurs.)

The Happy Scraps

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

Inspire Me Tuesday

at

A Stroll Thru Life

Be Inspired (Tues.)

Elizabeth And Company

Home Sweet Home (Fri.)

at

The Charm of Home

Feathered Nest Friday

at

French Country Home

Foodie Friday

Designs By Gollum

Wow Us Wednesday

at

Savvy Southern Style

Monday Funday

All Things Heart and Home

Make It Pretty Monday

at

The Dedicated House

Moonlight and Mason Jars (Wed.)

Celebrate It Sunday

at Celebrate and Decorate

Share It One More Time (Sat.)

designthusiasm.com

Share Your Style (Thurs.)

21 Rosemary Lane

The Creative Exchange (Thurs.)

The Happy Scraps