Plaid, Pewter, and Pumpkins

Well, it was time to have the bachelor neighbor over again!  I photographed this table set for four, but took a placesetting away before he arrived.  

We finally have some terrific fall weather, so I was determined to eat early enough to sit outside and enjoy it.

I started with this subtle Ralph Lauren plaid throw that I used as a tablecloth.  It was so soft and lovely, and I'm sure I'll love cuddling up under it this winter. 

I used all three colors, the grey, taupe and cream for the setting.  I feel like I could have almost photographed it in black and white, or maybe sepia!

The faux slate chargers are some I've blogged about before.  I primed some totally average plastic chargers, then spray painted them with chalk paint.  Then covered them in chalk and wiped it off.  Voila!  Looks like slate.  The taupe plates are from Z Gallerie, and the cream are from Crate and Barrel.

Aren't they great?  They are embossed with acorns and oak leaves.  LOVE!!!

Then, just for giggles, since I wasn't using flowers, I added a french seed pot filled with excelsior, and topped with a mini Cinderella pumpkin.  Just that one little gesture made it a fall table.  Take the pumpkin away, and it could be any time, anywhere.

Here's the bird's eye view.

A simple cream linen napkin was used with a square pewter ring.

And I added individual pewter salt and pepper sets.

The glassware was chunky and simple.  We just brought our wine glasses to the table when we sat down. 

A great, chippy cement flower urn sat on the table instead of any flowers.  I did slide it back a bit when I removed the fourth placesetting, so we could easily see across the table.

Just chicken kabobs, corn pudding and a caprese salad.  Oh, and pumpkin pie! 

We're grateful for such a funny, crazy neighbor, and for the evening together in this (finally) fabulous weather.  I hope that if you were so unfortunate to be hit with the terrible floods from the weekend weather that you are drying out and didn't loose anything precious.  I've been praying for you.

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Pinecones and Friends

Even though this table is more seasonal than Christmas, we were definitely in a Christmas mood on Saturday night as we entertained some folks who have grown very dear to us.  It was a rollicking,  laugh-filled evening and we lingered at this table with some conversation that you just had to be here to believe!  Enough said about that!

Brunswig and Fils makes some beautiful fabric, but none prettier than this pattern.  I've made it into runners and cloths, so I can be versatile with the way I want to use it.  Here, I used it in three runners.  Sometimes I use red transferware with it, but I chose to pull the image of the pinecones out of the design and feature them in this table. 

Here's the way I used the runners, since there were only six of us.  Excuse the fuzziness of this, as I didn't photograph the entire table until dark.

I used real pinecones, pinecone glass ornaments, mosses, small beaded fruit, and tiny glass balls to fill this glass cloche, and used it as the centerpiece.  Look for a tutorial on this soon.

It sits in this interesting terra cotta saucer.

Here's a close-up. 

And an overhead of the table.

I didn't get a closeup of the wooden candlesticks, but I did get this photo of  the birch covered votives that I added.

This red plastic charger is available everywhere.  It's not really as bright as it shows here.  The dinner plates are from Crate and Barrel and are embossed with acorns and oak leaves.  I use these constantly in the fall and winter.  The napkins are a rather sheer linen embroidered with this beautiful pinecone.

I don't remember where I got these bread and butter plates, but I used them with these horn-handled fruit knives which I use as butter knives.  These Christmas butter shapes are made from some rubber mint molds that my Mom gave me years ago.

The wine glasses are etched with pinecones..... 

and these salad plates from Target (last year) are embossed with them, too. 

This Royal Dalton Santa character jug is also a gift from Mom.  Well, actually, I am "storing" them for her.  You can see the place card I made here with a rubber stamp and a thin red ribbon.  It always makes people feel especially welcome when they see their name on the table, and I try to do this, even for a small group. 

These are some of the serving pieces I used.  Can you see the stags carved on two of the horn handles?  Aw, man!  I love these!

See?  (You can also see the electrical outlet......lucky you!)

This is the way I set up the coffee tray this time.  I have four dozen of these plaid cocktail napkins and I love to use them, since I'm not a fan of paper napkins.  Not that I never use paper, because I do, but I just really don't mind washing and ironing napkins, so I pull cloth ones out whenever they work.  I also have about six of these tin Christmas trays and they come in soooo handy.

And I made chocolate/peppermint spoons to serve with coffee.  Just melt milk chocolate chips, dip in your spoon, add crushed candy canes, and cool on a foil lined plate.  Even those who passed on coffee took one and ate the chocolate off of it.  These are sweet for any holiday, especially for a tea party, just change out your garnish according to the season.

The glasses set out in the bar.  You probably can't quite see the stags etched into the high-ball and low-ball glasses.  The tall ones came from World Market this year.  I think the ones I use as low-ball glasses are really votives, but who's policing that?????

Z Gallerie had these last year, and I love to use them on a buffet to identify the food, as well as as a place card holder.  Aren't they handsome?

I'm going to post a tutorial on this VERY easy appetizer.

I set out cordials and liqueurs, but we were all so full that no one bothered to indulge.

I always put out this cute little cocktail recipe book in the bar, as our last name is Peterson.  It was a thoughtful gift from a dinner guest several years ago.

And I took one more opportunity in the powder room to use the pine cones that I seem to collect.  Candles and finger towels are more subtle items for the evening.  (See?  I do use paper products!)

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