Back to Gold!

Gold!!!!  It's been in, it's been out, and for sure.....it's back!!!!  Suddenly, it has a contemporary vibe and I particularly like it used with more rustic items.  These beautiful napkin rings from Art of the Table were a gift from a beautiful bride, and I stuck in a feather to bridge the luxe and the informal.

I started gathering up some gold items to make a simple fall table.  Nothing is new, just used in a different way.  

Years ago, when Martha Stewart first made gilding pumpkins popular, I found these canvas placemats with gold leaves.  I was pretty proud of the way my gilded vegetables looked with these linens.

Then I pulled out my trusty gold chargers and used them with these brown,  mottled dinner plates.  The pattern is called "Leopard".

I played with several different sets of flatware and settled on this French cream set.  I have never cared for gold flatware.  Even the contemporary gold that I am seeing now just doesn't float my boat!

I have seen these glasses for sale several different places.  This summer, my close friend in Charleston had them on her dinner table when she entertained us, and I had great glass envy!  By the next weekend, I owned some of my own!  

Phil the Pheasant made his seasonal debut.  This resin bird shows up often on the table, and is always part of our decor.  

Two of my favorite tables I ever posted had him as a centerpiece.  Look here and here.

Isn't he a handsome devil?

He is nestled in this wreath made up of natural, gold, and copper leaves.  

The old wood barley twist candlesticks that I started with were not very exciting, so I replaced them with these gilded ones.  They are heftier and the gold sort of lifts the look up a bit.

I also used gold embossed place cards.

I thought this horn salt and pepper was a good choice for this table.

I'm loving the gold!  It is certainly on trend, but remains too classic to be considered trendy.

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21 Rosemary Lane

  

A Cozy New Year's Eve '15

After being away for Christmas, home is where I want to be to ring in the New Year.  Mr. Pressed Pants concurs, so we are having a cozy, intimate, boring New Year's Eve....just the way we like it.  I hadn't given the evening much thought until I was in the grocery store picking up dinner.  I spied these flowers in one of those variety packs in the floral department.  I usually pass those by, but since I had a murky plan to use gold on the table, I picked these up.

Can you see the gold dust on these?  Sort of cheesy, but I like it.  Then to top it off, the plastic champagne bottle takes cheesiness to another level, but hey, it's kind of fun.

For the two of us, I decided to set the table in the keeping room.  I really wanted to set it up in front of the fireplace and the Christmas tree, but it is so warm that we'd never light a fire, so why bother.  Just white and gold keeps it simple.  I haven't used gold much for a very long time, but it is certainly trending now, and so I thought I'd jump on board.

A gold charger is topped with some white Juliska-like china that I got at that very high end store, Kroger!!!!  I bought every bit of it they had.  

The most interesting thing on the table is this sweet little bowl wishing "Happy Holidays".  I bought them last year at Homegoods, but this is the first time I've used them.  A cute little gold doily added a bit more sparkle to the look.  I thought they would be perfect for peppermint ice cream with chocolate sauce, a Peterson family tradition.

The flatware I chose was my favorite mis-matched silverplate with these ivory handled knives.  

And the napkins are a gold, sparkly fabric that doesn't show up very well in this photo.

These napkin rings were a gift from a dear, young friend as a thank you for giving her wedding shower.  Aren't they wonderful?  They are a bay leaf design from Art Tables.

Here's a prime example of what makes a high-low table.  The champagne flutes are from Tiffany, and the wine glasses are Waterford........

but these white spotted tumblers are from Old Time Pottery.  One dollar apiece.  Yep.  I love the mix.

We needed some candlelight to set the mood, so I chose these faux bois tapers that I even forgot I had.

I set them in these Baldwin brass candlesticks that I haven't used in almost a decade.  I probably have a dozen of them from the days when my decor was Williamsburg, or wanna-be Williamsburg.

This simple little glass pedestal held our dinner rolls.

It doesn't look too charming here, but trust me, when the sun went down and the candles were lit, it was exactly where I wanted to be.

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21 Rosemary Lane

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The Happy Scraps

As Traditional As You Get

I think Lenox's Holiday pattern is just about as pretty as you can get and as traditional.  I have used these dishes with plaid, with stripes and with vibrant colors, but tonight, for our Christmas dinner, I decided to go with the most formal use of them, and here's why:

I was gifted this gorgeous tulle Christmas topper, handmade by my grandmother many, many years ago.  She made it for my mom, who never used it!!!!  Can you imagine?  It was a pretty good fit over my standard white Williams Sonoma linen cloth, too.

Look at this detail!  All of the applique and beading!  That line you see is sequins, and the edges are scalloped felt.  Over time, the felt and the tulle have yellowed a bit, but that is fine, as these dishes are a cream, and I have never liked the way they look on a stark white cloth.

See the edging?

The designs are fabulous.

Look at this handwork!  No Stitch-Witchery!  No hot glue!  These are all hand sewn with a million TINY stitches.  Thank you, Grandma!

Early this fall, I found these napkins at Homegoods.  They go perfectly with this china pattern.  I only found seven at the first store I saw them, none at the next one, none at the next next one, and then.....Eureka!.....one more in Cleveland when I visited our girls.  The flatware is mis-matched silverplate that I find much more interesting than my sterling.  That stays in the safety deposit box and I use this all the time.

I loved the color this glassware gave the table.

My daughter gave me these incredible French knives with china handles and brass blades.  I think they are really fruit knives, but I use them as bread and butter knives here.

I already had these place cards.

Since I REALLY didn't want any spills or messes on this precious cloth, I pulled out these crystal knife rests.  No....that is not tarnish on the blade.....it is the reflection of a red goblet. 

Every once in a while, I clip these little candle holders onto the chargers and it makes the meal really special.

I totally overbought these red carnations.  It always takes so many more to pave the flowers, so I didn't want to run short.  But I chose a smaller cachepot than I planned on, so I have a ton left.  Fortunately, carnations last so long that I'll find a use for them. 

Since I had so much gold going on, I substituted these gold angel candlesticks for the crystal ones I started with.  I always use them for Valentine's Day, but I never before thought to use them for Christmas.  Duh! 

I think the table looked pretty in the afternoon as I photographed it.

But it looked truly beautiful with this precious lady sitting there by candlelight. 

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