Easter Greetings!

Happy Easter to you all!!!!!!

Our family has been visiting with us all week from Ohio, and even though the weather wasn't that great, the love and fun sure were!!!  Since they just left yesterday, we are having a very laid back Easter Sunday and there will just be the two of us for dinner tonight.

This unusual egg topiary caught my eye at the floral wholesaler, and I planned a soft, almost neutral table to go with it. 

These latex cabbage leaves are perfect for adding a spring look, so I used them under the chargers.

I picked up the brown and soft green from the eggs on the topiary with these linens.  I layered this polyester dupiani over a natural burlap tablecloth.

Then I chose tan and cream plates and cream handled flatware.

The scalloped charger and salad plate are from Z Gallerie and the middle, toast colored plate is from that fine tabletop store, Kroger!  The scallops aren't exactly the same, but they complement each other.

Not a lot of color, but very soothing and natural.

See the feather ribbon I used as a napkin ring?

It has the same feathers in the centerpiece.  I was sort of surprised when I found it in my stash, to be truthful.  A happy coincidence!

I gave brown and green glasses a try, but they made things look too fall-like, so I brought out the Waterford and it seemed so much better.

These candlesticks aren't old, but I love the patina on them, even though it's a factory applied patina, not the kind you would find on a lovely antique. 

These good old salt and pepper shakers were the only accessories I added, since I'll be serving our plates from the kitchen.

It's a gloomy day!  Here's a shot from inside the window at this table.  (Part of the gloom is the fact that our sunshine went back to Ohio with their mothers yesterday!)  Maybe that's one reason I chose such a subdued palate for tonight's dinner.

This is my usual Easter table.  See more of this table here.

And last year I did a bright yellow and green table.  See more here.

At this same table, I served Easter breakfast here.

I'm wishing each of you who celebrate this holy season a wonderful day!

Joining:

Wow Us Wednesdays

Savvy Southern Style

Tablescape Thursdays

Between Naps on the Porch

Fall Mantle

Wow!!  Am I ever late for the party!!!  September has come and gone and I am just now beginning to decorate for fall.  I'm usually stalking the garden centers just dying for the first pumpkins and buying mums way before the weather permits. 

At least the living room mantle is done.  Let's take a look.

The center is a grouping of several sizes of grapevine pumpkins with some real gourds and faux bittersweet.

I bought the gourds from the Amish in Pennsylvania when I visited my mom this week.

On the left side, I placed this arrangement that I've used all over the house.

I elevated it with this stack of old leather books and a ledger.

These horns are filled with faux ferns, flowers, feathers and artichokes.

On the right side, is an arrangement with a birch bark candle from Pottery Barn, a faux topiary.......

and this great antique French doorstop.  I scooped my daughter's sister-in-law at a flea market for this.  It has a very little bit of blue paint on the peasant's blouse, but the dog is what clinched the deal for me.  Jan at The French Tangerine just showed us this same doorstop in her blog here.  Hers is brass and sits on her kitchen counter.  

Nothing exceptional here, but I enjoyed the nod to this beautiful season.  Fall decorations actually stay up longer than even Christmas........IF you get them out early!!!!

One thing I never change here is this oil painting by Eugene Paparocki.  It's the most valuable piece of art in our home and a wonderful memory of a very special time.

I'm planning a post on this mantle.  It is probably the one improvement in our remodeling that made the most difference in this home.

There's a little peek at a few more decorations in the corner.  Yes I have promised to do a before and after of the living room, and I promise that it is coming. 

But tonight,

I'm simply celebrating the fact that I am finally finding the time to usher in fall.  Goodbye summer, goodbye flip flops.  I'm mad for pumpkins now.

I'm linking up for the following parties:

Tablescape Thursday

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home

http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday

http://myromantichome.blogspot.com/

Inspiration Friday

http://www.atthepicketfence.com/

Fridays Unfold

http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/

Favorite Things

http://bargainhuntingwithlaurie.blogspot.com/

Seasonal Sundays

http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

Veggie Luncheon

Mid-summer.....foodie friends.....a vegetarian guest.  Ahhaa!  I'll use these vegetable dishes that almost never get used. 

These inspired a green and white, all veggie tablescape.  They read "Made in Italy, La Primula SRL" on the bottom.  I think they came from Marshall's many years ago.

Here's the front door.  This photo is so crooked that it looks like you are entering a fun house.

I just hot glued seed packets onto a grapevine wreath and added a bow.

 

Here's the way the placesettings looked.  I decided that the table needed a shot of color, so I added some pink details.

These wicker chargers and white wicker patterned plates are getting a workout this summer.

And here's how the plates and the soup bowl stacked up. 

The bread and butter plates are from Walmart last fall.

Are you tired of these?  They are from our wedding gifts.

The flatware is from World Market and this pale pink linen napkin is wrapped with a kale leaf and tied with a narrow polka dot ribbon.

A close up, but fuzzy photo.

Then, for the dessert, I used these antique white cabbage plates.

I've been planning this centerpiece forever.  A Brussels sprout and asparagus topiary and tin cans filled with pink roses! 

Starting with a straight sided glass vase, I added Styrofoam and hot glued a sturdy branch into it.  Then I hot glued a Styrofoam ball to the top.

I stuck wooden skewers into about a million Brussels sprouts.  It took lots more than I thought it would.

Then I hot glued these to the ball.  I took two thick rubber bands and put them around the vase.  The top one held asparagus and the bottom one held leaves of kale. 

I looked and looked for some pretty cans of peas, but they all looked so commercial and new.  Thanks to the Graphics Fairy, I found these labels and covered empty tin cans instead.  Then I filled each with roses and added them to each side of the topiary.

These place card holders were such a hit.  They are nothing other than four green beans hot glued together and tied with a little ribbon.

Be sure to use beans that have a natural curve to the bottoms, but are fairly straight on the top.  I looked for some that had those curly little tendrils on them, just for added interest.

This little tea pot was just too perfect not to use, but it was so hot outside that nobody even wanted hot tea or coffee.  It was iced tea all the way!

How cute is this?  Strangely, it is from the wedding department at Michael's.  I guess they are doing a riff on two peas in a pod.

Here's one of those weird little happenings.  I didn't realize it until later that night when I opened it, but one of my guests brought a hostess gift of these cute napkins......with vegetables!!!  There's no way she could have known I was doing a vegetable themed table.  Whoowee!

I knew that this table would be a bit labor intensive at the last minute, so I planned to do nothing but work on the table in the morning.  These veggies just wouldn't stand up if I did them the day before.  So.......Whole Foods to the rescue.  I served a pineapple cucumber gazpacho as a first course, and then a simple Caprese salad with some of their great dinner rolls.  One of the guests insisted on bringing dessert and I was thrilled.  I had planned on simple vanilla cupcakes with two peas in a pod made from marzipan on top.  I was happy to save this time and enjoy her delicious chocolate peanut butter frozen treat. 

Note:

Mr. Pressed Pants and I used this table latter that day for dinner, but frankly, the kale was smelling a bit funky by then.  I'm glad I didn't try to make them up too far ahead of time. 

I'll be joining the following blog parties this week:

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ for Tablescape Thursday

http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/ for Tabletop Tuesday

http://savysouthernstyles.blogspot.com/ for Wow Us Wednesday

http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

http://thestylesisters.blogspot.com/ for Centerpiece Wednesday

www.stuff-and-nonsense.net for Fridays Unfold

http://www.atthepicketfence.com/ for Inspiration Friday

http://designsbygollum/ for Foodie Friday

http://myromantichome.blogspot.com/ for Show and Tell Friday

http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/  for Feathered Nest Friday

http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/ for Home Sweet Home