Tears for Paris.
Friday, November 13, 2015
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Two Fall Luncheons in the Garden
We were only home a couple of days between an incredibly lovely wedding in Napa and a week at the beach. But during those few days, I squeezed in lunch in the garden two days in a row. There is nothing left to look at in the garden, but it was special to have the opportunity to the enjoy the weather and friends. The first day we were back, I had an absolute screaming fit at the way the deer had decimated the hosta in the driveway circle, so I featured these stag plates as an apology to our deer friends.
These colors were not the fall colors you might expect.
Here's the placesetting!
I started with a cream burlap tablecloth over our unfinished table that we keep stored in the garden shed. Then I added these chargers from Hobby Lobby. I love the distressed look that they have.
Then scalloped cream plates from Z Gallerie and these salad plates from The Victorian English Pottery. You KNOW I had to have them with the acorns AND stags! Two of my very favorite subjects.
This dark wooden handled flatware is such a workhorse. I use it so much and it is so versatile.
These turquoise glasses came from Target this spring, and they complemented the wicker covered ones that make good wine glasses, although we both decided to forgo the alcohol in order to have a little more productive afternoon.
These Pottery Barn plaid napkins tied everything together and gave the table a bit of pizzazz.
And look who joined the table.....more stags!
As you can tell by the background of these photos, I had NO fresh flowers, but a Limelight Hydrangea bush did have some dried blossoms. I plopped them into a faux wood vase and added some bleached wheat. A few little white pumpkins later, and I was done!
It was fun and gave us one more afternoon in the fall fresh air.
This little vignette was the only thing I left for the following day.
Target's gold decorated pumpkins with some real tiny ghost ones inspired this next table.
Over the burlap tablecloth, I added these gold printed placemats. I've had them for ages. I feel that they are sort of retro, as I bought them when Martha Stewart first made gold accents "the" entertaining detail.
This is what greeted my college friend.
I used my Silhouette to cut gold glitter details for the bottom of the glass salad plate.
They sat on the cream scalloped plates that I used the day before, and a gold charger. The cream flatware is a French reproduction.
Gold glassware worked for this table. I was a little nervous that I should have chosen something a bit more heavy duty, but it all came back into the house with no breakage. The alcohol was NOT passed up this day!
The napkin was a cotton shot with gold and I used a simple gold matte ring.
This is definitely the last meal in the garden for this year. That always makes me a little sad, but when the garden rests, I have a few more hours to myself each week until spring, and then I start again. I'm not too sure that the rewards are as great as the work, but I'll probably never give it up!
Joinng:
Tablescape Thursday
at
Share Your Style (Wed.)
at
Show and Tell Friday
at
The Scoop (Mon.)
at
Inspire Me Tuesday
at
Be Inspired (Tues.)
Table It (Sun.)
at
Home Sweet Home (Fri.)
at
Feathered Nest Friday
at
Wow Us Wednesday
at
Monday Funday
Make It Pretty Monday
at
Fridays Unfold
at
Celebrate It Sunday
Saturday, October 10, 2015
"Borrowed" Fall Flowers
I was flattered to be asked to do the flowers for the serving table at a beautiful event at our church. We call this autumn United Methodist Women's event "Soup and Sisterhood". Pretty self-explanatory. A group of women gather for a dinner of a variety of soups and celebrate our friendship. As I was putting these flowers together in the house, I could NOT stop myself from thinking about how perfectly the colors went with a tablecloth I got at Homegoods last year.
Check out these incredible roses. They were open perfectly to arrange. Sometimes that doesn't exactly happen to me. (Just sayin'.) These joined a couple different kinds and colors of mums, snapdragons, and some gerbera daisies.
I HAD to take them outdoors for a quick pretend dinner. Nobody ate here, I just borrowed these flowers, set the table and brought it all back in. Usually, if I post a table, we've actually dined there.
You need to see these floral picks up close. Acorns! Hello! The only direction the committee gave me was that they were using copper in the centerpieces, so I went with this copper and brass pan.
So here's the table.
And here's the placesetting!
I started with this burnt orange colored charger that I bought this fall at Hobby Lobby. They had the best colors this year. The light colored wooden handled flatware showed up better on this table cloth than my dark wooden set.
Then I added these cream plates embossed with acorns and oak leaves. I use these so much in the fall.
A picot-edged gold linen napkins separates the plate and this sweet pumpkin dish. If this were a real dinner party, I would choose from a collection of fall soups to serve in it.
Whenever I have a busy tablecloth, I sometimes tend to use more coasters and chargers to separate the dishes from the pattern. This wooden slice serves as a good coaster here.
Here's the glassware I chose. Can't see them too well?
Better?
This was sitting on my kitchen counter, so I added it at the last minute.
And, of course, these acorn salt and peppers joined the party.
I really wanted to sit down and take a rest, but I didn't.
Even without the chair pads, it was inviting.
I'll do a post soon about those fall decorations you see in the background. And I'll show you how these flowers looked at the church event. It was beautiful.
Joining:
Tablescape Thursday
at
Share Your Style (Wed.)
at
Show and Tell Friday
at
The Scoop (Mon.)
at
Inspire Me Tuesday
at
Be Inspired (Tues.)
Table It (Sun.)
at
Home Sweet Home (Fri.)
at
Feathered Nest Friday
at
Wow Us Wednesday
at
Monday Funday
Make It Pretty Monday
at
Fridays Unfold
at
Celebrate It Sunday
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
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.
Joining:
Tablescape Thursday
at
Share Your Style
at
Show and Tell Friday
at
The Scoop
at
Inspire Me Tuesday
at
Be Inspired (Tues.)
Table It
at
Home Sweet Home
at
Feathered Nest Friday
at
Wow Us Wednesday
at
Monday Funday
Make It Pretty Monday
at
Fridays Unfold
at
Celebrate It Sunday
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
