Memorial Day kicks off the summer
boating season on the lake!
Although we generally refrain from boating on major holidays to avoid the crowds, we have been known to weigh anchor early in the morning or enjoy a late evening cruise.
In anticipation of the holiday, I’m setting sail into summer with appetizer boats and wooden buoys from Pottery Barn for a nautical and patriotic table!
A “ready-refill” at Lowe’s was proudly hailing its patriotism with a combination of white petunias, red verbena, and blue lobelia.
Drop your refill in your pot, and anchor some flags for quick decorating & smooth sailing into the holiday weekend!
I found an Americana Plaid Seersucker Tablecloth from Kohl’s to top a red quilt for the table. Baskets serving as chargers were brought ashore from HomeGoods several years ago.
Flatware, resembling rope, adds a nautical
touch along with mini glass buoys.
Red, white & blue striped napkins from World Market are casually knotted on the port side of the basket.
We filled our boats with a recipe from Southern Living’s collection of Quick & Delicious Summer Salads for an easy summer meal after watching a regatta on the lake last summer.
Shrimp Salad with a Lemon-Basil Marinade.
A refreshing summer salad and a combination I have had before, with the exception of Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette~ a surprisingly delicious addition, which added just a little heat in contrast to the salty cheese and sweet melon!
The newest ship added to our fleet,
found docked at HomeGoods~
a boat cooler for beverages.
Of course Memorial Day has a much more important significance than boating & picnics. . . it commemorates U.S. soldiers who died while in military service.
First enacted to honor Union and Confederate soldiers following the American Civil War, it was extended after World War I to honor Americans who have died in all wars.
A day to recognize, reflect, and remember
how fortunate we are to live in freedom.
Anchors Aweigh Table Details:
Dishes/Food Network™ Cafe Red & Blue Dinnerware, Kohl’s
Americana Plaid Seersucker Tablecloth/ Kohl’s
Goblets/ Dollar Tree
Flatware & Napkins/ World Market
Baskets & Boat Cooler/ HomeGoods
Buoys, Appetizer Boats/ Pottery Barn
Wishing you a Safe & Happy Memorial Day!
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Posted in Boats, Memorial Day, Tablescape
Tagged Americana® Plaid Seersucker Tablecloth, Enamelware boat dish, Food Network™ Cafe Red and Blue Dinnerware, HomeGoods, Kohl's, LaKe Norman NC, patriotic table, Pottery Barn wood buoys, red white & blue
I’m at the table embracing a little garden & cottage style
that blossomed from some dish inspiration~
Pfaltzgraff’s Tea Rose, blooming since 1985,
continues to be a thriving and popular pattern~
A pattern that blends traditional romance
of roses with a touch of the English countryside.
A patchwork quilt with a blooming field of flowers is the foundation for the table and complement the delicate watercolor roses of the Tea Rose dinnerware.
A favorite birdhouse with a little rosebud detail
is part of the casual and garden-style centerpiece~
joining some books, a pitcher, small watering can,
pair of finials, and a flower-nibbling bunny.
The scalloped edges of the stoneware are paired
with lightly distressed carved white chargers.
Watercolor roses, reminiscent of a cottage garden,
trail along the borders of the salad and dinner plates.
Pink azaleas and rose-blooming napkins,
along with some Snowball Viburnum,
add a little garden variety.
My Garden Style leans toward “cottage”. . . a style is that relaxed, colorful, fun, and a tad shabby or well-lived and loved~ like my husband’s grandmother’s rose pitcher, that’s been broken and reglued but still makes pretty a vase with the break hidden beneath the blooms.
Cottage style has less regard for rules
and is more about using what you love~
My preferred method of tablescaping!
In keeping with cottage style, quilts provide a soft foundation for the table and are multi-taskers, since they go from the table to the bed, on a picnic and can be thrown in the washing machine.
Best of all, they need no ironing :)
A pair of faux eggs and a found nest are
tucked in a deep soup/cereal bowl.
The bowl holds 24 ounces when
it’s not nesting season :)
The season for flowers and butterflies, I picked
my oversized flatware with botanical designs to bring
some additional blooms to the table again this week.
Rose shape dessert plates add an additional
floral & feminine accent~ just the right size for
an appetizer, bread, dessert or to use for tea time.
To bring romance with a touch of the English countryside to the table, click here:
to receive 20% off 1 item in the Tea Rose Collection now through May 31!
Tea Rose Table Details:
*Tea Rose Dinnerware/Pfaltzgraff
White carved chargers/ Pier 1
Flatware/ Portmeirion Botanic Garden, HomeGoods
Green gobets & Napkins/ HomeGoods
Quilt/Kohl’s
*Lifetime Brands’ products have been provided free of charge in exchange for promotional consideration.
“In one’s garden a person may be one’s own artist
without apology or explanation. Here is one spot
where each may experience the romance of possibility.”
~Louise Beebe Wilder
“At one’s table, a person may be one’s own artist
without apology or explanation.”
~ Me :)
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I’m at the table with a mosaic of vibrant colors and elements~
a flowering centerpiece, butterflies,
Definition of mosaic:
noun
-
a picture or pattern produced by arranging together small colored pieces of hard material, such as stone, tile, or glass
-
a colorful and variegated pattern
-
a combination of diverse elements forming a more or less coherent whole
The Pfaltzgraff Mosaic dinnerware collection brings the vibrant colors of nature to the table. The bright white stoneware is surrounded by a green mosaic tiled rim, adorned with vivid and colorful flowers and butterflies.
Butterflies have winged their way to the table not only on the dinnerware, but also on glasses, napkin rings, a runner and are fluttering among the blooms in the centerpiece.
A butterfly adorned garden stool migrated from its normal habitat in a bedroom for a tray to alight with mugs and 20 ounce bowls~ convenient for soup, cereal or a generous serving of ice cream.
Napkins with burgeoning flowers are pulled through napkin ring to mimic oversize butterfly wings and are in bloom with the vivid colors of the Mosaic pattern.
A planter is filled with blue lobelia, yellow biden, and red verbena for a bright centerpiece~ an irresistible source of nectar for butterflies found colonizing at Michaels.
To bring the vibrant colors of
nature to the table click here:
to receive 20% off 1 item in the
Mosaic Collection now through May 31!
Mosaic & Butterflies Table Details:
*Mosaic Dinnerware/ Pfaltzgraff
Watercolor Butterfly Runner & Napkin Rings/ Pier 1
Food Network™ Fresh Bouquet Napkins/ Kohl’s
Placemats/ Pottery Barn
Flatware/ Portmeirion Botanic Garden, HomeGoods
Green Goblets & Butterfly Glasses/ HomeGoods
*Lifetime Brands’ products have been provided free of charge in exchange for promotional consideration.
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I’m sending you flowers for Mother’s Day!
Click on the links to pick a bouquet or have a bite :)
Oakleaf Hydrangeas
and a Strawberry Bellini~
and Camellias~
Lilacs and Open Face Cucumber Sandwiches
Frosted Brownie Bites with Violas~
Lilacs & Viburnum~
and a Cake for Flower Fairies!
Sunflowers & a Lemon Sherbet Float
Viola Crepes & Pansy Syrup
Wishing you a delicious and
flower-filled Mother’s Day!
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After a long rainy weekend, I’m at the table enjoying some welcome sunshine, flowers and dining al fresco with the vibrant collection of Villa della Luna dinnerware!
Inspired by centuries-old traditions of Italian ceramics, the fleur bowls have a warm terra cotta interior that I filled with an assortment of decorative pasta for the table.
Cheery Sunflowers, synonymous with Tuscany, fill a green urn as a centerpiece, along with some Purple Statice also known as Sea Lavender that might be found growing on the rugged Italian coast near Villa della Luna in Dancing with the Moon.
The wine glasses as well as the dinner plates
are bordered with a classic acanthus leaf design.
Dancing with the Moon continues with the adventures of Mademoiselle J that began in The Secrets of Pistoulet.
In Dancing with the Moon, Mademoiselle J embarks on her journey from France to Italy with magical recipes that contribute wisdom for her journey such as Transformational Moon Crescents, The Risotto of Welcomes and Beginnings, and Pasta Vivante, for those who are afraid of the passion of life.
In addition to recipes, Dancing with the Moon is a vivid tactile experience filled with interactive elements such as gatefold doors, concealed treasures, tarot cards, and passports.
More than a book, it is an open-hearted invitation to learn and to love.
I paired napkins from Bed, Bath & Beyond with the dinnerware that are reversible~ with stripes on one side and a floral print on the other~ folded to show both patterns.
Pedestal mugs offer breadsticks at the table and hold 12 ounces of cappuccino, hot chocolate, or tea.
Square wine tapas plates are ideal for side dishes, small desserts, and can also serve double-duty as bread plates or hors d’oeuvres.
A sugar bowl & creamer set are versatile enough to do double duty~ serving additional cheese, condiments, or salad dressing.
The scalloped salad plates add some mix-and-match possibilities and interest used alone or with the dinner plate or bowls.
A vibrant covered butter dish can keep your butter fresh at the table or Wisdom-Enhancing Amaretti concealed until someone is in need of guidance :)
Villa della Luna table details:
*Dinnerware & Stems/ Villa della Luna by Pfaltzgraff
Tablecloth, coverlet/ Kohl’s
Flatware & Chargers/ World Market
Napkins/ Bed, Bath & Beyond
Urn/HomeGoods, many moons :) ago
Assorted pasta/from kitchen jars, found at HomeGoods
*Lifetime Brands’ products have been provided free of charge in exchange for promotional consideration.
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I have tablescapes languishing deep in the archives~ I thought I’d revisit and share one a month~
This table is from April 2011, the salad plates are still some of my favorite blooming dishes and the quilt is one I’ve used most recently for Easter with a runner.
I hope you enjoy revisiting a celebration of blooms at the table!
I picked a bouquet of flowers from Pottery Barn
to bring the garden to the table~
I can enjoy Magnolia blossoms
now instead of June. . .
My Bridal Wreath Spirea is at the table
woven around the handle of a watering can~
Ready to sprinkle on the delicate
fields of flowers sprouting on my quilt~
Tulips are blooming. . .
Hydrangeas are flowering. . .
And the Harbinger of Spring, Daffodils,
have arrived in the form of a platter & plate,
A few visitors have arrived
from the garden. . .
Moving at a snail’s pace,
in the form of napkin rings~
And buzzing around the flatware~
Floral Salad Plates & Snail Napkin Rings/ Pottery Barn
Green Dinner Plates & Goblets/ HomeGoods
Ivory Chargers/Matceramica/HomeGoods
Rattan Chargers/ World Market
Napoleon Bee Flatware/ Horchow
Napkins/Stein Mart
Hoping your garden will soon be
brimming with bulbs & blooms!
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I’m at the table with a little farmhouse style inspired by
the rustic charm of Antiqued Hen by Pfaltzgraff.
I raided the hen house aka Potting Shed :)
for the table~ in search of galvanized watering cans,
a salvaged shutter, and my most recent find~
a chicken feeder that was freshly hatched
from a local antique mall, with plans
to plant some violas in it this spring.
I was drawn to the remnants of red paint on the feeder~ the worn patina adding a little country charm to the table.
It’s filled with excelsior to help cushion and hold eggs and daisies as a centerpiece at the table.
The starting point or pecking order :)
for the table was a quilt and a shutter~
which functions as a runner.
A quilt was a natural choice to add some farmhouse style and my table covering of choice since they multitask on beds, tables, for picnics, and best of all, need no ironing.
A single embossed hen adorns the top of the Antiqued Hen dinnerware, bordered by a subtle vine that rims the scalloped edges of the collection~ constructed of earthenware that is microwave and dishwasher safe.
The wire chicken basket is part of the Antiqued Hen collection~ just the right size to hold 8 inch salad plates or bowls for a buffet for your guests or flock :)
The table is set to help you Rise & Shine
with some muffins, fruit, yogurt & granola.
Mason jars serve as glasses
next to a pitcher with juice
and Antiqued Hen Egg Cup.
Mugs hold a 20 ounce serving of coffee or tea~
a generous size guaranteed
to help you Rise & Shine!
A lidded half-gallon glass jar is filled with fresh fruit, a size
handy for serving family or farmhouse style~
also a convenient size for serving granola or salad.
A creamer and sugar bowl are waiting to be filled~ the sugar bowl with your sweetener of choice or as a chicken coop to house teabags.
A 28 ounce handled soup mug is offering up yogurt, while an 18 ounce fruit bowl is filled with granola.
Antiqued Hen canisters hold baking staples,
freshly baked treats,
or keep your flatware
casually corralled together.
Rise & Shine Table Details:
*Dinnerware, Wire Basket/ Antiqued Hen by Pfaltzgraff
Flatware/ Pottery Barn
Napkins/Pier 1
Glass Jar/ Anchor Hocking
*Lifetime Brands’ products have been provided free of charge in exchange for promotional consideration.
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April 6th is National Tartan Day!
I had every intention of setting a table in celebration but it’s been a busy two weeks with Easter.
My wee bonnie lasses joined the Tartan Parade in blogland last year, so I’m flaunting their plaiditude again this year in celebration!
Chloe & Gracie are Mad for Plaid and joining the Tartan Parade to celebrate National Tartan Day April 6th!
They love a good cookie parade and
were begging to join in the fun :)
Sporting plaid knit sweaters much too warm
for the weather~ they agreed to
a little bribery modeling . . .
There are plenty of treats for
plaid-wearing-pups and parade attendees!
You can help yourself to a cupcake here.
With plaid cupcake liners for your
party or parade available here.
Chloe & Gracie were hoping to don an authentic tartan from
the preferred tartan clothier of discriminating canines.
And join the ranks of Clan MacHowl~ the honorary clan for dogs who wear distinctive tartan dog fashions.
You can select tartan swatches from The Heelan’ Hound~ with over 500 authentic Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Canadian and military tartans available.
They’re keeping their paws crossed that they can sport an authentic kilt-coat next year :)
Plaid Blanket/ Crate & Barrel
Plates/ Ralph Lauren Skylar Rose/ HomeGoods
Woven Chargers/ World Market
Chloe & Gracie wish you Happy National Tartan Day and encourage you to flaunt your plaiditude!
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A-Tisket, A-Tasket,
I filled an Easter Basket. . .
With some hydrangeas and bunny-approved veggies,
along with a few Easter Eggs
for a casual Easter table centerpiece!
Bunnies are hiding among the flowers
on the runner and napkins~
They also hide among the salad greens with
Necessity is the mother of invention
in tablescaping on occasion,
so ruffly Salad Savoy surrounds
blooming egg cups~
I found Tulip Egg Cups hidden like an Easter Egg
recently in Pottery Barn for 75% off!
I discovered later they are a wee bit large to hold eggs. . .
hence the discount :)
So the eggs are held in place with
a small glue dot and with
Salad Savoy filling in the gaps~
The Tulip Cups are better sized for
and
Bordallo Pinheiro Bunny Plates have been been cooped up in the bunny hutch and are making a tabletop debut, found a year ago at Tuesday Morning.
The basket centerpiece has a few bunny favorites including a favorite flower to nibble on~ hydrangea, along with brussels sprouts, lettuce and asparagus.
Runner, Napkins & Egg Cups/ Pottery Barn
Flatware/ Portmeirion Botanic Garden
White Plates/ Paula Deen Whitaker
Bunny Plates/Bordallo Pinheiro, Tuesday Morning
Goblets/HomeGoods
Woven Chargers/ Pier1 & World Market
Quilted Coverlet/ Kohl’s
Wishing you & your family a Happy Easter!
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Easter’s on its way and I’ve been
Here are few posts from the archives, click on the links to hop over for a peep or a taste :)
Salad of Mixed Baby Greens & Edible Flowers
and Chilled Carrot Soup
& A Peeps Centerpiece~
Hope you’re making preparations
for the Easter Bunny’s arrival!
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