Happy Monday!
It’s always a happy Monday for me when I join my blogging friends
for some flower therapy and Monday Morning Blooms!
You can find my blogging friends’ links to their floral inspiration at the bottom of this post.
We had some beautiful fall weather of this weekend with highs in the 60s and clear blue skies,
a wonderful and welcome change after the soaking rains from
tropical storm Delta moving through last weekend.
Fall is my favorite season and cooler temperatures and seasonal weather inspired me
to play with three my favorite things. . .pumpkins, flowers and dishes!
Endless Summer Hydrangeas have deepened and transformed to a purplish-green hue.
The blooms are ready to dry when they start to feel ‘papery’.
Hydrangeas are sprinkled down the length of the table mixing with small pumpkins,
gourds, mums and Autumn Blaze maple leaves.
This is a favorite method and organic way to create a natural runner for the table,
placing your elements next to one down the center of the table.
Choose your elements to coordinate with your theme or dinnerware,
as in this Pumpkin-Oak Leaf Runner for Thanksgiving or
create an edible runner with pomegranates, artichokes, apples and pears.
There are no rules other than to keep every thing low enough to see over
so as to not interfere with conversation while dining.
Mercury glass votives add a little shimmer and soft glow to the runner. . .
And mums were placed in larger mercury glass candle holders,
filled with water and serving as vases.
I sprinkled some daisy mums throughout the runner.
Small mum blooms will easily last 4 – 6 hours without water.
Use floral water tubes for individual stems as needed and
arranging your table in advance to prolong the life of the flowers.
Animal friends have donned their party hats and gathered at the table
to celebrate our glorious autumn weather!
Fanciful portraits of animals by Vicki Sawyer provide some whimsy and bring smiles to the table.
Artist Vicki Sawyer was inspired by an idea she had one day while walking–
“If birds can build nests, then they can make hats”.
Vicki Sawyer’s art was inspired by the natural world:
“I grew up in a charming 1850 home we shared with my grandparents near Pittsburgh, PA. My grandfather, who farmed the land and raised chickens, taught me how to identify plants on our hikes together. My mother’s joy in painting and the arts taught me to be visually aware, and my father’s love for birds kick-started a lifelong curiosity for the expansive beauty of the bird and animal world.”
“My works are seriously painted, but whimsical.”
With over 2,500 paintings of birds and other animals wearing natural hats,
Vicki Sawyer has perfected the art of serious whimsy!
A Goldfinch couple wear floral top hats. . .
Miranda the Duck is wearing a fanciful headdress of green onions. . .
Bianca the Sheep is pleased to meet *ewe* :) . . .
And the Snow Queen Owl looks regal in her crown of purple thistle!
Table Details:
Vicki Sawyer Plates / Paperproducts Design, Amazon
Harvest Pumpkin Wreath Dinner Plates / Williams Sonoma, used here
Burnished copper chargers / Hobby Lobby, several years ago
Wood chargers / World Market, several years ago
Tablecloth / April Cornell, used here
Flatware / Towle Seville
Copper Mule Mugs / Target, several years ago
Napkins / Pier 1
Visit my flower friends to see their floral inspiration this week:
Pam at Everyday Living
Lidy at FrenchGardenHouse
Shirley at Housepitality Designs
As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase anything through an affiliate link, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Thank you for your visit, sharing with:
Between Naps on the Porch
OK…besides my hubby, this put the 2nd smile on my face this morning (the coffee is 3rd)! Your most beautiful table runner of beautiful pumpkins, gourds and the bounty of your garden is the perfect, perfect centerpiece to compliment the most fabulous plates. Yes, serious whimsy they are! Those plates would truly lift anyone’s spirits. i think those plates were truly had you in mind!
You delight us each day with creativity, beauty, and so many smiles Mary! Truly a wonderful pleasure being your MMB friend! Have a most serious whimsical day on this glorious Fall day!
VIcki Sawyer’s artwork is terrific and just the perfect element for those of us who take our tablescaping as serious fun! Your organix runners are always so lush. Wow, those endless summer hydrangeas are absolutely outstanding in their color! ove the look of that flatware too. Enjoy this beautiful weather, Mary. My guess is you’re putting the garden to bed these days.
Good morning, Mary. You always have so much fun setting your tables and this one makes me smile. The table runner of pumpkins and the purplish-greenish hydrangeas is so stunning and full of autumn’s bounty. I love Vicky Sawyer’s art and these plates are so whimsical. Miranda the duck’s headdress of onions has to be my favorite. The AC tablecloth, plate stack, copper mules, and flatware all combine for a beautiful autumn table. It is always a happy Monday to share MMB’s with you. Wishing you a beautiful day 🍂🧡🍁
Mary, your colors are glorious for autumn. I love your runner of gourds, pumpkins, flowers and votives. I’m envious of your luscious hydrangeas still blooming and such a glorious color. All the flowers you chose to highlight added texture and color so well.Your runner is so lush and perfect to compliment your plaid fall AC tablecloth and amazing dishes. Those plates ooze with personality and whimsy.Leave it to you to find such cute paper products to be the icing on the cake along with the Harvest Wreath pumpkin plates. Such a fun and creative table.
Enjoy this beautiful weather.
Mary, Your tablescape with the natural runner is gorgeous! The tablecloth paired with those beautiful plates and chargers is perfect! Love the copper mugs too. The whimsical salad plates are so cute and we look great with your WS dinner plates. Enjoy your day! Clara ♥️🍁
Oh Mary, there is so much to love about this table! The whimsical plates are such conversation starters for all your guests. Your floral table runner with candles and gourds is a work of art. Those endless summer hydrangeas are stunning!! Thanks for sharing your creativity with us.
Be still my heart, you’ve outdone yourself Mary! LOVE the gourds, pumpkins and colorful flower runner, and combined with the incredible Vicky Sawyer plates and the WS plates, my color loving artist heart is on overload! Fabulous!
Jenna
Stunning! Happy Fall
Lucky you with fall temps, I adore Miranda! Hosting garden club this week and I had your same thought for the table except to hot to sprinkle flowers without instant wilt. Such a charming group of party hatters, the name paper products threw me, I thought how can those dishes be paper plates! Keep bringing on the fall photos, I love seeing these warm wonder colors for months!
Wow!! This table is so so beautiful!! I am so inspired, Mary, as I may have to host Thanksgiving in the garden, and this look is perfect for that. Those colors! Those plates! Your talent!!! It’s always a joy to share our Monday Morning Blooms with you, dear friend.
Exquisite table! Stunning dishes and gorgeous tablecloth!
Hmmm the colors of a Flemish still life, dark, brooding as well as brilliant. Love the combination. Sandi
Spectacular! Your table runner of pumpkins, gourds, leaves and those exquisite hydrangeas is breathtaking. And those plates grabbed me at hello! Wow! What an impact of fun and beauty!
Loved it all… thank you Mary.
Happy Monday!
Gorgeous Mary! I’m in love with the vivid colors and elements of your runner! Could those VS plates be anymore perfect with those WS plates?!! I visited Amazon via your links and was happy to see those plates were bone china and not paper. I would have assumed like a couple people above that they were paper too with a company name like paper products designs! Thank you for the table fun and sharing your talent with us. I always enjoy you girls’ ‘blooms’ posts.
Love the touch of purple Mary! We had our first frost on Sunday, Happy Fall:@)
Jut beautiful Mary! I love the colors and your hydrangeas are so gorgeous for so late in the season !
I love it when you do these LIVE runners, and this one is perfect. Now, question: are the animal plates paper?? They don’t look like it but when you listed the sources, that’s what I thought? In any case, I love them and the dinner plates are fabulous! Have a beautiful Fall week, Mary!
Thank you Pinky! Paperproducts Designs makes napkins and tabletop accessories, but the plates are bone china. :)
Love your pumpkin / mum runner and placing the mum’s in the mercury votives are especially beautiful. Vicky’s plates crack me up and bring smiles. I agree Miss Owl looks very regal in her lovely crown of purple thistle and the others are pretty darn cute too.
BOUNTIFUL & BEAUTIFUL!! My favorite is those bird plates!! They real make the table a conversation place!! 🎃🍠🍎🍐🍑🍏
Mary, this is such a fun, whimsical fresh table. Love every detail!!! I’ve long been a fan of Vicki Sawyer’s art. I remember the first time I saw her work was in early 2000. I’ve been tempted to needlepoint one of her designs that are now available on canvsas to stitch. The whimsy is perfection!
The WS plates are a nice frame for the whimsical plates. Makes me want to shop! 🤗
Love your whimsical bird plates. And your variety of warty gourds
Vicki Sawyer already a favorite. They bring such joy. So many ideas you have given us. Thx🌻
What a fun table, love the birds and their hats and your natural arrangement of fall flowers, gourds and pumpkins. Thanks for an inspiring table
Mary, This table and your runner is one of your best yet. I love the combination of flowers, gourds, pumpkins. I love the whimsy of the plates and they’re beautifully paired with the rich plaid colors of the tablecloth.
I would love to see you at work! Such beauty with the layers of textures and color from the materials in the runner to the plates and chargers. You’re a master!
I can’t help but smile when I see Vicky Sawyer’s designs. I love the depth you’ve given the table with the patterns and textures and the vibrant floral colors. Captures autumn perfectly!