Table for Six......

Now that summer has just about settled in, we have been spending more time enjoying the outdoors. I still have a lot of work to do; I usually fill my deck with many pots of flowers but that has to wait until all of the 2 families of groundhogs are relocated from under my deck!! We have had 9 taken away so far and there are still several under there!! So the flowers will have to wait, otherwise they become a continual buffet for them, and I am not setting my table for the groundhogs!!

So, in my wooded yard (amongst the wildlife!!), I decided to set a table for dinner. The table I set outdoors is a little more playful than what I would set indoors. Inside I favor an all white setting. I generally use all white dishes, clear crystal, white or yellow flowers with a pop of green. On occasion I add more color with flowers or the glassware, but I favor a clean crisp table, letting the food take center stage. Outdoors I thought I'd have a little fun. I used a white table cloth so the blue and yellow accents would pop. I centered the table with a pot of big sunflowers with a hint of purple stasis. I surrounded these with little bunches of yellow gerbera daisies and little seafoam green dishes with votives. My place settings were a set of blue and white flowered Spode salad plates sitting on top of a white plate rimmed with a basket weave. I used a deco inspired blue glass with a green stem for wine and paired that with a blue and white water goblet. Hanging above is a candelier.
I like the way the blue and white setting appears crisp against the wooded yard and the rustic stone of the house. Even though I used a lot of "mismatched" elements on the table, the similarity of color pulled it together. It could have appeared "hodgepodge" but by using different glasses and flowers with the same color make them uniform and pleasing to the eye.

Today's little luxury is to have some fun with an outdoor table setting. Do something different than you would do indoors, be a little playful. Use real dishes and linens, like you would indoors and accent with flowers and candles. I don't think there is anything more relaxing than dining outdoors, as long as the groundhogs don't join us!!!!

A Little Bit of Thanksgiving in the Springtime......

Today is a dreary spring day. It is cold outside, it is probably going to rain, I have a ton of laundry to do, I have a lot of things to figure out for work.... the list goes on and on. I decided I am going to sit back, with a cup of my new favorite blend of coffee, Starbucks Komodo Dragon, rich and bold with splash of Horizon's vanilla milk in it (yum!!), and take a few minutes to think about things I have to be thankful for today. A little bit of Thanksgiving in the springtime to help me recharge!!!

Even in the most stressful of times we all have a lot to be thankful for. In our everyday hectic lives, with kids having to be carted from one place to the next, work, laundry, dishes to be done, feeling there is no time for ourselves; I think we loose track of the bigger picture, I know I do!! Taking the luxury of a few minutes, in the midst of all that needs to be done, to have a relaxing cup of tea or coffee and think of the things that you are happy about or are thankful for, is like a refresher for the soul!!

The picture above is from Thanksgiving Day a few years ago. A few minutes, after the picture was taken, the table was full of food, family and wine!! We had 30 for dinner that year (there are other tables set beyond this one!!). It was a fun day. I had a lot of fun setting the tables, arranging the flowers and helping prepare the food. I like the simplicity of the table setting, I used drinking glasses for the vases, kept the flower arrangements very natural and free form, surrounded votive candles with little yellow pumpkins and used my Great Aunt's dishes, topped with a simple linen napkin (ironing 30 napkins was not so simple!!) I used wooden trays, on the buffet, to hold drink mixes and the red wine (the white wine was being properly chilled!!). I like to keep Thanksgiving tables simple and elegant because the day really is about food, family and friends!! I let the company shine!!

Taking a few minutes to think back to that day of fun, food, family and friends (not to forget the wine!!), has made me feel much better to take on all that this day has to offer. Today, take some time to give yourself the luxury of being thankful. It can be as simple as remembering a special event, as I did. A little bit of Thanksgiving in the springtime can go a long way!!!!

Mixing it up!!

Above photo: Mix of high end, low end and second hand finds.

One thing I love to do is shop Estate Sales, Antique Stores and used furniture stores for interesting accessories and table ware. It started when I fell in love with the turquoise colored McCoy pottery. I found my first piece years ago, before Martha Stewart made it popular and the prices go way up !! Then I started scouring antique sales looking for more pieces. The thrill of the hunt was addicting to me!! I was so excited when I'd find a piece that was in my color range, in good condition and an interesting shape. As I was searching for my pottery, I noticed that there were a lot of other good finds in these stores. If you have a discerning eye and patience, you can find lovely things for your home. You need time to do this, because you will have to search thru a lot of junk to find the gems.

To get an elegant look with Estate Sale or Flea Market finds, you have to mix it up. The mix is the key, unless you are going for a kitchy or Shabby Chic look. The above photo is an example of a mix of higher end retail items, lower end retail items and second hand finds. I will dissect the look and tell you why it works:

Dishes: Wedgewood china dinner plate (bought retail), Haviland china scalloped salad plate and cup and saucer (Estate Sale). Got a real find with the Haviland at an Estate Sale. Had to buy a whole set, most of it was chipped. I had to throw out all the dinner plates, but ended up with a nice set of salad plates, cups and saucers, cream and sugar and dessert plates.

Stemware: Vera Wang for Wedgewood champagne flute (bought retail), cordial glass and wine glass (Estate Sale)

Vases: Waterford tall vase (bought retail), round crystal vase and curved crystal serving dish (Estate Sale), fluted vodka glass, used as a vase holding 2 roses (Pier 1)

Candle sticks: Both retail, 1 Orrefors from a department store and 1 from TJ Maxx.

Linen Napkin: Estate Sale.

Why this setting works: The dishes are all in the same color range. The dinner plate is white and the cup, saucer and salad plate are slightly cream. The dinner plate is plain and the salad plate has a scalloped edge. The patterns and color are not competing but compliment each other; the modern look of the dinner plate is a nice compliment to the vintage look of the salad plate and cup and saucer and allows it to look current, not too vintage. The vases and crystal all have a similiar cut, but have interesting shapes, some tall, some short and have the same flower in them keeping it simple and not too busy. Varying heights help with the interest.

Remember this when shopping second hand and mixing it into your table settings; look for undamaged pieces, sometimes you will have to discard some pieces of a set to have a smaller set of nice, undamaged pieces. Keep it simple, a monochromatic color scheme works well when mixing from different sets, let the shapes shine!! If using a variety of vases, simplify the flowers, one type of flower in all the vases looks formal and elegant. Don't be afraid to use something for other than it's intended use, ex. the vodka glass used as a vase. Most of all have fun, buy what you like and experiment with mixing!!