In LOVE with green and blue tablescape

I have found myself smitten; heads over heels; in LOVE with blue and green this summer. I think it all started with a post I did back in February, HERE...

Lovely Scribbles

that featured this table, that I am still head over heels swooning about.

source

And then I posted this table. Still haven't seen blue flowers anywhere!!!

And then came these goblets.

Horchow's when they have their 25-30% off everything sale.

Bahia - green feet on a gorgeous blue bowl.

At Tuesday Morning last week, I found some Waterford place mats in a gorgeous light blue linen. 

They had 8, and then Saturday morning there was another set of 4 (to make 12) on eBay. 

They were meant to be!!

I found that I had a plaid napkin that had both blue and green. Perfect!

Added a white World Market napkin ring.

The Cambridge flatware from Horchow's.

Cabbage plate from Bordallo Pinheiro.

A pasta plate made in Italy with a gorgeous blue edge.

 The white daisies give just the feeling I wanted, relaxed and casual.

The tall etched hurricanes are a Pottery Barn find and the blue vases came from Home Goods in Dallas.

One tip about place mats:

Don't crowd everything onto the place mat, it's better to improvise and or leave off a piece instead of cramming everything on the place mat seam to seam. 

This is some of the hardest working flatware I have.

Are you tired of this color combination already?

Not this year, I am not.

As I was playing around with what to use, I discovered a few combinations that will be perfect. 

Salad on a World Market Passaro plate.

And if I wanted to dress it up, a blue and white china plate with an elegant embroidered napkin.

Totally a very versatile combination.

Cast:

Placemats - Waterford

Cabbage Plates - Bordallo Pinheiro

Pasta Plates - Toscana

Salad Plates - World Market Passaro

Blue and White Salad Plate - Hutschenreuter

Napkin - old but not vintage

Napkin ring - World Market

Flatware - Cambridge from Horchow

Glasses - Bahia from Horchow

Hurricanes - Pottery Barn 

Vases - Home Goods

Thank you so much for dropping in. I so enjoy your company!!

I'll be visiting over at Cuisine Kathleen's on Wednesday evening for Let's Dish

and then over at Susan's Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.

I hope to see you there!

ps... I might have to do one more green and blue table.....

Dining in Tuscany Tablescape

I welcome you to a bit of Tuscany on the table this evening! Some of you might know that I received a fabulous box of gifts from Linda at More Fun Less Laundry last Saturday. So this weekend, It was my chance to put this box of goodies to work!

So I popped "Under the Tuscan Sun" into the player. Now, that I'm into the book, well let's just say things are a bit different in there!

I started with the new lovely placemats and napkins from the 'box'. Added a vintage wooden charger, a dinner plate from the kitchen and the handmade pasta bowls made by my very talented and gifted sister-in-law Becky. Also brought out a patterned napkin and the napkin rings from Pottery Barn.

Can you believe I had all this stuff? Yep... there was no shopping involved in this tablescape. Seriously, it can happen - and often does.

Must have a water pitcher on the table if you want to avoid trips to refill glasses.

A bowl and wooden spoon for the freshly shaved parmesan that will grace the table later on.

A wine decanter helps a red breathe and come to it's most perfect state.

When it's only 4, I avoid setting the end seats.. so much more intimate this way. I thought about putting some rosemary on the table, but the pops of red from the kitchen window geraniums just added the unexpected.

The amber goblet had a deep, wide bowl that also lets a red breathe. My favorite water goblets are back for an encore presentation.

A fresh loaf of bread, some dipping oils to pour into the little yellow bowls. Ooh, I can just taste it now. For those of a less spicy set of taste buds.. the new Frances Mayes olive oil stands at the ready. It's going to be used on the pasta, too.

The dining scenes in the movie had tables laden with food. And more food. Do you see any table in this scene? When my oldest half-brother got married in Provence, dinner was just about 6 hours long! So, I can relate to this table....

So what's a poor girl to do? I pulled out my golden vase, stuffed it with newspaper and piled the kitchen goodies up high.

I also put the bamboo flatware to use today. It gave the table the rustic feel I wanted.

See the ridges in my pasta bowls? Those were created by my sweet sister-in-law's fingers.The wooden chargers were new in 1974. They happened to survive the fire and we sanded and refinished them.

As the sun is setting, I have a pot of pasta ready to cook. Will serve some fresh, homemade spaghetti topped with tomatoes, basil, a bit of garlic and lots of olive oil.

Cast:
Placemats, yellow napkins - Villeroy and Boch (More Fun Less Laundry)
Plaid napkins - Williams Sonoma
Napkin rings - Pottery Barn
Dinner plates - Passaro, World Market
Pasta Bowls - handmade by my sister-in-law
Yellow dipping bowls - Tuesday Morning
Butter dish - Vietri
Dark Bamboo Flatware - available at Horchows on line
Gold goblets - Stein Mart?
Water goblets - French, handblown, Santa Fe, NM
Barley Twist candlesticks - auction
Golden jug/vase - One King's Lane
Wine Decanter - World Market
Water pitcher - Fitz and Floyd

I hope you've enjoyed your short sojourn to Tuscany today. Let's drop on over to Cuisine Kathleen's for Let's Dish on Wednesday and then see what's happening over at Susan's Between Naps on the Porch on Thursday... great parties. Hope to see you there.

Something to crow about tablescape

We've been extremely blessed with extraordinarily warm weather these past two weeks (I set this table March 26, 2011!). The bulbs are not blooming yet, but the wisteria is providing a gorgeous backdrop and lending it's heavenly scent to our home. What could be better than a later than usual breakfast outside?

Made the tablecloth myself. G-Street Fabrics in Rockville, MD carries fabrics that are tablecloth width! I was in heaven. Had I been able to foresee that I would quit my favorite job with Bernina, I would have purchased yardages in everything in stock.  Blue handled flatware suits this setting perfectly.

Delightful yellow daisy mums in a white Wedgwood pitcher. What's breakfast without a rooster pitcher to deliver the orange juice?

Our new kitchen dishes, I simply adore their ethnicity, topped with a golden bowl inside which rests one of my collection of Gail Pittman eggs.  Was able to visit her studio in Ridgeland, Mississippi years ago. I certainly wish I had purchased everything there way! (Thanks for the best memories Marlo!)

I know roosters don't lay eggs, but loved how they looked on the table, especially this close to Easter.

Mrs. Fitz and Mr. Floyd are preened and ready to dispense salt and pepper, should they be needed.

My favorite butter dish, a piece of Vietri in a most fabulous shade of green!

Our favorite coffee mugs, handmade by my dear sister-in-law Becky. She threw the clay, formed the mugs, glazed and fired and sent them on their way to our table.

My favorite glasses ( right now) - Mikasa French Countryside. I love their curvy-ness, their weight, their beauty. Most of all I'm a sucker for a flared glass.

I placed the napkin between the large plate and the smaller plate (today for sliced fruit) which adds a bit of definition between the two plates. The smaller plate has a wonderful peacock on it. Passaro, World Market.

A beautiful, old, silver, toast holder. I actually used it for it's intended purpose today. Usually it holds cocktail napkins.

Cast:

Tablecloth - made by me from fabric at G-Street Fabrics

Plates - Passaro, World Market

Bowls - "B" - TJMaxx

Flatware - Horchow

Glasses - Mikasa - French Countryside

Mugs - Becky LeBoeuf originals

Napkins - very old and well loved

Chargers - Pier One

Butter dish - Vietri

Rooster salt and pepper - Fitz and Floyd

Rooster pitcher - Cracker Barrel, OKC, "egged" on by my dear friends Faith and Barbara

Eggs - Gail Pittman

 Thank you so much for dropping in, your comments spur me on my creative journey. I hope you enjoyed your visit today as much I enjoyed bringing you this breakfast scape. I'm linking to Susan's delightful party, Tablescape Thursday, at Between Naps on the Porch. Please feel welcomed to the wonderful blogparty she hosts for all of who love our dishes.

I am humbled by the many people who visit, follow and comment. Acknowledging that you give your time to me brings me to my knees. So In return, my napkin giveaway is a little bit of my time as a gift to you.  If  Dianne of Dianne's Creative Table would look at Embroidery Arts (click HERE) and select your favorite monogram style, select which letter you want embroidered, decide what color the monogram should be on the white napkins, and then email me back, I'll be able to get your new set of napkins to you in a timely manner! Congratulations Dianne, I hope you have many happy meals using these!