Tablescape Thursday ~ Looking Forward To Fall!

Please join Susan @ Between Naps On The Porch to view her always beautifully creative tablescape and then click on the others who have opted to join in the fun this week!

Today I set the table in the dining room for a family dinner tonight, I'm happy the Fall season will soon be upon us so I set the table with that mind.




Once again I am using some leaf-shaped doilies as placemats:




Our dinner plates and salad plates are from one of our everyday sets:




The bread plates are actually a set of dessert plates that I had picked up at TJ Maxx last year:



I'm not crazy about the bowls that came with this set, so I'm using some other bowls that I found a few summers ago in a little shop in Southampton, Long Island, NY:

(There are two of each color and design.)










The flatware and the amber crackled glasses are also from everyday sets:






The napkins were bought at the Ralph Lauren Home outlet (on sale they were packaged four @ $5.99):



The napkin rings were purchased at the Pottery Barn outlet store (on sale for ninety-seven cents apiece):




The centerpiece is a large vase that I had purchased at Bombay many years ago and I filled it with silk flowers (they're not really Fall flowers or colors but I have a weakness for Bells of Ireland):





I surrounded the vase with the trunk candles purchased at the Pottery Barn outlet (I used one of these in another of my tablescapes a few weeks ago), and I used some other items from around the house that make me think of Autumn:




I used my little owl votive holder too, just because he makes me smile!








Happy Tablescape Thursday!
Happy Fall!

Be sure to join Susan @ Between Naps On The Porch for more tablescapes!

Kitchens I Love!

These are kitchens I could feel very much at home in. And every one of these kitchens has a vintage quality to it. And most of these kitchens are white and bright. So when we renovated our kitchen and I had the opportunity to create anything my heart desired, why did I choose a style of kitchen with a more modern edge rather than vintage? Why did I choose cherry wood cabinets instead of white or a chippy painted finish? And why did I choose Dakota Mahogany granite counter tops instead of wood or white marble?!
I know my husband is still very happy with the choices I made (he always says that shabby chic is not good for resale value as it only appeals to a small market ~ keep it simple is his motto), and while I am not UNhappy with my choices, the shabby chic girl inside of me is still longing for tattered elegance.

Picture Sources:
The Lettered Cottage
Cottage Home Decorating
Coastal Living
Country Living
Retro-kitchen
New Orleans Lady
Dominion

Tablescape Thursday ~ It's A Rooster Party!

I have used my rooster dishes to celebrate both Tablescape Thursday hosted by Susan @ Between Naps On The Porch and also the Rooster Party on Friday hosted by Barb @ Bella Vista. A big thank you to both of these talented, creative, generous women!
Please visit Susan for Tablescape Thursday.



And then make sure to visit Barb and join in the fun of her Show Us Your Roosters Party!



I have been participating in Tablescape Thursday for a few months now and I've enjoyed visiting the many innovative blogs that have been giving me so many tips and so many wonderful ideas! Today my tablescape is all about the rooster!


I started my tablescape off by laying down a runner with colors that complimented the colors of both my dining table and my dishes :



And I also used lace placemats in the shape of leaves:



I used my rooster dinner plates and salad bowls for this place setting:




The napkins were purchased many years ago with matching placemats and pot holders (long ago discarded).


The glassware was purchased a few years ago at Target.


The flatware is one of our everyday sets, a recent purchase from Target.



The salt and pepper shakers were purchased at a small country store.

I'm not really into country decor, but there is something about roosters that I love so much!



Two serving dishes came with this dishware set, they are a perfect size for holding side dishes of vegetables.


The serving pasta platter doesn't belong to the dishware set, I purchased this because I loved the gigantic size of it, we can load it up with a whole twenty-five pound turkey at Thanksgiving! Plus I loved the handsome rooster!










I have many, many, many roosters, unfortunately most of my roosters are wrapped carefully, boxed, and packed away in the attic. And it's still much too hot here to climb into the attic to retrieve them, but I do have a few favorites that I keep out always. These two little ones I usually keep on my kitchen window sill, the glass one is so beautiful with the sun shining on it, it acts like stained glass and gives me little rainbows all over my kitchen in the mornings. The other colorful one is a gift that my Aunt brought back to me from her trip to Portugal.



This glass one my friend gave to me for my birthday this year:



And this one from Portugal is hand painted and I think it's beautiful:


These other two that I've used on my tablescape are also very special. The big one was given to me by a few friends as a gift when I was going through a rough time. And the tart warmer was a gift from one of my sons for Mother's Day. I loved that he remembered that I collected roosters!



I keep the big one on my kitchen counter and it is a nice reminder of supportive friends:



I also keep the tart burner on one of the kitchen counters and he fills my home with wonderful aromas!


Please visit Barb @ Bella Vista and click on the other participants who have joined in the fun of her Rooster Party!