FALLing Into Another Season

I decided to take the plunge and move into a tablescape for fall.  This table is honoring the FALLing leaves I remember from my days growing up on Long Island, New York.  I can still see the bare trees of pending winter, feel the crispness in the fall air, smell the dusty odor as we kicked through the piles of brightly colored leaves on the sidewalk ( and also smell the burning piles of leaves that were burning in the gutters: yes, back "in the old days" leaves would be raked up, piled in the streets and burned! Anyone else remember their folks doing this? Air quality was not a concern in those days!) I also remember the sound of crunching leaves under our feet as we'd walk along the sidewalk. It truly was a sensory overload as the fall season changed the landscape around us, and winter made its way into town. Memories of this season became the basis for this table.

Here Is My Fall Tablescape:

Here Is How I Created It:


I started with fall-colored placemats that I had found at HomeGoods a while ago.

My first layer of the dish stack is a new melamine charger plate I found at Hobby Lobby.  I was hoping they would work with my Johnson Bros. Friendly Village dishes I use every Thanksgiving. I LOVE these chargers with their cream color and tiny streaks of brown, but, unfortunately, when I topped them with my Friendly Village dishes, the cream colors didn't really match each other, and not enough of the brown detail on the chargers could be seen. So, my original plan for a Thanksgiving table will not work.  It's my year to host, so it's a good thing I still have time before November!

The dinner plate I chose was part of a four-design set of dishes I found while antiquing when I first started my blog. They are Royal Cauldon, England. I love the shape and raised edge detail on these plates, as well as the different pictures on them.

This is the pattern Ludlow Castle & Dinham Bridge:

The next pattern is Jesmond Dene, Newcastle-on-Tyne:

Another plate is : Glastonbury Abbey

And lastly, here is The Water Wheel, Groudle Glen:

I topped these dinner plates with leaf plates that I found at the Dollar Tree store last year. I've had leaf-shaped dishes before, but I love the detail on these plates. The veins running through each leaf are actually three-dimensional , and their colors are bright and so pretty. Perfect for honoring the colors of fall!

I also found the napkins at HomeGoods. They are reversible. One side has fall-colored stripes, and the other side is covered with leaves of bright fall colors! I couldn't leave these napkins in the store after finding them! The napkin rings are pottery pieces. I can't remember where I found them.

I completed my place setting with my Treble Clef flatware from World Market (thought they were reminiscent of tree twigs) and fall decorated goblets from The Dollar Tree store!

I kept my centerpiece fairly simple. The cream/white owl was discovered during a Hobby Lobby visit (their fall inventory is spectacular!!). The expression on his face just fascinated me. And, I thought his cream color would coordinate well with my dishes. He's sitting on a swag of felt leaves and some straw filler I had on hand. He's then flanked by two decorative votive candle holders.

I do feel fall is making its way into town. Being in CA, the Santa Ana winds will soon start blowing and that means HOT breezes, but it shouldn't be a long event. The nights are cooler and more comfortable for sleeping, schools have all started and pumpkin and other fall decor are popping up in yards, so the "BER" months have definitely begun. Here we go again!!!!

I'll be joining Susan at www.betweennapsontheporch.net for Tablescape Thursday. Please be sure and stop by her wonderful blog to see all the creative tablescapers and the wonderful information Susan shares about travel, cooking, home projects, fashion and a myriad of other topics!! I'll also be joining Dishing It! and Digging It! at www.rustic-refined.com.

I'd love to hear from you. Please leave a comment, and I will respond!

Fond Farewells

Let me start by saying that I am one of the most " technology-challenged" people I know. I learn the basic way to complete programs on my computer and don't venture any further down the rabbit holes of technology to do anything else. I am completely happy just learning what I have to learn, and not venturing into any other application that lurks in my computer memory.  For over ten years, my MacBook Pro saw me through hours of emailing, googling, word processing and most importantly the beginning of blogging. I never asked it to do anything else. However, I knew it was finally time to say good-bye to my beloved Mac when simple functions could not be completed. For instance, it would not connect to my server because a "secure connection could not be found" and other applications were rebelling as well. It was just time. Things needed updating, and even the Apple Store employee was surprised my old laptop had continued to function so successfully to its ripe old age! So, for my birthday a new MacBook came home with me. It's been a challenge to switch over. Mainly because I DON'T LIKE CHANGE!!!!  The main difference in creating my blog is that iPhoto has been changed to Photos, and it's very different in terms of finding and using photos when it comes to uploading them onto my blog page, and editing them as well. So, I decided to experiment and create a new blog entry to see if I can actually figure out how to make things work!


My second fond farewell is to the sweet season of summer. Once the school supplies hit the shelves at the store, I know that summer is about to disappear. It's not just the Daylight Savings I'll miss, but summer ending means that obligations that have been on hold will be beginning, and the frenzy of the Holidays is just around the corner!  So, I decided to create a table to celebrate a summer that will soon be just another memory. I'm celebrating the beach in this tablescape: my absolute favorite place to be in the summertime!

Here's The Table I Created:

Here's How I Created It:

I started with a turquoise tablecloth that I have had for over 30 years! I had purchased it originally to match my wedding china set. It matched the turquoise of the pattern around the edge of my plates perfectly. I'm sorry the color didn't turn out better. It really is a pretty shade of turquoise.

I then added a woven placemat that I found at HomeGoods. I wanted to give the place setting some texture and to bring out the color of sand.

I start my dish stack with some square-shaped glass plates that I found at a design center in town called Shinoda. This place is a huge warehouse of dishes, glassware, flatware, paintings, accessories: EVERYTHING you could want for decoration. It's a wonderful shopping adventure!! These plates have a hint of turquoise and reminded me of sea glass.

I then added turquoise enamel plates from Target that are labeled "zazen". They have just a hint of a pattern that perfectly mirrors the different colors of the ocean surf.

The dish stack is topped with a cute set of plates that I found at Marshall's. They are labeled "222 Fifth" and the pattern is called Marine Life: perfect for this table! There are four different patterns.

I completed the table setting with Ralph Lauren paisley-patterned napkins found at HomeGoods (the turquoise and tan paisley mirror the colors from the beach); napkin rings from a shop Hubby and I went to on our trip to Maine(there are four different examples of marine life); and, flatware from Tuesday Morning (I thought the enameled handles looked like shells). The turquoise goblets were passed on to me when a good friend moved on and wanted to buy all new decor!

My centerpiece is sitting on some  "fish netting" to add texture to the table and reflect the sea.
For height,  I placed a lantern filled with sea-colored scatter and turquoise tea lights wrapped in sea shell rings on top of a tray that is decorated with fish and shells.

I added an accent piece for the table of a plate found at Tuesday Morning from Mudpie.  I LOVE the shell pattern on this plate! I topped it with a whimsical "mermaid" that is actually a salt and pepper set given to me by my stepdaughter for my tablescaping stash.

Another accent piece started with one of my shell plates, but then I topped it with an sea urchin light that was a present from a dear friend. A "dusting" of sea shells completed my accent pieces.

Most of the components for this table were things I had not used before, and it was fun to go through my closet and find these things that were just waiting to be shared. So, for my fond farewells to my MacBook Pro and sweet season of Summer,  I had some Fabulous Finds in my tablescaping storage! I also had a chance to use my new Photos program. There were some hiccups (thank you, Hubby, for helping me out!), but I'm happy I can still get a post published!

I'll be joining Susan for her Tablescape Thursday at www.betweennapsontheporch.net. Be sure and stop by for a look at some wonderful tablescaping! Thanks, Susan, for hosting.