Happy Halloween Finds!

 I had such an unexpected surprise yesterday as I was digging through my tablescaping closet looking for components for my Halloween tablescape! I reached for my Halloween candy bowl to use as the focal point for my centerpiece ,when I found 5 new Halloween dishes tucked away inside my bowl. Then I remembered, that just after Halloween last year, I had gone to SteinMart (one of my favorite stores for finding dish treasures, that now, sadly has closed!) and found a cute set of Halloween appetizer plates. I was so excited to find them that I immediately got to work producing my Halloween table!

Here is my table for Halloween:

I started my table using my favorite tablecloth that has graced many a Halloween dinner table!

My place setting starts with a favorite charger of mine. It is an open scrollwork pattern. I bought it at Maryland China Co., and I have always liked the way it highlights a place setting. I'm sorry the photo is so blurry!

Next on the stack comes an orange stoneware dinner plate that I purchased at RiteAid pharmacy when I first started my blog! A very unique place to find such nice stoneware, indeed!

The next component is an accent plate I found at Macy's. It is marked "Martha Stewart Collection". I've used it many times for Halloween because it reminds my of the intricate picture frames and mirrors that are used at Disneyland in the Haunted House exhibit!

I topped my dish stack with the appetizer plates that I recently discovered hidden away. There are 4 of them, and one says, "Just Brew It"!

Another says, "Bone Appetit"!

Another says,"Witch Please"

And the last one says, "Creep It Real"!

My napkin consisted of a block print orange and white napkin that I found at Pier 1 (another victim of poor sales during the pandemic!😞). It is nestled in one of my gray sheer napkins. I was going for a "spider web" look. I chose the eating utensil napkin ring because the burnished metal looked like silverware one might find in an old mansion (maybe haunted!)

I chose my orange-handled flatware to bring out the orange stripes in my tablecloth as well as the other orange elements I've used.

(I'm not sure how this extra photo got here, and I can't seem to delete it! Haunts are at work, maybe?)

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I completed my place setting with my VERY special Halloween glasses. These glasses were created by Jenna who is the creator of the blog "The Painted Apron". She had a raffle one time, and my name was chosen. I've never won a raffle before, and I was absolutely delighted to win these hand-painted glasses! They grace my dinner table every year at Halloween. Stop by her wonderful blog some time. You won't be disappointed! 

My centerpiece consists of my traditional candy bowl that I use for Halloween candy distribution. I then placed some of my gray sheer napkins to give my Halloween witch a comfortable seat and then placed my often-used friendly witch on top! I love her happy expression!  I flanked my bowl with a set of candleholders that are shaped like a witch's hat. They are decorated with just the right amount of sparkle and fit a votive candle perfectly.

I added two accent plates to my table. I found them at HomeGoods many years ago, and they grace my plate rack every Halloween!

I had fun creating this Halloween Table! Halloween will look very different this year; I'm not even sure I'll have trick-or-treaters, but I'll leave candy outside anyway. I'm glad my table will at least reflect that a new season has begun!

Have a wonderful Halloween, whatever form your celebration takes!

I'll be joining Susan at www.betweennapsontheporch.net for her Tablescape Thursday.  Be sure and take a look at all the tables that make up this fun party!

A Welcome Table to Ruby

 Three weeks ago we picked up the newest addition to our family. She is a sweet black lab. We picked her out of a litter when she was 3 weeks old, and have been anxiously awaiting the day when we could bring her home. We have named her Ruby Apolonia of Stanford.  She has lived up to her named because she is a precious gem! She is smart and loving and has taken to training VERY well. She'll even go to the door to signal "it's time!", and readily snuggles down in her crate when it's bedtime. My hubby and I have been "tag teaming" getting up every 2-3 hours during the night to take her outside (this part of the training is the hardest, because we haven't had a full night's rest in three weeks!). We've been told as she gets bigger this schedule should become easier. I felt I just had to honor Ruby with a tablescape to welcome her to the family. 

So, here is table to honor "Ruby": (note the "puppy corral" for naps in the background!)

I started my dish stack with my "ruby colored" chargers:

I then added a new plate set that I bought at HomeGoods (my last purchase there before quarantine!). It is melamine and the maker is Cottenwood Home.  I absolutely LOVE the bright colors and intricate pattern on these plates: there are so many possibilities for other color combinations when setting other tables!

To make the setting a little "extra special" I added a blue glass sherbet glass.

To complete the place setting, I used a red printed cotton napkin and a "leather" studded napkin ring that could represent a dog's collar. (I know I'm stretching the imagination a bit!)

Then I added a "red checked" plastic drinking glass for a less formal feeling:

The final addition to the place setting was my red handled flatware.

Here's the completed place setting:

I started my centerpiece with a blue and white checked table runner. The elements for the centerpiece represent the presence of our new family member.  I started with an overturned metal water dish that acts as a platform for Byer's Choice, Ltd. figurine of a  black lab I had gifted to my husband. The dish is flanked by various toys I "borrowed" from our Ruby this morning: some NylaBones,  her ball "chucker", one of her squeaky chew toys and her braided rope. I "wrapped" the centerpiece with a "hearts of love" garland. Appropriate, no?

So, this is my table to welcome our "Ruby" home!

I'll be joining Susan for Tablescape Thursday at www.betweennapsontheporch.net.  Be sure and take a look at all the wonderful tables! Thank you, Susan, for giving us a forum for our love of this hobby of Tablescaping!