Mr. McGregor's Garden Tablescape

For someone who has never claimed to have much by way of Easter decor, this past month I ended up setting three different Easter tables. 

The last one I set, and had planned to use Easter Sunday, remained unfinished because that was when I was stricken with the flu.

As I was taking it down, I decided that I really didn't want to. The bunny plates were new this year, and I wanted to use them. 

Why, I asked myself, are bunny plates only appropriate at Easter? Why can't they be appropriate in spring and summer? Aren’t those bunnies usually around, chewing their way through my hostas during these two seasons?

So, I took all of the Easter items off of the table, and started anew, with the bunny plates as a focus.

I gathered up some of my favorite things, and adorned my little three-tier wooden tray (That I have had for about 30 years, long before the three-tier trays were popular.), tucking them here and there among greenery and grapes, and set the table with vibrant turquoise and greens.

As I sat there and looked at it, the whimsical little bunny face (You just know this little guy is up to something, as bunnies tend to be.) reminded me of Peter Rabbit in Mr. McGregor's garden. So I decided to call this Mr. McGregor's Garden Tablescape. It suits, I think.

Because I had pretty dinner plates, I didn't want to do any plate layering.

But, because I do like layering in a table setting, I decided that instead of layering plates, I would layer placements.

The placemats are from Pier 1 as are the rustic whitewashed chargers.

Keep this in mind should you have pretty plates that you don't want to cover up. Table settings can look just as beautiful with layered placemats as they can with layered plates.

I decided to use my new little corn cups. I have gone crazy over the majolica corn dishes!

The leaf tray, on which the sugar and cream sit, is the same one that served as the base for the little bunny sauce dish that I used here. Looking at the colors, the bamboo-handled flatware, and the corn dishes made me think of summer. I hope this table gives you a smile, and makes you think of summer as well.

This post is linked to:

Happiness is Homemade Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Amaze Me Monday

Busy Mondays

Art of Homemaking Monday
Make it Pretty Monday

Celebrate Your Story
Inspire Me Tuesday

Tuesdays At Our Home

Tuesdays with a Twist

The Scoop

Dream, Create, Inspire
 Homestead Wednesday

Wow Us Wednesday

Wine’d Down Wednesday

Tablescape Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things,
Home Sweet Home
Weekend Linky Party
Grace at Home

Coffee and Conversation
Foodie Friday & Everything Else
Share Your Style

Family Joy Blog Link Party
Simple Saturday Blog Hop

Share It One More Time
A Bouquet of Talent

"Once Upon a Midnight Dreary"

It's Halloween and time for a spooky table. I think this is one of my most favorite of the year. It was a snap to put together, but, alas, the weather has been so dismal and dreary that the photographs really don't reflect how wonderful it really is.

This table was really made possible by a number of people. The inspiration for the centerpiece came as the result of my winning a contest at the Home is Where the Boat Is blog. 

I had a number of ideas for this, but when my skull vase filler arrived from Pottery Barn it seemed perfect for filling the cauldron.

 The brown plates and second plate from the bottom were birthday gifts this year. I used them last week. The brown plates are a rich chocolate color and I just can't get enough of them.

 The polka dot-edged plates should look familiar to anyone who reads this blog. I think I've used these a dozen times since I got them last Christmas. Talk about a great purchase! 

The top plates are a set from Williams-Sonoma that I've had for years and never tire of using them.

The napkins are the same ones that I used last week (I love this fold!) with skeletons lounging against them.

The skull mugs are a new purchase this year (on sale!) from Williams-Sonoma. I love these!

The tablecloth is a fabric yardage. I love fabric and never hesitate to buy it. People do tend to find this strange considering that I don't sew, but many times it finds its way to a tabletop. I just fold the edges under and tape them on the underside of the table with masking tape. I love how the various images in the fabric replicate those on the plates.

The pillow is yet another from Elliot-Heath Designs. I had to have this one, not only because I knew that it would go so well with this setting, but because Poe's death date is the same as my birthdate (October 7th), though a different year...by a long shot! 

The wine glasses provide a nice touch of blood red in an otherwise neutral table.

The ravens have gotten a lot of use this season and are certainly appropriate here.

The skull-stopped stack of books is a cookie jar.

Have a spooky Halloween everyone!

Salad Plates – 222 Fifth

Napkin, Luncheon Plates – Pier One
Flatware – Pottery Barn
Crows – Antique Farmhouse

Skull & Books Cookie Jar – World Market

Skull Mugs – Williams-Sonoma

This post is linked to:

Dream, Create, Inspire Tuesday

Share Your Creativity

Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Simple and Sweet Fridays

What To Do Weekend 
The Weekend re-Treat

Truly English Savoy Scones

Breakfast served this morning on a plate from The Art of William Hogarth Collection by Williams-Sonoma.

Yesterday, late afternoon, we went to St. Louis Bread Co. (known in different parts of the country as Panera) because I wanted an orange scone and was going to get Jim an "Everything" bagel. I wanted the scone because I still had half a jar of very expensive English clotted cream in the fridge and, having lost an entire jar at one point (got stuck behind the garlic pickles and eggplant chutney), I never wanted that to happen again. When I got there, there was one woman ahead of me and the service counter guy was yakking to her endlessly, making quite a point of ignoring me, as I stood there glaring at him.  When I want an orange scone, I want an ORANGE SCONE, but I digress.



There was only ONE scone (Not an orange one, alas, but wild blueberry that I don't like as well, but will take in a pinch -- orange goes so much better with the clotted cream and strawberry jam, you see. The whole wild blueberry scone/strawberry jam thing just seems wrong, but, yet again, I digress...) and ONE everything bagel left. As I stood there waiting, glancing frantically from the scone to the yakker to the scone and back, a couple came in and they, too, stood there glaring at the pastries, lips trembling, waiting to place an order.


Finally the yakker ambled over to me as the fleet-of-foot barrista, seeing the other couple unattended, ran up to them. As you've probably guessed, the other couple got both my scone and the bagel. I was FURIOUS! I told the yakker that I was there first and it was MY food that they'd just gone off with. He just sort of stared at me then shrugged and wandered off.  Can you say livid?  We're talking scones here, people!  MY scone, in someone else's house!  And probably improperly consumed, i.e. NOT with clotted cream and strawberry jam but perhaps (gasp) with butter or, worse yet, grape jelly! (I  can't stand it!)


Anyway, long story short (or is it too  late?), when I got up this morning there were Savoy Scones (that, BTW, put Bread Co. to SHAME) on the counter under my favorite French linen tea towel. Jim had baked them for me after I went to sleep last night. How's that for an "Awwwwww..." moment?

Here is Anton Edelmann's, maitre chef des cuisines at The Savoy, recipe and our favorite.

SAVOY SCONES

Makes about 8

1-3/4 c flour

4 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

5 T unsalted butter cut in small pieces, cold

5 T sugar

1/2 c currants (optional)

2/3 cup milk

1 large egg yolk for glaze

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Work butter and sugar in by hand until it's crumbly.

Make a well in the center and add milk and currants and mix together quickly but don't over mix. Dough will be a bit sticky and rough looking.

On floured surface, roll dough out 3/4" thick and cut into 2-1/2" rounds. You can also just cut into 2-1/2" squares if you don't have a cookie cutter or make two rounds of dough and cut each into four wedges.

Brush tops with egg yolk.

Put on parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet and let rest for 15 minutes. Bake 15 min. until golden. Remove to rack to cool slightly.

(To be authentic you must serve them with clotted cream and strawberry jam.)