French Riviera Tablescape

Has this not been the longest summer ever? It seems like it's been eight months long if it's been a day. The heat and high humidity set in during the first week of June and never let up. I know I'm not alone in being very eager for cooler weather.

Because I am absolutely itching for fall, this will be my last summer tablescape. I just cannot wait to get into the warm autumn colors.

A couple of weeks ago when I wrote about the lovely chargers I was given by Marigene Purcell of In the Middle of Nowhere blog, I also mentioned that she had included with the plates, some lovely tablecloths as packing. I showed you one of them here, and this setting features yet another.

Being a big fan of the blue and yellow combination, this made me feel cheery and as if I were vacationing in the south of France. 

To give a nod to the Riviera, I added these starfish plates with edges in light hints of blue.

The cobalt flutes (first mentioned here) have been getting a workout of late, and look particularly festive here.

This summer has had me mad about lilies, with this centerpiece no exception. The vase is from a lovely arrangement given to me when Jim passed away, so has special meaning for me. It looks perfect here full of yellow Asian lilies.

I use these yellow goblets a lot. I have no idea as to the manufacturer, and no hint is given on the bottom. These were given to me by my mother about 25 years ago. They tend to go with pretty much everything, short of patriotic or Christmas colors.

The small carafes my son and I ran across when we were cleaning out Mr.O-P's storage locker. (I'd mentioned previously about finding this very cool jug from Spain as well.) He had an entire case of them! (Don't ask me why.) So, I brought them home, washed them up, and thought they would be perfect for serving individual portions of infused water.

The blue and white salt and pepper shakers were a purchase made when I was in college. I still love them.

This post is linked to: Dishing It & Digging It, Art of Homemaking, Amaze Me Monday, Busy Mondays, Inspiration Monday, Cooking & Crafting with J&J, Inspire Me Tuesday, Tuesdays At Our Home, Two Cup Tuesday, Tutorials and Tips Tuesday, Homemaking Party Tuesday, Wow Us Wednesday, Work It Wednesday, Wine’d Down Wednesday, Wake up Wednesday, The DIY Collective, Thursday Favorite Things, Share Your Style, Coffee and Conversation, and Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Blue & Yellow Easter Tablescape

We won’t be celebrating Easter this year…long story…but that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy having a pretty spring table to enjoy all by myself. In fact (and my guess is that I’m not alone here), sometimes it’s nice to have a table all to yourself so you don’t have to explain your “form over function” self to your “function over form” husband. Case in point: yes I did match the candy to the table setting. Actually, if truth be told, the candy came first, and the table came second.

This apple did not fall far from the tree. My mother used to match Jelly Belly jelly beans to her living room decor. I am not kidding. Actually, we sampled a lot of tasty jelly beans during her decorating tenure, and it was always interesting to see which flavor each new season would bring.

This table started with the little silver wagon. It was something that my late sister-in-law gave me years ago, claiming it was a wine cart. I love all sorts of tableware, but couldn’t imagine when I would ever serve two different bottles of wine during one meal, or that I would trust such a small cart to carry them. When I recently unboxed it, I saw that it had glass inserts and thought this would be perfect for holding chocolate Easter eggs.

The darling little chick salt and pepper shakers belonged to my mother. I didn‘t even realize that she had these until a couple of weeks ago when dad and I were digging around looking for something else and stumbled upon these.

Between the yellow chicks and the blue foil-wrapped eggs, my colors were set, so I pulled out my favorite yellow chalices and Nikko “Tea Rose” dinnerware, paring it with nubby-edged plates from Pier One.

Last week’s vase remains at center stage here, only this week with complementary blue hydrangeas in place of the room-scenting lilies that I was sorry to see go.

I hope you’ll be dining at a table as lovely as this one.

Happy Easter, everyone!

This post is linked to:

Silver Pennies Sunday
Merry Monday

Art of Homemaking

Table It

Amaze Me Monday

Busy Mondays

Inspiration Monday

Metamorphosis Monday 

Make It Pretty Monday

Dream, Create, Inspire Tuesday

Inspire Me Tuesday

Tuesdays At Our Home

Tweak it Tuesday

Two Cup Tuesday
Tutorials and Tips Tuesday

Homemaking Party Tuesday

Wow Us Wednesday
Work It Wednesday

Wine’d Down Wednesday

Wake up Wednesday

Moonlight & Mason Jars

It's a Party

Create It Thursday

The DIY Collective
Thursday Favorite Things

Foodie Friday & Everything Else

A Whale of a Table

Do you ever see a product, an admittedly nice product that is out of your price range but you're sucked in by all of the positive reviews and hit “purchase” before you realize what's happening? Yeah, me too. The whale basket on this table is a prime example of just that. I really should have paid more attention to the dimensions on this item before just buying it willy nilly, because what I thought would be a nice little addition to the top of the chest in the guest room ended up being much more sizable than imagined…as whales can be.

So here it is, perched atop my table for this week, the result of a personal challenge to use my recent Pier One placemat and napkin purchase (first seen here) with as many different styles of dinnerware that I possibly can. Last time I stuck with one color family, but this week I decided to introduce my Fitz & Floyd salmon chargers along with a splash of yellow in the flatware. (The “Radiant” pattern by Noritake.)

I decided to replicate the yellow in some violas that I placed in top of the basket (and that sure looked bigger and more ample in the store). Eh. I'm not really sure that I like it, but it's growing on me, and I do like having live flowers on the table.

I swapped out last week's white plates for the blue flowered Nikko Tea Rose plates (a set that I think is going to find its way to the consignment store), and topped it with a pale green Metlox Lotus plate (made in the good old U.S.A., I love that!).

While rummaging through the cabinets in the kitchen looking for vanilla beans, I found this turquoise set of Fiestaware salt and pepper shakers (I never did find vanilla beans) that probably would have fit in better with last week's table, but I was so happy to have found them that I decided to use them anyway.

It's a simple table, but a lovely and colorful one, and color and whimsy is what this season is all about.

By the way, if any of you can think of an idea (really ANY idea will do) as to what to do with this whale basket, I would really appreciate it.

This post is linked to:

Share Your Style on Thursday

Tablescape Thursday

Creative Ways

Create It Thursday

Home and Garden Thursday

Show and Tell Friday 

Friday Unfolded
Fridays Flash Blog
Simple and Sweet Fridays

Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Friday Party Palooza

Friday Finds