So this is Christmas 2010!

"So this is Christmas!", as the song goes Christmas is made up with red, green, holly, and ribbons. A good tea always warms the heart and opens us up to the spirit of Christmas, and this 222 5th teapot in the Holiday Festivities pattern holds a center place on my table.

Cupcakes covered in Christmas colors invites you to partake in this meal, with Santa watching who is naughty or nice.

The sun beams are reaching into the dining room to brighten the Christmas joy.

The red bows are tied on the centerpiece and are carried onto the Christmas chinaware.

By each dinner plate a diminutive woodland basket is adorned with holly and berries with each wearing a Poinsettia as a topper.

A red Noritake goblet stands ready to be filled with Christmas cheer.

The design of these Christmas plates included four speciality salad plates. Each one in a winter bouquet bound with red ribbon.

A view of red berries entwined with red ribbon.

Pine cones grace this salad plate.

Holly leaves with white berries adorn this salad.

A center of a Poinsettia bloom graces this fourth salad plate.

A forest of green and red trees circled with red glittered ribbon.

Tiny Christmas trees enliven the Christmas scene.

Large green snow flaked covered glass ornaments filled with green candles adorn the wooden candle stands.

Matching red glass ornaments balance the tablescape.

A green napkin wrapped in a red beaded napkin ring along with a red place mat and green handled silverware.

Santa holding his packages ready to place under the Christmas tree.

The center of the table has Christmas trees are lighted by large Christmas bulbs.

Looking across the length of the table, the entire Christmas tablescape is viewed. Another Christmas filled with love.

Howl'en Halloween

This has been so much fun planning the Halloween tablescape. I absolutely love Halloween with the kids ringing the doorbell and giving out the candy. I decorated my house from top to bottom when my son was at home. I now am limiting it to the table and a few other places in the living room. I go to every store and this time of year and have to buy new things for they are so cute.
Yes, this is a tablescape with the cute but not bloody side of Halloween. When I saw mummy and knew he needed to come home with me for he has that soft cute doll appeal.

Now, you can see what I have been working on in my thoughts and planning. When I saw these tombstones at Dollar Tree, I knew these would be the beginning of my Halloween table. Now you might think ooo graveyard, I thought make it cute. I looked for little creatures the size of the tombstones and found these at Home Goods in a box. The are stuffed so they are easy to move.

This place setting has evolved over time. I began with the idea of black and white, I saw the paisley pumpkins and hoped they would coordinate with the dark colored tombstones.
I decided on a black place mat and then I would have a white place plate, the black pumpkin plate and then the paisley pumpkin. As you can see I changed my plan, I found these black skeleton place plates and goblets with a great Halloween theme.

Here is one of the four Spooky Heads I found at Dollar Tree. I placed one each on the place mats on both sides of the table.

My black and white theme is accented by the white napkin with the black ribbon and bow on the edge. A set of eight napkin rings with 4 different ones, with the skull and crossed bones being my favorite. I used the flatware with white handle and silver collar to give a silhouette against the black place mat.

I have a few shadow photos with the knife, spoon and goblet being the
feature in this particular one.

Another shadow photo and the place setting as the background and the black and white paisley pumpkin being the foreground. I was trying a little artsy!

How can you have a graveyard without gnarled trees. These two trees are great for they are twisted wire and contain golden glass votives and tiny bats.

A close-up of one of the stuffed bats I hung from the trees. I am still in the cute mode.

The centerpiece of the graveyard is flanked by the twisted trees.

I call him the orange skeleton and just had to show him sitting on a tombstone.

This tombstone appears to have a mummy carved on the front and just needed a stuffed mummy that escaped to lean on the side.

The two place settings at each end of the table are accented differently than the others. It began with the silver skeleton sitting with his eyes covered. I decided to change the flatware to silver to give him more definition.

The close-up shows the sparkle and detail in the little skeleton.

At the top of each place setting, a mercury silver votive candle holder has been placed. The ghosts seem to dance with the lighting of each candle.

The spooky skeleton head is held by a skeleton hand in the photo of the scary black goblet.

Did you see the bat at the foot of the tree in the above photo?
A table full of howls and boos are just waiting for you to come join in the fun.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN and may all Treats be Yummy and any Tricks be Funny !!!

Scarecrows come to Texas in the Fall

Today, we can experience a fall tablescape with happy scarecrows. How can fall be more fun than with scarecrows? I was planning a fall theme and kept coming back to scarecrows but a few pumpkins did creep in here and there. The autumn colors of the water pitchers are over flowing with fall blooms.

Here is a pint size girl scarecrow with pumpkin and straw pigtails.



The boy scarecrow presents his sunflower to his girl.


A place setting for autumn begins with the green and tan checked place mat.



An orange pumpkin doily is placed by the fork with a green ceramic pumpkin on top.




The knife and spoon with the repeated orange colors brighten the green and tan checked place mat .

The centerpiece,in the middle, is a green water pitcher set on a small matching stool. Fall flowers of mums, pumpkins, and leaves in oranges, reds, and golds fill the pitcher.





A swirled green goblet with a clear beaded stem is a light contrast to the darker colors.



The close up of the bouquet shines with the golden hues.

Three scarecrow heads staring up at you.

A detail of the plates begin with the orange round dinner plate,



the green folded napkin,


green leaf salad plate,



the orange pumpkin plate,



green cocktail snack plate,




decorated pumpkin.



Festive fall flowers give a feel of cooler breezes in the air.




A line of pitchers on matching stools fills centerpiece.




I was thrilled to find the pitchers matched the the stools I bought last year. Burgundy, harvest green, and golden yellow of the water pitchers and stools speaks fall is here. The height is great for allowing you to have a conversation across the table.