Thanksgiving Table

Here is the Thanksgiving table. We will actually eat here!

Ironstone is His Majesty by Johnson Brothers.

Everyone have a wonderful Thanksgiving!  May all the hungry be fed and all the weary be loved.

I will also join these links, go and visit them.

Centerpiece Wednesdays  at The Style Sisters

Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Vignette Fridays  at Color Outside the Lines

Feathered Nest Friday  at French Country Cottage

My Favorite Things  at Bargain Hunting and Chatting with Laurie

Seasonal Sundays  at The Tablescaper

I will join Joni at Red Couch Recipes for the Thanksgiving Challenge.  I am thankful for chocolate!  You knew I was getting to it, didn't you.

Vintage Thanksgiving Party

I am happy to be joining Lynn this Friday at her site The Vintage Nest  for a "Give Thanks" party.   You can click on the link after Thursday night to view the other participants.   

I created a tablescape with a little vintage in it for this party.

The postcards are vintage.  This is my favorite it was drawn by Ellen H. Clapsaddle. The other two postcards were drawn by Frances Brundage, both of these illustrators were well know for there enduring drawings of children for the postcard industry in the late 19th century.  

 The silver is English Gadroon by Gorham.

 This plate is Asiatic Pheasant by Royal Stafford.  The china salad plates are vintage Haviland.

 The table cover is old and the pumpkin I believe is an heirloom variety (maybe in a new color).  The shells are old.  You don't really think about shells being in Thanksgiving decor but, the pilgrim's were on the coast and oysters were probably served at the first Thanksgiving.  My Grandma always made an oyster casserole with the crackers on top, that to me was a Thanksgiving dish.  

 I am thankful to my Grandma Patty who served us a Sunday meal and holiday meals forever!  She is a fantastic cook and to this day when I think of a holiday meal it is most often the wonderful favorites she put on the table. 

I will also join these links, go and visit them.

Centerpiece Wednesdays  at The Style Sisters

Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Vintage Inspiration Friday  at Common Ground

Vignette Fridays  at Color Outside the Lines

Feathered Nest Friday  at French Country Cottage

My Favorite Things  at Bargain Hunting and Chatting with Laurie

Seasonal Sundays  at The Tablescaper

Foreign Influences

Now before you get the wrong idea and think this is a sensational post.  I will be the first to tell you it is about gardening. (Photo intensive post.) The one thing that fascinates me completely about blogging is that I can sit down cozy here at my computer and scan dozen of images daily of decor and gardening from around the world.  I am an extremely visual person so it is the perfect format.  (Magazines don't want to hear that.)   I often stumble upon blogs from other countries that just stop me in my tracks.  I am so taken with how they are doing something so very different from what I see here in our magazines and retail stores.  So often the materials used for these stunning arrangements are from right out of the yard.  So what can I not love about this, they are doing something different (and you know how I like something completely different) and it is usually inexpensive!  The first blog that literally took my breath away was Blomsterverkstad.  This is the blog of Minna Mercke Schmidt she is a Swedish flower
photographer and stylist.  She has been published, her book is "Blomstrande ide'er.  I will leave you with the visual images of her work.  You don't even have to have a translate button on her blog.

All images above from   http://blomsterverkstad.blogspot.com/

Isn't her work amazing?

Okay, I found these images and I have a bad habit of saving the photo and forgetting where I saw it if it is a commercial website.  I believe this website was French and it sold herbs, of all things.  Great table ideas.

 The entire reason for this post was that, again, I stumbled across another foreign blog that I thought had some beautiful natural centerpieces.  I thought okay, Christmas is coming most of these materials we have in our yards and I thought you might get some inspiration for your decorating.  This site is called "The Forest Fairy," I believe this is a German site.

  These images are from http://die-waldfee.blogspot.com/

So now I am really inspired I want to go create something different from anything I have ever created.  Here is my translation of the lantern above.  

I will work on it.  I took many pictures of this and I am still not sure it looks as natural as the lantern above from The Forest Fairy.  I love using natural materials and I love something completely different.  The before on this would be moss, moss rocks (HobbyLobby), cinnamon sticks, anise (grocery), twigs, pinecones, pine boughs (neighborhood yards).  If you are concerned about the natural materials with the candle you can use the battery operated flameless pillars.  

I will link to these great blogs.  Go and visit them.
Just Something I Whipped Up at The Girl Creative
Tabletop Tuesday  at A Stroll Thru Life
Centerpiece Wednesdays at The Style Sisters

Before and After Party at Savvy Southern Style

Make It yours Day  at My Backyard Eden

I will join Joni at Red Couch Recipes for the Thanksgiving Challenge.  I will put at the end of every post till Thanksgiving what I am thankful for.  I am thankful for the world of blogging.  Creativity abounds and it is a wonderful thing!:)

Buzzing Bee Tablescape

A little table with some buzzing bee tableware I found at Goodwill. I am taking a French twist inspired by the tableware.

 

The centerpiece is a grouping of things that all carry the bee theme.

 

A little straw bee skep I recently found at a gift shop.

 

At the same little shop I found this tea towel hand embroidered with bees.

 

I found this little canister at TJ Maxx and I was waiting for the right table to put it on.  Never thought I would find these dishes.  Just grabbed some flowers from the garden and put a rubber band around them and popped them into the canister as if I just came from a French market. 

Here you can see the pattern better on the tableware.  It has a harlequin pattern in the background with all these little bees chasing lavender.

 

A little bee on the handle of the pitcher.

This platter came with the set too.  It is one of the prettiest pieces.

In keeping with the straw bee skep, I put a basket weave soup bowl with the plate.  Would serve some French peasant vegetable soup with this bread if I had more time.  

 

 And  here is the plate.  I used a natural linen as a table cloth.  The plates have chips but, it is all so cute it still has some more life in it. 

 In case you missed it, I had a virtual tea with the rest of the pieces I got with this set at Goodwill.  You could view that post here.  All of the bee tableware was $12.75.  It was made by Deb Mores and the pattern is Buzz Buzz. 

Thanks for viewing my tablescape I had fun with this bee themed set of dishes.

Don't forget I am having a CSN $45 gift certificate giveaway. Enter here.

 I will link to:

Centerpiece Wednesdays  at Style Sisters

Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch  

Vignette Fridays at Color Outside the Lines