CHANGE IS A COMIN'

 Our house has been up for sale since April of 2023.   Week after week people came to look resulting in five or six unacceptable offers.  But this past week, a couple from Irvington, NY, fell in love with the Grand Dame giving us an offer we couldn't refuse.  Our friend and real estate agent, Gheri, will be writing up the contract this week, and we will move at the end of October.  The gold at the end of the rainbow is moving to a home near my daughter, Melanie.  We've lived thousands of miles apart since 1993, and 31 years later we'll be within a few miles of each other.  The next three months will feel like an eternity.  Stepping into the next chapter of our lives has been trying at times, but Vinnie would remind me that the right people would come along.  

This proverb sums it up:

The craziness begins:  Packing, sorting, discarding.  We are taking minimal furniture and will rent a furnished place in our new hometown for three months until we find our next home.  It will be a much-needed vacation.

Now I'll share my last table setting.  A beautiful Battenberg tape lace tablecloth forms the foundation under my Mikasa/Fine Ivory Royalty dishes.  Wallace bee flatware, a green teapot from Japan, and flowers from the garden give the table a summery feel.   

With two months of summer remaining, and an elephant to eat (one bite at a time), I will continue to update my progress on "The Move".

MEMORIAL DAY

 Heartfelt appreciation for all those men and women in our military who made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting our freedom.

Our Memorial Day has been very quiet and somewhat sad because we lost two friends in the last three weeks.  RIP Ronnie Colamarina and Dorothy DeMarco.  We will miss your friendships and the good times.

My table isn't set for the holiday, but I collected items for a grouping. I call it eclectic because most items are from different makers and in various patterns.  The Pheasant tea cup/saucer and the berry bowls are Noritake/Pheasants.  The coffee mugs are Harlequin by Wren, the vintage glass coffee pot is Flameware, the teapot is Hall, the black and gold geometric teacup and saucer are Bijoux/Terner, the brass urn planter is unbranded, and the gold flatware is Farberware/Breeze. The dinner plate is Lenox/Eclipse, the checkered salad plate is Quatri/PRC, and the charger is unbranded. The background is a beautiful little tapestry from Bruges, Belgium. Bruges is famous for its lace and hand-loomed fabrics and tapestries.  I purchased tassels and attached them to the ends.

Here's a table setting with most of the items.

I've been working in the garden, and all my planters and pots are brimming with flowers.  It's a joy to stroll through the yard with flowers everywhere.

Summer will be here in a few days.  Those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.

M IS FOR MAY (AND MOTHER'S DAY)

 Here comes May.   Another lovely month, and time to celebrate Melanie's birthday, May 5th, and Mother's Day on Sunday, May 12th.  Melanie celebrates #49.  I sure wish I was in Las Vegas to celebrate with her.

Meanwhile, I'm on to a new idea for a table setting.   I have these beautiful salad/dessert plates that are black and white with a gold band on the rim.  I bought the plates at Homegoods about a year ago.  I found the charger at Amazon, Baroque, black and gold, and the berry bowl is Noritake, Pheasants set of 4 on ebay.  The dinner plate is also from ebay: Lenox USA Eclipse.   Below is the design collage: 

And thanks to Melanie, my bar set is complete.  She gave me the pitcher for my birthday.  The line is called Elegance, and all three items are from Amazon.

Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there!

APRIL SHOWERS

 April is a beautiful time of year with spring upon us and my birthday celebration.  The table setting is blue and white with pink accents. 

Final Table Setting with Tea Set on the Tea Cart

The DIY tea tray made from a white picture frame with Blue Willow paper napkins, handles, and feet was a fun project. The silk flowers are from Amazon and Hobby Lobby, and I found the ladies on ebay.  I thought the figurines were Geishas, but I found out otherwise.  As you can see, they are not wearing the traditional kimonos with the obi sashes.  Instead, they have on long silky robes belted with fine ropes.  The figure on the right has a conical garden hat draped over her back, and the one on the left has a "fly whisk" traditionally made from horsetail hair in her right hand.  The whisk and straw hat were traditionally Chinese, so I assume the ladies were Chinese "Ming" courtesans.  After more research, I learned that the Japanese Geisha Girl was derived from the Ming Courtesans.  I love the way they look on the tray regardless of their origin.

Also DIY:  Pink charger plates.   They need to be light pink, so I took 4 of my plastic rose gold chargers sanded them, masked the back of the plate, and gave them four coats each of a white primer, candy pink color coat, and a final clear gloss coat.  You can always find great DIY tips on YouTube.

I often assemble a collage when working on a table setting.   My original design included bird glasses which I love, but I decided to use my Noritake Pink Arbor goblets instead.  Also replaced was the Wallace Bee Stainless with Grandmother's silver plate Yourex, Lady Washington.

For my birthday, which fell on a Friday, we had an early dinner with Rosemary and John at Fiorentina's Steakhouse.  I had filet mignon with mashed potatoes and broccoli,  and a scoop of ice cream with hot tea afterward.   It was a lovely day.   Rosemary gave me flowers with homemade candied nuts, and my friend, Jean, gave me flowers and honey spoons for tea.

Spring into Spring

 Spring is almost here, and I'm all in.    Found a bright green and white floral Indian block print tablecloth that will do the trick.  Added moss bunnies and foil-wrapped eggs, and voila, Spring!  Fresh flowers are on the way.

2024 Moss Bunnies on Light Green and white Floral Indian Block Print Tablecloth

As much as I love the block print tablecloth, the Williams Sonoma is preferable with this setting.  

After much consideration, I realized the new Indian block print tablecloth would be beautiful with my blue and white collection of ginger jars and like pieces.

Blue and White Collection

We woke up to a visit from the Easter Bunny!

Easter feast: Lamb chops, smashed potatoes, candied yams, asparagus, and corn on the cob.  

Dessert: Carrot Cake

IT'S FEBRUARY, COLD AND SNOWY

We had three to four inches of snow today, and it took me a couple hours to remove it with my snow blower.  By the time I finished, everything was turning to slush, much like a margarita.  

Back in the house, warmed up and relaxed, I began to think about a photo I found on Pinterest of a red and green fringed tartan plaid tablecloth on a rustic table accented with three more layers of coordinating fringed toppers.  The top layer was a matching napkin which brought it all together.  I found the same tablecloth on ebay.  An April Cornell tartan plaid tablecloth edged with a beautiful knotted fringe that was no longer available in the retail market, so the seller was asking a premium for it but, nowhere to be found were matching napkins or even napkins that would blend.  Reds and greens are tricky, and in this grouping, they need to match.  Also, each item requires a fringe which adds a rich texture and interest to the grouping.  The sequence of layers was as follows:  The tartan plaid tablecloth over the table, with a green topper next, then a red topper, and the matching tartan plaid napkin on top. 

Because I was unable to find the April Cornell brand, I set out to find available color-coordinated red tartan plaid and solid-colored linens with fringe. Creating a collage is the first phase in most of my projects and provides me with a visual of my design idea(s).  I purchased these items because they worked nicely in the photo. The placement sequence is slightly different because I omitted the solid red topper and added a white-fringed napkin.

The Collage

When the items arrived I spent about an hour detangling the fringe on the table square because it had been laundered by the seller.  The process of reviving the fringe involved combing each tassel with a fork and then a comb.  Following that, I re-combed the fringe while steaming it. After restoring the fringe, I ironed the fabric to give the cloth a crisp look.  The second phase was placing the linens on the table and reassessing how they looked as a group. In the collage, I used the seller's photos, and colors may appear different on a computer screen from physically seeing them with your eyes. I was pleased that the reds and greens coordinated nicely; however, the white napkin (actually off-white) didn't work, so I eliminated it.  I will also add pine and cedar floral picks and/or garland, which will happen next holiday season.  Here's the final red tartan, layered table covering:

Red Tartan Plaid Table Linens

I may use the red tartan under a bar setup.  I have a collection of hammered steel barware sans pitcher and more glassware than is legal.  I may get the matching pitcher as a birthday present this year to complete the collection.

Hammered Stainless Steel Barware

When I find a design that inspires me, I enjoy recreating it with my personal touches.  It's much easier and usually less expensive to gather and design seasonal decor in the off-season.  Now I have something pretty to use this fall and winter (after Thanksgiving) that will get me in the spirit.