A bit of nostalgia, an intimate pasta dinner and a CSN giveaway!

Today I was very nostalgic. I kept thinking of the many hours I'd spent at my grandmother's table with this tablecloth. I would say it's at least 50 years old. It has the aged faded look that I simply adore. All cotton, laundered hundreds of times. I'm just delighted that it is now in my caretaking.

I've set the table for just the two of us in the kitchen, so it's not a fancy get up this evening. Nothing feeds nostalgia more than food that warms the heart. For us, that's pasta. Primavera, con vogole, Lasagna, and of course Orlando's Green Chile Chicken Linguine. 

 A great sign for the kitchen... Purchased at an antique auction here in town. It's a shame that the auction is no more. It's not old, but don'tcha just love it?

I layered teak chargers, handmade pasta bowls, and Ironwood bowls. Lots of wood to blend in with the brown print in the tablecloth.

I love a heavy glass for our daily glasses. They just seem to last longer, especially since the house rule is that I cook and Mr. Two Left Hands does the dishes. I found these at - are you ready for this??? The Dollar Tree. Heavy, decorative and so far, no shards!

Thai brass flatware, a gift from my mother. 

The wood on the Ironwood bowls is very varied and has so much personality. You can just barely see the napkin peeking out between the pasta bowl and the Ironwood salad bowl. 

I love the folkart on this tablecloth. To think that this print has lasted as long as it has makes me appreciate it even more. My grandmother had no washer nor dryer so all her things went to the laundry each week. Wow! And they picked up and delivered. The bread board came from Big Lots and is a Paula Dean creation.

I hate to brag, but I must. See the chair in the background? Those are our new kitchen chairs. I went to a garage sale two weekends ago and saw 4 of the cane backed chairs and remembered seeing them at the antique auction years ago. The tags were still on them! I asked the price and now I realize I should have negotiated.. but at $5.00 a chair, I just couldn't. I snagged them up so fast it made my head spin!

See our floral arrangement? Sorry it's a bit dark, but twilight was upon us. It's parsley! In a cup! Paired with a wooden candlestick and a Poterie du Jabron olive dish. Made in Provence, the dish is segmented to serve wonderful Mediterranean olives. The smaller indention is used to store the pits.

Mr. Two Left Hands did good didn't he?? He found this wooden candleholder at World Market!

The antique highchair is in the background. The ivy loves the northern exposure in this window.

I think of all my dishes, these are my favorites. They are the perfect golden hue, too bad the camera didn't capture that. They are hand made. Made by my sister-in -law Becky. She 'threw' the bowls herself, fired them in a kiln, glazed them and then sent them my way.

I love that she signed them. It's incredibly personal to have something made especially for you by someone who means the world. I warned you it was all about nostalgia this evening.

Can you see the ridges on the side of the bowls? Those indentations were made lovingly by her fingers.

A homespun type of napkin folded twice and draped over the pasta bowl.

Glad you could join us this evening. Hope to see you again soon. It's always a pleasure!

And now for the giveaway!!! I am privileged to be able to offer you a chance to win a $40.00 gift certificate to be used at any of CSN's online stores!  Click HERE to enter up to three times. Drawing is August 26, 2010.

As usual, I will be linking this tablescape to Susan's wonderful Tablescape Thursday. Just click the link in the picture below to transport yourself into some amazing creativity!