New pieces from Noritake tablescape

You cannot imagine my delight when I got an email from Noritake a few weeks ago. It said I had won the Noritake Piedmont Platinum Accent Plates. Wow. Oh yay!! Can you spell excited??!!!

I just knew they would work so well with many of my dishes. I had planned to deck the table with my these pale blue accent plates and my wedding china, but I think I'll save that for another day. Isn't the square shape wonderful. That's platinum on that plate!!

 

For our Sunday dinner with my 97 year old dad, I pulled out the pale blue Williams Sonoma linen tablecloth and as much crystal as I dared put on the table. 

 Including crystal knife rests from the mister's grandmother. 

 Mikasa Parklane water goblets, Libbey Rock Sharpe wine goblets and unknown Champagne flutes.

White flowers always pop on a pale cloth. Simply mini-mums keep the table from looking too formal. 

The guys already cringe at white napkins!

 

Wedgwood Windsor dinner plates and Old Company Plate's Signature silver complete the look.

 The silver Gorham Chantilly candlesticks are hard workers around here.

How do you keep your white napkins clean? I place mine in an oxyclean bath directly after dinner.

Let them soak a while. It will not hurt. 

Whereas bleach weakens the fibers. Always.

I'm still collecting silver trays. Can you ever have too many?

I love how many different edges are available. It's so hard to pick a favorite.

Do mums make you smile? Oh gosh, these last so long and bring so much joy.

 I hope you had a pleasant visit. I'd love to have you grace our table!

Thank you Noritake for the wonderful pieces!!!

Cast:

Tablecloth - Williams Sonoma linen

Silver chargers - vintage silver trays

Dinner and bread plates - Wedgwood Windsor

Salad plates - Noritake Piedmont Platinum

Flatware - Old Company Plate Signature

Water goblet - Mikasa Parklane

Wine goblet - Libbey Rock Sharpe

Champagne flute - unknown

Candle holders - Gorham Chantilly

Crystal basket - unknown

Joining Tablescape Thursday over at Susan's Between Naps on the Porch.

Hope to see you there!!

Leaving you with our blue moon!

A Hamburger Lunch Tablescape

 

Oh my!

 "We're on our way. What's for lunch?"

Umm Umm Hamburgers!

So out came the quilt i made for our youngest.

Denim and flannel. Old shirts, scraps, etc. Love how comforting it is.

Some camping plates. Metal, Divided. Heavy!

Red Cambridge flatware.

Red bubble glasses.

Red check napkins secured in red knot napkin rings.

No time to run to the store.. pull the burlap sunflowers off the buffet.

Plop onto the table.

Add some votives. 

Who says you can't have candles at lunch???

And this is what you have.

Fun, casual and easy.

Quick napkin story. These red check napkins came all the way from Switzerland.

On a Bernina dealer's trip (I used to work for Bernina, USA. LOVED, Loved loved that job.),

we took a train ride on the Bernina Express.

source

The Bernina Express will take you to Piz Bernina, or the Bernina mountain. Anyway.

They had lunch for us. Served wrapped up in this very sturdy, darling lapkins.

Of course, the hoarder collector that I am, I took every one whose owner did not 

want theirs. What a wonderful reminder of a really good time!

 I really have some cute pictures, but they are on the hard drive that needs to go in for some special, individual attention. Much easier to think of it that way!

 The One Kings Lane pitcher adds just the right amount of rustic charm to the table.

see the lacy leaf peaking out?

 It belongs to these Hobby Lobby sunflowers. They are made of burlap and I just love them!!

 

   This quilt is a simple square of flannel with  windowpanes of denim fabric. 

The quilting is all repetitive stars. 

Not all quilts have to be masterpieces. ;-)

 

A bit closer view of the leaf. It's quite stiff. And there is a wire for giving it shape.

 

 Really loving this look. How about you?

 The weather was awesome on Sunday!

We've been out of the triple digits for a few days and everybody's tempers

have certainly departed the boiling point!!

 So glad you dropped in.

I love having company.

Expected or not!

Cast:

Quilt - handmade by me

Plates - camping gear

Glasses - red bubble glasses from Stein Mart

Flatware - SteinMart

Napkins - Bernina Express, Switzerland

Napkin Rings - World Market

Flowers - Hobby Lobby

Pitcher - One Kings Lane

I'll see you over at Cuisine Kathleen's Let's Dish and Susan's Tablescape Thursday!!

ps... This is not Regan, this is Billy. He rules the yard. Allows you to pet him until he realizes you are petting him. Wants in, but not if you are there. Regan wants him to come in and play, but if you talk to Billy, Regan does not like it. Anyway, he and Scaredy Cat are well taken care of. They keep the back yard safe. :-)

Putting up Herbs

It's that time of year. The "putting up" time. I don't can or put up veggies since I don't have a garden. But I do plant herbs every year and they produce enough to enjoy now and then later.

Our house is an older home, which was built by an architect for himself. One of the things I love is the outside door in the kitchen. I'm thinking a jardin potager must be built out on this side!

It's been the perfect spot to grow herbs in our HOT, HOT, HOT West Texas sun. The porch off the kitchen is on the north side of the house. It gets early morning sun and that seems to be enough for the herbs as they are flourishing!!

 

Saturday morning, I harvested 6 cups of sweet basil and made 3 batches of pesto; 2 for the freezer and 1 for dinner. 

And then I began harvesting individual herbs and prepared them for the freezer.

How you will use the herbs later on will dictate in what you freeze them.

The lemon balm was made into pesto in the food processor and blended with olive oil before it was placed into an ice cube tray. This will be wonderful on baked fish!

Thyme and rosemary were  placed in the tray with water.

Chicken stock and baked chicken - oh yumm.

And Sage was bathed in olive oil.

I love to fry my sage a bit for pork tenderloin. The oil is perfect for this.
NOTE My trays have individual wells so that I can mix the herbs and liquid without it contaminating the next well.

Place your tray in the freezer and freeze until solid.

Then pop out the herb cubes and place into labeled plastic bags.

You will love yourself on those gloomy winter days!

Do you spot one of the jars of pesto?

After we removed the glass "screen" door and replaced it with a screen door, our yard cats Billy and Scaredy have taken to talking to Regan through the door. They don't even move when I come from around the side of the house and harvest. If I went out the kitchen door, they would have to move.

How do you store your herbs for the winter?

White with a bit of color Tablescapes revisted

June 22, 2011

It's just really hot around here these days.
I mean really hot.

I got in the car after work yesterday and the temp showed 113.

By the time I got to the bank, both the car and the bank showed 105.

ps..the links under the photos are links to the tablescapes themselves.

Thanksgivings 2011

So I've been just wiped out.

But I'm not complaining. 

We have no humidity, normally.

However, it's been like a sweat lodge.

Humidity at greater than 50% some days.

Red and White Holiday 2011

The patio hasn't been completely finished yet.
Our worker has been swamped and so we get pushed to the bottom of the list.
I know I raised him better than that :)!! LOL

Rustic Chic 2011

Needless to say,

I've been a slug.

Lazy.

Not a creative ounce in my bones.

Keeping the plants watered takes all my energy.
Slug.

April in Lubbock 2011

So while I'm longing for cooler temps,

And no new table in sight,

I thought I'd share some previous

tablescape escapades.

Wisteria 2011

And I'm praying you won't be bored.

I'm just sorry I've neglected this blog for so long.

So bad of me huh?
Slug.

Breaking the Fast 2011

But, I do have a brand new table planned for next week!
Well I hope.
Hoping cause I need some flowers.
Hoping.

A Black and White Affair

I'm hoping that the weekend will cooperate.

Cooler temps please, please.

Flowers to be had.

Inspired by Blue

And although I haven't set a table,

I have completed my set of Coalport Athlone blue dishes and Waterford Clarendon wine hocks,

via eBay of course.

A Calm Welcome 2013

And I was the lucky and most happy winner
of a set of gorgeous Noritake Piedmont accent plates.
Cannot wait to set that table!
Thank you Noritake!!!

Paper Roses and Lace 2012

And thanks to my friend Cherry Kay from the gorgeous Entertaining Women blog,
I was able to snag 10 Mottahedeh Musee des Arts pots de creme.
Yep, one more table with these...

Tribute to Mothers Everywhere 2012

So please come back again,
soon.
I know the dog days of summer
will soon be behind us.
Are you longing for Fall, too?

Garden Party 2011

Thank you so much for sticking with me.
Thank you for inspiring me.
Come visit Tablescape Thursdays and Cuisine Kathleen with me!!