A Poolside Setting

It's been a busy week.  My baby starts his journey in 16 days!  We've been (or should I say I've been) buying sheets, towels, space savers, everything you can imagine to outfit his room.  Then we get the room assignment--he is in a high rise, no AC, the smallest dorm room imaginable, and he has not one, but two roommates!  Ouch!  They must share 2 desks, 1 dresser, and 1 closet.  Should be interesting...  Luckily, boys don't have half the stuff that girls do!  And the university is in the western part of the state, where it is much cooler.

We have also been looking at places for my daughter to live in town.  We are just checking out her options, I think she will be here until around the first of the year, saving money hopefully!!  After that, watch out, I'll be free as a bird! 

My tablescape today is outside.  I know what you are thinking.  It's hotter than the hinges of well, you know.  But today is actually cooler, in the 90s, a little bit less humidity, and around January or February, I'll be wishing for these sunny days.  So I braved the heat, and took my table outside by the pool.

I started with this blue tablecloth that I purchased a few weeks ago at HomeGoods on sale.  I love blue, it seems that you can use blue with every other color.  And I think that is true with this tablecloth, so I paired it with a burnt orange color that was also in the salad plates.

The tablecloth is 'Le Telerie Toscane', made in Italy (I have no idea what that means--something Tuscany?)  Anyway, it is linen and cotton and a beautiful design and color.

The dinner plates are Ralph Lauren, I used these same plates in the tablescape you can see here.

The salad plates are Pegasus (for obvious reasons) by Mikasa.  I have an entire set of this that I purchased from a friend.  The colors in this plate were my inspiration for this table.

I used burnt orange napkins, seems they changed color a bit in my photos.  I found these cute little napkin rings on sale (99 cents) at Bed, Bath, and Beyond while I was supposed to be buying dorm room stuff lol!

I wouldn't mind having a bracelet like that!  Jewelry for the table!!

I liked the design of this piece I purchased last year at auction.  I had been searching for epergnes and I finally found several, which I immediately bid on and won.  Read about my other epergne here.

I wanted to fill the side cups with fruit, but ran out of time, so I used some ivy, a white pillar candle, and some burnt orange grapes I found at TJ Maxx.

The center vase is filled with glads and baby's breath.

I also used two silver candleholders with bobeches,

Crystal is Crown Point by Gorham.

Sterling is by Lunt.

Yes, I'm trying to hide the basketball hoop with a fern.

Thanks for stopping by!  If, by chance I get some candlelight shots, I will put them in a new post.  I'm off to see 'The Help' tonight--can't wait!!  In case you didn't notice, I totally forgot to put chairs around the table.  Oh well, one for the blooper file!!  I always appreciate your kind comments!!

A Tropical Vacation Setting

A long, tropical weekend was just what the doctor ordered!  We spent a long weekend in Naples, Florida, at a beautiful resort with family, friends, and work acquaintances.  After the heat wave we've had  in Virginia, the lower 90's and lower humidity in Florida were quite pleasant! 

When we arrived at the hotel, we saw such beautiful foliage and flowers!

View from our 3rd floor room...

the canal...

the canal again.

Our room was a wonderful shade of green

and tropical accents.

Outside--paradise!

A table set for a bride and groom!

And an inside table for a small wedding party!

One of our dinners was a buffet, with lots of delicacies! 

The sunsets over the gulf were so beautiful!

Maybe one day I'll be a snow bird, and fly down to spend my winters in the warmth of the sun!

I hope to be back playing with dishes next week.  Hope you enjoyed your mini visit to sunny Naples.  I  hope to go back someday!  Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate your kind comments.

A Polka Dot Setting

A cheerful, polka-dot table is in order for the day!  I am behind, and I almost didn't post this, as I really didn't have much time to work out all the details, but I love these cute little polka-dot dishes.  And the best part is I got them at a Goodwill store!  I've had them for quite a while, and it's been hard to find exactly the right things to go with them.  So I decided to just go for it, use what I could find at home, and hope for the best!  Here goes!!

This bright, cheery tablecloth is actually a duvet cover that my daughter used in her college apartment.  The runner is cut from leftover fabric that we used to cover a chair.

The neat thing about these dishes is that they are all different colors.

I used different color napkins just for fun.

Polka dots on the glasses and stems...

on the ribbon...

and even in the bowl.

The centerpiece vase is sitting on top of a milk glass bowl and is filled with white hydrangeas from the yard.  Smaller milk glass vases are on each side, with one white flower.

A round candle floats in a brandy stem and is tied with polka dot ribbon.

Time to say goodnight!  After all this tablescaping, we are a bit tired.  Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate your kind comments!!

Polka dot glasses--Dillard's Department Store

Centerpiece vase--consignment

Milk glass bowls and vases--vintage, inherited

Polka-dot plates--Rosanna, purchased at Goodwill

Wine goblets--Waterford Marquis