Thanksgiving Tablescape

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year.  I clean, cook and decorate to make our home a welcoming place for my three sons, husband and furbabies.   I have always loved setting a pretty table and each year at Thanksgiving I use our "good" china,  but this year I thought I would break with tradition and try something new.  

I purchased a bronze orange tablecloth to coordinate with some of my favorite dishes.  I love the rich fall colors in these plates.

I purchased them several years ago at Target and display them in my plate rack in the kitchen most of the year.  

The pattern is by Tracy Porter and is from the Octavia Hill Garden collection.  I wish I would have purchased more of the coordinating pieces now.  I will be searching Ebay to complete my set.  

Since I do have three sons I wanted the table to be more natural and woodsy with less of a formal look.

The twig placemats from Pier One were the perfect beginning for layering dishes.  

Last year I found the chargers at Wal-Mart and I've seen them all over blogville.  I love that they are faux wood and the leaf pattern is perfect for any fall table.  I finished layering with a ceramic pumpkin

 from the Dollar Tree.

I love collecting elements for a tablescape.  Little wire placecard holders from Napa Style on our recent trip remind me of the beautiful valley we enjoy returning to each year.

The amber colored stemware belonged to my mother and she gifted them to me when she downsized her home.  They are heavy, not too daintly and

work perfectly for my men.

A centerpiece of pumpkins made from twigs was simple and completed a natural look on the table.

A few grocery store flowers and votive candles finishes my table.  

The table was a more casual setting and we enjoyed our Thanksgiving meal by candlelight.

Desert was a family favorite...a Ribbon cake.  It's a simple and delicious recipe.  I topped it with the last blooming flowers from my garden.

Hope your holiday season is filled with blessings of family, friends and much laughter!


I'm joining:
Beverly's Pink Saturday
Tablescaper's Seasonal Sundays
Marty's Tabletop Tuesday


Go by and visit all these great parties!

Fall Tea with my Favorite Scarecrow

Fall is my favorite season and I've been busy trying to get ready for the holidays and putting my garden to bed for the winter. 

I finally had a day to relax at home and time to 
start thinking about my Thanksgiving table.  I started playing with dishes - one of my favorite things to do!   My favorite scarecrow insisted we sit down for tea in the garden before the weather gets too cold. 

I got out my fall teapot along with some of the leaf dishes I purchased last year at Wal-Mart and put together a little tea table on the patio under our large oak trees.  

I started with my thrift store yellow tablecloth layered with an orange runner found on clearance at Wal-Mart.  

The chargers are from Pier One and I just love the natural element they give to the table.  The sunny yellow melamine dishes are from Target.

Finally I finished layering with the leaf plates 
from Wal-Mart.  

The teapot and cups were purchased 

last year at an antique mall.  I love the leaf motif. 
  

I filled my favorite cloche full of little pumpkins and used it instead of a centerpiece.

The sweet little chicken napkins rings were found in an antique store in Tulsa.  They are vintage and I was tickled to find them.

Scarecrow and I had a lovely time this afternoon as the weather was glorious and the leaves were gently falling all around.  

The cart my sons gave me for Mother's Day is filled with pumpkins and gourds sits near my patio so I can enjoy it everyday.

Next I will start playing around with my Thanksgiving tablesetting and making a centerpiece.  When we were in Napa in September I found some of the cutest wire pumpkin place cards and can't wait to use them. 

Have a Happy Thanksgiving and remember to meditate and thank God for all the blessings he has given.   Hope you have a wonderful time with your family!

I'm joining 
Tablescaper's Seasonal Sundays
Marty's Tabletop Tuesdays
Susan's Outdoor Wednesdays
Susan's Tablescape Thursdays
and Cindy's Show and Tell Fridays

Sunday Favorites

Fall is definitely here and my flowers will soon go to sleep for the winter months so I'd thought I share one last look at my hydrangeas when they were at their peak this summer.

Originally posted in June 2011

This month my hydrangeas are at their peak so I thought I would share some of my favorites.

This is a varitey that can tolerate more sun than most ...I love the pink and purple blooms and leathery foilage.  Wish I could find the plant tag or remember the name of this one as it does great in

our hot summers!

The hydrangeas below are all 'Nikko Blue' a tried and true variety and easy to find.

My hydrangea border is behind my house and only gets the east morning sun...they love this location and share it with our resident turtle Mr. "T" who has been out and about again.

The oakleaf hydrangea is in the foreground..first white elongated blooms that turn lime green.  

The variety is 'Nikko Blue' but some do bloom more pink so I just add more organic material like peat moss or pecan hulls to make the ph of the soil more acidic.   I don't mind if some are pink  as it just adds more color to my border.  

No matter what color they are I just love these big mopheads!!    Right now I am having to give them plenty of extra waterings as the temperatures are above 100 degrees. 

As summer heat turns to fall the blooms turn a wonderful lime green with touches of mauve..and that's when I cut them for drying in arrangements.

If you've never grown them I highly recommend you give them a try... with a little extra care you won't be disappointed!

I'm joining Chari's Sunday Favorites and 
Tootsie's Flaunt your Flowers
this week go by and visit!