Christmas circa 2000-Sunday Favorites

I love the cottage look and almost a decade ago I had a light and  bright combination dining /hearth room that featured blue and white.   These are pictures from that room..during the Christmas season  all I had to do was add a  pop of red to give it the holiday look.   I get nostalgic about this room because I miss all the wonderful memories of watching movies and family meals we enjoyed there when my three sons were still living at home.   We still live in the same home, but I have totally redecorated this room with a darker color scheme and the dining area is no longer a part of the family room.... but that's for a later post.  Hope you enjoy one of my favorite rooms.

The cabinets are from my parents home and enclose some of my mother's collection of blue and white porcelain dishes she collected in the orient. 

Our family dining room was used extensively when my boys were all home.  Many wonderful family meals were served here. I always enjoyed  decorating this chandlier. 

A closeup of a simple mantle vignette

Wow ...even my hubbie looks a decade younger!  Hope everyone enjoys your favorite family memories.

Merry Christmas !

Thanks Chari for being our wonderful hostess for Sunday Favorites! 

Pacific Grove-Monarch Butterflies

Pacific Grove, California  is one of my favorite places to visit. It is known for the being a Monarch butterfly sanctuary. These winged beauties migrate in the fall and spend the winter months in this lovely coastal town.  Monarch butterflies are seen on homes, signs and buildings throughout the area .  This house is known as the Butterfly house and was a couple blocks away from where we stayed. It makes me smile!

The entrance sign to Pacific Grove or Butterfly Town U.S.A.

Decorated old fashioned lamp posts

Streetside gardens include monarchs too!

If you look closely this historic building's stained glass windows are adorned with monarchs!

Pacific Grove is delightful town with a very pretty mascot.

Hope you enjoy Outdoor Wednesdays, make sure to check out Susan this week at A Southern Daydreamer.  She is always the sweetest hostess!

Pink Saturday and The Pink Elephant

While on vacation and driving from Napa Valley out to the coast to Bodega Bay, we found ourselves in some cute little towns.   I saw this sign I knew we had to turn around and get a picture of this one of a kind neon sign for a Pink Saturday post....It's just the cutest!

It's always fun to see what everyone has posted for Pink Saturday at Beverly's How Sweet the Sound!  Hope everyone has a great and fun Saturday!

Sunday Favorites-Happy Sunflowers

This is one of my favorite tablescapes...and my choice for Chari's Sunday's Favorites. I use sunflowers in my home in the fall as well as summer -so I thought it would be a good re-run post. Drop by and visit our amazing hostess Chari to see everyone's favorites this week. She is definitely one my favorites!!

Originally posted (5/13/09)

Sunflower Inspired Tablescape for Two

Last summer while shopping I found the cutest sunflower tablecloth and napkin set. The best part was it was a Department 56 ensemble on sale for 75% off-how could I resist? I hadn't found any dishes that would coordinate so I put out an APB with my girlfriends. I finally found my sunflower plates at Pier One this past weekend and I just love how they look layered with two other plates.

I think yellow sunflowers are such happy flowers and they come in so many colors and varieties. Bright yellow is definitely my favorite!

I grew sunflowers from seed last summer and ended up with a six footer...I think the variety was Mammoth...so appropriately named. I definitely needed to stake this one as it grew taller than me!

One of my dear friends Luann was out helping me locate dishes and found this adorable sunflower serving piece at a garage sale! She gave it to me for Mother's Day and will be so cute to serve chips and dip or vegies on. It's such a nice piece and just love it ! Thanks Lu!!

I looked in thrift, gift, and antique stores thinking I might find some bright bold fiestaware plates in yellow, orange or red but when I spotted the sunflower dishes I was sold!

I have layered red chargers from Portgual ( I got on sale at T.J. Max shopping with my fellow blogger Tina) with my grandmother's "Brentwood" dinner plates as a background to the sunflower luncheon plates. I haven't used my grandmother's china in many years...but the periwinkle blue was a perfect match to the blue in the tablecloth! I am so happy to use these plates again in a new updated setting.

She gave these to me as a wedding present 33 years ago!

I found the sweetest florist in a little shop in the historic district of Crown Heights. Her shop is called "A Date with Iris" and the owner's name is Stephanie. I showed her my napkin and she helped me pick out a few sunflowers and gerbera daises along with a lovely little periwinke flower that I have never seen. She was a delight and wrapped the flowers in brightest colors of tissue paper.

Her business card is adorable!

(Thanks Deb for the garden bench)

The border of the tablecloth is so fun...black and white checks along the edge just give it a touch of whimsy! I love whimsy.

I even had a few early visitors to my table... They just arrived and it was their first visit to my home. I think they love sunflowers too!

....our maybe they just wanted a "Date with Iris."

Hope your day is filled with sunflowers and sunshine!

Pink Saturday

I love visiting San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. Last month I couldn't help but notice all the pretty pink flowers there. These pink dahlias were enormous!

My dahlias in Oklahoma never get this big!

I love this pink hydrangea on the path near the bridge entrance.

And isn't this the sweetest little pink flower...I don't know the name of it...do any of you know?

Hope everyone has a lovely pink day! Make sure you visit Beverly for an all day Pink-Fest!