Spunky's Summer Cut 2011

Here are a few pictures of my baby before she went to the groomer for her shave down for the summer. I enjoy watching her sleep especially when she is dreaming.  In this first picture, she is waiting for breakfast. She is looking towards the kitchen as her food is being prepared.  Her nuggets must be soaked in chicken broth with some chicken of course.

 Here she is guarding my mom. By the way, she is afraid of that unattached child's gate.  It fell over once and hit her so she is very cautious when she gets near it.

Here is her new look.  It was cut a little closer than I wanted but her hair does grow back quickly. She was rather upset at me for leaving her and didn't want to leave until she saw her Daddy. He wasn't the one who handed her over to the groomer. I'm not too crazy how they left her tail.  I wish they had left it intact like last year. We took for a ride to my parent's house to remind her that not all car rides lead to an uncomfortable situation.  She seemed happy at my parentls house and seemed equally happy to be home.

Memorial Day 2011

My friend Ruby asked me to create a Memorial Day table with my new placemats and this is what I came up with. I hope everyone had a great weekend.

Fiesta in Cobalt and Scarlet and White
Glasses from Tuesday Morning, Dillards and The Brass Shop (local)
Diner luncheon plates by Homer Laughlin
Napkins from Walmart
Napkin rings from Tuesday Morning

A Beach in the Desert

I can only remember going to the beach once in my life. I have visited White Sands, New Mexico which has sand but no water.
I didn't think a table with this theme would appeal to me but it came together pretty quickly and I didn't even have accessories until last Saturday.  It started with the napkin rings which are Pfaltzgraff.  I found them at the Goodwill. There was a matching cake stand and the only reason it didn't come home with me is because it had a huge crack at the base. The clam votive holders, the majority of the shells and the blue scatters in the apothecary jar are from Dollar Tree.  I had seen them there but didn't think it was enough for a tablescape.  The marbles in the jar and the place mats were a gift from my friend Ruby for my birthday. They were in a basket along with other tablescaping goodies.

Post 86 Fiesta in Cobalt, Seamist, Turquoise and Ivory.

Bowls: Wedgewood (thrift store)

Starfish Votive: Goodwill find

Mini Pitcher: Noritake Hawaiian Holidays (thrift store)

Glasses: Pier 1 and Tuesday Morning

Flatware: Tuesday Morning

Shell Bowl: Kohl's

Family Gathering May 2011

We had a family gathering at my house this past Sunday. My uncle, who lives in California, was in town. Although our house is small, we managed to keep everyone comfortable.  We ate, looked at pictures and everyone was sharing memories of growing up and of each other.  It was a wonderful day and it was worth all the effort.  My mom recognized everyone and even said their names when they came to greet her and it made them happy.  She laughed a lot. I was too busy cooking to set the table up or to take pictures that day.  I had the same flower arrangement from my last table still up. I added napkins and salt and pepper shakers. Here are a few pictures of how I had everything set up. 

The coffee table belongs to my parents. I don't have one because of space and my four-legged baby. She was pushed outside for the day. Luckily, it was not that hot and she had plenty of company.

I wanted to keep as many things as possible handy. So I took out my usual display items to make room. I did use plastic cups as I have enough casualties on my own. I didn't need to make anyone feel guilty for breaking one of my glasses even though we do it all the time. I had a get together a year and a half ago for my mom for her 80th birthday and everyone was shocked that I used "real" plates and flatware so it was no surprise this time that I did the same. I had a better system for washing them (I do not have a dish washer other than my two hands) and of course everyone helps. I have too many pretty dishes not to use them.

I made two roasts, Spanish rice, and chile con queso.  So I put the tostadas in my Crate and Barrel bowl and used the individual casserole dishes for the onion, cilantro and salsa.

 I had three crock pots operating. My friend lent me this huge one. The torilla warmer came in very handy.

The empty spaces and another countertop area were used for the desserts and salads.

 This is my uncle and my mom looking at pictures. Everytime my mom saw the camera, she turned away.  I don't think my uncle was aware I had the camera out.

 These are my cousins.

 Same cousins plus my dad, my mom's cousin(who I call uncle) and my cousin's husband.

 My uncle and hubby jumped into the picture.

My Godmother, cousins, my mom and me.
Too bad we didn't get to take pictures of everyone that came. I was too slow in taking out the camera. We had a great time and I hope we can do it again soon.

Table Inspirations

The inspiration was the napkin.  I think they were placemats that shrunk. I really liked the color combination. I found them at my favorite thrift store. The napkin rings were found at an estate sale. They were new in the box and original purchased at Target.

The Fiesta colors are Lemongrass, Cobalt, Peacock, Turquoise, and Chartreuse. The placemats were found at Kohl's on clearance.  They are licensed Fiesta.

I used one of my many flower frogs to help me arrange the flowers. The glass birds were also an estate sale find.  One of my friends has an amazing collection of glass animals that belonged to her grandmother.  So I had to get some for myself.

I used a flower frog in the chartreuse vase. I need more

Mother's Day 2011

We had my parents and brother over today to celebrate.  I made a ham and roasted potatoes. I got use my new tablecloth and candlestick holders. I found the tablecloth at my favorite thrift store for $1.99. It says "Fresh Flowers by Stella Olsen".  My search for more info came up empty.  I did find out that there is a park by the same name. The napkin rings were found at Bed Bath and Beyond on clearance.

Here is a view of the candlestick holder. They are etched all around. I found them at Goodwill.

The salad bowl is from Crate and Barrel and was a wedding gift from a dear friend. The glasses are Libbey and were purchased at Dillard' years ago.

I used a mixture of Fiesta flatware.

I set up the plates on a cart that we found at estate sale.  The hubby scraped it well and spray painted it.

It was a good day and I got to use lots of my dishes.  I hope everyone had a good day also.

Fiesta Cobalt and Greens

I worked on this table right before Easter. I had just found the Harlequin plates.  The Fiest colors are Cobalt, Periwinkle and White.

The placemats were a clearance purchase from Dillard's.  The napkins are from Walmart and the rings were a gift from my friend Sam from her first trip to visit her son in Dallas/Ft Worth.

I found the green glass basket at Savers. It is a heavy piece. The candlestick holders were also a thrift store find.  I have the matching glasses to them.

The Fiesta casserole in Cobalt was also a Savers find. The blue glasses were found at Tuesday Morning about 10 years ago. My mom and I cleared them out.  They were $.99 each.  Those were the days when my mom still loved to go shopping. So these glasses hold some special memories for me.

Palms and Pineapples

I called this my tropical table last year.  I used Yellow Fiesta plates last year but this year I am using Persimmon (my favorite color). The Fiesta color is Juniper in the Fiesta2000 pattern.  I really like this tiered tray. The tray along with the fruit and the napkins were gifts from my friend.

The bowls are Crate and Barrel and were wedding gifts.  The glass dessert bowls, the coffee server, sugar bowl and napkin rings are all from Tuesday Morning clearance section. The lone candle holder was a clearance find at Big Lots for $0.99. The flat ware is Fiesta licensed item.

I'm still learning how to use this blog. I hope to learn how to link up to the Tablescape Thursday soon.