Christmas Tablescape

The holidays are my favorite time to decorate our home and tables.  I have amassed a collection of dishes from my mother, thrift stores and my own purchases over the years.  

I'm in my late 60's now so I'm out of the acquiring mode and have parted with some sets but enjoy mixing and matching  collections I've had for years. 

I love getting different looks by layering different patterns together.  I have favorite holiday dishes and use them every year.    Dinner plates designed by Tracy Porter and purchased at Target many years ago paired with Bordallo Pinheiro bowls compliment each other for the Christmas.   

 

I inherited tablecloths for almost every occasion from my mother-in-law along with some lovely sterling silver.      Although our Moms have been gone for a number of years I feel they are with us on special occasions when our table is set with family pieces.

We celebrated my youngest son' s birthday this weekend and also had an early Christmas dinner with my son who lives in Florida so I set our formal dining room table.  Always special to have my sons together to gather around our family table. 

 

Wishing everyone a blessed holiday season and 

Merry Christmas!

Linking to Susan's Tablescape Thursday

Christmas Tablescape

Christmas Tea Time

 I brewed a pot of chai spice tea today since I was feeling a little under the weather and realized it had been a while since I shared a tea table. 

After enjoying my second cup I took a few photos of my newest Mud Pie pieces.  The mugs are nice and big and hold a lot of tea! 

Last week I found Christmas Mud Pie ornaments at a darling children's store and was fortunate to find more Mud Pie items on sale at the hospital gift shop where I work.  I couldn't pass them up since I get an employee

 discount too!

The colors are so festive and I love the mix of colors and patterns...polka dots, stripes and checks...oh my!

This teapot is one of my favorites and I found "her" in a antique store last year.  She's not from Mud Pie but I thought she looked right at home with my Christmas mugs. 

I like to call her Mrs. Potts!

The cake stand is from Pier One and I love the fluted edge.  I've been admiring these cake stands for awhile and they come in different sizes and look great stacked.  Hope Santa heard me...I don't have the other sizes.   Cake stands  make perfect teapot stands 

as well.

Don't you love the loaf pans?  

Merry and FaLaLa! 

The snack/cheese plate is my favorite piece from the collection.  I will be using this on my buffet table for Christmas.  The black and white check adds a touch of whimsy.

Merry Christmas!

Enjoy a Christmas tea and set a pretty tray all for yourself or better yet to share with family or friends. 

Fa La La La La!!!


I'm linking with:
Show off your Cottage Monday
Marty's Tabletop Tuesdays and 
Susan's Tablescape Thursdays

Playing with Dishes and Mud Pie

I love playing with dishes!  My mom loves beautiful dishes too so maybe I came by it honestly.  Christmas brings out the child in us all and while shopping in Cinnamon and Bears I found the cutest Mud Pie Christmas ornaments.   I thought they would be perfect on my Christmas tree and so pretty on a holiday table!

The Santa ornament is adorable!

I layered my fun little ornaments on some of my favorite dishes and put them in my three-tiered server to use as decorations in my dining room.  

Mud Pie makes some of the cutest baby clothes I ever seen and they also make these beautiful and colorful ornaments!  

The Rudolph sits atop a layer of dishes I've collected over the years.

The candy cane luncheon plates were gifts and I love their

pretty borders.

When I collect plates I look for pretty borders..or an interesting pattern.  I love how the borders look layered together and the Snowman is the finishing touch.

I had fun playing with dishes and Mud Pie..hope you are enjoying the 

Holiday Season!!

 Merry Christmas!

I'm linking with

 Marty's Tabletop Tuesday
Susan's Tablescape Thursdays
Beverly's Pink Saturday
and 
Tablescaper's  Seasonal Sundays

Silver & Christmas

Originally posted Christmas 2009:

These are some of my favorite silver pieces a I received 
from my mother-in-law.  I make an effort to use her beautiful things as often as I can...why let them sit in a drawer?  Christmas is a time I use all the pretty and special pieces I can, it reminds us of her and makes our meals together even more special! 

Thought I would share with Chari's 

Sunday Favorites this week!

Hope you are enjoying the season!

Several different silver patterns

(My favorite is the Tiffany Holly Mistletoe hors d'oeuvre 7-tined fork) 

What a fun idea for a blog party at Gypsy Fish and a great opportunity to get out my silver that usually occupies the drawers of the china cabinet almost the entire year.  I was fortunate to have been given my mother-in-law's silver collection last year.  Most of it hasn't been used in decades and I am of the opinion not to save things for "somedays" or  "special occasions" but to use and enjoy them since we never know when those "somedays"  will come.     I am determined this year to use special things a lot more often and make everyday special!

This is a wonderful chaffing dish and I need to find an insert since I plan on using it for a baby shower later this month.

She had two lovely candy dishes, one with engravings in the bottom and the other plain.  I think they are just beautiful.

"Santa"  brought me the runner for Christmas..I guess I was a good girl this year.  I love the silver contrasted against the black silk.   

This spoon is fairly large and very ornate...it has a woman in an iris design that I've never seen before.

The cake knife/server is engraved beautifully and I will definitely be using this at the baby shower.

Lastly, she also had a set of Oneida the King Cedric pattern that is so elegant.  

This was so much fun getting out silver treasures and family heirlooms.  

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Conservatory and Cloche

I love using what I already have in new ways.  When I purchase something new I try to determine if I will use it often and if it will work well with other things I own.   My little conservatory usually is put away during the winter months but this year I thought I would make a little vignette for my table and leave my conservatory out year round.

  I have been wanting to create a winter village inside but I probably won't find all the little details to complete it for this year.  I decided to use what

 I had handy.

This picture reminds me of window shopping.  I love window shopping in little downtown areas...Carmel is one of my favorites to walk along at night and look in the windows.  The lighting is soft like candlelight and the colors seem so much brighter.  

I'm not finished with all my Christmas decorations yet..and my conservatory vignette is subject to change..but thought I would share what I came up with today.

The little snowman candle was a gift as was the candy cane plate.  

I just used a simple white votive in one of my crystal glasses for more candlelight.

The little wire cloche was purchased at an antique mall for $2 and was actually in the shape of a little pot.  When I saw it ..I saw a wire cloche in the making.  I just stretched it into

 a little cloche.   

I used this sweet little bird nest

that I have out for spring/summer in my hutch.  I added a berry candle ring to give it a Christmas look and topped it with the wire cloche.  

I love the natural look ....let heaven and nature sing!

Hope you are enjoying decorating your home and finding new ways to use what you already have.   Have fun!

I'm joining Marty's Tabletop Tuesdays 
Susan's Outdoor Wednesdays
Susan's Tablescape Thursdays
Romantic Home's Show and Tell Friday
Beverly's Pink Saturday 
and 
Tablescaper's Seasonal Sunday

Christmas Evening Table

 Sunday Favorites

Thanks Chari for all the inspiration you have given me during the first year of my blog!

I love red and white and dining by the soft glow of candlelight.  I set a simple table this year due to time constraints.  Sometimes simplicity is just what I need with everything else I have to do during the holidays.
I just layered a white lace tablecloth over my red plaid one.  The plates are from Target and the red goblets I bought in a little shop in Grapevine, Texas a few years ago. I love the size and weight of them, not to delicate for my guys to handle. 

Another view of the dining room and Christmas tree.  We are enjoying the soft glow of the new chandelier especially since my hubbie installed the dimmer switch. I didn't order my floral centerpiece this year but bought grocery store flowers and greenery and just added a few candy canes for color.

Hope your Christmas dinner was wonderful and shared with your loved ones!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing everyone a blessed and Merry Christmas...we are currently under blizzard conditions in Oklahoma and I'm enjoying being in the comfort of my home with my loved ones.   I'm thankful for a warm home this Christmas Eve and for all the new friends I've met this year through blogging.  Stay warm and safe!    Hope Santa brings you whatever you wished for!