Christine's Home and Travel Adventures: September 2012

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

It's Fruity on Harvest Time!

Today is Katheen's "Let's Dish" Harvest Challenge. Come and join us!

I have not taken down my pumpkins from the attic yet and I have not seen them in grocery stores or have just not been looking for them yet, so I decided to use fruits for my harvest table.

The setting is in our formal dining room.

I cut some yellow sunburst flowers from the garden and put them in a fruited vase.

I placed Mr. Squirrel pitcher on a short Corinthian pedestal.

Tha tablecloth is by April Cornell. It has flowers and fruits.

I just took different fruits and placed them in a lidded (with lid taken down) server, which I placed on a plateau, for my centerpiece.

I bought the squirrel pitcher from HG in Pensacola last year.

I added a topiary on each side of the table. The pots match the tablecloth and the dishes.

I borrowed the candles from the living room

Antlers votive candle holders..... is this a buck?

This heavy marble plateau has grapes too on its iron base.

White promeganate ceramics that I bought from Williams Sonoma last winter.

Then I remembered I had these fruit bowls that I bought from a junk shop in FL before we even moved here and I added them to the table.

I have had these plate chargers hand painted with fruits, made out of tin, from when we lived in FL also. I won a dozen of them from Ebay. See? I was already a dish addict even before my blogging days:-)

I bought the ceramic pumpkin and artichoke (I think that's what they are, please correct me if I am wrong) napkin ring holders from New Orleans about a year or 2 ago.

Flatware were from Neiman Marcus or Horchow. They called them red but I think they are more rust in color and they blend really well with these place settings.

Clear glass goblets with pineapples and green wine stems were from TJ Maxx from a long time ago.

Fanned dinner plates from West Elm, I just got them on line on clearance and Mottadeheh Vista Alegre Summer Fruits luncheon or salad plates from Ebay. I just love the scrolls on the edges and their colors and the different fruits.

Thanks for this Harvest party, Kathleen. I hope I lived up to the challenge. To see more, please visit her at

http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

Also linking with:

Susan's Tablescape Thurs

http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Richella for Grace at Home

http://www.impartinggrace.com/

Niki for Creative Things Thursday

http://www.thevintagefarmhouse.com/

Katherine for Favorite Things Thursday Hop

http://katherinescorner.com/

Kathy's Home and Garden

http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com

Centerpiece Wednesday

http://thestylesisters.blogspot.com

Thanks to all our gracious hostesses.

And thanks to all who enter and comment here!

I really appreaciate you all!

Monday, September 24, 2012

Breakfast by the Fountain

This morning, I decided to drink my coffee out on the back porch. The temp. in the morning is cooler now and really pleasant.

I had a pound cake topped with Mayhaw jelly with my coffee.

For my tea cup, I used this English china set by Aynsley. It is marked C 2818.

This mercury silver candelier is right above the table. The plaque says "Love grows here. You reap what you sow"

The coffee/teapot is a Bavarian Tirschenreuth china. I do not know the pattern name but at the bottom, it is marked 33012. I like the Fall colors of the pot.

Love the sound of the trickling water coming from the fountain.

It was really relaxing out there this morning.

Barnardaud Limoges dessert plate for my pound cake.

This is the first time I used this, usually they are only displayed in the dining room corner china cabinet.

Thanks for stopping by and thank you so much to the hostesses. I always appreciate your parties.

Kathy's A Return To Loveliness

http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com

Sandi's Teatime Tues

http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com/

Martha and Terri's Teacup Tue

http://www.marthasfavorites.com/

Tuesday Cuppa tea

http://antiquesandteacups.blogspot.com/

Miss Spencer's Teacup Thursday

http://missspensersblog.blogspot.com/

Sunday, September 23, 2012

The Backyard Before It Loses Its Leaves

Happy Fall, y'all!

I thought I would take a picture of the backyard before it loses all it's leaves. We still have some flowers coming up. I love the orange roses below. I've had them for a few years now.

As you can see, the sprinklers were going while I was taking pictures.

I took some panoramic photos too.

The morning glories showing off in the morning.

My potting bench is heavily used. I just potted a Christmas cactus that I moved on the porch.

Even the vegetable garden is still doing great except for the tomatoes. Honeysuckles are still blooming too.

There is the Christmas cactus on the table now. See the papaya next to it on the deck floor? I hope I can keep it alive over the winter.

I replaced the outdoor pillows from blue to black with orange and green. Looking more fall-ish now.

The gazebo covered with orange trumpet vines. There are only a few flowers right now but it fills out in the spring. I love this vine cause it does not go away in the winter.

The arbor covered with confederate jasmines. Again, no flowers right now but it is full of small white fragrant flowers in the spring. I like this one too cause it also thrives during winter time.

My friend and I are still cleaning the secret garden but it is looking better and better everyday.

Looking down from the deck into the secret garden.

The calmundin plant is still giving me my citrus fruits.

I had a luncheon with friends a few days ago. This was my centerpiece and I just left it there. Maybe I will post the tablescape next week. I have to post a harvest one for this week.

I love the dragonfly particularly the blue eyes! I also like these stone candle holders. I bought them from another vendor in the store, very cheap, just can't remember exactly how much but maybe around $3.