Christine's Home and Travel Adventures

Friday, August 5, 2016

My Very First Tablescape in the Gazebo

I have been out of town for 2 weeks but I want to join Chloe's al fresco tablescape blog hop at http://celebrateanddecorate.com/ so I hope you don't mind me reposting a tablescape I did way back in 2010. Geez! Have I been really posting for that long? So, here goes.....

I have been wanting to create a tablescape in the gazebo but never had a chance until today. Since my mom is staying with me right now, I thought we could have lunch there. First, I took the folding game table from the garage and moved it to the gazebo. The iron chairs and settee in there will already be the perfect size so I didn't have to move any folding chairs.

I knew it was going to be hot so I put my swim suit on with a pair of shorts while creating the tablescape. I figured I will go for a swim right after because I was sure I would get sweaty.

I fed my mom breakfast on the deck so that she could keep me company while I worked.

And there it is, all done!

I took out a Thompson pottery bird house tea pot and cups, planning to have green tea.

A view of the secret garden in the background.

The herb plates are made in England by Johnson Bros. for Tiffany & Co. I only used 2 though I have 4 of them, 4 different herbs. The charger plates are lace tin and the dinner plates have lace edges.

The green placemats have an emboridered bird on them but I forgot to take a picture.

I snipped some rosemary and another kind of over matured herb with purple flowers from the garden and put them in 3 little Southern Living at Home vases. The rosemary have little purple flowers too.

Green goblets and white flowered wine glasses. I bought the latter from the dollar store a few months ago. Maybe those are not white flowers but snow flakes, lol! Oh well, I will use them again in the wintertime. The herbs on the vases smelled so good!

I bought the dragon fly place card holders from the Longwood antebellum mansion gift shop about 3 years ago. I think they are iron cause they are heavy.

Tin bird napkin holders are from Z Gallerie in Tampa, FL. The asparagus S & P shakers are from a flea market in Vidalia, LA. And because this is outdoor, I thought my bee flatware would be most appropriate to use.

A view of the driveway and garage.

I bought the pair of magnolia candle holders from an antique shop downtown some years ago.
I think I paid about $8 for the pair. I bought them because I have plates that match them.

The star jasmine is starting to climb up too.

According to Pat's (Back Porch Musings) hubby, the climbing vine is a morning glory. It has little bell shaped purple flowers. Again, I forgot to take a close up picture.

Can you spot the arbor in the background on the left side? I just grabbed a green tablecloth with fringes to use. It's really old. I've had it since we lived in Florida. I think it is supposed to be a throw but I've only used it for a tablecloth.

We bought the iron chair set from Jimmy Pippen's estate. They are very heavy.

I was so happy to see the buds on my orchid plant. I have 3 of them in here and I think the second one is also starting to bud although the stem is not this long yet. They seem to thrive better here and I just pretty much leave them alone. I think they like the humidity.

Unfotunately, my mom and I weren't able to eat here because it started to rain after I swam so I took everything inside the house. I enjoyed creating it. I left the table there and I think I will use it more often. I hope you enjoyed it too. Thanks for coming by and thanks to our hostesses. I hope you get to visit them and their participants at the links below.

Tea in the Garden
http://blog.bernideens.com
Sandi's No Place Like Home
http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com
Christine's Dishing It and Digging It

http://www.rustic-refined.com

Bernideen's Tea Time, Cottage and Garden Blog Party!

http://blog.bernideens.com

Thursday, July 14, 2016

A Tea Party by the Pool for 2

Tina, my daughter from next door asked me to watch my granddaughter in the morning since she has to take pictures for a local magazine. Of course, I am always happy to do that. Reese is so well behaved. I watched her yesterday too and she did ask me then if we could have a tea party.

This morning, she came in all dressed up. Her mom said she did not know why Reese wanted to dress up to come here, then I realized she wanted to have a tea party, lol.

And so the ritual of setting up the table and picking what tea items to use began. She loves doing that with me and she knows exactly what we need.

We picked a hand painted Lefton green and pink tea set that was made in Japan. It is one of my favorites and it is not too big, so perfect just for the 2 of us.

We used tea cups by Gracie China. Because the tea set has pink roses on them, I thought of using my Meissen napkin rings too for the roses.

We set the coffee table on the back porch by the pool.

I also thought we would use these individual footed sweets server. I got them on clearance in a TJ Maxx store when we went to Park City, UT a few weeks ago. We had little butter pound cakes. Reese loves Oreo cookies so I added some of them too.

They have a pink rose and other flowers too. I know I don't need to buy anymore tableware but I could not resist this sweet design and the colors and the price, $8 for all 4, I think.

And there's my little tea party goer with her dainty little fingers in her beautiful purple gown.

She is always so happy and it is such a pleasure to have her around!

Thank you so much for stopping by! And thanks to the hostesses of the memes that I will be joining.

Tea in the Garden

http://blog.bernideens.com

Share it One More Time

http://designthusiasm.com

Anything Goes" Pink Saturday

http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

Sandi's No Place Like Home

http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com

Christine's Dishing It and Digging It

http://www.rustic-refined.com

Cindy's Amaze me Monday

http://www.dwellings-theheartofyourhome.com

Kathryn's Make it Pretty Monday

http://www.thededicatedhouse.com

Chloe's Celebrate it Monday

http://celebrateanddecorate.com

Bernideen's Tea Time, Cottage and Garden Blog Party!

http://blog.bernideens.com

Ruth's Tuesday Cuppa Tea

http://www.antiquesandteacups.info

Tweak it Tuesday

http://www.cozylittlehouse.com

Julie's Talk of the Town Tuesday

https://lovemysimplehome.blogspot.com

Tuesday's The Scoop

http://confessionsofaplateaddict.blogspot.com/

Marty's Inspire Me Tuesday

http://www.astrollthrulife.net/

Show and Share

http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Sarah's Classical Homemaking party

http://www.hopeineveryseason.com/

Home Matters

http://lifewithlorelai.com/

Thoughts of Home Thursday

http://www.athomewithjemma.com/

Kathy's Home and Garden Thursday

http://adelightsomelife.com

Tablescape Thursday

http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Share your Style Thursday

http://www.thevintagenestblog.com

Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop

http://peoniesandorangeblossoms.blogspot.com/

Kathryn's Anything Blue Friday

http://www.thededicatedhouse.com

Kate's Flaunt it Friday

http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com/

Courtney's Feathered Nest Friday

http://www.frenchcountrycottage.net/

Foodie Fri and Everything Else

http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Ooh La La! I love Paris!

Presenting my Parisian table creation!

I set it in the breakfast nook because I only have a service for 4 set. I have a bigger set in black and white that has a slightly different pattern but still with Paris theme but I still have not located them in the garage.

I really like the color of this set with pink and green. Here is a stack of dinner, salad and a dessert plate.

I added some floral place card holders in terracotta pots.

I love these flatware set with fleur de lis handles. I got them from Horchow many years ago. I love anything with fleur de lis because it was our insignia in high school. And it is Frenchy so it will blend with my theme here. You will notice a fleur de lis finial on my centerpiece too.