Celebrating Texas Bluebonnets

I have been AWOL from the last few Tablescape Thursdays at Susan's Between Naps on the Porch, but I'm back this week with a table celebrating Texas bluebonnets.  I saw my first bluebonnets of the season earlier this week and look forward to driving past fields of them in the next week or two.

When I saw bluebonnet dishes at HEB, I knew I had to set a bluebonnet table.  The plates and tumblers are acrylic, so were only $2 each. They'll be perfect on the patio this summer, too.

On my way home from HEB, I drove past a field with bluebonnets growing near the road, so I stopped and picked just a few.  Just in case some of you have heard it's illegal to pick Texas' state flower, I double-checked, and it is not! 

I hurried home to put them in water before they wilted, using a chipped enamel pitcher as a vase.

Here's a closer look.

I also put bluebonnets in the wonderful napkin rings my daughter gave me for Christmas. Aren't those napkins the perfect shade of blue?

The napkins are new, from the Bloomingdale Home store in Las Vegas last week.  I checked their Clearance area and found these linen-cotton napkins marked down to 99 cents!  Sold!

Here's the placesetting.  I first tried blue placemats, but I decided the green was a better backdrop for the bluebonnets.  The bluebonnet salad plate is layered with a plain white dinner plate, and I've added a wineglass with the bluebonnet tumbler.  Silver seemed a bit much with acrylic dishes, so I went with our everyday stainless, Towle Beaded Antique.

Here's the whole table, set in the breakfast area.  Notice anything different?

How about now?

Since the last time I posted a tablescape, we have removed the wallpaper and painted this area.  I still liked the wallpaper (which was here when we bought the house), but it just didn't go with the granite we installed recently.

Here are a few more photos.  Bluebonnet season is all-too-brief, but it's delightful time to for a trip through the hill country!

Thank you for visiting my table this week!  I hope you will leave a comment before you leave to visit all the wonderful tablescapes at Susan's Between Naps on the Porch!

Texas Independence Day

As a transplanted Texan, I must admit that I could not have told you the date of Texas Independence Day.  But this year, March 2nd marks the 175th anniversary of the day that Texas declared its independence from Mexico in 1836.  After increasingly strained relations with the Mexican government and with the Alamo in San Antonio under siege, the authors of Texas' Declaration of Independence wrote the document overnight, proclaiming the Texas to be a "free, sovereign, and independent republic."  The Republic of Texas lasted until 1845, when Texas joined the Union as the 28th state. 

When we moved to Texas in 2000, it still felt a bit like we'd moved to another country.  Texans are very proud of being Texans!  It took us a while to learn the words to "Texas, Our Texas," which is sung immediately after the national anthem at football games.  Everyone else in the stands seemed to know the words and sang enthusiastically.  Anyway, celebrating a 175th anniversary suggested a tablescape!

Last year, the Texas grocery store chain HEB sold these melamine plates and star-shaped bowls, and when they were finally marked down to fifty cents each, I bought some! 

The placesetting also includes plain white dinner plates and red salad plates, my red Georgian-Ruby goblets, everyday flatware, plaid placemats, and my mother-in-law's red napkins tied with striped ribbon.

Here's a closer look at the cute melamine pieces.  We'll use the star-shaped bowls for extra barbecue sauce!

I didn't have any red flowers on hand, nor is it time for the bluebonnets to bloom just yet, so I made do with a red lantern as a simple centerpiece. 

Here's a view of the table, set in the breakfast area. 

And one from a different angle. . . .

We have enjoyed living in Texas, and have found the natives very friendly.  For example, shortly after we moved here and before we'd gotten our Texas license plates, the woman who took my groceries out to the car (I told you HEB was great!) spotted our out-of-state plates and said, "I see you're new in town.  Have you found a church home yet?"  She then invited me to hers!

Here's to the great state of Texas! 

Thank you for visiting my table this week!  I will be linking it to Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch, so be sure to check out other tablescapes there tomorrow! 

Thank You, Vicki of Curly Willow DIY!

My beautiful new header was designed by the very talented Vicki who blogs at Curly Willow DIY with her best friend Barb.   Didn't Vicki do a great job?  I really love the new look!

A couple of weeks ago, The Tablescaper showed off her new header by Vicki and announced that Vicki had kindly agreed to design headers for some of The Tablescaper's followers.  I was lucky enough to be chosen! 

Do check out Curly Willow DIY to see Vicki's and Barb's inspiring posts!  Thanks again, Vicki!

Sunday Lunch

Today's tablescape was inspired by these yellow spray roses. My flower source is generally HEB, the famed Texas grocery store chain, where flowers are $4 a bunch, and my husband is usually the one who brings them home.  He does all the grocery shopping (and cooking -- yes, I'm completely spoiled), so when he asks me what I want to add to the list, I often ask for flowers.  I asked for yellow tulips this week, but they didn't have any, so he improvised.  The little blue pitcher used to be in my mother-in-law's kitchen, and it was the perfect size for this mini-bouquet.

The bright yellow of the roses seemed to dictate using similarly bright placemats. The placesetting also includes some cute little heart-shaped covered ramekins, our everyday dishes and glasses and flatware, and blue-checked napkins.

Here's a view of the table, looking toward the living room.  Very simple -- set for Sunday lunch.  Since the pitcher was so small, I elevated it with a wooden candlestand and added some yellow votive holders.

Here's a closer look at the very bright, colorful pattern of the dishes.  I chose this Mikasa pattern after using our first set of everyday dishes for 25 years.  These dishes are still going strong after 13 years!

 When I chose this pattern, I was looking for one featuring blue, but I also love the bright fruit pattern.

Here's a view from the opposite side of the table, showing the baker's rack newly decorated with blue and white. 

The details:
Dishes:  Mikasa Windsor Park (discontinued)
Glassware:  Villeroy & Boch My Garden
Flatware:  Towle Beaded Antique
Covered ramekins:  Le Creuset outlet
Votive holders:  Sur la Table
Wooden candleholder:  Pottery Barn outlet

Thank you for visiting my table this week!  I hope you will leave a comment before you leave to visit all the wonderful tablescapes at Susan's Between Naps on the Porch!

A Table for Presidents' Day

Before I began visiting Tablescape Thursday at Susan's Between Naps on the Porch, it would NEVER have occurred to me to set a special table for Presidents' Day.  For one thing, we don't get that day off, so it's just a regular work day, albeit it one without mail service.  But when I unpacked some blue and white souvenir plates from my mother-in-law's collection, I realized I had the basics for a Presidents' Day table.  (Since they are souvenirs, we'll remove them and use the white dinner plates for the meal!).

All four plates have a different design.  The first one features Martha and George Washington, the Capitol, and several other scenes from Washington, D.C.  When I Googled the markings on the back of the plate, I was surprised to find one just like it listed for $135!  It's described as a flow blue souvenir plate made in Staffordshire, England, "imported exclusively for the Capitol Souvenir Company."

The second plate features Abraham Lincoln, and Googling the marks on the back yielded the information, "This is a fine Dutch flow blue souvenir plate commemorating President Abraham Lincoln’s death. The words under the Lincoln portrait read: “Abraham Lincoln/Born February 18, 1809, Died April 15, 1865”. The back of the plate says Lincoln’s House, Springfield, Illinois over the Sphinx mark of Petrus Regout and Co. Maastricht." The plate is listed for $78.  

The third plate has a very similar, though not identical, border design, but features George Washington and Mount Vernon.  I was unable to find any information online about it, although the markings indicate the same maker as the Lincoln plate.

The fourth plate features Independence Hall in Philadelphia and is by Liberty Blue.  It is in plentiful supply online, but I really like the border design.

So, there's plenty of blue and white for a Presidents' Day table, but we need some RED!  My in-laws gave me this pretty blue and white cachepot from the Williamsburg catalog one Christmas, and a few carnations supply the red.

And we need a little MORE red, so I added the napkin rings my daughter gave me this past Christmas, each holding one red carnation. 

Here's a look at the whole table.  The tablecloth is from Williams-Sonoma, and it's designed to fit my patio table.  If you look closely, you can see the buttoned seam that allows it to fit around an umbrella. 

Once again, I'm using the new-ish blue Villeroy and Boch water glasses, as well as some blue glass candlesticks that my mother gave me years ago.  I think they work well together! 

 Here's a closer look at the darling clear acrylic napkin rings, holding a napkin from Williams-Sonoma. 

 Another view. . .

 I like this shot of all the different patterns the table includes.  You just can't go wrong with blue and white!

Thank you for visiting my table this week!  I hope you will leave a comment before you leave to visit all the wonderful tablescapes at Susan's Between Naps on the Porch!

Cheery Cherries

This week's tablescape was inspired by a gift from my dear friend Michele.  A few years ago, she gave me this darling sandwich tray, knowing that I love all things cherry.  

Then last year, Michele sent me two cute vintage cherry-patterned coffee cups with saucers.  I found a photo of a dinner plate in this pattern on Replacements.com -- what a great resource! -- but they didn't have any in stock. 

 A few years ago Target had these cute melamine plates, and with three cherry-themed elements, I had enough to set a breakfast table.

 Using the same red and white tablecloth from last week's table, I layered the cherry salad plates with plain white dinner plates and added some blue stemware.

The placesetting also included our everyday stainless and some blue-checked napkins rolled into blue napkins rings.

A vase of white tulips and a small beribboned cakestand completed the table.

All the elements came together to create a cheery breakfast table.

 Details:
Melamine salad plates:  Target a few years ago
Coffee cups:  Le Comptoir LCX4 (vintage, gift from Michele)
Blue goblets:  Villeroy and Boch
Stainless:  Towle Beaded Antique
Tablecloth:  Home Goods
Napkins:  Ancient!

Thank you for visiting my table this week!  I hope you will leave a comment before you leave to visit all the wonderful tablescapes at Susan's Between Naps on the Porch!

My "New" Kitchen

I finally have something to link to Metamorphosis Monday at Susan's Between Naps on the Porch -- my "new" kitchen.

We have lived with the original (1985) Formica counters since we moved in almost ten years ago, and in that period, the cost of granite has gone down quite a bit.  We worked with a local granite company, Goldstone, and it took us a while to find slabs we liked.  We had to take a little break for Christmas and our son's wedding, but one cold, rainy Saturday last month we drove to Austin and browsed through a giant warehouse of granite.  We wanted something (A) rather dramatic and (B) that would go well with our existing cabinets.  We took the small cabinet door over the fridge along.. Here's one of the two slabs we selected, called Vesuvio. 

Here's the "Before" of the kitchen, just before the old countertops were removed.  We had removed the drawers and emptied all the lower cabinets in preparation -- quite a job!  I should have thought to take a photo of the dining room, chock full of kitchen stuff!

My husband stayed home while the installers were there, and he took photos throughout the process.  Here's the granite arriving in our driveway.

The demolition begins!

The counters go in. .

.

Notice the seam where the two pieces meet in the photo below.

After they worked their magic -- what seam??

Here's the island, where the installers had to cut out a section for the cooktop.

The next day, the tile backsplash was installed.  They started with the area over the sink.

We decided to keep the backsplash very plain everywhere else, so as not to compete with the granite.

We had to live without a kitchen sink from Monday through Wednesday morning, because the plumber wanted to be sure the undermounted sink's seal was dry.  We were very happy to finally see this!

Here are the "After" views.

We really love the new look!  Thanks for visiting!