Halloween Breakfast for the Grandchildren

This Halloween breakfast table was set with our adorable grandchildren in mind.
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Both of them are early risers, and when they're visiting, they like their breakfast as soon as they come into the kitchen. The inspiration for this table came from these cute ghost tealights from Crate & Barrel.

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Since candy is essential on Halloween, why not start the day off right with some candy corn?

Or, perhaps you prefer candy pumpkins, as I do?  The nutritional rules are different at Grandmama's house!

The simple placesetting includes plain white and orange plates, individual bakers, and white napkins tied with ribbon.  I used both black and white gingham and candy-corn print ribbons.

 Here's a view of the table.  Since the children are up well before daylight, we may very well light the candles!  The Halloween print fabric I'm using was purchased for my daughter's birthday party back in 1990.  I think I've gotten my money's worth, don't you? 

 On the right, the same fabric lines a black and orange basket we'll use for muffins.

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 Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch!

Castleton Mayfair for Fall

This week I'm showing you a second table I set while visiting my parents in Little Rock recently.  This one features Mama's other Castleton pattern, Mayfair.  I set a spring table with it back in April, using pale yellow napkins, but wanted to try a fall version.  Here's a close-up of the pattern.

This time I wanted to use gold placemats and gray napkins to complement the roses and leaves in the pattern.  As I mentioned last week, I flew to Little Rock with a variety of table linens in my carry-on.  And, yes, that IS a little bit crazy!  Here I'm using the underside of the Turning Leaf placemats from a recent fall tablescape and gray napkins from Crate & Barrel.  Mama's silver is Reed & Barton's French Renaissance, and her crystal is Fostoria's Navarre.

Yellow roses, of course, were essential for the centerpiece!  Conveniently, Kroger had some at a good price.

Here's a view across the table.  In addition to the roses, I found some gray Colonial candles at Fifth Season, my favorite gift store in Little Rock.  If you're ever in Little Rock, it's a must-see!

Although the light isn't great in this view of the table, it does show the herringbone pattern in the gray runner.  I found the runner, originally marked $24.95, on the clearance table at Denver's The Great Indoors last spring.  It was marked down to $5.18, and I got another 20% off that!  I think it adds a modern feel to the table.

Here's a closer look at Mama's beautiful Navarre crystal.  I love both the etched pattern and the elegant shape.

Here's another look at the yellow roses.  You can see Mama's living room reflected in the huge mirror, which originally hung in my grandfather's jewelry store.

Here's another view of the table.

And here's one final view, which unfortunately reveals that I didn't use a hot enough iron on the runner after pulling it from my suitcase!

Thanks for visiting my parents' house 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!

Castleton's Ma Lin -- "Cinnamon, Gold, and Sapphire"

Last weekend I was in Little Rock visiting my parents, which gave me a chance to play with my mother's dishes.  I have always loved her Ma Lin, a Castleton pattern.  I did a little research and learned that it was designed by Ching-Chih Yee, one of fifteen contemporary artists commissioned by Castleton China in 1942 to create designs for china.  Interestingly, Salvador Dali was also one of the fifteen!  Wouldn't it be interesting to see HIS designs?

Ma Lin was discontinued in 1958.  Here's a link to a newspaper ad from 1951, the year my parents married, describing the pattern as "reminiscent of the elegance of Cathay" and the colors as "cinnamon, gold, and sapphire."  The five-piece placesetting's advertised price?  Only $15.75!  Replacements.com now lists a placesetting for $95.95.

Here's the dinner plate. All sizes of the plates have the same design.

In a post last spring, I used yellow napkins and flowers with this pattern, but for fall I wanted to highlight the "cinnamon" color.  I actually brought these placemats with me on the plane, since Mama didn't have any this color.  I wonder if there's a law against crossing state lines with table linens?  My sister remarked that I had crossed a new threshold in tablescaping addiction.

I also wanted to try the Ma Lin with Mama's Fostoria Royal-Amber.  I think it works well, repeating the rust or "cinnamon" color in the pattern.  Mama also has amber candlesticks, one of which you can see in the background below.

And, of course, rust-colored flowers were needed!  We looked several places for rust-colored mums and finally found a pot that would do.  I just wrapped the pot in two napkins, securing them with a rubber band.  In the photo below, you can also see two sets of amber salt and pepper shakers from Mama's collection.

Here's another view of the table. . .

And one of the placesetting.

The next photo shows Mama's sterling, Reed and Barton's French Renaissance.

And here's one last view of the table.  The angle of the sun wasn't cooperating with me, so neither of the full table shots are very good, I'm afraid.  In the background are some yellow roses -- a hint for next week's table!

Thank you for stopping by!  I hope you will leave a comment before you leave to visit all the wonderful tablescapes at Susan's Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch!

Trying Something New

I've been wanting to try adding a slideshow to my blog, and here is the result. It includes placesettings for all the tables I've posted since last November. Enjoy!

Finally Fall!

We have FINALLY had some cooler weather here in central Texas.  It still warms up during the day, but the mornings have been lovely.  Since our leaves haven't started to turn, I'm making do with some "Turning Leaf" table linens I bought on clearance from Macy's last summer.

The placemats and napkins feature "my" colors -- dark red, gold, and green.  My dining room is red, and my living room includes all of those colors. As I was adding these photos, I realized I've used these gold dinner plates from Pier 1 in several recent tablescapes.  Oh, well, gold is a fall color, right? 

I added some dark red salad plates from Target, and my silver is Lunt Belvedere.  I still love it, after almost 38 years!

Here's a view of the whole table.  My husband brought home the "right" color of alstroemeria from HEB without any prompting!

Here's a closer look at the centerpiece.  I arranged the flowers in a wonderful painted metal urn that my in-laws gave me several years ago.

Here's a closeup of the design. I love the detailed insects and the little feet!

Here's another view of the whole table.  To complement the gold trim on the urn, I used my tall brass candlesticks.

Thank you for stopping by!  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 Little Fall Decorating

We have been traveling a lot lately, for family reasons and for work, so when we finally got to enjoy a weekend at home, I pulled out some fall decor and had fun arranging it around the house.  I haven't bought anything new this year -- except some potted mums -- but opening my boxes marked "Fall" and "Halloween" was still fun!  Come on inside!

The entryway table includes a basket of potted mums that will look better (I hope!) when the flowers are fully open.

Across from the entryway, is the dining room.  Here's the sideboard, with some ceramic pumpkins that hold candles.

Come on into the living room.  I've added a small pumpkin and some gourds to my lantern and topiaries.  I love the star-shaped gourds!

 Opposite the fireplace is the sofa table, which holds a large real pumpkin inside a fall berry wreath from Pier 1.  The candlesticks are also from Pier 1.

Moving into the kitchen, here's the baker's rack with some seasonal pieces.  The lowest shelf includes an old blue metal roaster of Grandma Rachel's filled with wicker pumpkins I've had for years, as well as some wooden ghosts from Pier 1 (I should own stock!).  .

The top shelf holds an orange pitcher and some of my everyday dishes, Mikasa Windsor Park.  I like blue and orange together, as you can tell!  The middle shelf holds a fall village scene.  Arranging the fall and Christmas village scenes was always my son's job, but now that he's grown and living far away, I decided to take a turn! 

Thanks for stopping by!  Now go check out some great tabletops at Marty's Table Top Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life.