Category Archives: The Dish Room

Tablescape Thursday: A Nice Italian Red

Posted on by

The phrase “setting the table” has different meanings for different people.

When my kids were little, it was their job to set the table. Needless to say, it wasn’t this formal for everyday. It still isn’t in our house for our empty nest meals.

For me, setting the table means to create a tablescape with my collection of tableware.

I love having my table set with a pretty seasonal display, so that if I have unexpected visitors, the dining room always looks nice. I also enjoy setting a pretty table when we have dinner guests. I’ve always told my friends that setting my table is a pleasurable hobby for me, and I’m just as comfortable in their houses with paper plates. No pressure, folks.

Setting a pretty table is just part of me, and I’m not ashamed of my little secret.

Especially now that I know there’s a whole subculture of people who like to set their tables for fun and then put the photos on their blogs. I’m linking up with Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday; please be sure to click in and enjoy all the beautiful inspiration to be found among the bloggers’ links! I’ve spent way too much happy time looking at tablescapes from bloggers’ archives, especially the amazingly talented Alycia Nichols (this one is going to make Music Man VERY nervous).

This tablescape started with this Pinterest photo from 2011.

Image via Pinterest; original source unknown

Once I figured out where to find fake lemons and limes (the dollar store), I couldn’t resist making the display, even though it was after Christmas. Next time I’ll try layering the pieces, but this worked (except for the red glitter all over the kitchen).

What’s not to like?

So, today’s my inaugural entry into the tablescape world. I wasn’t quite ready to give up the last of my Christmas decorations, and I’m showing my last hurrah before I bow to the Christmas decoration police. And since I see Italy in my table setting, my linens, and my colors, this tablescape had to have an Italian theme.

We probably all could do with a nice Italian red in our lives.

 Buon Viaggio!

Enhanced by Zemanta

Thanksgiving Tablescapes: You Can Do It!

Posted on by

Before I start, I’d better come clean. I’m not hosting Thanksgiving this year.

So it’s easy for me to say you can do it, but you can with a little ingenuity and some good shopping genes.

There are lots of website that show you how to use what you already have. I adore these creative ladies, but even I (who never met a set of dishes I didn’t like) find them a little intimidating. I’ve been collecting their gorgeousness on my Pinterest board, though.

There’s still time to get out to Pier 1, World Market, Target, or Kohl’s and put together your Thanksgiving table — and it’s probably all on sale. Here’s a beautiful table set by a friend of mine for her annual fall party. It’s simple, beautiful, and easily attainable by any hostess.

Your friends don’t care if your chairs don’t match. It’s the hospitality and your generous spirit that they love.

Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your weekend!

 

Paperwhites in a Punch Bowl

Posted on by

Paperwhites. The sign of spring. Who doesn’t want dirt in her punch bowl? It can be washed out and sterilized, after all. When I read  this at the Reluctant Entertainer, I pulled out my dear deceased neighbor’s lead crystal punchbowl and I planted paperwhites in it.

My neighbor is definitely turning over in her grave while her beloved house and garden is dying a slow death because it has been ignored and abandoned by her children and then her mortgage company for almost four years.

The local police tell me that since the house is probably uninhabitable at this point and occupies a large, valuable suburban lot, one day I will come home from school and find it demolished. I’m determined to keep her legacy alive through her treasured belongings and I’ve worked to save them from the bulldozer.

The neighbors and many of my friends have harvested perennials out of her award-winning garden. She had well over 100 varieties of hosta in her backyard. They are living a new life in new gardens and she would have loved that.

My brother and I have two sets of her formal dishes (that NO ONE bought at the sales, so we got permission from her children to take them). I don’t ever need to use paper plates. Combined with my other sets of dishes, I have enough bread and butter plates to serve well over a hundred people for appetizers, and they go into the dishwasher and will be used for many events over my lifetime. This is my concept of living green and then living green again.

Many of her silver platters (that no one bought at multiple estate and garage sales) were purchased by my friend and are proudly displayed throughout her house in their polished glory.

My darling Oksana, who survived a concentration camp along with both her parents and her baby sister, is remembered in my house. The bulbs sprouting new growth in her punchbowl tell us that life goes on — we who survive carry the stories of those who have gone before us.

When I come home this spring, and her house is gone because the economy is picking up and the lender has decided to sell the property, I’ll welcome the new neighbors and tell them about who came before them. And I’m likely to give them something to remember her by.

Saturday Linky Love: Julia Child’s Kitchen — Quelle dommage

Posted on by

I just read that the Smithsonian is dismantling Julia Child’s kitchen and putting it in a larger exhibit where it will be “in context” with other food exhibits.

Image via Richard Strauss/Smithsonian

Image via Richard Strauss/Smithsonian

OMG. I was just thinking about planning a spring break trip to Washington, D.C. in order to put my secret stick of butter in Julia’s kitchen. It’s a good thing I read David Lebovitz’s posts on my Facebook page!

Image via sanfranciscosentinel.com

They say it will be open again “sometime” because the Child kitchen has become a “go-to” exhibit and has attracted visitors far beyond the Smithsonian’s expectations. I was ready to make my pilgrimage, and I’m really disappointed.

I’ve been a Julia disciple for many years, but she really came into focus for me after reading her books and seeing the movie made of Julie Powell’s book. I blogged about my copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking here, made a recipe from the cookbook and blogged about it here, and commented on the book and the movie on my previous blog. I’ve excerpted my comments for you here.

Having recently finished reading My Year in France by Julia Child and viewing Julie and Julia, I can’t help recalling the scenes in both the book and the movie where Child gathers in a group of people and creates a family wherever she lives. She lost her mother early, her relationship with her own father and stepmother was strained and it appears that she was disappointed to remain childless, but she made up for this sadness in her life by being a catalyst who drew disparate people together.

Not surprisingly, her lasting friendships appear to have revolved around food and travel. The Valentine’s Day scene in Julie and Julia in Paul and Julia’s French dining room is poignant and felt very meaningful to me as it triggered memories of the wonderful meals I have shared with family and friends in 2009. Even when I went to the movie web site and watched the trailer, I was reminded of incredible meals from the movie and from my own life.

After reading both books and bookending the books with viewings of the movie, I heartily recommend that you do all three. The movie is good enough to stand on its own, but your enjoyment and understanding of the characters involved will be deepened by reading the books.

When I wrote this post in 2009, I had not yet been to France. This summer, we will go back to Paris for a return trip. I’m going to do some more research about Julia’s life in France and perhaps will be able to perform this year’s visit to the Julia shrines in France rather than the United States. Let me know if you have any good ideas!

6 Days of Christmas 2011: More Easy Decorating

Posted on by

If you’ve been reading my blog for any period of time, you know that darling husband and I are struggling with a plethora of “things” in our house, and that includes Christmas things. We also have lots of extra furniture that has been handed down over the years or furniture that we have replaced with something better or more appropriately sized for our small empty nester house. It was surprising, therefore, when we both agreed that we needed something exactly right for our vestibule where we set up our bar for parties.

At my local Korean resale shop, I found the perfect piece that we could both agree on. It’s not very old, but it has an antique slash Asian feel that both blends with our oak trim and contrasts with our French antiques. It’s the right size for our tiny foyer and holds a lot of bar stuff behind its doors.

When I look at this photo, it reminds me why it’s hard to get rid of “things” in my house. Starting from the bottom:

  • The Chinese silk runner was brought back from China by my niece, Vanderbilt Wife. How could I possibly get rid of that?
  • The silver tray is part of the silver tea service that I inherited from my grandmother. No question there.
  • The crystal ice bucket belonged to my beloved mother-in-law. Nope.
  • The Ralph Lauren champagne glasses were also given to us by my husband’s mother. We broke one the first time they were used, and I only pull them out for very special and small parties. They don’t take up very much room, so… no again.
  • The silver creamer came from the estate sale of my next door neighbor. No one wanted her silver, so I scooped it up. I’m not giving that up.

  • The wine charms were hand-made by my friend and me. We went to the bead store and picked up symbols for all of our friends and made personalized charms. You can see my saxophone and my husband’s bass guitar are among the mementos appearing on our wine charms. I’m not giving up those either.

  • The wine candelabra was a gift from my nephew’s girlfriend last year. I decided that it was scary to have open candles on the bar, so I went to Hobby Lobby and bought ruby shades for them. I’m not giving the candelabra up either.

  •  I saved the Rock Star Red bottle just because it was funny; the wine was a gift from my sister-in-law in Seattle and was fabulous.

My goal for 2012 is to learn how to style and photograph better for my blog. I tried to use some fancier settings with this post, but generally don’t see much difference than what I usually do. What I DO see, however, is that my rug is bunched up and my runner is still wrinkled even though I ironed it. And what’s with the bush on my mirror? It looked better in my head.

The point of today’s post is that it’s not difficult to create a beautiful Christmas tradition (and all-year round) with the stuff you already have. In my case, the memories that go with this stuff are more important than my need to simplify my life. Actually, once I got this all together, it was easy to set up the tableau and I’m pretty excited to start hosting some parties!

Where were we last year at this time? Remodeling. My living and dining room are packed with Christmas boxes right now, but come tomorrow, my rooms will be decorated and ready to use. Unlike last year, when we set off for Seattle with nothing decorated and everything a remodeling mess, we will have a lovely Christmas right here in our home.

The Dish Room: Using Grandma’s Silver

Posted on by

Silver. In my opinion, there’s no place in your house that you can’t use it. I am officially the “silver garbage collector” among my friends. When we go to a garage sale, they know that I will pick up that black piece of silver and take it home. I will rescue it from its descent into tarnish hell and use it. It will be on my next buffet setup and it will be on the patio table.

If you’ve got a surface wide enough to hold a tray, you can corral your vanity items on it. I wanted to make it easier to quickly clean my vanity countertop since it’s white Corian and it really should be wiped down every day. I grabbed one of my silver trays — you can see that it’s just as beautiful without being perfectly polished — and put all the little items on it that I had to move around when I cleaned. All I do now is move it from one side to the other and if I use my hairdryer on it every couple of days, it’s dusted, too.

It is my goal in life to never buy something when I can reuse or remix something I already have. One day, I wanted to take off my rings while I cleaned, so I went to the bar closet and found the crystal shot glass. It’s perfect, and can be an interesting conversation-starter when people want to know why I have a shot glass in the bathroom. 🙂

I’ve been looking for someone who shares my love of silver and ran across Silver Magpies. Spend some time with her posts; she’s got wonderful ideas about using silver every day.

Image via silvermagpies.com

And get out your own silver and use some of it for Thanksgiving. If you start now, you’ll easily get it polished before the turkey arrives, and then you won’t have to polish it again for at least six months!

P.S. That’s a real orchid that we took home from a benefit dinner we went to. It’s lasted three weeks, but it’s starting to fade. I’m tempted to buy another one at the grocery store because it makes me feel special every time I walk into the room.

Obsession and its best friend, Pinterest

Posted on by

The person who introduced me to Pinterest needs to be slapped. And you know who you are. A new and improved way to support my obsession with collecting random facts and items. It’s just about the very last thing I need to be doing with my life.

Image via allthingshendrick.blogspot.com

Yet, a part of me can’t help but wonder. Would my house and garage be the way it is if I had used Pinterest all along? Perhaps I would not have multiple years of Traditional Home and various other magazines in my office closet. Perhaps I wouldn’t have three file cabinets full of papers that I never access. Perhaps I would not have binders full of photos of table settings, flower arrangements, recipes, and decorating ideas to which I rarely refer (and I just realized that the Grammar Police Lady needs to comment on the lack of a comma in this otherwise cute graphic).

For the uninitiated among you, Pinterest is an online bulletin board. Once I installed the “Pin It” bookmark, I could “pin” a web site to my personal bulletin board. I’ve only been doing this for about two weeks, but have already had to change my titles in order to better organize the boards. I’ve been “repinned” by people who have thousands of pins on their boards. Surely this is the digital version of hoarding.

And that brings us to Christmas obsessions. My brother posted a photo on Facebook of my sister-in-law putting lighted garland on their mantel, which is alongside an already erected and lit-up Christmas tree. I was so jealous of this that I immediately decided to figure out something my husband could tolerate so that I could get started on my Christmas decorating. We didn’t decorate last year because we were out-of-town for Christmas and barely were finished with our construction, so there is quite a lot of pent-up Christmas obsession in my veins right now.

Image via Pinterest; original source unknown

I decided to use Pinterest to catalog my collection of Department 56 Christmas village houses and accessories. That was fun! Then I started looking for sites that gave ideas for displaying the houses. That was even funner! Then someone else repinned one of my pins, and I was off on a journey through her thousands of pins. It was there I found this gorgeous centerpiece.

Image via willowhouse.com

Ever since I saw The Break-Up with Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn I have always wanted a lemon centerpiece. It just sounded easy and lovely, even though Vince Vaughn’s character didn’t quite get it. Last year I bought the container from Willow House, a large vase I lovingly refer to as The Big Gulp, which is a wine-drinking reference from Courtney Cox’s television show, Cougar Town.

But I digress. Last week, while shopping at the dollar store, I saw that they had full size plastic lemons and limes for, of course, a dollar. I’ve been looking for them online, but the ones I found at obvious places like Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn were ridiculously expensive. Today after church, armed with my Pinterest photo, I went back to the dollar store and bought eight lemons and eight limes. I know I already have fake evergreen sprays in the Christmas boxes and all I need is fake cranberries and I have my centerpiece that will last through many Christmases, even those spent in San Francisco and Seattle!

Sadly, the search for artificial cranberries has resulted in fiscal disappointment. The best ones range from seventeen to nineteen dollars for 72 little cranberries. There has to be another source. They do look pretty real, though. I’m tempted.

Image via http://www.furnituregourmet.com/aab029?gclid=CI_GjuzzoqwCFYLsKgodCDu01w

But when I look carefully at the centerpiece photo, it seems as though the red berries might be currants. Or holly. Or something that I can buy in a big sprig at Joann’s for a lot less. Lest you concern yourselves unduly, gentle readers, let it be known that I will investigate and report back. Just in case you still are with me on this story and have not given up reading the ramblings of the obsessed-with-Christmas-and-Pinterest crazy lady.

P.S. I should really categorize this as the first of my 25 Days of Christmas posts; that will save me some time later. 🙂

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...