Tablescape Thursday - Trayscape

I love Thursdays and the opportunity to visit all the tablescapes in blogland. Some are seasonal - some are whimsical and some are gorgeous. I truly love them all! This week I knew I would be doing more playing with the grandgirls than the dishes -- so I only have a small trayscape of breakfast for one to offer today.


Here's our tray all ready to go upstairs for a lazy breakfast in bed. I loved all those old movies where the butler would softly knock on the bedroom door and arrive with a breakfast tray...open the blinds and announce the beginning of the day (even if it was noon). Wouldn't you just love that?


Looks like a light breakfast today.


I decided we needed to add a rose from the "garden". (there just weren't quite enough here.) While we're eating we can catch up on the news...or just read the comics.


Looks like our menu consists of tea, orange juice and an English muffin with butter and cherry preserves.


Here's our rose plate found last winter in a thrift/antique store. Six plates were $7.50.


This china teacup was a Christmas present years ago from a friend at work. Have you ever noticed how much better tea tastes in a china cup than from a mug? It's true...really!

A small glass of juice and the English muffin served in an antique china toast holder.


An antique cut glass salt cellar is the perfect size for just a bit of cherry preserves.



I hope you've enjoyed a lovely breakfast in bed today.

After I took these pictures I added a plastic fish cup of milk and took this up for my daughter-in-law and granddaughter Stella Grace to share before coming down for breakfast casserole. Stella Grace (age 3) thought that was very fun.

Be sure to stop by and see all the pretty dish settings over at Susan's Between Naps On The Porch -- you'll be glad you did!

I'll be playing with the grandgirls until Saturday.

See ya!

Fall Cloche Party!

I just adore Marty and when I got her invitation to the Cloche party -- well who can turn down an invitation from such a gracious hostess?


Sorry my pictures are not the best, I got home late and just took a few quick snaps. Here's my washstand -- one "foot" in summer and one "foot" in fall.


I seem to be having a difficult time letting go of this summer -- so here are a few "Fading Blooms Of Summer". Those last few always seem the more precious - since you know that there won't be more until next year.


A closer look of the roses and a lingering bee of Summer.


But my apothacary jar is full of the first fruits of fall. Apples, a pear, some turning leaves, berries and pine cones.



A closer look at my jar of Fall. So see many more cloches be sure to stroll on over to Marty's A Stroll Thru Life -- she's a doll! and the queen of cloches!

Foodie Friday - Fudgies

I love seeing what everybody's cooking up each week on "Foodie Friday" -- Thanks Gollum, for this wonderful connection for all of us!



As I promised (or perhaps warned) - here's the recipe for the 1970's school cafeteria Fudgies!

4 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Milk
1/4 Lb. Butter
1/2 Cup Cocoa
1 Cup Peanut Butter
5 Cups Oatmeal
2 Tablespoons Vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt

Boil first four ingredients for 5 minutes, add peanut butter to hot ingredients, stir well, add oatmeal, salt & vanilla. Drop on waxed paper. Allow to set for 30 minutes before taking up.

That's it! Easy and good. I cut the recipe in half and that worked well (since we polished them all off in just a couple of days!) These are so sweet -- they'll make your teeth hurt!

See ya!

Be sure to check out what everybody's bringing to the potluck over at Gollums at Designs by Gollum.

Tablescape Thursday - Back To School 1970

I always look forward to Thursdays to see what everybody's doing with their dishes -- I bet I'll get lots of Fall inspiration this week.


Here in Virginia the kids go back to school the first Tuesday after Labor Day. It's always fun to see the kids waiting for the bus on the first day of school. I was reminded of when my husband and I were in High School. 1970 was the beginning of his Sr. year. So this "tablescape" sort of carries me back to those days. Today's tablescape consists of his high school letter jacket. His Sr. yearbook, our high school rings and a typical 1970 cafeteria lunch served tray style.


Two school rings from long ago. We're still "going steady".


Lunch was meatloaf - (don't you suppose those ladies got tired of all the jokes about "today's mystery meat"?), mashed potatoes with gravy, string beans, rolls with butter and milk. For dessert, by far everybody's favorite was ....



"Fudgies"!!!! -- I'll share the recipe tomorrow on "Foodie Friday". My kind husband said that this lunch was much better than he remembered the ones at school being. See why I kept him?

Be sure to check out all the tablescapes over at Susan's
http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/See ya at the pep rally!

Weekend Treasures

I found a few treasures this week at one of my favorite local antique stores, "Cold Harbor Antiques" - in Mechanicsville. This was one of the first things that caught my eye -- isn't this condiment tray a beauty?

From this angle you can see the lacy sides -- I'm not sure what kind of metal this is, but I do like the look. The glass squares are very heavy and removable.

This little youth chair will come in handy next week when my granddaughter Stella Grace comes to visit. This is almost exactly like one my brother and sisters and I all used at my grandmother's house when we were little. Her's was painted white, but I think I'll leave this one this stained wood (at least for now).

I also found eight of these "Virginia Is For Lovers" glasses. I'll be using these soon in a special "Made In Virginia" tablescape.

I think a white napkins helps to show the design.

Hope your weekend has been filled with treasures too.

See ya!

Bedtray and Rooster re-do

I'm more than amazed each week at the grand metamorphasis projects going on in many of your homes and what's even more amazing - lots of you do them yourselves! -- well I'm just not in that league at all, so today I'll show a couple of little minor "tweaks" from my house this weekend.

You may remember the bed tray I was thrilled to find a couple of weeks ago -- it was bit more shabby than chic.

So I brought out the sprucing up tools - First I spray painted the whole tray in the famous "heirloom white". Then, I had a small bit of wrapping paper left over from a roll I used to keep on hand from Hallmark -- until they stopped making it. I knew that I wanted to use that last bit for something special. So I cut it to size and used the adhesive spray to glue it to the top of the tray. Then I added a few dragonflies and bees to the flowers and sprayed the top with a clear glaze. I wasn't quite sure that would be substantial enough for the serving tray, so I also had a piece of plexiglass cut to fit snugly on the top.

And here's my bedtray with a whole new look. My dog was hoping for something really special today - but no dog bones in the bed!

Here's a closer look at the top. I love the rose garden look.

The tray is removable.

And underneath is this board that is supposed to raise at an angle so you can prop a book or write on this part. Unfortunately, the metal stand is missing, but hopefully that can be fixed one day. I cut out a few roses from the last of my saved paper and glued it on and glazed it. I'll be doing a trayscape soon with this.

On that same trip to the antique store I found this little rooster pitcher.

He also had a small issue -- one little chip at the bottom.

I love all the new colors of nail polish because they come in so handy for "fixing" pottery. And it doesn't wash off.

A few brush strokes here and there.

And he's good as new!

Now to see some really amazing metamorphisis going on -- be sure to visit Susan at Between Naps On The Porch. You'll find much to inspire you.

Tablescape Thursday and Foodie Friday - End of Summer

Gosh, I can't believe we've come to Labor Day weekend -- the "end" of Summer 2009! I feel like it was a shooting star! I know that many of you have experienced almost unbearable heat this Summer - but for most of the Summer, here in Virginia, it was very mild -- until the last two weeks - when it turned hot! hot! hot! And with the usual high level of humidity that seems to make you feel like you're melting into a puddle -- sort of like the "Wicked Witch of the West". So, I chose a tropical theme this week. I was feeling the heat Saturday when I was working on this one -- I also found the want for lots of color on my table, after last week's all white and black and white themes.

Here's our approaching the tropical table photo.


A closer view of the centerpiece.


A side view of our flamingo planter filled with daisys and bright colored flowers in pink, orange, lime and yellow. I'm not a flamingo collector - but my boss is --- big time! So she was pleased to contribute to the tropical theme. Thanks Elaine - your flamingo was perfect for my setting today.


I've had these two candle globes for ages -- I think I probably got them from Garden Ridge.


Fred and Felicia return to the table. They've been off shaking their tail feathers all Summer -- about time they got back to work!


A close look at the colors in my picture frame this week. (And Fred & Felicia's tail feathers!)


Tropical paper napkins in my water goblets. For some reason when I looked at this photo, they look like some sort of root vegetable to me! Beets maybe.
Or radishes?

Flattened out -- you can see the flower design.


Green bamboo placemats with the bamboo flatware I've been so fond of this Summer. I got the placemats at a Ross store in Atlanta back in the Spring -- The flatware came from Marshall's here in Mechanicsville.


The parrot napkin rings were a recent Antique and Thrift store find. I couldn't believe out of the many sets of napkins I have -- I didn't have any the right color for this theme -- I picked the wrong time of year to look for them too - everything out now is Fallish -- I found these on sale at Kohl's for $1.75 each.


Here's a view of a place setting.


Let's take a closer look -- this is a trick I "borrowed" from Laurie of "Bargain Hunting and Chatting With Laurie" -- I tell you -- that woman is a tablescaping genius! Because she taught me how you can easily have dishes of any theme you like -- simply by layering....


....a plain clear glass plate....


...over a paper plate!!! There are some remarkably pretty ones available -- I don't like to eat off a flimsy paper plate, but this is the best of both worlds. Real plates and a design that I might not use often enough to justify buying and storing -- but fun for an occasional themed tablescape. Think of all the potential here -- Thanks Laurie!
The paper plates and napkins came from Target. I got my clear plates at Goodwill - but I've seen them at Walmart too.


I also sandwiched that paper plate between the clear one and my white dinner plates -- it makes for a "substantial" plate.


An overview of my tablescape of many colors.


And an overview of the centerpiece.


Late afternoon in the tropics.


After dark the candles are lit. I can almost hear the steel drums - how about you?


Flowers and flamingos by candle glow.


Oh wait!!!! Let's turn those lights back on so you can see dessert for Foodie Friday! Individual lime cheesecakes. Recipe by Sandra Lee.


Served on these cute little plates supplied by my flamingo loving boss. You may have noticed the edge of them in a couple of the previous photos. Let's see what these guys are up to for the Holiday weekend.



The girls are ready for a dip in the pool.


After playing a round of golf at the club.


And they're ready for a Labor Day cookout to end the weekend.


Here's the recipe....


Sandra Lee's Individual Lime Cheesecakes

8 oz. cream cheese softened
1/2 Cup sugar
3 Tablespoons lime curd
6 mini grahm cracker crusts
cool whip
sugared lime slices

Beat cream cheese & sugar until mixed - add lime curd and mix on low speed. Spoon into crusts -- Freeze for 10 minutes - Dollop with whipped topping - Top with sugared lime slice.

These made a pretty presentation - but I think next time I make them I will add some lime juice - I wanted a bit of tartness that was lacking. I would rate them as prettier than they were tasty -- but they sure made up for it in something quick to whip up. Some other versions were substitutes of lemon curd and lemon slices, strawberry preserves and strawberry slices, I bet your could do orange marmalade and orange slivers too. I think with just a little tweaking, these could be really delightful! If you try these, let me know what you do different.


Hope you're having a great Labor Day weekend and enjoying the end of Summer in a way that suits your style!

Be sure to check out all the other fun tablescapes at "Between Naps On ThePorch" and you'll find something to cook up on Foodie Friday over at "Designs by Gollum".

Be safe!
See ya!