Annual Spotted Cow Tablescape

Last Saturday marked the 48th annual Milk Can Game between two local rival high school football teams. It is a fiercely contested game that brings out the citizens from both towns in droves. The winning school has "ownership" of the coveted milk can until the following year when it is up for grabs again. (Yeah, exciting, I know.....)

Anyway, to support both teams and show no preference (sorry, Jim and Jennifer - Pat's husband and daughter who both graduated from Ferndale High School), we set the table once again in the traditional, neutral "cow" theme.

Over view of the table - needless to say, I have straw EVERYWHERE

Close up of the place setting

Flatware is black ceramic "Decision" by Noritake

Of course, Pat had to use matching glassware

Pat made the napkins from spotted cow theme material

Even the napkin ring is a cow.....

Yellow bowl is "Fun Factory" by Waechtersbach

Both the salad plate and dinner plate have the spotted cow look

Close up of the five piece place setting of flatware

The centerpiece is a bouquet of small sunflowers in a vintage pitcher sitting on straw (what's not on my floor, chairs, dachshunds, etc........)

Pat used cow salt and pepper shakers nestled "in the hay"

Yes, we have a cow butter dish, too. Pat's husband was raised on a dairy ranch......

Place card holders are all cows - naturally, the name tag is cow theme, too.

Creamer and sugar bowl sit among the hay.......

What to drink? Milk, what else? From our local creamery 

Coffee/tea cup for those who prefer something stronger than milk

My family thought I had "lost it" when I brought Ralph home several years ago. How could they think such a thing? Everyone can use a three and a half foot tall frog in their livingroom....Here he stands in front of our version of the teams' milk can.

One last look at the table from the other end

Ah, Ralph! Handsome as ever with his bouquet of flowers and milk can......

Where it came from:
Placemat - from Pier 1
Dishware - "Spotted Cow" by Tienshan from Replacements and eBay
Flatware - "Decision" by Noritake from eBay
Glassware - from Replacements
Yellow Bowls - "Fun Factory" by Waeschtersbach from Replacements
Napkins - Handmade by Pat (fabric is still available at JoAnn's)
Cow Napkin Rings - vintage from our collection but I see them on eBay a lot
Cow Name Card Holders - Pier 1
Candle Holders - Discovery Shop (our local Cancer Society Thrift Store)
White Pitcher - vintage
Ralph - from Robert's (a wonderful store full of treasures long out of business)
Milk Can - a gift to me from Silvie Moranda (Pat's wonderful late father-in-law)


We will be joining Cuisine Kathleen's "Let's Dish" this Wednesday:  http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

Apple Challenge

Cuisine Kathleen of "Let's Dish" (http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/) has issued a challenge this week for all tablescapers - design a table using apples. We love Kathleen's challenges, and this one was no exception. Pat pulled a few things out of the cupboard, and this is what she came up with for our entry.

Over view of the Apple table

The place setting

Flatware is rustic "Montana" by Gourmet Settings

Love this simple glassware - "Frost" by Libby

Pat used an apple green napkin wrapped in a checked red napkin held by a wicker napkin ring

The stack

The five piece place setting

Pat started the place setting with a Granny Smith Apple in a small white bowl

Next layer is the matching salad plate

To add a punch of color, Pat used a Scarlett Fiesta Luncheon plate

The matching white dinner plate is next

The charger is a colorful Apple Green

For the centerpiece, Pat turned two fruit baskets on their sides and had apples "pouring" out

Candles are apple green and red to coordinate with the color theme

One last look at the table from the other end

Where it came from:
Apple Green Chargers - Durand's Color Moods from Replacements
White Dinnerware - by Oneida from a local boutique
Flatware - Montana by Gourmet Settings from Bed, Bath, and Beyond
Red Plate - Scarlett Fiesta by Homer Laughlin from Kohl's
Apple Green Napkin - Handmade by Pat to match the Granny Smith Apple
Red Checked Napkin - Pier 1
Wicker Napkin Ring - Pier 1
Glassware - "Frost" by Libby from Ross
Glass Candle Holders - from TJ Maxx
Candles, Baskets - Michael's

We will be joining Cuisine Kathleen's "Let's Dish" this Wednesday:  http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/ Be sure to look for next month's challenge - design a table for Fall using white plates (no colored plates allowed.)

Butterfly Meadow Tablescape

Everyone knows Lenox's Butterfly Meadow. It is a very familiar and popular dishware pattern. Every once in a while, Pat pulls some of the pieces that we have out of the cupboard and does another tablescape using it. She didn't want to use the salad plate in the pattern this time because it would cover the green stems of the flower on the dinner plate. So, she used a clear plate from Luminarc as a substitute. This is the table that she came up with this week.

Overview of the table

The place setting - don't be alarmed with the choice of flatware. It makes perfect sense once you notice the stems of the glassware.

The green color of the leaves is a perfect match to the sage color of the Mikasa Color Spectrum charger

You barely notice the clear salad plate

Once again, my photographic skill is limited - the charger is a beautiful sage green

In this picture you can see the stems of the glassware better - crisscross to match the flatware

I thought that Pat had "lost it" when she bought these silver plated butterfly napkin rings - but once again, I was wrong. They look great with this table.

Pat found eight of these little swirl dishes at a local antique store

This is one of my favorite things on this table - Pat used the individual butterfly hors d'oeurves plate as a tea light holder

Another double candle holder set from Pat's collection

We use the covered vegetable as a soup tureen because it is so big

One last look at the table from the other end

Where it came from:
White tablecloth - gift from Pat
Sage Charger - Color Spectrum by Mikasa from eBay and Replacements
All Butterfly Meadow - from Gottschalks (a local Department store long out of business) and Replacements (after the 2009 earthquake)
Glass Salad Plate - by Luminarc from Bed, Bath, and Beyond
Flatware - "Laila" by Cambridge from Costco
Glassware - from Pier 1
Vintage Napkins - from our collection
Silver Napkin Rings - from Tuesday Morning
Glass Swirl Bowls - from an local antique store
Candles and Votives - Pier 1
Candle Holders - from Art & Old Things in Fortuna, CA

We will be joining Cuisine Kathleen's "Let's Dish" this Wednesday:  http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/