Send-off Dinner

My younger sister is on her way to New Mexico!!  She ended a chapter in her life in NYC on Wednesday and was here from last Wednesday night through Monday morning when she started her new adventure of moving across country.  We had lots of fun and all four of us got together several times (there are just the four of us girls left in our family). 

We had been out for dinner the previous night, but on Saturday they came over for a "send off" dinner.  I told them that this would end up on my blog!!  So, here we go...on the send-off dinner tour!! 

 

Here is the long view of dinner for the four of us, a close family friend, and my DH (who is always outnumbered by women).  It is feeling very autumnal here so the table was dressed that way.  We had salad, mashed potatoes, pot roast with gravy and rosemary chicken, broccoli, peas and then pumpkin cake with maple glaze for dessert.  Everyone said it was yummy!!

Here is one of the place settings...it's pretty casual but that is the kind of evening we wanted to have.

I used these beautiful apples for the centerpiece. 

When I set out glasses, I put the type of glasses that were necessary for each person's beverage choice.  Our table is very small and there wasn't room to put extra glasses that wouldn't be used.  After all, it WAS a casual family dinner.

These are pictures that show my mother's silverplate flatware.  This is the silver we used for special occasions when we were growing up.  My sister, who is moving, had it with her and brought it for me  to keep because she knew I was the most likely to use it.  I thought it would be fitting to use it for this dinner.  I have no idea what the pattern is (it says 1881 Rogers and Oneida Ltd. on the underside of it).  If anyone knows, I'd love to hear from you!!!! (Bill?????????)

Dessert was laid out on the buffet.

This is the table and the buffet view.  Pictures always make our dining room look much larger!

The name "cards" are silky leaves that I found and wrote names on.  I love oak leaves!  Dinner was fun and it was wonderful to all be together before she went on her way.

So away she goes on her new adventure!!!!! 

Now for the "dish" on the dishes:

• The plates are our everyday "Gibson" dishes and the salad bowls are from another Gibson set
• All of the glasses are Waterford Marquis and another company:
• The table cloth and the napkins is from Linens and Things; the placement in the center of the table is from TJ Maxx last week (I found matching napkins this week!)
• I put the apples in a cut glass bowl that was my mother's
• The silverplate was my mother's as well.  I have been polishing that silver and setting tables with it since I was a little girl
• The dessert plates are from TJ Maxx about six months ago.  I love the square shape!!
• Those cute little silky leaves in the centerpiece and used as place cards are from the dollar store.  There were about a million on the package!

The Search for "Damask Rose"

I've been at this for a few months now and am enjoying being part of this party and I love visiting your tables and reading your comments!!!  This week is more of a "conceptual" post for a few reasons and so will be short"er" and sweet....
1.  The quest for Damask Rose sterling (gee...I feel like a BRIDE!) has resulted in some great purchases on ebay
2.  My younger sister is coming for a few days before she moves to New Mexico and I want to spend LOADS of time with her, since I don't know when I will see her again  >sniff<


Anyway...I have acquired more pieces and wanted to present some of them in a different context.  

This is one of my standard four piece place settings...I now actually have NINE place settings!!!!...well, at least after the last few arrive in the mail.

Here is it within the context of linens and china.

Here are the only service pieces that I have at the moment...in my opinion, these are essential pieces.  I love this monogrammed tea towel.  AND...our last name actually starts with an "H". 

 

I just LOVE lemon forks!!!  The next items that I will be looking for are cream soup spoons and flat butter spreaders...I think they add such elegance to a table.

Paragon "Victoriana Rose" played a supporting role in this vignette.  This is one of my favorite china patterns. 

Now for the dish on the dishes...

• "Damask Rose" sterling...so far all from ebay and for very good prices!
• Paragon "Victoriana Rose"...I have been collecting this for several years. This china also works well with my Royal Albert "Val D'or" plates.
• The "H" monogrammed tea towel is from ebay and it was quite a bargain.
• The white china teapot is from "Tea with Grace", which is a great website with lovely offerings.
• This vignette was set on my dining room buffet which I found at a house sale MANY years ago.
  

Thank you for coming by and I will see you at your tables!!!

Tess

Mum and mums

Mum and mums.  Isn't english wonderful?  So much opportunity for wordplay!!  So the "Mum" for this post is Peter's Mum in England.  The adorable placemats used in this tablescape are from her, sent to me, from England.  They are scenes of traditional British shops...with nice fall "colours" and that pop of blue.

A glimpse of the place setting

Straight on view

Now for the "mums"...There was a mum sale as a fund raiser for a local school.  The mums came in a variety of colors (I bought three!!) and are all just gorgeous.  So I decided to use the maroon-ish one on the table.  It goes well with the salad plate and feels like autumn!

I wrapped the pot with a tea towel from the Peter's "Mum" in England

Another view of the mums... 

Casual setting for an autumn dinner...

I hope you enjoyed all of the "mums" today...

Now for the dish on the dishes:

• Cotton placemats and tea towel are from England-thank you to my mother-in-law
• Plates and soup bowls are our everyday dishes from Linens'N Things...years ago
• Maroon salad plates are from Big Lots...wish I had purchased more (how often do we say THAT?)
• Silverplate place settings are Oneida Vanessa/Francesca from ebay
• Soup spoons are also from ebay but I don't know the pattern
• Glasses are Waterford "Marquis" from T.J. Maxx...they match my wine glasses
• Gold colored napkins from LNT years ago
• Napkin rings from ebay
• Mums sold by the school kids for their fundraiser

Thank you for stopping...hope you are enjoying early autumn...

P.S. Just found another four-piece place setting of my Damask Rose sterling!!!

Premiere of the "Damask Rose" sterling

Okay, I couldn't wait until my collection of "Damask Rose" sterling grew larger...I HAD to use it and, appropriately, the floral dishes are named "Celebration".  Perfect, huh???

 

Here is the table set with four dinner places

 

Roses, roses everywhere...

 

An even better picture of the Damask Rose flatware

 

Donald is wondering if fish is on the menu!!

 

Another "cat's eye view"

 

Just another close-up

 

I HAD to make place cards to match

(yes...I am very "matchy-matchy" in an un-matchy world)

 

Cyril and Sidney (with the glowing eyes) are not too interested in the table

Okay...Now for the dish on the dishes!

• The sterling was handed down from my grandmother  was a great deal on ebay
• The white china dinner plates are Royal Albert "Val D'Or" which go with so many RA patterns
• The floral plates are RA "Celebration"...one of my favorite patterns
• The lace tablecloth I have had for years
• Pink damask napkins from ebay
• The ceramic rose napking rings are Royal Albert (actually Old Country Roses, though) as are the place card holders (both from TJ Maxx at different times)
• The etched iced beverage glasses are from ebay-another great deal
• The wine glasses were left in an old building that my sister bought and she gave them to me
• The crystal vase is from Marsall's years ago
• The silverplate butter spreaders are from ebay-yet another great deal
• I made the placecards by cropping a photo of the china pattern and using my computer

 I guess that covers it...thank you so much for stopping by my "Celebration" of Damask Rose

 

 Tess

 

Calico Kitties Come to Dinner

I have always wanted a calico or orange tabby kitty, but the ones that show up at our house looking for a home seem to lack a certain amount of color.  We have a black cat, a traditional gray tabby, and one who is beyond all description...gray and black.   So I've invited two lovely "calico" kitties to share the table.

There they are... looking so nice with the tablescape

  

The warmth of the colors of the cats and the linens are getting me psyched for fall!

  

They are ready for their close-up!!

I did a little shopping at T.J. Maxx the other day and found these toile dishes and red placemats.  What a fun trip and I could have done more damage!  (oh wait...I actually did, but that's for another day!!!)

  

Another view...

I'm so glad the calico kitties came to add color to the table! 

And now the dish on the dishes...

• Black and white toile dinner and salad plates.:  T.J. Maxx-really inexpensive!
• Wedgewood creamware bread plates:  ebay
• Red quilted placemats: T. J Maxx $3 each (wish there were more...I could only get two)
• Gold napkins:  Linens and Things a loooong time ago
• Napkin rings:  Oneida outlet store...MANY years ago
• Iced beverage glasses:  ebay
• Oneida "Francesca/Vanessa silverplate: ebay
• Silverplate butter spreaders:  ebay-really inexpensive
• Those lovely calico kitties were a gift from a co-worker several years ago

Thank you for stopping by!!