Fall Tabletops

Heavenly…..delightful…..invigorating. Fall temperatures have finally reached the deep South. I‘ve been putting a few touches of autumn out, but my heart hasn’t really been in it….til now.

Although I almost always have fresh flowers on our breakfast room table, I filled an old basket with grocery store bounty to serve as a centerpiece for a while. I love using pepper plants, ornamental cabbage, mums, pumpkins and gords this time of year. You can find a large centerpiece I did last year here. The locally made fall harvest pillar candles on their pumpkin topiary bases add fragrance to the whole downstairs.

You may have met this angel here before. She sits in the powder room and is always one the first harbingers of the changing of the seasons at our house. One of the nicest things about decorating for fall is the availability of design elements. A walk in the woods or a trip to the grocery store can provide everything you need!

For fall she is holding dried hydrangeas from our yard. I did a post about drying them here. I added nuts, bits of wood, and potpourri to her bundle. For now it brings out the colors in this “soon-to-be-just-a- memory” wallpaper. Change is on the way!

Last week was a busy, busy week here---two birthday luncheons, one cake, one batch of cupcakes, four hours of class, one day at work, one day helping my friend the candlemaker at a craft fair, dinner guests, and out of town company-----WHEWWWW. So tonight there is a pot of chili on the stove and I am joining Marty at A Stroll Thru Life…..and I am going to make an effort to stroll through Tabletop Tuesday. Thanks Marty

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you’ll leave me a message----I love hearing from you :)~~Susan

Tiptoeing into Fall

Artie and Marty are having a party

Vignettes for Artie

Cloches with Marty

Sounds like an old jump rope rhyme, doesn’t it? But no, two of my favorite bloggers are having parties that complement one another. Marty at A Stroll Thru Life is having one of her now-legendary cloche parties and Artie at Color Outside the Lines has recently launched Vignette Fridays. Cloches don’t seem to be my strong suit, but here’s what’s going on the breakfast room. We’re tiptoeing into fall.

This is the top of a small antique chest I use in my breakfast room. The marble top is handy for serving desserts and coffee. The drawers hold placemats and stationery. I like to change the accessories to suit the season or holiday. Hence, my vignette with a fall cloche :).

My birthday was last week and a friend brought me a bouquet of bittersweet. She knows my love for flowers and arrangements so I have chosen to overlook the possible hidden implications :). I know she bought this at the local florist and I believe it is oriental bittersweet. The berries are perfect shades for autumn.

I added a few curly branches, some dried eucalyptus, and a couple of dried lotus pods. I love the woodsy effect of the pods and the different textures.

S0000, in keeping with the woodsy theme we have going on, I just filled this big ole cloche with dry stuff….huge pine cones I found in our yard at Seaside this summer, faux dried berries, a couple of dried hydrangeas, and a few pods and nuts from the yard. It makes an interesting sprinkling of all things fall.

This is my nod to the men in my family… a family of hunters. This is a Vintage Game plate made by Churchhill China. The banner underneath says cervus elephus—the red deer or elk. I have only a few of these. I like the idea of shopping the china cabinets for display items. I bet you have something “easel worthy” too, if you just look. And finally, the small frame you see in the first picture is is a little camera shy. A permanent resident no matter the season, it says this:

The Lord bless you and keep you

The Lord make His face shine on you

And be gracious to you

The Lord lift His countenance on you

And give you peace

That is my daily prayer for all those who gather around my table….and for you.

Thanks Artie and Marty! You can join the cloche party here. Hop over to Artie’s Vignette Fridays by clicking here!

Thanks for stopping by to see my little addition to the parties. I hope you’ll take a minute to say hello—I love knowing you’ve been here and would love to visit you!~~Susan