A Buckeye Bash

Tuesday night is our big Bowl game ~

Ohio State vs Arkansas ~ and what better way

to celebrate then with a Buckeye table.

~

For those of you who don't know what a Buckeye is ~ here is a

little history.  It is a species of tree and is Ohio's "state tree".

 

The tree produces a nut that is called a "buckeye"

for which our football team is named after.

Now in the state of Ohio, you will find buckeyes in many forms.

There is Buckeye candy which has a peanut butter inside

that is covered with chocolate, very much like a

Reese Peanut Butter Cup.

There is Buckeye jewelry which can be found in almost any

Columbus store and on street corners on game day.

And then there is "Brutus Buckeye" ~ our

beloved team mascot.

But last week I found some Buckeye dishes at Goodwill

and couldn't resist setting a Buckeye tablescape.

The school colors are brilliant scarlet and gray as can be seen

in the earlier pictures, but the dinnerware is done in much more

subdued colors.  The scarlet is more maroon and the gray is

barely noticeable.  The dinner plate is made locally in 

Zanesville, Ohio by Hartstone Pottery.

 

Because the pottery represents more the tree and nut than 

the team, I used a green salad plate instead of the traditional

school colors.  For future use I will probably try to find some

coordinating pieces in maroon, but on short notice, 

this will have to do for now.

For my napkins, I used just a plain beige color, and accented

them with homemade napkin rings made out of real

Buckeye nuts.

And for the centerpiece ~ well, what else but a

Buckeye candle.

I added a scattering of a few Buckeye nuts around the table

and we're ready for the Bowl game.

~

Lest you all think we're a little nuts here in Ohio, you

have to remember we are a land-locked city with

no beautiful body of water, no scenic mountains, 

and no other form of entertainment other than 

shopping and Ohio State Buckeye football.

Sad, but true ~ it's all we have.

Go Bucks!

~

Linking with 

A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday

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Coastal Charm  for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

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Between Naps on the Porch  for Tablescape Thursday

~

Pears & Pinecones

More cleaning today ~ more shuffling things

around ~ more playing.

I bought these pretty pine cone ornaments

at Macy's the day after Christmas.  They are 

coated with tiny beads and gold glitter.

I couldn't quite bring myself to pack them away yet 

for next year, so I mixed them with artificial

pears and greenery. 

 

I tucked everything into a wood-slat basket for 

a wintry mix. 

Then I added a pine-scented candle for ambiance and  a 

luscious pine scent.  Bath & Body makes the best pine-scent

candle called "Fresh Balsam" ~ available only during

the Christmas season.

I love the detail on this little green plate I found at

Goodwill for $.59.

A winter vignette that will take me all the way

to spring.  I think by then, I'll finally be ready to

put away my pine cone ornaments.  Until then ~ I

intend to enjoy them and their little touch of glitter.

~

Linking with

The Tablescaper for "Seasonal Sundays"

~

Little Red House  for "Mosaic Monday"

~

Dittle Dattle for "Amaze Me Monday"

Warm and Fuzzy Snow

I've spent the whole day putting away Christmas

decorations and sorting through things ~ trying as I

do every end-of-year, to get myself organized.

The problem with sorting and organizing is that things

usually get worse before they get better.

~

Along the way and through the clutter, I took

time out to play and arrange a few new 

vignettes for winter.

 

That's the fun thing about cleaning out ~ you come across

things you forgot you had and find new creative ways to use them.

  I'm using my brown transfer ware plate with an arrangement

of artificial evergreens, cotton, and pine cones.

~

Brown transfer ware is my fave and I adore this old plate!  

I got it at a yard sale this summer for $.50. 

I love to display it in any way I can.

 

I love the crackle finish on this urn.  It adds so

much character to the piece and gives it an aged look.

When mixed with evergreens, the cotton reminds me 

of snow ~  only the warm and fuzzy kind.

 

  I'll take my snow in this form anytime.

 

 Guess I'd better stop playing around and get back to cleaning.

I'm linking with

Common Ground for "Vintage Inspiration Friday"

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French Country Cottage for "Feathered Nest Friday"

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My Romantic Home for "Show & Tell Friday"

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A La Carte for "Junkin Finds Friday"

~

Bargain Hunting With Laurie for "Favorite Things Friday"

A Cozy Table

My bedroom is one of my favorite rooms in the house,

especially in the winter.  My cozy bed,

piled high with pillows and a warm duvet is

my favorite place to read, study or watch TV.

Since I am single, it is the one room where I indulge my 

feminine side with ruffles, lace, and lots of pink.

~

I wanted to create the ultimate luxury tablescape 

for one ~ me.

 

Yesterday at Home Goods, I found this sweet little rose

plate that matched my duvet cover perfectly and became

the inspiration for this tablescape.  It is Maxcera's

"Victorian Toile Rose" pattern and comes in a variety of

different pieces.  I chose to only purchase a single salad

plate for $2.99 since I only needed one place setting.

 

 I paired it with my favorite plate ~ my

oval olive~green scrolled plate from Nina Campbell.

 

 

For the napkins, I had two pieces of leftover quilt fabric that 

matched the plates perfectly.  I couldn't decide which one to use, 

so I made one of each and combined them for a more 

luxurious look.

 

 I added a small pedestal mercury glass candle holder

for just a touch of romance and ambiance.

Last summer I found this lovely wooden bed tray at

a garage sale for only $10.  It was love at first sight.  It has legs

that can be extended to elevate it or they can be locked

underneath so it sets flat.

 

I love it's curved edges which gives it personality 

and a sweet delicate look.

 

 

Even though I only set a table for one, as usual, 

Miss Biddy always shows up in time for meals.

I'm linking with A Stroll Thru Life

 for Tabletop Tuesday

~

Between Naps on the Porch

 for Tablescape Thursday

~

How Sweet the Sound

for Pink Saturday 

Christmas Morning Table

 As families change over the years, so have our Christmas 
morning breakfast traditions.

Today I'm sharing a simple Christmas morning

table setting for my daughter and myself.

 Currently we spend a quiet breakfast 
together before traveling to my sister's home to meet up 
with the rest of our extended family.

My table setting is rather subdued colors with the
only punch of color being the red holly berries and red napkins. 
The dinner plate is a soft muted olive green plate by
Nina Campbell with a lovely scroll embellishment
around the edges.  I love this plate because of it's
somewhat oval and oblong shape and I've been
using it frequently since I purchased it this fall.

 
The salad plate is the softest of yellows with

delicate raised dots along the octagonal edges.

The bowl has a sweet sprig of mistletoe in it's center and is called
"Home for the Holidays" from the Paula Deen At Home collection. 

It's real beauty though is the mistletoe and holly berries
along the sides, which you can hardly see. 

I used red napkins to add color to the table and
tucked a sprig of pine and holly inside the napkin ring
for embellishment.

 

I made the centerpiece out of various evergreens and holly

cut from my yard with artificial pears nestled in to

compliment the dinner plates.

 

 

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas.

 ~ 

Linking with Between Naps on the Porch 

for Tablescape Thursday.

  

 

Sweetest Story Ever Told

Being a very new blogger, I was amazed at what all the ladies 
in blog land did with fall and Thanksgiving this year. 
I could hardly wait to see what creative ideas and pictures
they would share for Christmas.
~
At first I was overwhelmed, but it wasn't long before I felt very empty.
I was at a loss to explain what I felt and didn't understand why
none of it seemed to matter.  Isn't this what I had been
waiting for?  I found myself almost angry without
knowing why.
~
Then I found this video and took the few minutes to watch it.
It changed everything.
~
Please stop over and see the sweetest Christmas

video ever produced by St. Paul's Church

in Auckland, New Zealand.  It is featured over at
Debbie's blog site Love the Decor and
I promise, you'll never see anything sweeter, purer,
or touching than this children's version of Christ's birth.

Jesus is the reason for Christmas.  We can dress up our
homes with all the glitz and glitter that Christmas offers, but 
without Him, nothing else matters.
~
I'm lining up with The Tablescaper 
for "Seasonal Sundays".

Candy Canes & Snowflakes

I set my table today in all red and white making quite 

a bright and cheerful table.

 

 My dinner plates are by Country Living and were 

purchased on clearance at Kmart this fall.

 

 The salad plates are from the Fancy Scroll Collection by 

Sweet Olive Designs and were purchased at Marshalls.

 

 I love the design and texture of the plates when

combined, which need nothing more to adorn them except 

simple candy canes and pretty napkins.

 

 The napkins I made from two fabrics, one side striped

to coordinate with the candy canes and the other side

with snowflakes so they can be used throughout the winter

and not just for Christmas.

 

 

The centerpiece is a glass hurricane globe with a mixture of

inexpensive solid, striped, and snowflake ornaments.

A cheerful table setting to last through the 

holidays and with just a few simple changes ~ all

the way to Valentine's Day.

 I'm linking with Between Naps on the Porch

for Tablescape Thursday.