The Picnic Table

What could possibly be better than a summer picnic?  If the sky is filled with clouds...then why not have your picnic inside!  I promise you this will be fun.

My indoor picnic starts with my linen and cotton patchwork runner.  I've just recently had the itch to try quilting and this runner allowed me to use lots of scraps and to experiment.

I must say, I was rather proud of myself!

These natural jute placemat seemed the perfect choice to pair with the linen.  Sitting atop the mats are my blue dotted dinner plates from West Elm.  How about some more dots?

These cheery red dotted napkins were also a great find from West Elm a few years back.  Oh...I've had these adorable blueberry ceramic napkin rings tucked in the back of a drawer for ages.

I found them at a little ceramic shop in Maine on a fabulous summer vacation  some time ago.  I'm so happy they finally made it out of the drawer!

Won't these bottles of Coke taste just fabulous in these colorful speckled glasses (Crate & Barrel, years ago)?

Just because...I made some little name tags to dress up the bottles.

There's no reason you can't bring nature indoors!  Trader Joe's once again had the most gorgeous flowers.  I chose the brightest bouquets I could find and plopped them into plain old canning jars.

So pretty!  Is there anything missing?  Well maybe just some pesky ants and annoying bees.  I think having a picnic inside was a great idea after all.  As always I will be visiting the following blog parties.  Please join me!

Centerpiece Wednesday (The Style Sisters)

Tabletop Thursday (Between Naps on the Porch)

Feathered Nest Friday (French Country Cottage)

Home Sweet Home Friday  (The Charm of Home)

Potpourri Friday (2805)

Seasonal Sundays (The Tablescaper)

Let's Dish (Cuisine Kathleen)

Open House Party (No Minimalist Here)

Patio Weather

Every year this happens.  One day it's summer.  The next, it's that "just not quite summer" weather.  The mornings are cooler, the air feels different, the crickets are a little bit louder.  So it's time to say goodbye to this dreadfully hot summer, but before the cooler weather is here to stay, let's welcome some glorious patio weather.  At the beginning of the summer, I set the table with Anders' big comfy quilt.  This week, it's Sofie's old quilt, equally worn and just as soft...so simple to drape on the table.

With just about every color imaginable found in this quilt, finding accessories was a piece of cake.  

These pretty little pink and yellow rose salad plates sit atop my Hampton Green (Crate & Barrel) dinner plates,

which sit atop my favorite white lacy  placemats which sit atop these natural hemp placemats.  Every layer make the setting just a bit more interesting.

I tied up some flatware in a simple pale blue napkins.  Raffia does work wonders!  What could be more perfect than my Romantika (vintage Crate) goblets and water glasses...

...with their charming pink and blue stems and feet.  As evening settles in, this chunky pillar candle set inside this...

...recycled green glass hurricane (Crate, years ago) will provide some mood lighting.  While I love fresh flowers on the table, sometimes it's fun to switch things up a bit.

This darling garland of multicolored paper flowers (Ten Thousand Villages) adds a playful touch.  

It's always a bit difficult to watch another Summer come to a close...but thank goodness for "patio weather" to ease us into Fall.  Please stop by all of the following parties this week...there's so much to see!

Centerpiece Wednesday (The Style Sisters)

Tabletop Thursday (Between Naps on the Porch)

Feathered Nest Friday (French Country Cottage)

Home Sweet Home Friday  (The Charm of Home)

Potpourri Friday (2805)

Seasonal Sundays (The Tablescaper)

Let's Dish (Cuisine Kathleen)

Open House Party (No Minimalist Here)

Black and White (and Sassy)

Just like a little black dress, we all know that black (and white) can be elegant and classy.  But mix it up with bright, bold colors and black and white can also be fun and sassy!

This cheery tablescape begins with a vintage black and white checked tablecloth, a great base for all the color to come.

A chartreuse green runner (or actually a cute scarf from Target) adds a pop of color. Next, I layered my Hampton Green dinner plates from Crate & Barrel atop a simple black placemat.

How could you not love these Wild Flora dessert plates by Zak Design (available at Hobby Lobby). 

And that's also where I found this fabulous fabric, June Bug (The Alexander Henry Fabrics Collection) which I whipped up into napkins.

Covered with butterflies and dragonflies, flowers and do-dads, this fabric is adorable.  I like the playful look of my Aero flatware against the napkins.  Of course when it came to glassware, I scoured the cabinets for something colorful...

...and settled on these bubbly glasses with multi-colored swirls.

Just perfect.  I twinkle of candlelight comes from some brightly colored votives perched on my very versatile centerpiece,

decorated with these cute little...

...beaded dragonflies from Pier 1.  I think it's time to plan a menu.  After a big holiday dinner, one of my nieces thanked me saying she always appreciates all the work that goes into these parties, but that just once, I should take it easy and just serve M&M's and wine.  I think with this tablescape...

...that just might be a menu that I could pull off!  Thanks for the advice, Kate!