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Thursday, June 17, 2010

Fish and Frogs and Fruit and Fur . . .




Mother Nature is experiencing an identity crisis today -- sunny, then cloudy, then windy, then sunny, then cloudy . . .

it is enough to exhaust a good dog:


Especially a good dog, like our Dion, who is sharing his home
with his sister Nina for the next few weeks.

That is Nina, whose big girl name is Kilbrook Lorna Doone.

Nina is a darling dog, as sweet as can be, and one of Dion's 3 sisters
who together were known as "The Belmonts."
You either get that reference or you don't.

Annie took Nina for a little stroll
and I got this shot through the sink window:

Can't you just hear her thinking, "Hey, who's the paparazzo at the window?"

Enough of dogs! Time for dishes!

*************************************************************************************

Nina must think we are quite strange indeed, setting the table in the conservatory and not putting food on the plates. To a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, the only possible reason to have dishes at all is to keep your food from wandering off to where another dog can grab it.


But back to playing with dishes . . . last weekend I got 4 hand painted dinner plates,
Italian, in a funky splashy primitive fruit design.


So today I did a funky splashy tablesetting.
Or, as my daughter Anne commented, "Wow, Mom, you have a lot of cr*p on that table."

And so I do.

Pictures first, then a list of what I used:

In the picture above, the hydrangea blossoms are nestled into
two handpainted candlestick holders -- and that was Anne's idea.
Very clever; she likes to play with dishes, too.

Dinner plates -- half price at Goodwill.
Flocked and silvered fish printed votives -- Dollar Tree.
Large printed woven napkins -- Dollar Tree.
Small orange napkins -- from my Mom.
Silver plate flatware -- eBay.
Handpainted fish candlesticks -- Some cheap-o store in NYC.
Squiggly-stemmed martini glasses -- Dollar Tree
Small gilt-leaved glasses -- from my Mom. 1950s chic; I swear I can still smell the Scotch.
Round woven placemats -- Kohl's.
Napkin rings -- Dollar Tree.
Wooden condiment set -- gift from Anne, from Guam in '09.
Hydrangea blossoms -- our own bushes.
and ... the Majolica frogs-holding-shell centerpiece -- Goodwill.

Anne: "Mom, didn't you say no candles before 5 in the evening?"
Me: "Shut up."


Have a lovely Thursday! The sun is shining again here . . . wait, no it isn't. Yes, it is . . . No, it's not. But at least it's not snowing! Happy dishes to all -- Cass




Visit Leigh at Tales from Bloggeritaville
for Thrifty Thursday.








And at Between Naps On The Porch,
Susan hosts Tablescape Thursday.

22 comments:

  1. Cass, I LOVE your cr*p!! Seriously adorable table and the dogs?? Well, you KNOW I think they're adorable. We've had some seriously strange weather here too- right now you can't go outside for fear of drowning- it's THAT muggy. Yucch!!
    xoxo Pattie

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  2. Wow, another great outdoor setting! Lovely, lovely table! Glad I stopped by to see it!

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  3. I love those sweet Cavaliers. Your table looks great.

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  4. Wow! I love the colors on the table. So fresh and springy.

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  5. Great table as always -- you are so clever with your finds . . . me, I'm more conservative! Both of the spaniels are cute although I do think Dion is the cutest.

    Wait -- wait -- I hear barking -- is that cat back -- or a squirrel in the bird feeder? No it is just Ollie telling Dion "hi" --

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  6. You always find the best treasures! I love the plates and I would take all of that 'crap' any day..lol!! The best part about the post is those precious pups! Thanks for sharing.
    ~Holly

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  7. Way too funny today--especially Anne's commnet about the table contents.
    I think the table is very festive!
    Dion's sister is very cute. Is he happy to have her visiting?

    Have a festive day.

    Melinda

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  8. How cool knowing Dion's sisters!! They are just as pretty (handsome?). And the dishes are very neat.. So many colors to play with!! Love the frog centerpiece. Nicely done, Cass!!

    xoxo
    Jane

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  9. Pretty - Good Summer colors. Nice to meet Dion's sister. :D Know what you mean about the weather. Had to shut the computer down today as thunder storn rolled thru.
    Question - Is your kitchen floor tiled or is it vinyl made to look like tile? It looks a lot like some I am considering by Mannington.

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  10. Hi Glenda... the floor is stone-like tile, 12-inch squares. It looks fine, but it is cold in the winter, and hard on feet all year round. I am having heel pain lately and it might be from spending too much time in bare feet on the stone-like floor. (I hate to wear shoes.)

    Also, anything dropped on it is doomed.
    I had vinyl in our old house, and I preferred the quietness, and clean-a-bility of it to the tile.

    I sent you an email, too.
    Thanks for visiting! :-)
    Cass

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  11. What a great setting for two! And I must say, you have such an adorable dog. I'm not much of a dog person, but that's the cutest dog I've ever seen! Thanks for sharing!

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  12. Great find on the plates! Very tropical indeed!
    Had lunch at The Country Kitchen in Jamesport yesterday. Thought of you!

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  13. Cute table, Cass...the plates are quite tropical looking, great for this weather. Love the hydrangeas...so beautiful.

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  14. Cute table, lively conversation, and I think I need a rest from tying to keep up with the weather too!!!

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  15. Oh cute dogs!! I love this table and lots of 'stuff' makes it interesting! Very Thrifty table also! Those plates are wild but I like them!!! Lots of fun!

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  16. well I like your CRa%$ nice table and colors

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  18. Not being the most creative person on the planet, my table-settings skills are limited to linens and flowers and the occasional napkin ring. I thought that the beautiful, clever, and creative "tablescapes" were only in magazines and would be very expensive to do at home. And then I started blogging!! What a naive assumption by the clueless! Now I realize that its almost a mission to find fun and thrifty items to use. I wish I'd figured that out years ago. These days nobody cooks around here, and we rarely have guests, so there's not much point.

    But I love all the ones I see in Bloggerville! Such wonderful colors, great combos, unusual and attractive accessories. I am impressed. Thanks so much for sharing your tables with us!

    p.s. I'm leaving the same message at "Bargain Hunting with Laurie", 'cuz hers was the first blog about tablescapes that I ever saw. You both are stars!

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  19. I love all your stuff! Enjoy playing and having fun with it all. Thanks for sharing your lovely table.

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  20. Love those painted plates, so beautiful and of course I love the table with all the great fruit...Love the dogs

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  21. What a sweet little fur face! Just darling -- love your colorful dishes. Just gotta love a daughter! LOL.

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  22. The dogs are so cute. I love their little faces with the big round eyes. That look makes me weak. And your table is so summerly and colorfull with all that fruits colors. Great idea. Well done.
    Greetings, Johanna

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