Dining Room Sneak Peek

 

Thanks everyone for your comments on my last post.  I am struggling to keep up with work demands, so I'm way behind on replying to emails and comments, I apologize for that.

Normally I like to wait and show you a room once it is all finished, but I just couldn't wait this time.  I'm in love with a piece of furniture I just got, and I think I might need a 12 step program for it!  Sorry for the quick and dirty pictures, but I wanted to show it off right away.  See that bolt in the photo above?  It had me at hello, and it was one of the reasons I bought this piece, sight unseen from my friend Caroline.

I met Caroline, and her husband Jon-Paul, when I did a photo shoot for Romantic Country Magazine at one of their amazing barn sales in 2010.  Through their business, Eskter Antiques, they import wonderful things from around the world and then sell them at their gorgeous property outside of Leesburg, Virginia during the barn sales they host several times a year.

Caroline is a native of the Netherlands, and her taste is beyond compare.  The home she and her husband share with their two beautiful daughters has been photographed for magazines, and has appeared in Fifi's wonderful book Romantic Prairie Style, and will also be in Fifi's new cookbook!

So I know that when Caroline posts photos of an upcoming sale, I will always find something to fall in love with.  Usually I just drool at her photos because I don't have room for some of her pieces, or I'm just not in the market for something new, but in December I lucked out!  Not only was I in the market for a new dining room cabinet to hold all of my china and crystal, but there, staring out from her website, was the cabinet that had been living inside my head, the one I'd been waiting for.  I knew right then and there that it was time to sell my grandparent's dark furniture and get what my heart was longing for.

So I sent Caroline an email, and then we had a few phone conversations, and I decided to just buy the cabinet without driving the 2 1/2 hours to see it.  It had cremone bolts for heaven's sake, how could it not be beautiful, I thought!  And it was nearly twice as wide and way taller than my old china cabinet, so that meant that the special stemware and dishes that had been living in boxes for 4 years would now finally have a home.  If I ever move or add on, I will make sure that every inch of space is devoted to storage, because this house is lacking in it, well at least for a plate addict like me!
 

My only hold back about the cabinet was that it looked a little too white in the photos, and in my head my ideal cabinet looked like an old piece of driftwood.  Then last Saturday, when Jon-Paul delivered the cabinet, my jaw just about hit the floor.  When I walked outside to see it in the back of his truck, it was not white, but a beautiful driftwood color, woohoo, luck be a lady tonight!  I was thrilled that it wasn't white, even though I would have been perfectly happy with something more white.  

Because Caroline imports much of what she sells, she often only gets one or two of any particular item and she may or may not be able to get more.  When I first contacted her about this cabinet there were 3 other people clamoring to own it, but one by one they couldn't take it.  So my first bit of luck was in being the one who got to buy it, and then when it was the color I wanted, had the right dimensions, and was in my price range, well I was over the moon happy!

The other good news is that I've sold my grandparent's table and chairs, which you see pictured, to a lovely young couple who contacted me through Craigslist.  Yay for no one killing us when they came to look at it!  They will be picking it up on Saturday, and I feel certain it will have a happy home.  When the guy came to look at it last night we ended up chatting for almost 2 hours, gotta love it when you like the people who buy your stuff!

So there will be some more rearranging around this place over the weekend.  I'll be in full on fluff mode until everything is the way I've been envisioning it in my head since we moved in here over 4 years ago.  I just love it when a plan comes together, and apparently patience really is a virtue!

I'll will be posting much better pictures of the finished room, when it is actually finished, and showing you another special item I got from Caroline and Jon-Paul.  And in case you are in love with this cabinet too, I happen to know that Caroline will be getting at least one more, most likely sometime in January, so if you are interested, you can contact her by clicking HERE.  You can tell her you want the special Kat Kabinet...I'm kidding people! ;-)

And I will be linking to Furniture Feature Friday with Miss Mustard Seed, because for the first time in a really long time, I have a new piece of furniture....YAY!

Endless Love

When I went to my senior prom it was 1981 and the song to dance to was Endless Love sung by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie!

Saturday night was my son's senior prom, and although I have no clue as to what the "it" slow song of the night may have been, I do know that very little has changed since my prom so many years ago. 

Girls still look beautiful in their flowing gowns, guys still wear tuxes and look ever so handsome, and the night is still a magical one that marks the end of one phase of your life and signals the beginning of another.

Mr. Tide and I made dinner for my son and his lovely date, and three more of his friends for a total of 5 teenagers at our house before the dance.  It was fun seeing these 3 young men dressed to the nines in their elegant tuxedos looking so grown up! I'm so used to seeing them in casual clothes or board shorts ready to head out on the water, hang out and play video games, or watch a movie. 

And both of the girls were visions of loveliness in satin and tulle, hair and make-up perfectly done without being overdone, and looking like models instead of high schoolers!

As the mother of a son, you often don't get to even see the girls since your son normally picks them up at their house, heads to dinner and the dance, and then drops their date off without ever heading back home, so I was really happy when my son agreed to let me fix dinner for everyone!  I had made dinner for my daughter for both her junior and senior proms, and I loved doing it!

So I thought I would share a few pictures of the table, the flowers, and even the corsage.  I decided not to include any of the kid's pictures, because I'm not really sure how comfortable I would be if someone else put my son's face up on the internet without asking first, so I'll just stick with pictures without people in them!

I used my Wedgwood china, I still love this pattern after all of these years!  And of course you can't use china without also using silver!

Crystal always makes any drink taste nicer, and I bought sparkling cider to serve in the wine glasses!

Since their high school colors are blue and white, I went with white table linens.

And then used a simple arrangement of blue delphinium with white fuji mums to complete the blue and white theme!

They had a yummy meal of filet mignon, petite yukon gold potatoes, fresh string beans, and dinner rolls.  And for dessert we had a choice of homemade brownies topped with vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries then drizzled with my mother's yummy homemade fudge sauce, a parfait of sherbet, or delicious Hershey pie which three of the kids brought as a gift.  I don't think anyone went away hungry!

And I just had to show you the corsage my dear friend Mrs. M made for my son's date.  Even the box for the corsage was pretty!

His date wore a gorgeous yellow and lavender gown and so Mrs. M ordered roses in the perfect shade of lavender for the corsage!

I can still remember both of my proms, and I have fond memories of those evenings spent dining, dancing, and laughing with my friends.  I hope that in almost 30 years my son and his friends will have those same wonderful memories about their senior prom!

What do you remember about your prom?!

Table for 4

Since the our oldest child was born over 22 years ago, Mr. Tide and I have spent just a few Valentine's dining alone.  I've spent a few with him on travel for work, but nearly every year we have had Valentine's Day dinner together as a family.  Our daughter hasn't been able to make it for a few years due to being in college or studying abroad, but this year we are so happy that she will be home with us and that we can celebrate the holiday together again.

While many people would consider spending Valentine's Day together with their children something less than romantic.  I have always looked at the holiday a little differently.  It's always reminded me of kids and cards with lollipops stuck in them, or a handmade heart made from a paper doily.  It is a celebration of Love after all, so having those around me that I love, makes perfect sense to me.  I'll trade roses and romance any day for some special time with my family. 

So here is what my table will look like this year when we all sit down to a special meal of my mother's famous chop suey, some crusty bread, and something yummy for dessert...chocolate of course!

We'll dine in the family room so that we can look out and see all of the snow that we have.

I'll use gold heart ornaments that I kept out from Christmas to use as napkin rings.

And a mix of glassware, because I like using stems from different patterns to give the table a more casual feel.

 

And for bread plates I'll use antique green glass dishes that we inherited from Mr. Tide's grandparents.

 

Instead of placemats or a tablecloth, I'll use these elegant embroidered valances.

 

I'll also use this beautiful rose globe votive holder that was given to me by my mother in law.

And I'll tuck this little book about hearts on the corner of the table just for fun.

 

We'll use silver, because everything tastes better when it's eaten with silver!

And when the sun sets we'll light all of the candles.

 

Each plate will have a beautiful flower, with no two alike.

 

And there will be more hearts scattered about the table.

And they will look even prettier by candlelight.

And we'll eat and laugh and talk about everything under the sun, until the sun is long gone.

And then we'll blow out the candles until next year.

I'm linking up with Tablescape Thursday over at Between Naps on the Porch.

Taking Tea

I decided to try my hand at tablescaping and join in the fun at Tablescape Thursday over at Between Naps on the Porch.

I thought I would start out slowly with a simple afternoon tea and work my way up to a fully set table...someday! 

I inherited the Wedgwood, Bianca China from my parents. 

The table runner is April Cornell.

I love the pretty little handles on the teacups.

The china is delicately trimmed in gold.  I love the floral motif, it goes with so many different colors.

I thought this tiny heart would be perfect on the tiered server.

The sugar bowl is my favorite piece, I just need to get the matching creamer!

The silver is Towle, Chippendale pattern which we selected for our wedding.

I've been on the hunt for either the matching creamer or a pretty little cut crystal one, but this little pitcher is special as it was given to us by my husband's grandmother when we were first married, so it will always hold a special place in my heart!

Now I know that "afternoon" tea doesn't usually involve candlelight, but it was late by the time I got home today, so this will be a "late" afternoon tea and these floral votives I bought from Cold Water Creek a few years ago,  were too pretty to NOT light!

These two pretty pink glass plates came from the Dollar Store, years ago and I still love them and use them often!

 

Wouldn't it be wonderful if these peonies were "real" and not silk?  They are a lovely imitation though and came from Pier 1 Imports.

The white battenburg lace napkins were a gift.

Thanks for stopping by to take tea with me and for letting me "play" in the dishes!  Don't forget to stop by and visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch to see lots more tablescapes!