Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Hallows' Evening Tablescape

Good day to all, and welcome to Panoply. As we prepare for the feast of All Hallows' Day, the table is set for the evening before, Hallows' Evening, or All Hallow' Eve, or All Saints' Eve.**
The skyline portends what the table will display - a mix of darkness and light, mystery, whimsy, and a bit of spectacle.
The moon, though waning crescent today (October 13th)....
....will be at full phase or, in the case this October 31, a blue moon (a second full moon in one month). You may be wise to not howl at the moon......
...or cross the path of black cats lurking in the moonlight, which seem to have magical powers this time of year, especially when witches are near.
Perhaps you'd rather choose to stay close to home where friendly gourds seem safe in their patch with their toothless grins. Or are they friendly? Or safe? mmmmmwwwwwahahahahahaha!!!!
When the crow caws, the bat flies, and the spider crawls......
....don't say you weren't warned by the harvest stars and moon phases....
You may even find yourself turning a little witchy, too!
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Chloe Crabtree from the blog Celebrate and Decorate for inviting me to share this Halloween tablescape, together with the list of other blog stylists below. 
I encourage you to visit each one for their take on this Spooktacular event!
Panoply (you are here)
Each stylist has a distinctive way with tablescaping, and is sure to inspire. For my own designs, I most always mix vintage items from my Panoply inventory, along with household items (admittedly, sometimes they are interchangeable!). My source list is provided below for you to see the many ways by which I shop and gather inspiration, but not for monetization. 
Source List for Hallows' Evening Tablescape
Table runner - handmade by and purchased from Carole of From My Carolina Home
Black checked placemats - Crown Linen Designs
Black linen napkins as witches' hats - French Garden House
Courtly Check napkin rings - MacKenzie Childs
Flatware - Wegman's
Amber (acrylic) glassware - Pier 1
Black dinner plates - Dollar Tree
Salad plates - David Carter Brown Pumpkin Hollow - vintage (EBay)
Copper peat pots - vintage (estate sale)
Succulents - Hobby Lobby and Wayfair
Wooden candlesticks - vintage (estate sale) with 
DIY glass globes and spooky transparencies, as shown here
Thanks for your visit today, and I hope you'll leave a comment to let me know you stopped by. As always, I appreciate your readership!

**from The History channel:  "Halloween is the holiday celebrated on October 31. The tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints. Soon All Saints' Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows' Eve, and later Halloween.Over time, Halloween evolved into a day of activities like trick-or-treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, festive gatherings, and donning costumes and eating treats."

Monday, October 5, 2020

October Skyline Table for Two

With October's skyline as our backdrop, I'm inviting you to step out onto our city balcony today and join me for some fresh, fall air at a table for two!

Welcome to a World of Octobers, a mini tour of bloggers across various regions, gathered by Cecilia of My Thrift Store Addiction. Cecilia's and my love of vintage finds is how we originally connected, and her style consistently displays her treasured finds. If you're coming from Cecilia's post today and are new to my blog, I wish you a warm welcome here at Panoply, in Almost Heaven, West Virginia. If you're a longtime reader here, welcome back. 
Fall is unfolding each and every day here in West Virginia, with crisp morning temps and warm afternoons. We reside in a Zone 7a climate in the Eastern US, as shown in the plant hardiness zone map below. We're the northernmost southern state, and the southernmost northern state. In other words, we're smack in the middle of the USDA temperature zones (star on my WV location in photo below).
As for fall foliage, we won't be at peak until late in the month, but there are already areas in our state full of color (see map below).
Since 2019, we've been living a downsized lifestyle in a loft in the heart of the city. It's a perfect time to be out on our balcony, enjoying the season to its fullest! We face eastward, so we can enjoy sunrises in the mornings and its warmth with shade in the afternoon. A wool wrap is at the ready if needed.
In order to hone in on my subject - the tablescape - the true beauty of the background scenery fades from focus.
In shifting the focus, you can see the skies were blue, our hills still very green (other than the tree planted on the street in view just to the bottom of the L succulent on the ledge). Looking past the balcony, our view takes in city office and residential buildings, church steeples, our state capitol building (shrouded in white tarp for ongoing reconstruction), and the river.
Our small table is just enough for two place settings inside the balcony's edge. My overall decor fuses vintage, antique and newer items, in traditional, modern, and industrial styles.
A small side table is enough to hold a bottle of wine, a small serving board, and a few seasonal decor items. The wooden bowl is filled with orange lightbulbs (!) and small ornaments. The pumpkins and acorns are collected over the past few years - velvet, needlepoint, and felted wool. The skyline is reflected in the plate glass window behind the side table, and that's our rust leather sectional on the other side of the plate glass, inside the loft in our great room. You can see our condo in its simple fall decor, here.
Perched on the step of one of the doors accessing the balcony to outside is my nutcracker squirrel and his nuts (real and felted), and a few more pumpkins.
Standing at the opposite step of the door outside the master bedroom, here's the balcony view of the table for two: 
As you can see in the upper right part of the photo frame above, my little concrete garden statue - Augustine - is sporting his shades for this fine October day while reading his book. Soon he'll be dressed in his cold weather garb.
I hope you enjoyed our time outside today. I'm so glad you stopped by for a little taste of October in my world. Up next is Jen in Nebraska at Midwest Life and Style. Be sure and visit all the bloggers below for a diverse look at a world of Octobers. Enjoy!
How's your October world looking these days? Let me know by leaving a comment!
I invite you to come back and visit my blog anytime. My posts these days are mostly about my vintage finds, tablescapes, my antique adventures with my Panoply sisters, and my tales of the traveling tote. I always try to keep things inspiring and positive. You can view my entire dropdown menu at the top of my blog. 

On Tuesday, October 13, I'll be joining another group of stylists for Halloween themed tablescapes. You won't want to miss it!