Fowl and Feather Fall Tablescape

Welcome to my blog, Panoply! Today I'm sharing a seasonal tablescape I'm dubbing "Fowl and Feather Fall Tablescape". The complete source list for elements used are near the end of this post.

My springboard for this table was really with some Ralph Lauren textiles I found in early summer. The complementary orange and blue colors in the classic paisley design seemed to beckon my attention and demand my purchase. 😉 The napkin rings were on clearance at the same time, so I knew I could eventually use them all on a table, I just didn't know if they'd be all together or not.

The rest of my table elements came from shopping my personal inventory of [mostly] vintage home decor (read: potential shop inventory for Panoply antique mall booth space). The rooster plates below were among my purchases on a trip to the Atlanta area in 2016. The blues and tans were a great blend with the textiles.

The table easily came together once the textiles and salad plates were chosen. I pulled and used my classic Currier & Ives dinner plates and Pendleton napkins from a prior tablescape a couple years ago (shown here). The centerpiece of the table is a copper watering can with feathers and berries, nestled among preserved maple leaves scattered on the table.

The plate stack is set on locust wood chargers bought from an Etsy dealer a few years ago. Vintage Oneida flatware purchased at an estate sale - simple in design - have a nice feel and weight about them.

The brown crystal stems are vintage 1977, with a couple of wicker wine casks nearby. The burlap floral napkins rings remind me of spent blooms in the garden this time of year.

The tabletop roosters came from an estate auction of a local woman named Delsie Mae Hershman who owned and operated a restaurant in town called the Southern Kitchen from 1947-2007. She had hens and roosters adorning every square inch of that restaurant. I have sold or given away several of the ones I won at auction, and kept just these two as a nod to a woman who was my mother's contemporary and everybody's cook at one time or another in our town.

My place cards were a simple craft made from wine corks and pennies. A small dot of glue on the penny to make a stabilizing base for the cork, with a slice across the top of the cork, and you've got a place card!

This tablescape is set in my sunroom, and on the side table centered between two swivel chairs (just beyond the dinner setting) is a very large rooster that's perfect for fall. I purchased that rooster from a fellow dealer in our antique mall several years ago. The copper watering can rests on that side table as part of my summer to fall transitional decor when not in service as a centerpiece.

My fowl and feather fall tablescape is an easy and casual setting, much like how we enjoy living these days. My style is mostly traditional, but I love to add something unique - typically with vintage flair - when I style things. I hope this has inspired you to shop your house to make new combinations of things well-loved. Also, as a small business vintage and antiques dealer, I hope this inspires you to consider shopping antique malls and vintage shops for unique elements for your decor. Though my textiles are new on this table, I often use a favorite scarf, throw, or vintage tablecloth or quilt to add a little seasonal interest to an everyday table. You'll find my complete source list for this tablescape below.

Fowl and Feather Fall Tablescape Source List

Chargers - wood crafted (Etsy)

Dinner Plates - Currier & Ives American Homestead (Yard Sale)

Rooster salad plates - Limoges (The Classy Flea, Marietta, GA)

Crystal goblets - Lenox Impromptu (1977 vintage)

Paisley Tablecloth, matching napkins - Ralph Lauren (HomeGoods)

Navy jacquard napkins - Pendleton National Park Series (Grand Canyon)

Burlap flower napkin rings (HomeGoods)

Oneida flatware, wicker wine casks, roosters, copper pitcher, feathers - estate sale, auction finds

Cork place card holders - crafted

I am participating among a group of several other bloggers, each sharing our ideas of a fall-inspired table setting. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Chloe Crabtree of Celebrate and Decorate for coordinating this tour of fall inspiration in styling tables. The list of all the participants and links to their landing pages are conveniently provided below. Enjoy! 

Monday

Home Is Where The Boat Is | A Casa di Bianca | Living With Thanksgiving | Everyday Living

Tuesday

Corner of Plaid and Paisley | Belle bleu Interiors  | My French Twist | The Painted Hinge

Wednesday

Debbee's Buzz | Red Cottage Chronicles | Panoply (you are here!) | Celebrate & Decorate

Thursday

Life and Linda | The Painted Apron | Me and My Captain | Our Crafty Mom

Friday

Simple Nature Decor | Bluesky at Home | Sweet Sensations | Follow The Yellow Brick Home

I'd love for you to leave a comment letting me know you were here, and/or join in conversation. Thanks for stopping by!

Rita C. at Panoply

A special thank you to Kathryn of The Dedicated House Make It Pretty #267 for featuring this tablescape!

Sharing: Pieced Pastimes, Best of the Weekend, Amaze Me, DIDI, BNOTP, Inspire Me, Make it Pretty, The Scoop, Dagmar's Home, Celebrate Your Story, SYS, SYC, Delightsome Life H&G, Grace at Home, Vintage Charm, 

Tales of the Traveling Totes #16

Hello, armchair travelers!  Thanks for joining another adventure recap - this being #16 - of the Traveling Totes. If you're new here and you'd like to read the background of how this group got started, you can find it at this link. My personal tales with Miss Luna C and Miss Charley C can be found here. Be sure to read to the end of this post for another great giveaway. It's a perfect seasonal touch!

Although it's been a fairly busy summer for me, there were only two trips taken, but Miss Luna C got in on the action of both trips.

The first trip was a girls' weekend getaway at Lake Norman, North Carolina in late June.

Our host lives in Iredell County, and our location on the lake can be seen at the arrow on the map pictured below. Lake Norman offers over 500 miles of shoreline, and is over 50 square miles in total, spanning over four counties. In other words, it's huge!

True to Southern style, our host's husband lugged all of our bags in for us as the eight of us each arrived.

Lunch was made easy for us on the deck as we arrived and were shown about the property. My tablescaping eyes immediately honed in on the table elements. 😉

The weekend was full of crazy fun - probably a little too much fun. Our host graciously took us out on the water two separate times, so we could enjoy the water and tours of the lake properties. My friend's home is oriented east / west, with the decks and dock facing west, so we captured great sunsets each evening. 

With Lake Norman less than four hours from our home here in WV, I came home very excited to tell Mr. P. about the opportunities of life on Lake Norman! Soon after the weekend, we caught an episode of HGTV Lakefront Bargain Hunt shot on Lake Norman......very tempting.

The only other trip Miss Luna C and I ventured out for was in August, to my sister J's home in Cincinnati. We three Panoply sisters (my local sister, M, traveled with me) went on another picking adventure. Below is a preview of some of the things we culled. There'll be more to come on that trip's finds!

NOW, ONTO THE GIVEAWAY!

The Traveling Totes Tribe is offering another giveaway. Linda P @ Life and Linda is our giveaway sponsor this time. One lucky reader who leaves a comment on Linda P's September 1 post will have their name thrown into the hat for an opportunity to win the following pair of MacKenzie-Childs Elizabethan guest towels! Hurry over now!

Where have all the other Traveling Tote tribe members been this summer? Check them out at the links conveniently located below to see.

Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths
Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch
Jackie with Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home
Katie with Miss Daisy @ Preppy Empty Nester
Lia with Miss Scarlett @ Cici's Corner
Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda
Patti with Miss Kenzie and Miss Taylor @ Pandora's Box
Ricki Jill with Countess de Monet @ The Sketchy Reader
Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply (you are here!)
Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul

Thanks for traveling along on our adventures! Hope to see you on our next adventure recap, December 1, 2018! Don't forget to leave a comment on Linda's blog!

Rita C. at Panoply

Sharing: Pieced Pastimes, Best of the Weekend, Amaze Me, DIDI, BNOTP,  Inspire Me, Make it Pretty, The Scoop, Dagmar's Home, Celebrate Your Story,SYC, Delightsome Life H&G, Grace at Home, Vintage Charm

Inspiration from Subtle, Seasonal Signs

While the summer days are lingering, I can't help but be aware of my surroundings and be inspired by observing the subtle, seasonal signs of changes occurring. 

During August, one sign of the impending seasonal shift is the early morning fog we see on our walks. Have you ever heard the farmer's almanac folklore, "for every fog in August there will be a snowfall"? Well, we've seen several already.

Early morning August fog lifting from the Kanawha River, along the hillside behind the WV state capitol building.

Finding first fallen acorns on early morning walks is yet another subtle seasonal sign of change. 

The hints of fall have inspired me to make a few subtle changes in my home as the seasons are changing. Today, I'm collaborating with several other bloggers who are also transitioning from summer to fall in their homes, as part of a tour Amber Ferguson from Follow the Yellow Brick Home has graciously organized. If you're coming from A Stroll Thru Life, I'm sure you've recognized Marty's style is smart and chic in a traditional way, and always on a thrifty budget.

If you're new to my blog, welcome! If you're a returning reader, welcome back! All of the seasonal changes I've made so far in my home are just a matter of selecting things from my personal and small antiquing business inventory. My style is traditional with a vintage flair. For example, a gathering of fall fruits in a Shaker knife box demonstrates simplicity in seasonal display in the sunroom. The knife box, a purchase from a collector friend, is resting on placemats purchased new last year. The Golden Delicious variety apple originated in my home state of West Virginia, in case you didn't know!

Textile changes via throws and pillows, with feathers and other items in the sunroom, are all hints toward the late summer changes ushering in early fall.

A study in textures and contrasts against the exposed brick wall of the sunroom suggests an Indian summer.

A vintage find from earlier this year - a metal and wood pitcher - rests on a side table, now in service as a vase.

The sunroom (pictured below), in transition from late summer to early fall, is where I've made the majority of transitional changes. This is my year-round, go-to casual space for reading, relaxing and accessing my garden through French doors on the right side of this space.

My plates of party birds with friends are now perched in the sunroom hutch (out of view in previous photos), alongside some Parchment Check, my everyday ironstone, a couple vintage wine casks and other tabletop items. You can see how the birds and other critters on these plates partied like flock stars in this tablescape.

Together, they are a perfect transitional addition for a subtle hint of seasonal change, and replace the cool blues the hutch was styled with earlier in the year, as seen here.

I had more fun with dishes on the wall opposite the sunroom dish hutch, where my wine rack was converted to shelves in our kitchen update last year. I used vintage plates and more Parchment Check for an understated, neutral tone here. The plates can be seen in a fall tablescape from 2016, here.

For the dining room, a textile I admired and later received as a gift from a blog friend has now been put into service as a tablecloth (thank you, Patti!). The fruit and floral garland down the table's center is a simple arrangement of magnolia and dried hydrangeas from my garden, along with twigs, cotton bolls, and apples.

More dried hydrangeas are placed in an antique, quadruple silverplate bowl on the bar cart. A small herd of sheep gathers in the tole tray, while a single stray black sheep peeks out from the ironstone cafe au lait bowls beside the group. The bar cart and everything on it are either auction, estate or vintage shop purchases.

Even in my laundry room, I play up the seasons by rotating a collection of colorful crocheted potholders. I keep my potholder collection in an ironstone wash basin on my dryer as a simple display. For an early fall look, I pulled the yellows and golds to the surface, tucking the summer's blues away in the bottom of the basin.

All of these small changes are subtle, seasonal signs of the season to come, nothing glaringly shouting fall. I love all the seasons, and while choosing a favorite is hard, fall is second only to spring as my favorite. I love the change in the colors, mood and shadowplay that fall brings. I'll add pumpkins, gourds and other harvest items as the season progresses, but continue enjoying summer until it plays out with what I've shared here today.

Next on the tour is Carol's home at the blog Art and Sand. Carol lives in sunny California. Her style is the epitome of a relaxed, coastal vibe, energized with gorgeous color. You'll want to be sure and take some time to visit all the other blog links on this tour, too, conveniently located below!

If you're new to Panoply, I'd love to have you engage in conversation with me. You may browse my topics at the main menu at the top of the page (if on a handheld, just scroll to the bottom of your page and click on web version to access). You'll also see my subject labels and a search button on my sidebar for a particular topic of interest. Feel free to leave your comments, letting me know you stopped by. Thank you for your visit today!

Rita C. at Panoply

Sharing:  Pieced Pastimes, Best of the Weekend, Amaze Me, DIDI, BNOTP, Inspire Me, Make it Pretty, The Scoop, Dagmar's Home, Celebrate Your Story, SYC, Delightsome Life H&G, Grace at Home, Vintage Charm, 

An InLinkz Link-up

Mid-Summer Garden Glimpses, Maintenance

Since mid-July and my last garden updates, we have had nearly 10" of rain in our Zone 7a region. That's about double our average rainfall for this time of year! No doubt, there are lots of weeds, mushrooms and other new growth (plus maintenance!) throughout the landscape that I've captured to share with you on this mid-summer garden glimpses post.

The mushrooms create their own sort of fantasy garden, one in which I somehow expect to see little gnomes under those fungal umbrellas.

The rain has encouraged continued growth throughout the garden beds, such that it almost looks more like late spring than mid-summer. Raindrops on morning blooms are always delightful sightings, as seen pictured on the anemone below.

Since it was raining so much, I divided and transplanted a few of my Mexican sunflower plants to a second area. It's a space in an otherwise bare section of my east landscape bed, where my perennial bee balm had been knocked down and blooms already spent from storms. Between the rain and high temperatures, the Mexican sunflowers are doing well in both areas where I have them.

Hosta plants are beginning to push their blooms too.

Such high temperatures, and so much rain! My husband likes to pluck the Bermuda grass (not planted, just creepers among our fescue) from our lawn because it stays brown when the fescue grass is nice and green.

Pulling the Bermuda often creates bare patches, so I've been planting grass seed (overseeding method, explained here). With all the rain, it's working beautifully, as you can see in the area just outside the steel edging in the photo below. Obviously I could do more, but that area was nothing but dirt before.

Liriope grasses are pushing blooms now also, and will have dark berries later in summer and early fall.

If you recall, I mentioned trying a different vine on my trellis that bridges the entry from my courtyard to the landscape. I planted hyacinth bean vine on Mother's Day weekend from seed at the trellis base. Here's what it looks like now, below. The trellis is completely covered, and the vine is trying to take over my magnolia!

The view from the courtyard, looking through the trellis opening:

As per any plant that blooms for the first time of the season, I was excited to see the hyacinth bean flower in late July.

Even more exciting, about two weeks later, was seeing the seed pods where the flowers withered.

Hyacinth bean vine is an annual in my region, so even though its growth rate is fast, I won't need to worry about the seed pods sending off new plants (at least I don't think I do). I can just collect what I want to save and reseed for next year.

In the maintenance department, I've been able to slow down the watering thanks to Mother Nature, and mainly just tend to weeding. I'm not transplanting anything more until fall, and I typically quit feeding my annual blooms by August. We scheduled pruning of the magnolia (which will be the first time in 14 years). It is infringing on the access of the trellis on the landscape side and starting to grow over our gutters of the house's second story. We also had a growth inhibitor injected into the ground surrounding the magnolia to retard its future growth rate.

But then the storms created more work.....as in prune control of trees on the riverbank.

We had some pretty high winds that took out some leaf-heavy branches of our sassafras and silver maple on the riverbank surface. Our city is great in providing service for fallen branches, as long as you gather them into one area and call for pickup. We'll be having those trees thinned out, and dead branches cut out (multi-trunk, as seen behind the guys in the right frame of the collage above).

The storms also created some fairly major damage on the lower riverbank. In the photo above, you can see various trees below the street level. We have a total of eight trees on our property near the water's edge. They are river birch and silver maples, mostly just to stabilize the bank. Until they don't. What we now have is a mess, and a new estimate for storm damage pruning.

With all the water and additional rains, one tree completely split and fell (onto our neighbor's property). There's one lean-to - a tree that is at a 45° angle into another tree, which caused that tree to have a 90° angle broken limb. There's another lean-to out over the water, and a couple trees that will look stupid if we leave them standing. A total of six trees will come out and be dragged up the riverbank for disposal. $$$$$ And no, we can't just cut and let them fall into the river, but if a storm knocks them into the river, that's different.

In other maintenance, my containers with the braided hibiscus contracted thrips. I'm pretty sure the high heat helped the colony of tiny red boogers grow. What I'm not sure about is how healthy the plants - one particularly - was/were when I purchased in May. But hey, after they're planted, who wants to dig them out and return them? I'm sure that's what the big box stores hope for too.

So I bought an organic fungicide/insecticide, covered the base plants (lantana, which bees and hummingbirds were feeding on already) with plastic, and doused the plants. They're still pushing blooms, but I had to repeat the process again, two weeks later.

In the neighborhood, I spotted an ambitious squirrel one morning, hauling a peach across the street, carrying it with his teeth alone! When he got to the lawn across the road, he dropped it, and was trying to re-situate it.

It would've been much easier for him to pick up what I later found, the first acorn of the season.

Then there was this little robin fledgling in my landscape about a week ago (below), whining and chirping for his momma all evening, first in the mulch behind the boxwoods, then in my courtyard. I had to literally shoo him out because we close our gates at night. When he tried to fly over the brick wall, he clung, and then scaled back down the wall like he wasn't quite sure of his wings yet. He was still around the next day, in the rain, still whining for his momma, so I knew he was okay.

Last week also brought a few less humid days, so I found myself sitting outside, intent on just reading all afternoon.

Here's the thing, though. When I sit outside, I soon start looking critically at things around me. In the photo above, you can see the tops of the trees on the riverbank across the street (the highest most trees in the photo frame). Those are the ones to be control pruned, as is the magnolia against the house. More than that, though, I start looking at the interior landscape, and before you know it, I was pruning and weeding. So much for relaxing in the garden. Do you find yourself doing that?

Thanks for taking the time reading, allowing me to catch up on my gardening journal. You can easily find other garden posts at this link. What's new in your zone? Fire, rain, pestilence? Feel free to leave your comments and share! I love reading them all.

(A special thanks to readers of Kathryn's blog, The Dedicated House Sunday Showcase From Make it Pretty Monday, for this post being featured!)

Rita C. at Panoply

Sharing: Pieced Pastimes, Best of the Weekend, Amaze Me, DIDI, BNOTP, Inspire Me, Make it Pretty, The Scoop, Dagmar's Home, Celebrate Your Story, SYC, Delightsome Life H&G, Grace at Home, Gardens Galore