Topiary Blue and White

On the weekends I like to make a seasonal centerpiece

for my table that week.

Often this is just a grocery store bunch with additions from the yard

for some pizzazz!

 This week I used cream color roses with

just the faint touch of green

and added some monkey grass from our yard

to pickup on the green of the placemats.

Here's a sneak peak of the table for the week.

Thanks for stopping by -hope you have a great day!

I'm joining:

Met Monday

The Scoop
&
A Stroll Thru Life

Fourth of July Breakfast

I wanted to share with you a

breakfast tray I put together for Fourth of July

 Starting with a placemat with red, white and blue,

I placed a charger along with a dollar store blue

wine stem and Sabre flatware.

A top of that I placed a Fire King

dinner plate rimmed in red.

 Then layered a vintage blue glass salad plate

and add a small frog with berries to the top left.

 The Mary Lake Thompson napkins

were perfect with the stars and stripes!

 Finally I placed a fire king saucer

under a vintage blue glass bowl

of berries.

 I hope you are celebrating this long weekend

with friends and family!

I will be enjoying some time at the lake with my family.

I'm Joining

Tablescape Thursday at:

http://betweennapsontheporch.net

The Scoop at:

http://confessionsofaplateaddict.blogspot.com/

Inspire me Tuesday at:

http://www.astrollthrulife.net

Wow Us Wednesday

http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

Tutorials Tips and Tidbits

http://www.stonegableblog.com/

Feathered Nest Friday

http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Simple & Sweet Fridays
http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/

Entry Way Update

I try to update my entry way table 

at least seasonally if not more often

In fact my very first post

was an entry way post here.

 This week I've updated it

with some summery flowers,

a set of vintage Grecian glasses,

vintage lace napkins and a new candle.

 Lighting a candle while I study has been one 

of my little luxuries these past few

years on my journey to becoming a CPA.

I got this candle at One Kings Lane 

from a company out of Arkansas called

Park Hill.

I love the willow base and the scent name

Sweet Tea just said summer to me!

Can't wait to try it~

my other favorite right now is

Yankee Candle's

Pure Radiance

Thanks for stopping by today

I'm Joining:

Between Naps on the Porch

Savvy Southern Style

&

StoneGable 

Vintage Fourth Clipart

I thought I would re-post an entry from 2011 in case you would enjoy using these pictures 

for your upcoming July 4th weekend!

It is possible to have an inexpensive yet festive party for Fourth of July. This week I'll show you how to plan a perfect patriotic picnic for next weekend's holiday. Today I'm sharing a few vintage clipart pictures I'm using later this week for a patriotic picnic.

I've saved these in a Word file and will be printing them on a sheet of white heavy card stock paper and a sheet of Avery labels.

I can't wait to show you all my creations for a patriotic picnic! Today I'm joining Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch.
Upcoming Posts:

Wednesday: Parks to Picnic - Outdoor Wednesday

Thursday: Patriotic Picnic - Tablescape Thursday

Friday: Perfect picnic sandwich - Foodie Friday

Seaside Dining on the Porch

Tonight we are out on the porch for a little

Seaside dining -porch style.

 I originally used these Mark Lake Thompson napkins 

last year

in a table titled Shellabration

 They are back tonight with some new

salad plates from Pottery Barn along

with my new Turquoise Fiestaware dinner plates.

 I mixed in some blue birds and flowers down the center.

 Along with a set of vintage smoke grey glasses.

 Then for some South Carolina fun I added my 

salt and pepper alligators and

matching alligator dessert forks!

 I got the salt and peppers at a great little store on 

King Street in Charleston SC.

I'm Joining:

Kathleen

Susan
Rooted in Thyme

Gone Fishing!

Welcome out on the porch for a fun

table I setup for summer~

 Fishing is a hobby that provides hours of relaxation for some,

but for me tablescapes and entertaining provide my relaxation.

 Today I set a table with a combination of vintage and new items.

Yellow, green and aqua mix surprisingly well with the fish

in the Mary Lake Thompson towels.

 Some cheery sunflowers center the table

 I thought these butter pat fish dishes were a whimsical touch

 I also added this trout accent as well.

 Fishing always reminds me of summer vacation

at Lake Barkley, where we will be heading in a few weeks

and I cannot wait!

Saturday is the first day of summer and I hope

you and yours are settling in for some

relaxation and entertaining!

I'm Joining:

Cuisine Kathleen for the June Summer Whimsy Challenge

Susan at Between Naps on the Porch
Jennifer at Fabulously Creative Friday

Visit to Lucketts!

I have always wanted to visit Luckett's in Leesburg, VA

given that it is only 30 miles outside Washington DC

a place I travel to regularly for work.

I planned this year to travel on the weekend and

attend the Sunday day of the show.

Sometimes you build these things up

in your mind of what a wonderful day

it will be if you ever get to go to this place or that event

(well at least I do)

and sometimes the anticipation does not equal the reality once you arrive!

This was not the case for Lucketts

 ~I was not disappointed in my visit!  

Having been a Main Street Manager

I understand how much work goes into

planning these events,

particularly outside events.

Mother Nature can not be a team player sometimes,

but after over five inches of rain Friday,

Sunday was a perfect day!

The booths were plentiful in number of vendors

and well stocked offerings,

keep in mind this was 3 o'clock on the last day of the event.

Sometimes you attend these events and 

there are only a few booths that you like

the rest are either not your taste or

are dissimilar inventory.

Lucketts was chocked full of goodness!

All the vendors were friendly and

customers were not just browsing

but buying too, which as a former vendor

I understand is just as or more important~

you want a well attended event, but sales

need to be high to retain vendors.

We did not have time to go into the Lucketts store

or Design House, crowds were still heavy

and I am limited in the amount of walking I can do.

Parking was in the adjacent field(s) to the fair.

I am not someone that can walk more than a few blocks

and I had no problems parking and walking to the fair.

When we arrived in the tiny town of Leesburg, the traffic

was backed up for about a mile on the 2 lane

highway that runs in front of the store.

I was concerned the whole parking, walking thing

was going to not work out, but it was no problem once

we made it thru traffic and parked.

I was so happy to see Miss Mustard Seed's booth!

I regularly read her blog, even during these years I have

been attending school fulltime while working fulltime,

she was my coffee break reading.

I had wanted to get a signed copy of her book, but she was not at the booth when we found it.

Then I saw her walking around and pointed her out to my husband.

I am a shy person so I was going to just leave, but my husband is not shy at all

and actually started following her to get her attention!

She was heading back to her booth momentarily so he waited for her to

return and got my signed copy!  I have several of her booth pictures here at the 

end of this post beginning with the blue dresser.  It was wonderfully setup and styled!

I also learned that her parents lived in our hometown for awhile

and her Mom actually went to college where my daughter and I went!

I had to head back to the car to rest but my husband got

my book signed and I was so pleased!

One note on the event, as a person with an auto immune disease,

the walking distance is important, but also the restroom

situation is probably more important.

Luckett's only had port a potty's and washing stations.

This would not work for me if I was feeling sick,

however, about five minutes away there was a nice

restroom in a gas station (yes really) if you turned right out 

onto the state highway.  If you turn left and drive for

about 15 minutes you are by lots of fast food, gas stations, etc.