Fall Decorating ~ Inside

Last weekend the fall “bug” finally got me, and the front porch (HERE) and screened porch got their decorations.  While still under the influence of a bright, beautiful fall day, with perfectly blue skies I just kept on going and even did the inside of the house.  Do you ever get on a roll decorating and really need to curb your enthusiasm, lest the house start to look like a shop instead of a home?  There’s always that danger possibility around our place!

I LOVE to make seasonal changes in the china cabinet—that’s my “toy box,” where I get to shift things around so I can see and enjoy the things I love.  (You can see other china cabinet posts by doing a SEARCH of my blog.)

With the high ceilings in our home, it’s especially fun to also do the top of the china cabinet.  I love bittersweet, and when my husband and I went to Back Roads to purchase our mums, (HERE), Lisa also had bittersweet bundles.  They’re so hard to find around here that I immediately grabbed a couple of them.  I sure am enjoying their unstructured growing habits!

Not too patiently, I’ve been waiting to use these Rouen antique dessert plates I bought at auction this summer.  According to an eBay listing, these plates were made by Villeroy & Boch Mettlach between 1850 & 1899!  When I bought them I had no idea!!  I just knew I liked the rich colors, the “wavy” red rim, and of course the colorful birds.  I also liked the combination of blue and rust.  I CANNOT wait to set a table with them—Thanksgiving perhaps??

 

 

The Powell & Bishop Tea Leaf pieces, with their “copper” design, fit right in with the fall colors.  Exotic feathers complement the feel of the bird dishes.

                                   

             The big pumpkin was a “gift” from Sweet Baby Love…she picked it right up from her yard decorations and gave it to us to bring home.  Obviously, it needed to have a prominent place in the fall decor.

Speaking of Sweet Baby Love…she’ll be five in a few weeks, and she is just enthralled by the colors of fall this year.  She gathered these leaves one day when I picked her up from preschool.

  The picture of Sweet Baby G with a pumpkin was a first last year.  I stored it with the fall decorations to use it as fall decor.  The terracotta pot was a gift from years ago that I love so much that I use it year after year in the fall.

And on to a bit more indoor decorating…

My huge tole tray (see HERE for a full view of it) was pressed into fall service as the base for this quick vignette on the entertainment center.

The fall soup tureen was a gift from my mother years ago…Love it.  I hope to fill it with some yummy soup for a family dinner soon.

And the centerpiece on our dining room table…

The starting point of this vignette was the gorgeous hydrangeas that my SIL gave me.  She was busy and sadly cleaning out her dad’s home after his passing when I went to visit her, and his hydrangeas were just beautiful.  As a memento of the kind and loving and genuine gentleman that he was I asked her if I could have a few of them.  The rest, including the brass candlesticks I haven’t used for quite some time, just fell into place.

And the last touch of fall inside…

You’ve seen these in many posts, because they’re so versatile!

Perhaps next week I’ll be able to post the pictures of the screened porch.

So don’t forget to answer my question at the beginning of this post:  Do you find that you have to curb your enthusiasm when you’re decorating, or do you fly free and put as much as you want out?  I can’t wait to hear back!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to +1 this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you!

I invite you to follow me. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back.

Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Tabletop Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Cuisine Kathleen at http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

DIY by Design Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

What's It Wednesday at http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

Thursdays at StoneGable http://www.stonegableblog.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Tablescape Thursday at betweennapsontheporch.net

Open House Party Thursday at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

Share Your Cup Thursday at http://jannolson.blogspot.com/

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home Fridays at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com

Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Fridays Unfolded at http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/

The Inspired Room’s Fall Around the House at http://theinspiredroom.net/ 

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

Fall Decorating, The Front Porch

If you’ve been reading my recent posts, I LOVE summer, and it takes quite a while for me to get into the swing of things with fall, but eventually the changing colors and the nip in the air make summer decor look out of place and the collision of the two starts to get to me…that’s when I know it’s time to make the change.  How about you?  In which camp do you “fall” ?  Keep summer alive as long as possible, or welcome fall with open arms?
So when I step into fall I’m always surprised that it’s a pleasure…I actually enjoy it! 
I started with the front porch.  Welcome to our home!
I have “a thing” about our flag.  The way we have it on the house allows me to see it from inside, and never do I fail to notice it and its beauty.

I love shadow play—see the light post on the steps?  And the flag, flying high on a beautiful, breezy fall day?

 We’ve had these “jacks” for years and years, and I believe we’ve used them every single fall since…I really like them.  I decided to use them on the front porch instead of the screened porch, so the baby grands can see them when they come over.  The jacks have orange lights in them, so they’re on a timer to come on at dusk.  The plaid throw and the gold and orange one on the swing are actually shawls of mine that seemed to fit the vignettes this year.

Recently we stumbled into a fun, neat shop off the beaten path—Back Roads (www.shopbackroads.com), and we promised ourselves that when I transitioned into fall, it would be there that we would buy our mums.  Aren’t these gorgeous?  That’s only TWO plants in this big, old A&P bin.  And the price was fabulous.  Happy to deal with a small business instead of the big boxes too.

Later, when the sun is long gone and the “jacks” are lit, the baby grands and I will surely need the extra blankets to bundle up on the swing at bedtime as we do all summer long.  We’ll stretch the swing season as much as possible.

I would say fall {finally} arrived at our house, wouldn’t you?  And there’s more…several vignettes inside, and the screened porch.  I hope to have those in a post SOON!

How quickly do you adapt to fall?  What signals fall for you that gets you in the fall decorating mood?

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I love to read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to +1 this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you! I invite you to follow me. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back. I’ll be joining these fun parties this week.  I hope you join in the fun! Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/ Cozy Home Scenes Tuesdays at http://cozyhomescenes.blogspot.com/ Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/ Tabletop Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/ Cuisine Kathleen at http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/ Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/ DIY by Design Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/ What's It Wednesday at http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/ Thursdays at StoneGable http://www.stonegableblog.com/ Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/ Tablescape Thursday at betweennapsontheporch.net Open House Party Thursday at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com Share Your Cup Thursday at http://jannolson.blogspot.com/ Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/ Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/ Home Sweet Home Fridays at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/ Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/ Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/ Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/ Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/ Fridays Unfolded at http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/ From my nest to yours~ Zuni

I Admit It…I’ve Fallen in Love

I love houses…YOU love houses.  I know all about you, because you wouldn’t be here visiting Chickadee Home Nest if you didn’t.  So I’m admitting that I have fallen in love…AGAIN.

You see, we visited my sweet 91-year-old MIL in Orange County, and while there my husband and I took a few quick trips to our favorite haunts—Laguna Beach, Corona del Mar, and Newport Beach.  The shops, the restaurants, the views…what views!  Then we stumbled into it—the place that makes your heart beat a little faster than it was already beating:  BALBOA ISLAND.

Let’s just take a quick little tour, and tell me what you think:

This picture is just to “set the scene.”  You can see the houses lined up across from this little beach…

It gets better…

Remember the view above?  Yes, that’s what these residents see, day in, and day out.

Another lovely.  I really liked the taupe and white combination.

 

Aren’t these the coolest version of Adirondacks?  The black might get a tiny bit warm in the California sun, but aren’t they lovely in contrast with the hot pink flowers?

And what about this row of white houses with flags?  And the bougainvillea?  I do believe flowers love the sea air.

And how about those porch lights?  Are they not perfect?  And the small flags at the very top (is that what they call a widow’s watch, or widow’s peak?)

This one…THIS ONE, with the precious front yard.  I fell asleep that night imagining the table I would set out there…

…it was a long table with a long, flowing white table cloth, sterling candelabras with crystal bobeches (because of course there would be a gentle breeze), and perhaps candle shades…  Can you picture it?

(But if I lived here, I think I would ask the community leaders to please move the trash bin, wouldn’t you?)

 

The Flowers of Balboa Island

Now that you’ve seen just a small sample of these charming homes in this charming community, I’m sure you understand why I fell in love.  Have you ever stumbled upon something or someplace that you know you were meant to see? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to +1 this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you!

I invite you to follow me. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back.

Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com

Show Off Your Cottage Monday at http://houseinroses.blogspot.com

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/

Cozy Home Scenes Tuesdays at http://cozyhomescenes.blogspot.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Tabletop Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Cuisine Kathleen at http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

DIY by Design Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

What's It Wednesday at http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

Thursdays at StoneGable http://www.stonegableblog.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Tablescape Thursday at betweennapsontheporch.net

Open House Party Thursday at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

Share Your Cup Thursday at http://jannolson.blogspot.com/

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home Fridays at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com

Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Fridays Unfolded at http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/

Saturday Nite Special at http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

Sooo Versatile, Blue and White

Hi!  Boy, I’ve been a way for most of July, all of August, and part of September…not too sure where the time went, but I do have great memories of summer—family vacation at the beach, time with babies, evening rides in our convertible.  So as you can well imagine, I’m not…quite…ready for fall.  Getting there, as I always do, but not there quite yet.

Earlier in the summer I did a blue and white table, then made minor changes to it with different color accents to explore the versatility of lovely, bright, serene, blue and white.

Today’s post is about, well, BLUE AND WHITE.

  Isn’t it serene?  The table was set for a romantic dinner for two.

Let’s take a closer look:

Blue, white, crystal, and silver.

Salad plates:  Spode, The Blue Room Collection

Dinner plates:  Spode Delamere

Chargers:  Silverplate, a purchase years ago.

Sterling:  Lunt Eloquence

Individual salt and pepper shakers:  Sterling, purchased years ago.

Linen napkin:  Pottery Barn

Napkin rings:  Sterling, baptismal gift to our firstborn, from his godmother.  One has his name engraved on it, and the other was left blank for his future bride.  Isn’t that a sweet gift?  We must get hers engraved now; it’s time to turn them over.  But it’ll be hard…I’ve loved being their keeper for 30+ years.

Waterford Kinsale vase, silverplate pitcher, and Bombay Company blue and white cut votive cup.

Waterford Lismore Tall goblet, vintage Alana wine stem (now archived by Waterford).  Vintage pressed glass dish for lemon slices to brighten the water in the pitcher.

Do you love the sweet, intricate detail of vintage linens?  I can hardly resist them when I see them in antique shops.

Dessert will also be served.

Pressed glass dishes:  I haven’t researched them yet, but they’re a recent, and now favorite find.

The sweet cordials are very vintage, and very special—they were a gift from my husband’s dear, dear aunt.

The two bowls are sterling, from my collection, and the serving tray?  A garage sale find years ago (a set of 3!)!

The beautiful vintage linen napkins are in perfect condition; a purchase this spring at the Springfield (Ohio) Antique Show.

If you really are looking closely, the dessert spoons are not from the Lunt set.  They are 1847 Rogers Brothers vintage silverplate; a hostess gift from my SIL.

Champagne flutes were a wedding gift from another SIL.  I don’t know the pattern, but they have been used for many, many Mimosas over the years, because I love them.  The stem is frosted.

The lavender is from our garden.

Evening arrives…

Did you think that the daylight table was perhaps a little empty?  There was a plan…for candleholders.

And yes, we DID have a candlelight dinner.

 

Do you love blue and white as much as I do?  I’d love to hear what colors you have woven into your table settings that started out as blue and white.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to +1 this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you!

I invite you to follow me. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back.

Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home Fridays at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com

Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Fridays Unfolded at http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/

Saturday Nite Special at http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/

Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com

Show Off Your Cottage Monday at http://houseinroses.blogspot.com

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/

Cozy Home Scenes Tuesdays at http://cozyhomescenes.blogspot.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Tabletop Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Cuisine Kathleen at http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

DIY by Design Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

What's It Wednesday at http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

Thursdays at StoneGable http://www.stonegableblog.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Tablescape Thursday at betweennapsontheporch.net

Open House Party Thursday at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

Share Your Cup Thursday at http://jannolson.blogspot.com/

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

July Birthdays Birthday Party

My husband and I have five children (he, 2 boys and a girl, and I, 2 boys).  Three of the 4 boys have birthdays in July (one of his sons and my July son were born a week apart—same year—and my July son and his other son have birthdays 2 days apart—(did you follow all that?).  PLUS, two of our DILs have birthdays in July, and my husband’s birthday is in July!  Whew!!  It would be impossible to celebrate each one individually, so this is the party for the 4 who will be able to join the July Birthday Party!

First let me warn you, though.  The heat wave that’s hitting much of the country has not missed us in Ohio…so this was the fastest table and picture-taking session on record.  My husband wondered why I wouldn’t be doing it inside—well, we can’t have a BEACH birthday party inside!  To the screen porch I went!  I actually set most of the table the night before, and got up early the next morning to “beat the heat”… but the heat beat me!  I finished the table and took pictures so fast that if I didn’t use Picasa you’d think you were suffering from vertigo—quite a few were NOT straight.  It was truly a point-and-shoot day!  And you’ll notice not evening shots…Let’s just say the heat won.

But here we are—the table got done, the pictures were taken.   

Happy birthday to all my July sweeties!

Let’s start with dessert first, shall we?

With this heat we can’t have real ice cream, so how ‘bout ice cream cone candles?!

  I know, I know…we’re in Ohio.  But that won’t keep us from pretending we’re at the beach!  We’re BEACH people!  We have SAND from our favorite beach in Siesta Key, Florida, shells galore from there too, and . . . FLIP FLOPS!

I’ve had the flip flop plates for years and had planned to use them for this table, then I saw Mary’s Home is Where the Boat Is post with flip flops she made from Nutter Butter cookies….HAD.TO.HAVE.THEM on MY table!  No worries, I let her know I would be “stealing” her darling idea and giving full credit. 

Are these not the cutest things ever?! Mary made hers with icing, but I take shortcuts—it was 10:30 at night when my husband and I hit Kroger.  So I bought two tubes of gel icing, and I, too, had flip flop cookies!  I sprinkled them with nonpareils and added the little stars.

Served on my vintage Tiara tiered server.

  And how about a high-heel server?!  My husband bought that for me at an arts festival several years ago.

Pottery Barn shell pewter hors d’oeuvres picks, also from a number of years ago,

and Pottery Barn crabs—can’t be at the beach without them!  (They’re really place card holders.)

We also have our table-size sandbox—a darling gift from our son and DIL…perfect for Mom the beach lover!  At the top corner you see the “trunk” of the palm tree, and the starfish could go there instead.  It’s a Nora Fleming dish with interchangeable embellishments/add-ons.

Water!!  Lots of water!!

And now I have to tell you about my dishes…the serving tray--$26.86 originally—is a Zak Designs, and so are the teal plates and the glasses.  Got them all—and the pitcher—for $3.00 at a auction!  I didn’t even know what was in the box lot, but I saw teal, and that was good enough for me!  I couldn’t be more excited about them!  I’ve never had Melamine dishes before, but to settle my heart’s desire for teal dishes for this table, they are perfect!  Take a look at the “glasses”—they look like glass!  Boy, do I wish I could find glass ones just.like.these!!

Thank you for stopping by our July birthday party.  I hope your imagination got a good workout and that you enjoyed our beach in the screened porch!   What do you do when you have multiple birthdays in one month?  Are you able to celebrate them individually like I’d love to do?  And do you do beach themes even though you’re nowhere near the beach—just to bring it a little closer?

I’d love to hear from you to know you stopped by…and please tell me what you thought.  Love your visits/love your comments. 

I invite you to follow me.  If you do, please let me know and I’ll be sure to follow right back! 

I wish you happy beach days,if only in your dreams.  Here’s where I’ll be this week; I hope you’ll stop by and visit me and the great selection of posts you’ll find at these great parties!

Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com

Show Off Your Cottage Monday at http://houseinroses.blogspot.com

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/

Cozy Home Scenes Tuesdays at http://cozyhomescenes.blogspot.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Tabletop Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Cuisine Kathleen at http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

DIY by Design Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

What's It Wednesday at http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

Thursdays at StoneGable http://www.stonegableblog.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Tablescape Thursday at betweennapsontheporch.net

Open House Party Thursday at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

Share Your Cup Thursday at http://jannolson.blogspot.com/

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home Fridays at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com

Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Fridays Unfolded at http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/

Saturday Nite Special at http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/

From my nest to yours~

Zuni