Caution: long post

I have missed tablescaping and blogging so much since August 8, when I first started this maternity leave for Casey, a former student of mine. I have done a couple of posts, but that is all I have had time for. I do want you all to know that I am still reading your blogs, maybe not as thoroughly as I normally do, but I very much admire the beautiful tablescapes! I do not have time to comment, but I love them all and can’t wait until I once again have the time to read each blog word for word and take in each detail at my leisure.

That time is almost here. Next Friday will be my last day. It has been an interesting six weeks. I have enjoyed being back in the classroom for the most part. Yes, there are ups and downs, but it has been a positive experience for me. I have taken the job very seriously and have put my all into it. I think that I have gotten the students prepared for her return to the best of my ability. As a matter of fact, several are asking me quite often when I am leaving and when she is coming back. I take that as a good sign. If they don’t like me and think that I am too hard, then I am doing my job. I actually felt rather gratified instead of insulted when they first started asking me how much longer I would be there!!

Today I did my lesson plans, notes, and quizzes for the entire week. It took me several hours, and I am still not quite finished. Finally I decided to take a break from it and finish tomorrow. So what am I doing now? Catching up on the house, which has stayed constantly behind since August 8? Going through stacks of mail and paying bills, which has been done hit and miss since August 8? Ironing, which I think has been done only once since August 8? Picking up the limbs and other remnants of Tropical Storm Isaac scattered across my yard since last weekend? No-none of the above.

I AM BLOGGING AND TABLESCAPING!

Yes, readers, I am incapable of staying on the wagon for long. In spite of the fact that I have not had the time to set tables or blog, I am always on the lookout for tablescaping ideas, and I have picked up several cute items here and there lately. As a matter of fact, I am planning a blog post of some of my purchases at some future date.

Today I started with the dining table and this runner in fall colors that I picked up for $6 at Dollar General this morning.

Then I added sage green placemats and topped them with square taupe plates.

On top of these plates I added fall salad plates. They are in two patterns, one with fall leaves and one with pumpkins.

I really like these plates and we use them a lot during the fall season.

OK, do you see what is on top of the plates? Are they not precious? Darling miniature cooking pots in fall colors that I found at Dollar General for $3! Yes, you read that right–$3! They come in three different fall colors, burnt orange, autumnal red and deep green. I decided against the orange and picked up the red and green.

We absolutely love soups and stews during the cool weather, and I can see us putting these to good use. The labels even said that they could be put in the oven (not the microwave, of course)! Don’t you love them? They are perfect for my fall and winter meals as well as decorative for the table.

I used my old taupe napkins and Grosvenor silver plate. The acorn napkin rings I purchased at an after Christmas sale online last year, so this is the first time that I have used them.

Also purchased online last year were the harvest-themed wine glass tags.

I really like them on my old green glasses and the way they add to the harvest atmosphere of the table.

The centerpiece is rough and needs quite a bit of tweaking, but it will do for now in my time crunch. I found this cute fall-themed metal bucket today at Dollar General. I added my go-to orange candle and some faux fall foliage and fruit (sorry, I AM an English teacher after all and can’t resist alliteration).

OK, I know that you can get real gourds, pumpkins, etc. at Wal Mart, but remember I live in the deep South. When I have tried that in the past, they get mushy and attract fruit flies very quickly. The fake stuff is just better around here.

In the kitchen, I used a tablecloth that I found at Fred’s to provide the autumnal red background color that I like so much.

Then I added off white Wedgwood plates. I topped them with these vintage Fire King plates.  I really don’t care too much for this color or style of plate. However, when I saw them at an antique mall for $1 each last year, I had to buy them.

I have since discovered that they are the perfect color for fall tables and a great size for layering.

I found these wine-themed plates online a while back, and I thought the colors in them would go well with this tablescape.

Then I added another online purchase, the covered acorn bowls. Really they are just for decoration. If you take the top off, you can see that they really don’t hold much and aren’t practical for soup or stew. I will use them for candy or something similar.

I put the striped napkins around the taupe ones, and held them together with my maple leaf napkin rings. They were another after-the-season purchase last year, so this is the first time I have used them as well.

I finished the place settings with my everyday flatware, Chateau by Oneida, and my amber glasses found in an antique mall.

The wine glasses I’ve had for years, and I finished them off with my wine-themed charms since I am using the wine-themed plates.

The centerpiece uses an autumn leaf votive holder that I picked up somewhere cheap and my ceramic gourd and pumpkin from last year.

As I have looked at a lot of the tablescaping blogs the last couple of weeks, I have noticed a trend in fall/harvest types of tables beginning to crop up. With a tropical storm last week and 90 degree days that feel like 100 with our heat index the last few days, doing a fall table was far from something I thought I would enjoy. But after a little shower this morning, the temperature dropped significantly, and I am suddenly not minding doing a fall tablescape after all! Next week will be pleasant with temps only rising to the mid to high eighties. It is about time for some cooler weather around here. (Tip for Stone Gable: Don’t rule out chain discount stores for great inexpensive decorating items.)

Thanks for viewing my tablescape and I have much more blogging planned. I will be catching up after next Friday, when I am done, much to my students’ delight!

Sources:*

Dollar General: runner, mini pots, metal bucket (this year)

Dollar General: green goblets, fall foliage (last year)

Fred’s: placemats, ceramic fruit, striped napkins (last year)

Fred’s: tablecloth, fall fruit (this year)

Maple leaf & acorn napkin rings, amazon (last year)

Various Antique Malls: Wedgwood plates, Fire King plates

Acorn bowls, wine-theme plates, harvest wine tags, Pfaltzgraff (last year)

Family Dollar: fall foliage (this year)

Square plates, fall salad plates, Wal Mart (last year)

*If a source is not listed for something, it has been in my possession for so long that I can’t remember where it came from.

A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday (vignettes, tabletops, tablescapes),Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday (tablescapes),Under the Table and Dreaming for Sunday Showcase (any project or idea made by you this week),Cuisine Kathleen for Let’s Dish (tablescapes),The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday (tablescapes),The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday (thrifty decorating, tablescapes),Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now (recipes, crafts, home décor),Spotlight Saturday at Classy Clutter (recipes, crafts, home décor),Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound (anything pink),You’re Gonna Love It Tuesdays at Kathe with an E (recipes, crafts, home décor),Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style (recipes, crafts, home décor),Centerpiece Wednesday at The Style Sisters (centerpieces),Open House Party at No Minimalist Here (crafts, home décor), Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage (memories, projects), Tips and Tidbits at The Stone Gable(projects, home décor, recipes),Thursday Favorite Things at Katherine’s Corner (projects, home décor, recipes), Sizzle into Summer at DIY by Design (home décor, projects)