July 4th Ruby Red Tablescape

The 4th of July at our house is a series of special meals and great tablescapes!   Some are done on the kitchen table and are relatively simple;  others are outside and at least one will be set on the dining room table.  The temperatures are in triple digits in Southern Illinois, so other than very early morning coffee on the back deck or late evening refreshment on the front porch ... we probably will not be outside!   So, here's the first of a few tables I'll post in the next week!

I love the little parade  characters down the center of the table.  I don't even remember where I got those, but I bought them to entertain Miss Phoebe!  The little boy pulling his wagon with a dog in it reminds me of my own childhood!   I pushed a doll carriage filled with kittens in a parade when I was about 6 ... and all the kittens jumped out and ran down the street!  People were grabbing them and giving them back to me.  I managed to get to the end of the parade route with all the little cats ... but it was quite a job!

This table is set with milky white plates and mugs combined with ruby red Depression Glass and an Cape Cod cocktail glass.  We'll start this meal with Shrimp Cocktail.  The little bird house ornaments sit at each place setting, and the Cambridge flatware adds a little more lustor to the setting.

This is one of my favorite decorating pieces, and I actually have several of them.  It is easy to change the seasonal decor in the bottom of the hurricane.   I'm linking with several of the parties shown in my side bar, so make sure you click through to see the other posts!   Happy July 4th!   Try to stay cool.

I'm partying with Common Ground so make sure you click through to visit the other posts. 

Sunflower Sunday Supper

Miss Phoebe brought her mom and dad over for Sunday supper! So, I set a simple table using Pfaltzgraff Hunter Green dinnerware, Bull's Eye stemmed glasses and sunflower plates.

The centerpiece is a candle that I keep on the kitchen table most of the time.  I change the filler in the glass container to go along with the seasons or the table theme.  Silk Black Eyed Susans were perfect to go along with the sunflower place mats and plates.   I love the battery operated candles!

I am the lucky owner of a gas grill that has an oven in it.   It is designed to serve as a smoker and an oven and the temperature goes up to 450 degrees, so it is perfect for baking a pan of cornbread to go along with our glazed grilled ham.

I mopped the ham with a key lime mustard vinegar glaze and served it with cheesy potatoes and baked beans.  My daughter brought her famous deviled eggs and our dessert was fantastic!  I  made a white "poke cake" and topped it with banana pudding, a layer of sliced bananas and another layer of whipped topping.   It is a perfect ending for a summer night's supper!

I'll be posting with several of the parties shown in my side bar so make sure you click through to see all the other party posts!  Hope you have a wonderful week!

I'm linking with the party at http://www.betweennapsontheporch.net  so make sure you
click through to visit the party!

The Back Deck is Filled with Chickens, Pigs and Rabbits!

Pigs-Washboards-Chickens in the Garden!

For the last couple years, I've wanted to use my small collection of wash boards in my flower garden.  I have an old wash tub and a few other vintage pieces that helped me blend it all together.

My pink pig was a gift from my sister years ago.  Piggy has been gray, hot pink and now is a soft real piggy pink!

The old tub is a 1950 vintage and belonged to my husband's grandmother.  We've always used it for summer parties ... to ice down watermelon!  The red bird house is a new acquisition and the roof is made out of a piece of an old tire.

 I've been unloading all kinds of storage spots because I've opened up a big booth in an antique mall. When I ran across my collection of little chicken teapots, I decided to use them in my flower boxes.  I always think the boxes look empty until the flowers really fill out, so adding the chix filled those empty spaces!

 I have new cushions this season and, of course, had to use lots of red!   I've had some of my wrought iron furniture for almost 30 years.    When some of it has been damaged in storms, I've just taken it to the welding shop!   You cannot go wrong with wrought iron!

 I always use a few faux flowers on the deck.  Red poppies, geraniums and a few pink and cream colored accents ... have been great for entertaining.

 I love quirky things, so filling an old pair of pink patent boots with silk flowers was a natural for me!   Sure is a conversation piece!

 Thanks for stopping by.  I'm going to post with several of the parties in my sidebar, so make sure you click through to see the other posts! hope you have enjoyed the month of June.  Can you believe it's almost over?

Upcycle the Old Wicker!

Do you have certain things that are like members of the family?   It is hard to part with them, even when you should??   This wicker rocking chair is one of those things.  I have had it for 30 years and it spent most of its life inside the house.  In recent years, though, I've used it on the front porch where it is under cover, but last winter the cover I put on it to store it for winter ... blew off ... and rain blew in, so it was wet for about a week.  Not good on old wicker.  Spray paint to the rescue!   I scraped all the old paint off, sealed it, repaired the broken rattan and gave it a new color!   So, it is back on the front porch, surrounded by the Sunday newspaper and still offers a favorite spot for rocking!

This old settee is outdoor wicker (plastic) and has certainly seen better days.  I replaced it with a new one, but didn't want to just toss it out, yet.  So,  It became an ornament ... that holds other ornaments!   I still need to do a little trimming, but it works perfectly to showcase some of my little chairs and rabbits!   I think it will be equally adorable filled with pumpkins in the fall ... snowmen in the winter ... and then the rabbits will return for spring and summer! 

Hope you'll take time to visit my Hubpage posts!

As always, drop by Metamorphis Monday to see all the other posts!   Happy Monday!