Our First Thanksgiving In San Francisco!

 For our first Thanksgiving in our new home, I chose Johnson Brothers Windsorware plates in the Harvest pattern.

This pattern is one of Johnson Brothers' most sought after and hard to find patterns.

I scored the first 8 of these plates 20 years ago in an antique store and 10 more at an estate sale a few years ago.

They go great with the leopard cowhide rug that has been living on the dining table for months.

I added tartan plaid placemats and matching napkins. then layered bone handled flatware and apple green chargers. 

The amethyst glasses pick up the purple grapes in the plate and my "A" wine glasses found at a garage sale for $1 each--thanks to my friend Jane--are my choice for the table.

Here is the dining room ready for tomorrow.

It's a small gathering of only 8 this year.

Looking through to the living room.

And looking through the door to the kitchen.

This room is the center of the house.

I used good ole grocery store flowers in a pewter vase for the centerpiece.

Setting the table this morning was so relaxing, almost meditative.

I realized just how much I miss creating and playing with dishes.

 I had no idea what I was going to do.

Only that I would use the Harvest plates and keep the leopard rug on the table.

Everything else just happened as I played with what was available, discovering flatware, glasses and napkins that has been packed away for two years.

Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Dinner plates:  Vintage Johnson Brothers

Chargers:  Target

Flatware:  Restoration Hardware

Amethyst glasses:  vintage Fostoria

Monogrammed glasses:  vintage

Pewter vase:  Pottery Barn

Cowhide rug:  Sunland Home Decor

Placemats and napkins:  American Living Home by JC Penney

Linking to Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch.

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style.

Tablescape Details

When it comes to designing a tablescape, it's the details that matter.

I like to think it's like designing a room.  

Just like starting with a rug for a room, the tablecloth or placemat is my foundation and starting point for a table, like the burlap placemat above.  

Texture is the key here--the burlap is rough and textural, as is the wicker placemat and majolica plate.

More majolica for the knife rest and the silver flatware is mix-match.

The inspiration for this tablesetting came from a room in an English country cottage that featured a riot of different patterns and floral chintzes that all lived cohesively together.

This placesetting features the same wicker charger, but mixing colorful patterns is the key here.

Green and yellow pottery, layered with brown transferware, followed by a vintage leaf majolica salad plate.

French mini-print Provençal tablecloth and napkin adds even more pattern.

If this placesetting was inspired by a room, it would be a Swedish country room with lace curtains at the window, pine furniture and white linen slipcovers.

The key element here is the lighter, cream color featured in the placemat, charger and light floral plate.  Of course, the mini white pumpkin adds the final touch.

This setting was not inspired by a room, but rather mother nature.

I love brown and green together, and this placesetting picks up on those colors with the brown floral napkins, echoed by the oak leaves and acorn edged plate.  A green majolica plate brings in the green and bamboo flatware complete the natural, woodsy setting.

Layering is the key here.  I love seeing how many plates I can layer on a placesetting.

This one starts with a brown leather charger, followed by an amethyst colored majolica charger and finally two layers of purple transferware--a dinner plate and soup bowl.

I love how there is a purple stripe on the burlap placemat!

Out of site is a brown and purple floral napkin.

All of these dishes would be wonderful choices for Thanksgiving or a harvest dinner for fall.

I am gearing up for my Thanksgiving table, so revisiting these tablesettings from the past gets me so excited to play with my dishes once again!

Linking to Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life.
Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style.

Your Opinion Please

Help!  Our olives have been picked, pressed and bottled, so I am trying to design this year's label.

The problem is, I can't decide which one and Mr. A has his opinion too.

I'm leaning towards this one.  

Here's an option.

But I think it looks like it belongs on a bottle of beer, not olive oil...

The "ombre" design is clean and simple...

This option features a kraft paper design, plus my own photo.

Problem with this is that white spot on the photo...

I really like this one, but Mr. A does not.

He thinks it looks "synthetic."

Whatever that means...

 We ended up with a three quarters of a ton of olives this year.

 That's the most ever!

I have to make a decision today on the label design as we are picking up our oil this weekend.

Which one do you like the best?

Your opinion please!

(Sharing this post at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday.)

Turkey Plates To Whet Your Thanksgiving Whistle

Five years ago today, I posted about Thanksgiving plates, featuring turkeys on the front.
I thought it would be good to revisit...
So, here are a few classics to whet your Thanksgiving whistle!

Beginning with this wonderful, brown transferware plate by Wedgewood called "His Majesty."

Johnson Brothers has many turkey plate patterns to choose from.  This one is called "Woodland Wild Turkey."

Notice the detail around the rim.

Another version of the Johnson Brothers plate, called "Woodland Turkey."

I actually found these several years ago at Tuesday Morning for $5.99 each!

And my all time favorite is this plate, also by Johnson Brothers, named "Wild Turkeys."

The rim is the same as my Windsorware Harvest plates and would mix nicely.  

They are highly collectible and currently priced at $89.95 at Replacements.  

"Barnyard King," by Johnson Brothers is a really fun plate.  I'm a squirrel nut (no pun intended), so if I ever came across this in an antique store, I would definitely buy it!

Another Johnson Brothers plate, "Autumn Monarch" is splendid with the pumpkin and fall leaf border.

"Queen's Myott," by Churchill is still around.  I've seen them in the past at Marshall's

and TJ Maxx!

Spode also has quite a few patterns to choose from, both vintage and new, like this one.

Spode's "Wild Turkey" plate has a lovely dark brown, almost black rim.

The brown transferware Spode, "Celebration Turkey" plate.

When it comes to Thanksgiving, I'm very traditional and love the Thanksgiving cliche elements.  The formula that works for me is paisley or plaid, turkey plates, fall flowers, leaves and gourds, stag horn flatware and jewel tone crystal. Hey, why re-invent the wheel?
Actually, I am forced to reinvent the Thanksgiving table this year in our new dining room.
New room, new beginnings.
Hmmm, wondering how I'll set the table for Thanksgiving, 2016?

I'm sharing with Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.
Also, French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday.

Be My Guest - The San Francisco Room

 I like to call the second guest room, the "San Francisco Room."

This is where all our collected books and prints of San Francisco ended up, which is great for out of town guests who might really appreciate it.

While we were remodeling the house, we were always on the lookout for vintage prints and maps of San Francisco which we had framed and saved to hang later.
We just weren't sure where!


Like this vintage black and white photo that we love of the wharf at the turn of the century.
I envisioned it, along with others like it hanging on the stair wall...

Originally, we thought we would hang this vintage map of San Francisco in the family room, but it ended up being way too big, so it now takes center stage in the guest room.
That's when I got the idea to hang our collection of old prints of The City in here and make it a theme.

This room started out as a white, uninspiring box.
I slowly added layer upon layer of texture to warm it up, starting with a seagrass rug layered with a Persian rug. Woven shades on the window for privacy were eventually layered with gray linen drapes which I had reworked from World Market drapes.

The canopy bed came from Ballard Designs and is upholstered in gray linen.

I wanted a canopy bed because I thought it would lend some drama to this room, which believe me, it needed.
Plus, I just love canopy beds!

 The most dramatic thing I did though was to wrap the room in this gray stripe raffia wallpaper.

It made all the difference in the world!

Now it feels very cozy.

The bedding is from Pottery Barn.

The lamps and nightstands were repurposed from our master bedroom in the old house.

A pair of leather chairs offer a place to sit and read all the San Francisco books in the room.

The rope mirror, a Marshall's find and vintage seashell lamp give the room a nautical feel as well.

A framed post card of Alcatraz and more books on San Francisco, including an old Herb Caen book sit on the night stand.

The ensuite bathroom is just like the bathroom in the tartan bedroom, down the hall.

I kept the same tile and apothecary sink, just to be consistent.

I realize this bathroom is kinda boring though.

It is too white!  Maybe some patterned towels would add some interest?

However, the bathroom is super tiny and so maybe being boring and white is a nice contrast to the grasscloth walls and all the fabric in the bedroom.

Sometimes I like to sleep in this room and pretend I'm a guest at a bed and breakfast in Martha's Vineyard, or Nantucket, or even San Francisco!

I can stay up and read until the wee hours, listening to the fog horn.    

Of course, Oscar loves the San Francisco room too!

Sources:

Bed:  The Louisa Canopy Bed, Ballard Designs

Wallpaper:  Phillip Jeffries

Bed Linens:  Pottery Barn

Leather Chairs:  Crate and Barrel

Pine Dresser:  Vintage

Window Shades:  Presidio Classics

Drapes:  World Market

Alabaster Lamps:  Vintage

Lampshades:  Target

Nightstand:  Ralph Lauren

Bathroom Mirror:  Pottery Barn

Apothecary sink:  Custom

I'm joining Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for "Inspire Me Tuesday."

Also, Kim at Savvy Southern Style for "Wow Us Wednesday."

And, French Country Cottage for "Feathered Nest Friday."

Be sure to visit and check out more inspiring decor.