Marine Blue Placemats

I don't think I own anything marine blue but I cannot resist a bargain.... don't focus on the above placemats for too long or they will affect your eyes!!!

I saw these placemats out on special the other day for $3.00 each and then there was a further reduction of 50% so they cost $1.50 each. Too good to miss.

The flowers were also on special for $3.00 per bunch late on Saturday afternoon so they came home with me too. 

I really liked the flip side of the mats better and as I have learnt in tablescaping there are no rules, I used the reverse side.

As I have very little blue in my house I thought the obvious way to go was all white. I started with my favourite white cloth and napkins and just added to that.

Simple clear glassware looked fine along with silver flatware.

This is my everyday white dinnerset and I shopped the house for white candles.

I love the look of lots of candles together (this is what I am planning for Christmas!).

I placed the flowers in a very tall glass vase in the centre of the table - it looks a bit like a volcano!! I would never have the flowers like this for guests but for today it looks ok surrounded by white candles.

I will take the placemats to my beachhouse and I am sure they will be used there.

Lots of reflection in the tall vase has a really pretty effect.

The flower stems look nice with all the candles around.

 

These larger white candles in the pots were out on a bargain table for $4.00 each so I was able to grab some ready for Christmas - they also had red so I have some of them too!! 

Happy tablescaping,

Suzy

I'm joining TablescapeThursday@BetweenNapsonthePorch

Just the everyday

Don't you just love a lazy Sunday morning?? We had that yesterday. It really was the calm before the storm with harvest cranking up today.

Mr FH and I were doing just what we like to do on Sundays. He was reading the weekend papers and I was flicking through some decorating magazines.

We were just enjoying a cup of coffee in our pretty everday cups. 

How pretty are these?? The only problem is some of them have chipped very easily. Something I don't like!

They match my sunroom really well (my kids call me Mrs Match, I don't know why!).

One thing better on a lazy Sunday morning is a nice coffee from a coffee shop with a lovely cooked breakfast but here at the farm house this is as good as it gets!

I laughed when I saw the heading on the paper - A Fortunate Life - and I must say at the moment I am feeling very fortunate to have my wonderful family fit and well.

Coffee's finished so it must be back to work...

I really love they fact that you don't have to wash the dishes at the coffee shop too!!



Suzy




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Up, up and away....

Do you know what this is????? I thought it would make a fabulous wood basket ready for the cold winter nights!!

Or maybe this??????

I'm sure you'll know what this is!!!! Mr FH and I had a hot air balloon ride on Friday morning. It was just unreal! 

  

 

We had to meet the group at 3.45am!!  Yes, you heard me right.  We then boarded a bus which drove us out to a paddock on a farm and we prepared to launch the balloon.

It was quite dark and spooky when we were fiddling about taking the basket off the trailer and it took about 15 minutes to fill it with hot air. 

This is the big gas burner filling the balloon in the dark. 

I really didn't know anything about hot air ballooning before I went. This is the big gas flame that is turned up or down depending which way you need to go. No steering wheel here!!  Amazing really. 

This photo looks a bit like it has been stuck on the scenery but it hasn't. The countryside is really dry at the moment and we could see for miles. See if you can guess which one is me!!!! 

Mr FH and I had a lovely night staying at this gorgeous B & B. It is a really old home which has four beautiful rooms built onto the back. I could move it's this house at the shake of a tail!!

This is the gorgeous room we had. Each room is decorated differently. The other one we looked at was decorated in creams and whites - more my style but I liked this one as it was very striking. 

Our wonderful kids had given this to us as a Christmas present last year - how lucky are we??

Suzy

I'm joining  OutdoorWednesday@ASouthernDaydreamer

Dramatic Purple Tablescape

I have these lovely purple wine glasses. They are such a soothing colour so I have used them for this week's table.

I have teamed them with black for a dramatic look today. If anyone had told me this time last year that I would have purchased a black dinner set I would never have believed them!!

Even though black is not my colour I thought at $15.00 for the whole set it really didn't matter if it was never used except for playing with.

I have placed the black handled cutlery into these cute wire baskets. I picked these up from my sister's gift shop when she was about to throw them out one day.

Pretty purple and green glassware (from Ikea) bring in the colours of the under cloth I placed on the table first.

Simple placecards cut out from purple and white spot scrapbooking paper sit nicely in the bowls.

I have used three layers on today's table - the pretty purple and mauve rose print, topped with a piece of plain black then purple placemats to accentuate the black china.

I placed all the glassware at each end of the table and I really like it set like that - probably not really correct but I like it none the less.

A simple plate with three perfumed purple candles is sufficient in the centre of the table.



Mr FH and I are going away tomorrow for a couple of days - not to our beachhouse but somewhere really different. Actually it's part of our Christmas present from last year from our kids. I am very excited and hope to have some great photos to share with you.

Suzy

I'm joining TablescapeThursday@betweenNapsonthePorch

Conflict

I hate conflict!! Yesterday at work we had a few issues with two staff members who just do not get along... how upsetting that is for everyone. This has been brewing for a while so we had a staff meeting after school to try to resolve the matter. Sadly both ladies are digging their heels in and  I don't think either will give an inch. It just makes the whole work atmosphere strained beyond belief. I have worked there for 19 years and generally it is a pleasure to go to work but sadly not at the moment.  What to do?? Any ideas, ladies??

Suzy

The Pansies are blooming

Pansies have such happy little faces don't you think?? They look like they are smiling. Here is Australia the pansies are blooning everywhere - mine not so good due to lack of water but never the less quite pretty.

My Mum made this pretty tea cosy many years ago and it was just perfect for today's table with the pansies on top.

A simple white teapot and cup and saucer were all that were needed with the beautiful cosy.

DNo 1 bought me this pretty cloth from Belgium when she was living in London - blue really isn't my colour so I don't use it that often but it is very pretty.

The pretty china painted plate was a gift to me from my mother a couple of Christmas's ago - her friend had painted it for me.

These pretty side plates allow the flowers on the cloth to show through a little. Once again I have used my Donna Hay sugar sticks - what will I do when they have all gone??

 Just how cute are these pansies???

Suzy

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