Thrifty Table Chic: July 2011

Sunday, July 31, 2011

I'm A Hufflepuff!

My daughter guessed correctly. She knows me so well! I was once told by a lawyer friend that I am so honest and transparent, that I'm see through! Is that a good thing? I'm not sure!

Harry potter sorting hat quiz, press here!

Let me know what you are, go on it's just a bit of fun!

Friday, July 22, 2011

I have decided to set myself a challenge. I am going to go through the alphabet and create a tablescape which is linked in someway to the letters of the alphabet. Not for any fancy reason, but simply because I have been struggling to come up with new ideas each week. I thought this would help to narrow down my choices and give me some boundaries to work from. Last weekend I sat with my daughter and we made a list of all the colours that we could think of that began with the letter "A", then "B" and "C" etc. That gave some colour choices. Then we went back over the list and did the same with subjects. For example The letter "A" gave us Autumn and Asian. So you see how it works. We came up with so many things that I must confess that I probably have enough subject matter for about three years. HURRAY!!! Bless my daughters heart she was trying to watch the TV and I just kept nagging her to help me.......I mean she is a teenager and anything to do with me is totally not cool at the moment (unless she wants something lol). I'm all for exploiting them when it suits me too! wink wink. Anyway she helped this poor old, uncool Mum more than she knows. Thank you my sweet. So away we go into

is for

Coral and Cream

So after languishing on the sofa for the first half of the week, due to my terminal cold...( oh wait I'm not a man lol), I was not able to get this weeks post published. Well I say that, but actually I did finally get one post up, which you can see here Here. I had to get up and sheer excitement got me through it! However, my amazing brain wave of "Alphabety postie" (I didn't really call it that, I just made that up) was thwarted by my Hubby pinching the camera to photograph the finalisation of his current work project. The new Hanger at Auckland Airport, built for the new super sized jets. I must say it's quite impressive, he is a very clever bloke. Note to self "I must keep him a bit longer!" Anyway, I digress, (no change there then) So I was unable to download the pics I took last week.

It was a complete miracle I managed to get any taken anyway, as all the hall furniture was piled into the lounge so that he could lay a new floor. The dinning room table was covered in STUFF and so, it was unusable. But, not to be outdone I laid a little table in the corner. I thought Me and the old bloke could have a cosy little dinner there just the two of us, Huh! As if he wants to sit looking at my ugly mug when he has just finished working all day on his hands and knees.
Anyway, as luck would have it, the kids went out (hurray),,,, (is that sooo bad of me?) and I had just finished my day of hairdressing, doing my friends daughter's hair for their school ball, you can see the girls Here. When a sudden, but brilliant thought occurred to me, "why not ask Mandy (Mother of one of said girls) to stay and have dinner as she would be all alone." I'm her only true friend, as she is a solo Mum and no-one likes her! Sad, but there it is! Actually, I'm joking of course! She is one of my dearest friends and I adore her heaps, as do many others! So anyway.....OK...Digression again.....I'm getting there. So Mandy agreed to stay and have dinner with hubby and myself so I laid an extra place. I didn't get pics but I did take some of the two place setting. So without further ado.....Here are my little pics from C is for Coral and cream.

OK so shoot me!!! I didn't get time for the ironing!!

Now I had just bought the funny shaped cloche. It has a sort of chimney thing, weird HUH? Well anyway I wanted to use it as candle holder, but it kept going out, so in the end I placed a little grouping of flowers in it. You can see it further down.

The crystal wine glasses are beautiful and very heavy. They are crystal and sparkle like glitter in the candlelight. I only managed to get three and don't know the name of the pattern. If anyone knows it please let me know, then I can try and get some more. I love them. The water glasses were an early purchase at a thrift store, before I started blogging.

This cute little condiment set I bought to go with my mismatched eclectic set. You can see it Here. I don't know who it's by as it's unmarked. I use my little ENGLISH spoon with it!! Well I would, wouldn't I?

These little votive dishes are not votive dishes at all. They are from a collection of little depression glass plates or dishes or whatever you would like to call them. After collecting glass plates to be used as chargers, which you can see Here. I thought it would be a great idea to collect these little ones to place on Side plates for individual portions of butter. I have managed to buy a few and will post about them soon.

The cutlery is silver plate from Slack and Barlow, Sheffield England. I'm not sure of the name of it yet need to do a touch more research. Either way what ever they are called they were a great thrift shop buy.

I used the Royal Doulton, Orchids, soup bowl and dinner plate.

The lunch plate is made by Hollingshead & Kirkham, Tunstall, England, C1933. I have two with slightly differing patterns in the centre.

I use this runner as I love the shimmery effect it gives in both day and evening light. I just allowed it to drape over the edges and scrunched it up in the middle.

I bought these chairs at a thrift store too. I was going to re-upholster but changed my mind. It's a girls prerogative you know!

A gorgeous colour don't you think?

Ok, so don't comment on the blob on the wall, we've just taken a stereo off the wall!

I used the decanter to serve the water and what's a nice meal with out choccies!

And so in candlelight......

Oops what idiot moved the fork and didn't put it back? OH...... that would be me!!!

So once again dear friends, another table from the alphabet.

C is for Coral and Cream

ENJOY

I will be partying with

Here

Here

Here

Here

Here

The Girls hair for Yr 13 school ball

A quick look at the beautiful girls who had their hair and make-up done by me for the school graduation ball last weekend.

Heather and Hayley you looked amazing! Even if I do say so myself!!! Heather ( the one in white) is the daughter of one of my very best friends (Mandy) and she has had the most hideous time over the last two years, including the breakup of her parents marriage and then suffering from renal failure. She is going to be put on the kidney transfer list. She is amazing and an absolute inspiration to me.. Heather I bloody love you!! The other gorgeous girl is Hayley, one of many of her closest friends who have stuck by her through her ordeal.

So the week before...the practice run!

Hayley wanted a side chignon, messed up a bit!

Heather wanted an "up and down" do, with some detail in curls!

The affectionate greeting from my daughter (on the left).

So, on the day, the hair and make-up but dresses and jewels to come!

Is she not truly beautiful??

...And the dresses....

It was my pleasure ladies, to help make your evening one to remember. xx

The New/Old Dresser

OMG..... Even though I have been full of a nasty flu'ey type cold this week, which has wiped me out completely, leaving me totally at the mercy of my teenagers (scary). I did manage to get a little bit excited by the delivery of my New / Old dresser which I talked about in my last post Here. While sitting or more to the point lieing on the couch adding to the water table with my sizzling hot sweating, there was a knock at the door...."OMG OMG...it's here," What if I made a big mistake and it looks terrible? What if Hubby doesn't like it? PANIC PANIC!! Ah well too late now! So after the burly delivery men had enquired.. "where do you want it love?" and I had politely (if a little snuffly) responded "oh just in the hall please" I watched, mesmerised as they brought the dresser in, in three parts. As they put it all together I got more and more excited. It was better than I had remembered. Hubby was gonna lurve it. They proceeded to tell me that it had been in a garage of a large house in Devonport. A little town not far from here, and a really gorgeous suburb. It had been involved in a flood and been thoroughly unloved for years. I mean come on Dust, dirt grime and even paint all over her. Shameful! The trouble was, the lady who owned it had got a price to restore it and it was going to cost $2000. So she donated it to the Hospice shop and muggings just happened to walk in as they put the price on it. Funny thing was I walked straight passed it on the way in, but nearly fell over it on the way out. After I stopped drooling I text'd the photos to hubby and said "what do you think"? He said " if you like it get it, you've never gone wrong before". (see how well I've got him trained lol) So off I went to the cheque out and said "OY, I want that dresser, can you gift wrap it?". Ho ho actually I didn't say that, I just thought I would give you a laugh for staying with me so long. Anyway, paid the money, ran out all excited and went home to nurse my ever increasing cold. So here she is....Pre-restoration. But I hope that you agree, still a darn fine lady all the same.

OOH I'm so excited! A lot of work ahead but, So worth it!

See the bottom right corner....UGH!

It's like that on the back too.

Look at the way the handles match the carvings.

Oh the detail is gorgeous!

But just look at the dirt.....

And the damp mould & paint....

Here you can see where the moulding has come off...

Now what ever was in this little notch, I have no idea, but I have researched it and it could have been one of several balustrade type thingies. I'm going to get a joiner to make me a couple and then stain them etc. It will mean that I have added a little piece of me and added to the rich history of the life of this marvelous buffet. It is Edwardian and over a hundred years old. Don't you think it deserves a new lease on life?