my new dresser

I am so excited!! Tomorrow I have a new dresser arriving. When I say "NEW" it's not new its antique. But me being me, I found it at a thrift shop. It does need some restoration, but, Hey, I did get it for a song.

It is shameful how some people let beautiful old pieces of history come into such disrepair. I shouldn't complain really because it has meant that I am able to buy her, so I'll shut up now.

This poor old lady is filthy, (not me, the dresser) she needs a major clean up (oh ok maybe me), a few pieces replaced and some restoration at the base (ok definately me). There are a few drips of white paint on her too. Guess what I'm going to be doing over the next few weeks? ha ha! I'll get some photos on here tomorrow when she arrives, Prerestoration. I hope that she is salvageable and I don't have to resort to painting her.

Whatever the outcome, I am very happy with myself. My hall is crying out for a statement piece. Lets hope she does the job. She looks a bit like this. Actually a lot like this, but a third as wide again and with a bit more detail.



I am so excited!!! Here are a few more examples.


 

 

let me know what you think

Harry Potter

Ok now I know this is weird, but having excitedly waited weeks to see the last Harry Potter film, The deathly hallows (part II), I couldn't help but fall in love with so many of the props which had been placed in the little cottage in the first scene. I must confess to wanting just about everything there. Talk about shabby chic, it is shabby chic heaven.

The film is excellent too. I did have a tear or two and feel very sad that the saga has come to an end now. J K Rowling is an amazing woman with an amazing story to tell.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NYt1qirBWg

Oh well, back to reality now. Pass the vacumm cleaner I'm coming through!

B is for Blue & white

I have decided to set myself a challenge.

 I am going to go through the alphabet and create a tablescape which is linked in some way 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

B

~~~

B is for Blue & White
~~~

You know how sometimes you want to throw caution to the wind, have colours that shout at you and say look at me and yet other times you wish to be all girlie and pretty? Well today I was definitely in the mood for something very pretty but not necessarily too girlie. I had managed to get some new salad plates in blue and white, which I knew would just go really well with my blue and white dinner service. So above you can see my selection for week two of my challenge, Blue and white!

This particular diner set I bought ages a go and has been used very recently as my everyday set. But darling hubby who is a tad clumsy (sorry darling) managed to break and chip a few pieces last year while enjoying time off work to be at home. Now I'm not moaning as most of the time it was when he was unloading the dishwasher. So I am definitely happy for him to continue that little task as it is one of my pet hates. But after the loss of several plates I decided that it was time to save it from any more damage. It now has pride of place, being displayed on my new kitchen shelf (which I will show you in another post). So that said I am using it today and just making sure that all willing parties who load and unload the dishwasher do so with great care.  When I say "willing" I think when the teenagers go "Oh GODDA!! Why do I have to do it? You always ask me..... Why can't he (she) do it!!...You love them more than you love me and so on........" I personally believe it is their own little way of doing such lovely things for me, with a song in their hearts and is probably code for

"Of course I will do it Mummy, you know I love you right?"

So On we go.....
Here you can see the dish, Not my favourite shaped dish. I definitely prefer Coup or soup shape bowls. They are far more practical.  This set just has the word "Haven" on the back, no other details apart from the usual washing instructions etc. I bought a set for ten, which was on clearance about four yeas ago. Ive only got 6 plates left now... Boo Hoo

Next my newly acquired Crown Lynn "Chelsea"
salad plates or as we call them in the UK and New Zealand "lunch plates". I just had to have them. I think they are so pretty don't you? Thank you Hospice shop Glenfield and big thank you to the gorgeous little man who followed me round on that day carrying my basket as I was loading it up so much and couldn't carry it all. Woops!! I do get carried away sometimes. (Just don't tell the darling hubby).

Here is the dinner plate!

Next my newest brainwave, my glass chargers. I have managed to buy two more this week. You can read all about them on my last post or my next one.

Underneath the chargers came the old place mats. A present from a friend and employee about 18 years a go! (Woo how times fly)

As I have said so often before, it is virtually impossible to buy decent cutlery in the Op-shops here. So I decided to go out to all the warehouse stores and see what was out there. Did you know that apart from Thrift shops there is a whole other world of stuff out there.......huh!....who'd have thought?

Well onwards and upwards......I found, on special, two boxes of Flatware. 16 pieces in each. Now I know that they are not Amazing, but they do have a very Maori symbol on them and thought they would represent New Zealand and I could take them with me, if I was ever to leave here. (This is a strong possibility as my husbands work can take him all over the place). The symbol is the "Koru". It is a fern which is still curled up tightly and it means.....
~~~~
"The koru shape is a scroll shape and is linked to the New Zealand fern plant. The shoot of the fern has a curled-over tip which unfurls and becomes a fern leaf. The koru reaches towards the light, striving for perfection, encouraging new positive beginnings... The koru, represents the unfolding of new life, that everything is reborn and continues. It represents renewal and hope for the future. Spiral, geometry of life, sacred creation"
~~~~

A closer view!

Here we have the napkins and rings.

I bought two packs of these napkin rings, still new for about $6nz or $4us or 3 pounds...(sorry I don't have the pound logo on my computer any more). There are six in each pack.

Next the candlesticks, I bought these a while ago to go with a particular table cloth I had seen, but didn't buy. STUPID, STUPID STUPID!!!! "See it, love it, buy it!!"  My very own mantra and I ignored it! AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!

I went back to the Op-shop for it and GONE! What's wrong with these people didn't they know I was coming back for it! So I was left with two new candlesticks and not much to go with them....Oh no......that means I will have to go out shopping again.......SHAME!! wink wink

So here they are anyway,

The glasses are crystal.

And to the Vignette on the Sideboard. Whoops I forgot to take the runner off from another tablescape.

A wee bit closer.....

And so to the evening.....always better by candlelight!

And again.......See I have changed the placng of the flowers? I moved them into the middle rather than being in the outside of the candlesticks. Now why didn't I do that earlier before I took the pictures?

And again......

The Vignette by candlelight too....

So Week two of my challenge

B

is for

Blue and White

I hope you enjoyed your tour around my table!

I will be following the link parties below

 http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com/

http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/p/table-top-tuesday-info.html

http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/2011/07/wow-us-wednesdays-21.html

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2011/07/coastal-summer-table-setting-welcome-to.html#more

http://lbratina.blogspot.com/2011/07/thrifty-thursday-122-plus-tablescape.html

http://coloradolady.blogspot.com/2011/07/welcome-everyone-to-vintage-thingies.html

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/2011/07/show-and-tell-friday_14.html

http://www.atthepicketfence.com/2011/07/welcome-to-inspiration-friday-no-23.html

http://niftythriftythings.blogspot.com/

A is for AQUA!

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

 A  

A is for Aqua!

This whole table was inspired by this beautiful tablecloth that I bought ages ago from the Salvation army shop. I just loved it! Technically it doesn't quite fit this table as it is square and my table is rectangle. However, it covers the table and looks lovely (if not quite perfect).
You can see it in the picture above and in the picture below. You can see the beautiful Crane which gave the idea of creating a table with birds as the stars of the show.



Here are just a few of the components that went into making up this tablescape.
 The plates.........

Hmmm I'm not so sure about this one....

And then......

Now let me tell you secret, it is virtually impossible to buy chargers here in NZ. I have hunted everywhere to try and find some. I am even repaired to buy from a department store (I know shocking) if I could find some (mind you, NZ is short of those too). So here is my solution, I have hunted the Op-shops for large glass plates. This is what I have found so far........

Love it!.......and another....

And another.....Not bad for one days hunting is it?

Now come on you've gotta love this one! And finally......

For some strange reason this photo kept uploading like this, on it's side. So if you could just stand up and then balance on one arm, tilt your head and ....HOLD IT...there now you can see it the right way up? GOOD.... lol

Did you see the cute little ducks? well here are some more pretty birds.

And in the vignette on the sideboard.....You can't quite see the glass pheasant..shame he's a cutie!

Oh wait here he is..

 But how about this gorgeous lady? I had to have this, had, had, had to!! I found her this weekend at our local market!

 Is she not gorgeous in her posture and her opalescent finish? Now normally I am all about diamonds, but I have to confess to having a bit of a smidge of a thing about pearls too. I love the finish on them. It is one of those things which I am always attracted to (a bit like orange, I don't know why). If I see a pearly anything, I seem to love it! So when I put her on this table there was only one set of napkin rings that I could use. But instead of using them as napkin rings I added them to the glass candlesticks.

  Do you like the pearls? Too much??? Well that's me...too much!
So the centre piece in full!

Oh I do love her. She represents my inner beauty.....Sadly on the outside, I'm getting wider and wider...DARN that middle age spread. 

~~~~

I even added my pearl handled cutlery, well knives anyway. The flatware comes from Japan. It is silver plated, and very like the RODD, Wilton design.

  

Anyway, The Vases. Here you see both the vases that I used. I collected them over a period of time. Don't forget all these things are vintage thrift store finds. (except the pearl handled knives and flatware, they were from an antique shop. But affordable never the less.)    

And here...this vase matches the beautiful pitcher on the sideboard.

I was lucky enough to find, a couple of years a go, four of the aqua wine goblets. They work very well on this table I think.

My napkin choice seemed a natural one. I simply used the sienna coloured napkins, which were the exact colour of the flowers in the table cloth. Lucky huh?

So there it is...And here are a few images in the candlelight....My dinning room is always better in the evening, I think you'll agree!

 When I lay this table for four of us. I nearly always put the flowers to the ends of the table. It somehow seems to balance out, the wrong dimensions of a rectangular table of this size.

Here is another view with the plates laid out a bit differently. I changed the table for the following evening.

 Do you think it spreads out the settings bit more?

So here's a little tip for you.

Did you know that when people who owned and lived in large manor houses a had guests to stay, it was customary for guests to re-use the same napkin each night for the duration of their stay. It was perfectly acceptable for the table to be relaid and the guests napkins replaced in their position at the table.

I LIKE THAT IDEA!!

Don't forget to leave me a comment I love love love hearing from you! It's mighty lonely when you don't hear from anyone for a while, and being English living in New Zealand, I'm a long way from home and family.....SOB SOB SOB!!!!

I will joining the following parties

http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com/

http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/p/table-top-tuesday-info.html

A is for Aqua

http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/2011/07/wow-us-wednesdays-21.html

http://networkedblogs.com/k2HaT

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2011/07/welcome-to-150th-tablescape-thursday.html

http://lbratina.blogspot.com/

http://coloradolady.blogspot.com/2011/07/vintage-thingie-thursdayvintage-toy.html

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/2011/07/show-and-tell-friday.html

http://www.atthepicketfence.com/2011/07/welcome-to-inspiration-friday-no-22.html

http://niftythriftythings.blogspot.com/search/label/nifty%20thrifty%20sunday