Dogs trucks and pumpkins. Yahoo!
It’s autumn in the country. With hounds and sheepdogs, haybales and pumpkins.
There’s a kitten, too, for good measure. “greeting” a bulldog.
I always think of that as the “Halloween Cat” position – similar to what Dundee showed us when Clementine came home. Not the friendliest look.
This fun set of plates came from Pier 1 last year. I’m disappointed that they’ve pretty much killed off their animal-related wares and have moved to bland offerings that look like everyone else’s. So I’m glad these found their way home with me. They still have the black & white gingham plates, though they’ve been renamed to Bradford Plaid.
We had to have a couple of trucks, of course. With pumpkins!
Pumpkins and hay bales from Hobby Lobby (is there anything they DON’T sell?)
The red metal truck was from OakHill Trading Company on Etsy. It’s handmade and has wonderful detail.They no longer make this exact one, but have a slightly different one,
I’ve used this little salt & pepper shaker set quite frequentlly. Mine was from eBay.
The pumpkin detaches, leaving the truck available for transporting many things, including sunflower cupcakes.
The galvanized pumpkin napkin holders and grey checked napkins were also both from Pier 1 last year. They have a black version of the napkin this year – online only.
The galvanized chargers were from Christmas Tree Shops a few years ago, and the flatware was from World Market, also couple of years ago.
Handled mason jars with a rooster motif carried on the down-home, country hootenany theme.
It’s fall, y’all.
Our kids, Mike & Kirsten have an old English Sheepdog, named Winston (you think therre might be a Churchill theme in our family)? Winston and Churchill were puppies together and I fondly remember their antics in the back yard. They got into all kinds of mischief; they reminded me of two naughty boys caught smoking behind our pool shed.
Old English Sheepdog puppies are black and white. The black gradually fades to grey as they get bigger. Isn’t Winston’s teddy bear face a riot? He is just the goofiest, friendliest dog, and outweighs our guys about 2:1. Instinct dies hard – he’s been known to herd the kids, pushing them around with his back end if he thinks they are in danger of wandering off and getting lost.
He’s all grown up now, and in his honour, these plates found their way over to Mike & Kirstens after I set this table.
Summer is returning briefly this week with temperatures in the 80s. I’m going to enjoy every minute of it with as much time outside as I can manage. The garden still needs some attention and I’m looking forward to relaxing on the porch afterwards with a cool glass of white wine. It’s almost the weekend and time to enjoy family, friends and the blessings of good weather.
I’m sharing this post with Between Naps on the Porch.
Hard to believe that you actually gave up these plates but I’m sure the little girls have enjoyed eating on them especially since there’s a definite look alike of Winston on a plate. They’re almost too cute to eat off of but I’m sure nothing but yummy food has been served on them. That red truck finishes the table loaded with pumpkins and hay bales. Who needs flowers??
Yes, this week will be feeling like summer again and I’m in all day getting ready for 12 tomorrow night. Been a busy summer and looking forward to seeing you in London and onward on the cruise. Enjoy the sun.
Twelve for dinner? You’re going to need the vacation after that. 🙂 have a wonderful time!
I think the little girls love the Winston plates. It does indeed look just like him. Such a character, and so different from golden retrievers! We think we have a hair problem!
This is such a cute tablescape. Perfect for casual family meals. I love the dog plates too….and agree this year’s dinnerware options aren’t nearly as cute.
Thanks, Cindy. It’s like Pier 1 threw in the towel and joined the ranks of the neutral core. Sigh.
Those plates, and this tablescape, are adorable! Especially since they resemble the dogs in the family. So cute.
Tables should be fun, I think.
Dear Helen, Phooey… I guess it’s the last time we’ll see these, then. I get lots of stuff from my sister, and it’s like Christmas all year to be given a surprise like these plates. I like the pairing with plaid, but your reference to “gingham” renamed as plaid sent me looking. I always thought gingham pattern (“gingham” itself refers to the material and its weave and check) *had* to be checked, not plaid. Turns out it was occasionally made in plaids. YLSNED.
I agree that Pier 1 has gone too neutral–their new stuff is on the website today, and it’s mostly boring. However, right now there’s a big sale on lanterns and a particularly nice set of cast iron taper holders that would look good with this setting in the evening.
As I don’t like drinking past the screw threads on Mason jars, I use Weckglas (the standard canning jar in Europe), stamped with their trademark strawberry. It comes in different sizes, with a handy glass lid to keep the drinks bee-free (or worse, yellow jacket-free) when outdoors. I also use them to store stuff in the fridge–they come with gaskets and tension clips for the lids.
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We’ve had golden fall weather…70 in the day, but 37 degrees last night (!). It gets cool early here in the mountains. The cows came home from the alms last weekend, bedecked with flowers, and now the sheep are being brought down into the village…we can hear their distant bells all night. Enjoy the last of summer.
It’s interesting how we all have our likes and dislikes in drinking vessels. While the threads on the mason jars don’t bother me, I detest plastic glasses of any sort. We keep them for around the pool, but if there are no little people around, I still reach for a real glass.
I too use glass mason jars or the Welk jars for storage – you can get Welk jars at Williams Sonoma here. I love the flat tops and the easily washed rubber rings. The clips can be problematic, though. They’re just the right size for a certain ginger cat to bat off the counter and make off with. He’s an incorrigible thief.
Cool nights and warm days are the perfect combination. Enjoy it while it lasts!