It’s a blustery day, bringing to mind Winnie and Pooh and his forest companions.
We don’t have Tigger or a Kangaroo, but we’ve got lots of birds, bunnies and squirrels.
We had a patch of warm weather and sunshine in late November, and I jumped on it. Outside went the dropleaf table and four antique oak barley twist chairs. I whipped out a blanket style tablecloth picked up at Homegoods a few years ago and we were in business.
I know it’s past Christmas and all that, but pine boughs and cones are still in order, don’t you think?
Especially when they are a backdrop to these fun Forest Festivities plates by Paperproduct Designs.
There were a lot of different accent colours to work with, but I stuck with the unifying elements of brown and green for the most part. The red bubble glasses (eBay) and the abstract red and green napkins (Homegoods) provided just a snick of contrast, which I thought was enough to lift the table without being jarring.
Southern Living’s wicker chargers formed the base. Mushroom (taupe) Cambria dinner plates (which are a hefty 11 inches) are topped with vintage Wedgwood green shell-edged dinner plates (eBay). The combination made a nest for the frolicking wildlife.
The cardinals on the hanging tea light from Pier 1 (a couple of years ago) were pleased to be surrounded by so many friends.
World Market has discontinued the wooden flatware, unfortunately.
Pinecones in several forms were welcome additions, from salt and pepper shakers, to hats on creatures, to real pinecones.
Silly birds.
Somewhat wiser owls.
A cheeky squirrel.
And a comical rabbit.
Wanna come out and play?
Happy New Year to everyone, if it’s not too late for that greeting. After her “Bumpy Year” in 2019, this one is off to a tooth-jarringly wild ride for Her Majesty the Queen. Good grief!
I’m sharing this post with Between Naps on the Porch.
Fun table. I love the forest creatures. We have had quite a bit of snow and so we are seeing more of the real thing looking for food. Yesterday I had a rabbit sitting next to my dogs’ food bowl outside in the yard. The Blue Jays have been checking it out as well. Happy New Year Helen!!
And you, Lorri! I hope you have a wonderful and peaceful 2020. Funny you should mention wildlife and food bowls. One of our previous cats, Atilla, was the exact opposite of what you might assume from his name. He was as gentle as the day is long and lived to a venerable old age. He used to lie at the bottom of the bird feeders, calmly observing all the squirrels around him busily picking up the spilled seeds. He didn’t turn a hair and they didn’t seem to be frightened of him in any way.
What a cute story. Yesterday I did pick up some bird seed and rabbit feed but I haven’t put it out yet. I haven’t decided where to put it that they can eat in peace without worries about the dogs harassing them. My dogs will spot a rabbit and give chase, usually stopping at the edge of the trees as the bunnies dart into the grove so I think that it is a game for them and not serious hunting but I would hate to lure any to their death. Not sure that it is a good idea, kind of an impulsive purchase.
I’ve heard of people tucking bird seed into crevices in fallen logs, maybe that would work for the rabbit food. Bird feeders can be put anywhere, really. The overspill makes a bit of a mess on a lawn, so we tend to put the feeders where all the sprouts don’t matter. Our dogs chase rabbits, squirrels and strange cats, too. They don’t chase our cats, though. Moxie comes towards them when she’s outside, almost waving the truce sign. “Hey, it’s me! Don’t shoot!”
How cute are these!!! I love the owls and their hats. I sent this on to Toni and she said you must have acres of storage space. Fun dishes and fun seeing you this past week. Happy rest of the winter.
I do a lot I’d hauling of boxes up and down stairs. My favorite is the bunny with thr carrot, but the owls are a close second.
Dear Helen,
I love this table. Isn’t Vicki Sawyer’s art wonderful? Her fox with lupine “hat” is called Beatrice. lol. My fave is the hummingbird. Once we tip-toed around a tiny egg-sized nest in our garden in CA (she hatched out two babies), and later we had tens of them at any time around our feeders at our CO house, which is a major migration route–but not for the ruby throats on the plates, whose beat is east of the Mississippi.
I’d love to have these plates, but 7″ is a strange size…neither fish (appetizer) nor fowl (standard salad 7.5-8″), necessitating placing it on a smallish dinner plate, a stack that probably is more decorative than practical. I would be trying OH’s patience, I fear. But they would be so appropriate to the Alps. I also like the combination of the anticlockwise barley twist candlesticks vs. the chairs (which are clockwise). Yes, I can be obsessive–guilty as charged.
I also appreciate the use of red glasses, because green would have been boring.
Back to the tropics…orchids blooming. Poor HRH…This has to top her annus horribilis in the 90s. I would love to be a fly on the wall for that face-off meeting!
Thanks for another fun table and an introduction to an artist I didn’t know.
There are a whole series of these style of plates; kind of a modern Beatrix Potter. I don’t have the Beatrice Fox. I must go looking now!
I think the 7” size is considered to be “dessert”. A good size for a slice of cake after dinner. I use them as breakfast plates for an English muffin or a scone.
My thoughts are with Her Majesty today as she wends her way through these tricky negotiations. One article asked why the Royal soap opera has to be revisited with each generation, and answered that because it’s a family, not just an institution. True words!
These are so adorable, I’d have a hard time changing them to a different vignette! You please & delight with your creativity!
Toni
These were fun to work with. Some plates fight you every inch of the way, but these were very cooperative.
Very cheery table-scape. Isn’t it too cold to eat outside or is it just Chicagoland where Al Fresco–just isn’t all year?
It would be too cold to eat outside unless you were either very hardy, or really well bundled up! 🙂 Thanks for dropping in!