Kicking Off the Christmas Season with Penguin Mugs

by Helen Kain | Nov 27, 2021 | Black, Blue, Christmas, Green, Home, Pink and Red, Recent

It’s tree-trimming day—when we haul two artificial trees in their “body bags” along with boxes of lights and ornaments up from the basement (my least favourite part).  Glenn wrestles the real tree into its stand and lies on the floor, awkwardly...

Just in Time with Halloween Dogs

by Helen Kain | Oct 30, 2021 | Black, Fall Tablescapes, Halloween, Pink and Red, Recent, White

Greetings, dear readers. We flew from Heathrow Airport yesterday after spending eighteen days in various parts of England, beginning and ending in London. We were blessed with marvellous weather—warm and dry enough for a leather jacket and jeans, mainly, with only a...

Canadian Thanksgiving in Rust and Pewter Grey

by Helen Kain | Oct 10, 2021 | Amber, Fall Tablescapes, Grey and Pewter, Recent, Terracotta, Thanksgiving

We had a perfect autumn day to host our family Thanksgiving dinner last weekend. If I hadn’t set the table the previous day, I would have been tempted to move it outdoors. This table began with the napkins. I’ve had them for a few years and can’t...

Mason’s Quail Blue with Chinoiserie Pumpkins

by Helen Kain | Sep 25, 2021 | Blue, Brown, Fall Tablescapes, Recent, Thanksgiving, Yellow

The beguilingly days of fall are with us, with just a touch of crispness in the air.  I’m not quite ready to go the complete fall Monty, though. I still have a foot in the summery shades of blue and white, but some brown and white transferware helps bridge...

Paris by American Atelier

by Helen Kain | Aug 30, 2021 | Amber, Brown, Green, Grey and Pewter, Recent, Summer Tablescapes, Terracotta

Labour Day weekend is upon us, officially the end of summer. So let’s sneak in one more summer tablescape and make it inspirational.  Pack your bags and join me in Paris. American Atelier produced Paris dinnerware from 2002 to 2005, with scenes of four...

Cobalt Blue for a Summer Outdoor Dinner

by Helen Kain | Aug 19, 2021 | Blue, Cobalt, Recent, Summer Tablescapes, White

Our good friends Bill, Maura, Carolyn and Paul, with whom we went on the cruise in 2019 (a lifetime ago, it seems), were visiting recently. Oh, happy days! We took every opportunity during their short stay to get together for a Cape-Cod land-locked reprisal—Maura...