Coq du Village by Fitz & Floyd

by Helen Kain | Sep 16, 2022 | Black, Brown, Fall Tablescapes, Home, Pink and Red, Recent, White

Cozy blankets and hearty breakfasts. Oh—and chickens. Of course! Wynadotte hens and a Leghorn rooster pack a lot of visual punch. We can still get some wonderful warm days in September in the Cape. Warm enough to sit outside, though my stomach has definitely switched...

Villeroy & Boch Naif Breakfast

by Helen Kain | Aug 28, 2022 | Black, Green, Recent, Summer Tablescapes, White

Bucolic, simple, charming— Design Naif, by Villeroy and Boch.The name “Naif” is a tribute to the school of artists who emigrated from France during the mid-to-late Victorian period. Villeroy and Boch describe the pattern more fulsomely:  “When it...

Barnyard Toile for a Sunny Sunday in January

by Helen Kain | Jan 23, 2022 | Black, Spring Tablescapes, White, Winter Tablescapes, Yellow

Black and white with cheerful touches of lemon yellow seemed just the ticket for a chilly January day. I stumbled on this charming set of square luncheon plates on eBay when I was looking for additional pieces for my sparse collection of Maxcera’s Toile...

Royal Stafford Christmas

by Helen Kain | Dec 4, 2021 | Black, Christmas, Green, Pink and Red, Recent, Winter Tablescapes

There is something infinitely appealing about an old-fashioned Christmas scene, with half-timbered houses, ladies in bonnets and long skirts, and wait … what is that cart?  Carol singers, people exchanging greetings, the decorated tree and a happy dog are...

Kicking Off the Christmas Season with Penguin Mugs

by Helen Kain | Nov 27, 2021 | Black, Blue, Christmas, Green, 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, 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...