A dinner for old friends.

So another post about a dinner…sorry. NOT much going on here.

Every summer there are about ten families that travel to Cape Cod for a week in Provincetown. We stay right on the beach in the harbor. Every family makes one dinner so the burden isn’t on just a few.

We’ve missed a few summers and for the past two summers I haven’t made a main meal. So I had a dinner at my house to say thank you to all my Cape Cod friends for their delicious dinners.

This past Sunday was the evening and there were fourteen of us. At first I was going to have a large table for ten then a smaller table for four. Well, that didn’t feel right so I went for three tables. It looked like a little restaurant. We have a large dining room with an alcove with windows where we keep a daybed…for the dogs to lay on all day so they can view the world go by and bark, bark, bark!

I brought two tables inside that are usually under the pergola. One I trash picked, an iron table that still had the glass top and four chairs. (what a find) I had to scrape off all the flaking paint and clean it up.

Then I brought in seating I bought in France last April that is soooo way cool and I LOVE! They are all cane, backs and seats. I had to vacuum the pieces, spray with alcohol and clean with Murphy’s oil. Much work. So now we’re into day two, 5:30pm. Sigh…I still had to make the food.

You can see the cane settee, arm and side chairs…Fab aren’t they? I bought them to sell but I’m not sure I am or can!!

All the tables are covered with French linen sheets and I use French monogrammed napkins I found at flea markets in France. Some have white embroidery and others have red. They all have a beautiful red border.

After dinner a few of us were in the kitchen when the smoke detector went off. I thought it was from all the candles…it was a napkin on FIRE!! Karen had put it down on the table right over a tea light. Yikes!!

Luckily someone noticed! When I got in there my friend Joan had covered it with another napkin and then I grabbed them and threw them in the sink… This is what was left of that napkin. I only had five of this style, so now I have an even four!

I have more up close pictures I’ll post later.

Enjoy your weekend.

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Paul’s birthday dinner.

Recently we celebrated my husband Paul’s birthday and had a great dinner. I love to set the table with some of my favorite things.

   

The past 10 yrs or so I have been collecting blue and white transfer ware, I collect the 10″ plates with many different patterns. I don’t usually cover the whole table with a table cloth. This time I used two French linen sheets that I found in Brimfield. I laid two crosswise with a smaller colorful one on top. As you can see by the napkins I don’t iron unless I absolutely have to! This was Paul’s seat at the head of the table of course.

    

Years ago I found this April Cornell tablecloth from a store at the beach. There were two of them left and I stupidly bought just ONE! It’s a square and has a fab fish pattern. (Paul’s a big time fisherman)

I am fortunate that I have many things from my mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. The candlesticks (which I LOVE!) and stemware were my grandmothers. The silverware was my mothers. She had twelve place settings but gave three to one of my sisters to complete HER set of twelve (she had the same pattern obviously). So I have nine. Which I am very lucky to have!

My newest obsession is these white confit pots from France. I LOVE them. So when I’m flea marketing over there I snatch them up.

     TULIPS!

   

I found this glass and pewter carafe at the Porte de Vanves flea market this past August. It looks beautiful filled with red wine. I didn’t take any pictures of the food.  I served short beef ribs with mashed potatoes, roasted broccoli and salad. Very simple.

I wanted to include this photo of the nook we have at one end of the dining room. We have a daybed in front of the windows where two of the dogs (German Shepards)  spend most of the day. You can see them laying there. They love looking out the windows.

We ended the evening with a few cigars……That’s a Cupid and Venus pitcher.

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A few things I’m lovin’

There’s so much I love in the shop…here a few pics

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Moving things around again…

I moved the part of the shop that’s in the ‘kitchen’ around. (We’re in a 100 year old house). I love all these pieces, but one of my FAVORITES is the doughtry from the 1700’s.  We were only going for smalls that trip, but found this man selling his mother-n-laws table. I just couldn’t leave it behind. Just TOO wonderful. We found it at a flea market in Carpentras, in the South of France.

All the red earthenware we found in the Savoie region of France, near the French Alps, from Francois, a really cool dealer. I had sent letters to different dealers in the area, telling them what I was looking for and found him. We met up with him before we headed South to Provence for the flea market. (He takes his wares there too, but we met up with him before the market). So now I have another dealer friend, one of a few, that I have a relationship with.

This huge copper pot we found on one of our trips to Paris. It’s really heavy, and wonderfully rustic. The brass/bronze candelabra with the wonderful curves to the arms, we found in a barn in the town of Pezenas, in the South of France….look at that table top.

 

On our latest trip, we found these fabulous white folding concert chairs. They have a porcelain number on the back for seating location. We also found the square iron garden table. Odd, we hadn’t seen any square tables until this trip and found two fab ones. This one and a rusty blue one. The bench in the background is from the same flea market. Love…there’s a 200 year old wood cradle on a stand behind the bench…so cool.

I love ironstone and just can’t resist it whenever I come across it (in the states). These pitchers I found in Pennsylvania. The plates too. We always find a few pieces in France, but I don’t want to pay for the shipping, so I won’t let Amy get it.

The bench and the wood cradle…

Next is the front room. I’m hoping to video myself moving stuff around, Paul bought a video camera you put on your head!!! hah!

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