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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Traveling France, flea markets and Brimfield, MA

In late March I went on a buying trip to the South of France without my sister Amy. We ALWAYS go TOGETHER twice a year and always find such fabulous treasures. This year, Amy couldn’t go. She was sick or something!! Anyway, our kids babysitter Janet, from ages ago,  joined me in Paris, then headed South with me on my treasure hunting. Another story there!

And last week I went to Brimfield, MA for the week of antique flea markets. I usually go by myself but this trip my friend Diana went with me. She couldn’t believe how much there was to see and buy!!!

On both trips we found so many beautiful kick ass treasures. French antique books, apothecary jars, monogrammed linens, silver knives, many pictures, Old Paris Porcelain, enamelware, and much more. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!

Here are a few pictures of our treasures from both France and Brimfield. I’ll be listing all these items in my Etsy shop in the days to come.

                

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Family dinner with some of my favorite things…

I LOVE setting tables…the dishes, linens, stemware…I used to use table clothes that covered the whole table, but now I like a little of the table to show. This night for a family dinner,  I really didn’t feel like ironing the rustic, nubby French linen piece I was going to use. It lays over most of the middle of the table, with the ends showing. I left it in the dryer too long…so lots of wrinkles, merde!!

The table runner I used was made by my sister Amy. The fabric side showing has angels and there is a beautiful blue velvet on the back with dots of sequins and beads, and tassels on the ends. I just love it.

We have a really nice size dining room. I have a daybed in front of windows in a nook, which put together from two foot boards taken from twin beds. (The headboards are in my bedroom for our headboard and kingsize bed) You can see our German Sheppard laying on it in the background. (in the picture above)

I ran out of time to get flowers for the table, so I moved these two Christmas favorites of mine to the table. I LOVE them! The green glass candlesticks we received for a wedding gift 20 years ago…WOW! 

Another view of the dining room. You can sort of see the double buffet over to the left, it’s a French Louis XVI period piece, c1780 that we found in Paris. It’s the only large furniture piece I’ve brought home from the shop. It’s almost 9′ tall, and it holds lots of things!

I love all different kinds of dishes. I decided to use my blue and white transferware, along with very large French napkins that have a beautiful red monogram. I found the linens at my favorite flea market in the South of France. The silver flatware was my mothers.

We enjoyed one of the best meals I’ve ever made. Paula Deen’s recipe for Brisket…with mashed red potatos and roasted asparagus. I did change the timing up a bit on the brisket. I turned the temp to 285 and cooked for about another 6-1/2 hrs after the first hour at 300.

Paula Deen’s Brisket Recipe

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