Safari Dinng! (T)

 I'm in the mood for something very different!  How about some safari dining!

Inspired by the color of the orange tulips I chose these dishes and the safari dining began!

 Craving color over the past weekend with the blizzard we were about to get I picked these up while gathering supplies the day before the storm hit.  I wanted something pretty to look at other than white!

 2 years ago I followed along with what turned out to be a very long wait for a now famous giraffe known as April.  She eventually gave birth to a male calf named Tajiri (watched on-line by over 1.2 million viewers).  They call  him Taj for short.  

Last summer while visiting in Frankfort, MI I came across a little shop where the owner creates all sorts of glass figurines himself.  I picked out this set of Giraffe's in honor of April and Taj.  She's now pregnant again and due any time now with a girl!  Can't wait to see what they name her!

 Though you wouldn't see a seahorse on safari you might if you got a chance to visit the ocean along the coast of West Africa before going on the safari!  Either way I love the colors!

 The elephant dishes are from World Market. 

The Giraffe designed chargers have a lifelike texture to them.  I've used them a couple of times before and once just before Taj was born "here".  The same placemats were used then too.  Fun to see how many ways these table accessories can be used!

 I chose these tumblers because they remind me of water falling.   Africa and India have a lot of waterfalls!

 Susan from Between Naps On The porch went on a safari and visited Giraffe Manor in Kena, Africa and got to dine with Giraffe's!  You can see a post about it "here" if you'd like!

 I do love flowers!  

As you can see through the window our landscape is far from what you'd find on a safari but we can pretend, right?  Hmmm.... what are you imagining for the menu? 

 Thank you for joining me for some Safari Dining!

I'll be joining:

Between Naps On The Porch

for

Tablescape Thursday

Sunshine and Roses on a Winter's Day! (T)

 I was so tickled that the sun was out so I put myself into overdrive and created this tablescape as fast as I could!

 I chose colors for the dishes based on the flowers for my tablescape.  I brought out my fleur de-lis tablecloth which inspired the idea to choose the black and white checked napkins.

 I cut down the long stemmed roses from Valentine's Day and used a block of florist foam to rearrange them.  The white ones are pretty much done and look like antique roses now!

 There were fern branches in the original arrangement which I tucked around inside the bowl to hide the foam for the flowers.

 I was quite pleased that the sun was still shining in my kitchen by the time I got this ready to take pictures.  I used one of my Pier 1 chargers for the centerpiece along with a metal trivet that I centered on it for the floral arrangement to rest on.

 The roses have been so beautiful and though they are just about done I still find them to be lovely.  I peeled off some of the outer layer petals so they'd look a little fresher.

 It's still very much winter here so creating inviting tablescapes rates high on my list of things to do!

 The antiqued pewter napkin rings pick up on the flatware handles nicely.

The red dishes are by 222 Fifth called Home Cupboard -Red which is a discontined pattern. 

 The dinner plates have a rooster design. I purchased them from One King's Lane at least 5 years ago and they were described as Embossed Rooster by Sweet Olive Designs.

 The florist forgot that little package of floral preserve for the flowers but I remembered my mother saying that you can use aspirin for that.  I looked it up on the internet and sure enough I found articles that say it works.  I put three regular aspirin in the water last week when I got the roses and then again when I freshened these up today (These are 7 days old at this point).

 Isn't that the prettiest!

 Dan gifted me with the Waterford bowl at Christmas so I decided to make it into a rose bowl today!  The stemware is called "Trellis" and is made by Fitz and Floyd.

 There you have it "Sunshine and Roses" on a Winter's Day!

 I will be joining:
Celebrate and Decorate 
Tablescape Thursday

Dishing It & Digging It

Watching and Waiting For A Delivery

Late last September Dan and I ventured down to North Carolina to check out the furniture factory outlet stores. 

 We had visited our son and family in Pennsylvania for a few days and then we took off Monday morning and headed to North Carolina. We enjoyed a long scenic ride and arrived in the evening.  We rested up and then headed to some outlet stores but our primary goal was to go to Furnitureland South.

 We arrived at Furnitureland South- which by the way is over 1.3 million sq. ft. of shopping! 

 I had seen a picture of this entryway chest of drawers on line but seeing it in person was quite different!  Good thing I already had an idea of what I was there to look for because it's a bit overwhelming!

 That's Dan down there by the leg of the chest!  At this point I am completely over the top excited and can't wait to get inside!

I only took a few interior pictures and this is small just a fraction of the interior.  We met up with Costanza our sales and design consultant that I had been conversing with prior to our coming.  She was so attentive and I appreciated her patience! 

  I started out looking for a display cabinet (I must have seen at least 20 different ones) and this is the one I chose.  The manufacturer refers to the design style as "Classic Modern" which suited my ideas perfectly (but I didn't go with this color).  I've been slowly working towards an updated look yet I still want to remain traditional.  The two wood end tables we ordered come from a manufacturer in Virginia and boy do they take a long time to deliver!  

I had chosen the Tuscan style in 2006 and this was the room in 2013.

 After the holidays I put the room together and kept it pretty bare in anticipation of the furniture coming.  Furnitureland South insists on doing their own deliveries so all the pieces had to be in at their warehouse before they'd scheduled my delivery.

I'm selling the two end tables and coffee table.  I plan to take them to a consignment shop as soon as my furniture arrives.  The new display cabinet will go where the green striped chest of drawers and the big picture are.  Those pieces as well as two of the lamps are also for sale!  I've removed the wood game table and two chairs to free up the room.  Eventually new curtains.

I am anxiously awaiting the furniture arrival.  We were given a broad delivery date between Feb. 11 and Feb. 27.  Lets pray we won't be having a snowstorm the day they arrive!  I never imagined when I ordered all this back then that I'd be waiting until late February to see it!

The savings were incredible and that was the driving force for us.

I think I may shed some tears of joy when I finally see the truck arrive!

 😂

Joining:

Dishing It & Digging It

Happy Valentine's Day!

 Dan knows I love color and flowers so he definitely hit the mark with this fabulous bouquet!

 Those are white roses but somehow they translated as soft pink through the camera lens.

 Yellow roses were my flower choice when we were married back in 1978!

We finally got a break in the weather and are going out for dinner later.  

Wishing you all a Happy Valentine's Day! 

Valentine's Dining With You My Friends! (T)

 Step on in and join me for some Valentine's Dining With You My Friends!

 Due to the heavy snowfall I am stuck home so I chose to use my red poinsettia that is still doing well from Christmas.  It's a bit unconventional for Valentine's Day but I love that it's red like beautiful red roses are! 

 I added two very large artificial white hydrangeas blooms to add some fullness to the top area.  

 Evey so often I get a poinsettia that just keeps going like this one is.  

 I'll remove the flowers and place my lasagna casserole in the center along with a chopped salad and some sliced Italian bread.  Do you like lemon?  I hope so because I will be serving a lemon ricotta almond cake for dessert!

 recipe source

 I chose my Ralph Lauren Sophia dessert plates with a simple white dish below it.  I love the black/white/red colors for Valentine's Day.  I also like pink but this year it seemed to be all about the black, white and red!

 The heart shaped placemats were found at Home Goods labeled Nicole Miller.

I didn't want to compete with the patterns of the dishes or placemats so I kept it simple and used a plain white napkin with a pewter cuff placed as a centerpiece on the dish. 

We're expecting 6" to 9" of  snow in the next 24 hrs!  I'll be sure the house is extra warm and we'll enjoy a cozy Valentine's Dinner together!

Wishing you a Lovely Valentine's Day!

Joining:

Between Naps On The Porch

for

Tablescape Thursday