Blogspot - Recipe Scratch Rusia

Last weekend we hosted a dinner at The School House.  My Aunt and Uncle were visiting, so we treated everyone to a dinner (mostly) from our garden.  Dinner at the school house is a unique setting - it feels sort of like a country house, but also a little like a store.  We had plenty of wine and music and a delicious fresh menu that tasted like summer. It was mostly adults (except for Emma and her baby cousin), so I took the opportunity to set a pretty table using the new linens from the Classic Collection - Navy Fleur Block Print . I took these photos in the afternoon, but we didn't have dinner until 8pm, so you'll have to imagine the candles flickering and the sun setting over the field against the huge wall of windows. I design all of the runners in my store to be extra wide and extra long.  I love big, rustic farmhouse tables - I love to see the patina and character of the wood.  I'm not much of a placemat person, so this extra long, extra wide runner provide...

There is such a wide range of entertaining styles out there.  Some think that entertaining should be about crystal, china and lit candles, and some think about a big crowd of family around the island munching on dips using paper plates and napkins.  I like to live somewhere in between - I think most of us do.  I love sitting down to a pretty table, but I don't like to feel like it is fancy or stiff.  I love crowding around the island, munching on snacks, but I still like pretty platters and artful displays.   I think at the end of the day, we all want to just feel like family when we're invited to someones home.  We want to feel casual enough to linger in the kitchen while helping ourselves to wine, but we also love that feeling of sitting down to a thoughtfully set table.  This setting is all of those worlds wrapped up into one.   It is a bit rustic with terra-cotta pots right on the table, but elegant with fresh gingham checked napkins and fresh...

On Thanksgiving, you just want to be wrapped with all of the warm and cozy.  Isn't it a wonder that everyone's favorite holiday isn't about presents?  Ok, it is really about the food.  BUT, more than that, I think it is that feeling everyone loves of walking into a warm house on thanksgiving day that is bustling with family or friends, that smells like a wood burning fire, cider simmering and pies baking.     It is a big table, maxed out to the brim to squeeze everyone together, with mix matched chairs and glasses.  I think all of this is what we really love about Thanksgiving. Extra Long & Extra Wide Runners.  They look great on any size table. Harvest Berry Runner, $36 Mix & Match Silverware Lately I've kept my eye out for silver plate flatware at estate sales and 'treasure shops' as Emma and I call them.  I mix and match them with our own silver from our wedding.  I don't mind that it is a little tarnished (I never polish!) and eve...

Not all of us are orange, gold and red people : )  I do tend to embrace those rich colors this time of year, but my heart always sits with tonal neutrals.  I was so drawn to the green pumpkins at the patch this year - maybe because this has been such a strange weather year and everything is still so green around here?  Whatever it is, this table scheme is right up my alley.  It feels cozy and fall-ish, in an entirely new and unexpected way. Do you know what else I like about this setting?  Take away the pumpkins and you have a great start to a beautiful table for Christmas, too : )  These linens with some hurricanes going down the center, maybe some blooming paperwhites  would be a perfect holiday table. I love how the greens and tans play with the dull finish silvery pewter pieces.  The Edgartown Sand Taper Candles mimic the stems of the pumpkins and also the Warm Velvet ribbon.  I like to think about three colors when I'm designing a table ...