common ground : transferware

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Patriotic Sunporch and a little Serendipity...

Happy Weekend Everyone!

This was a big week for the little sunporch, as Kim from Savvy Southern Style asked me to share "My Favorite Room" with her readers. (Thankyou, each and every one of you who left such sweet comments, they made my week!) I've mentioned before, that I use this blog as a sort of "photo diary" of what I've been doing, and decor around the house. Since I didn't post the sunporch photos here on my own blog, that's what this post is about...and a couple of funny "serendipitous" findings.

You all know that I love to keep things changed up out here on the porch, and most of that change comes from trading out quilts and pillows for the base of my color scheme. I get excited for each new Holiday and Season and the sunporch reflects those seasonal changes.

For this July 4th Holiday and the Summer Season, I knew I wanted to use different pillows for the little white wicker settee. I had it in my head that they needed to be a red floral. (are you like me, and get a mental picture in your noggin about what it needs to be, and then it's hard to do anything else?)

So my hunt for red floral pillows began; I spent hours on Etsy looking for red. floral. pillows. I finally found two that were wonderful, pretty much what I had been looking for, but with shipping they were going to cost over $80. OK, it's worth it to get the ones that will be "just right". I was about to hit the purchase button when I realized...good grief...they were almost identical to the red fruit and floral pillows I have in storage from "Big Red", the sofa downstairs. duh...so I hunted down the extra set and saved myself some money. I love mixing patterns, and my black ticking pillows match almost everything that I pair them with. Love the red floral and fruit with the ticking stripe. OK...done.

Last week I put a few of my blue transferware cups and saucers out as a little grouping in one of my strawberry totes. I just grabbed anything with blue on it. Around here, blue is in short supply. The 4th of July is the only time I use blue, so I don't have a lot. Anyhoo, I have stacks of mismatched dishes and I just went through them to pull out the ones for a little patriotic display here on the porch.

This set is "Mason's Fruit Basket" from England.

But look what else I found...

a little set of dessert dishes that I've never used.

and of all things...

They are "Martha Washington" from E.C. Company.

I bought them for the little dove design.

Patriotic indeed!

I recently brought out the old hooked floral rug from my studio. It has seen many better days and has a permanent crease/wrinkle problem that I may or may not have tripped over numerous times...so now it's out here and not a health hazard to anyone that might be slightly accident prone...just sayin'.

An old linen lunch hamper filled with my little French Girl lamp,

an ivy, old gardening tools, a wire basket and a white tole tray.

...and the baker's rack with some summer goodies.

This Sunshine Biscuit Tin depicting "the first note of the Liberty Bell".

and this old blue lunch box with some red transferware on top.

and an old birdhouse...

and in the other corner...

an old wicker rocker with my conservatory on top of a dresser

that had been my Dad's as a little boy.

I've always loved this canvas piece. It's not old, and I think from Guild Masters about 13 years ago. It reminds me of toile and red transferware, and is entitled "The Aviary".

So that's a wrap on the Patriotic Sunporch for July 2013.

I'm already thinking about what's coming next...

The Patriotic Party is still going strong,

and I'll be picking some faves, so don't hesitate to add your links.

I'm known for choosing at least one of the features

from the last few entries...

joining in for these parties:

Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings

Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House

The Scoop at Confessions of a Plate Addict

Met Monday on Between Naps on the Porch

Knick of Time Tuesday

Savvy Southern Style

DIY By Design

Hope you're having a sunny and warm weekend,

xoxo,

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Weekend Cottage Review: A Garden Wheelbarrow Tablescape

Hi friends, with Mother's Day next weekend I thought I'd share a post that I put together about 10 years and two houses ago. I had recently found the magazine "Southern Tables" and was immersed in lovely tablescapes, many in an outdoor setting for Spring.

Many of you host a Mother's Day brunch or luncheon and I thought this would be such a fun theme to recreate. You wouldn't need a mini wheelbarrow; a basket or crate, even a doughbowl would do. When I saw that feature article I fell in love and since I had a mini wooden wheelbarrow about the same size, I used what I had and did a bit of "recreating" the setting.

This designer used real veggies and clearly put a lot of time and thinking into this tablescape, but it was a fun outlet for me using what I had on hand.

"I had a similar whitewashed small wheelbarrow made of reclaimed barnwood,

so I filled it with a variety of faux garden veggies.

(The wheelbarrow has made an appearance before on the deck

for a Back Door Christmas)

But I felt like my rendition needed a little more personality,

so a ceramic rabbit tureen that I made years ago hopped inside.

Gardens and rabbits just go together.

You know you have too much "stuff", when you completely forget about a set of green transferware china! Yes, I totally forgot that I had this great set of Enoch Wedgewood Kent china, that had been stored in the side door of my breakfront.

On one of our recent trips to St. Louis I found three of these wonderful consume/berry bowls and salad plates in "Crown Ducal, Florentine England". They are very old and have a black transfer rural cottage scene on the bowls and plates that read "Little Comberton". A gold rim and raised green fruit design on the border of the plates/saucers had me smitten.

Green Glassware is Martha Stewart

Last week I found the cute little whitewashed Pottery Barn napkin rings that look like flowerpots. Had to have them...and next week I'll show you another fun way I've used them. Woven placemats were from TJ Maxx a couple of years ago, and the linen napkins are just a few of my vintage collection.