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Between Naps on the Porch
Between Naps on the Porch: September 2010

Between Naps on the Porch

Between Naps on the Porch is a lifestyle blog with an emphasis on Decorating, Tablescaping, Before and Afters, Thrify Finds, and Gardening.

Sep 29, 2010

Sketch Floral Makes Its Debut! Welcome to the 110th Tablescape Thursday!

Give-a-Way for Modern Butterfly Dinnerware by Mikasa
All this week we've been celebrating with a fabulous Give-a-Way! Mikasa has generously donated four, 5-pc place settings of Modern Butterfly to a reader of BNOTP! Thank-you to everyone who took a moment of their time to enter. I loved reading your choices for your fave Mikasa pattern.

The winner of the random drawing is Cherry Kay who blogs at Entertaining Women. Congratulations, Cherry Kay! Please e-mail me your address and I'll forward it to Mikasa. Thanks Mikasa for this wonderful Give-a-Way! If you didn't win this time, take heart. We will be having similar giveaways in the future.


Tablescape Thursday:
Welcome to a very special week of Tablescape Thursday! I am sooo excited to share my table setting with you this week because tonight, I'm sharing beautiful dinnerware that is just about to make it's debut! In just a few days, Sketch Floral will be available for purchase in retail stores, but you're getting a little sneak preview here this evening! :)




Even though it was early afternoon when these pics were taken, the autumn sun isn't near as bright as the summer sun. If almost felt like evening time here on the porch.




It began to get darker, and I lit the candles as long shadows fell across the porch...




I love candlelight...so I don't mind the shadows coming a bit earlier these days.







This picture was taken a little earlier in the day...so the candles were not lit just yet. I decided to keep the centerpiece very simple using all white candles and candlesticks. I took a ribbon and bow I have been saving for years...do you do that...save ribbon and bows? It was just the right length to fit around my candle centerpiece and the colors were perfect for my tablescape.




For my centerpiece, I took the base of the glass-domed server you saw used HERE and I added white candles from Colonial Candle.




As sunlight seeped away slowly from the porch, the candles grew brighter and brighter.




Centerpiece all aglow...




Sketch Floral is a beautiful porcelain china with a delicate floral pattern. This photo was taken with soup bowls at each place setting.




Sooo romantic. A pattern this beautiful deserves equally beautiful napkins. Vintage, embroidered napkins just felt right with this china.

















This pattern has matching mugs...perfect for coffee, hot tea or cider after dinner...











A few evening candlelight pics...







I didn't realize I was taking pics during the Blue Hour until I saw this photo later. :)



Hope you enjoyed this sneak preview of Sketch Floral. After you visit all the wonderful tablescapes posted for this TT, click HERE for a little more tablescape inspiration.


Chargers: Neiman Marcus, years ago
China: Provided by Mikasa, Pattern is Sketch Floral
Glassware: Pier 1
Flatware: Towel, King Richard
Napkins: Vintage, found in local antique shop
Napkin Rings: Provided by
The Style Sisters Shop
Centerpiece: Base found at Marshalls, months ago
Candles: Provided by
Colonial Candle

The Legal Stuff:
The china used in this tablescape was provided by Lifetime Brands, Inc. BNOTP is not an employee nor an affiliate of Lifetime Brands, Inc. so the opinions expressed here are mine and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Lifetime Brands.


Looking forward to viewing your beautiful tablescapes!




Please Read:
If you are participating in Tablescape Thursday, please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on your post name. Then just copy and paste the address that shows up in the address bar at the top, into the "url" box for the picture linky. You'll also need to put your e-mail address in, but don't worry, it will not be visible to anyone.

I'd love for you to use the Tablescape Thursday logo button in your post. To do that, just copy and paste it to your computer and upload it to your post as you would any photo. Or, just grab the html code posted on the sidebar under the TT button.

Please, link back to the host blog, Between Naps on the Porch. This is important because it helps those who are visiting your blog, find the other wonderful tablescapes posted for this Tablescape Thursday, thus increasing visits for all participants.

Please, do not add your link below, until your tablescape post is actually published to your blog.

Please, don't add your post name/blog name in ALL CAPS...it tends to create big spaces between the rows of links. Thanks!

Let's try something fun today! Please visit the person who linked before you and after you...that way everyone will get some visits. Hope you'll visit more, of course. 


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Sep 28, 2010

A Fall Door Basket

My Fall Basket:

Well, I took everyone's combined advice and I:

1. Decided to keep the fall basket on the door since most of you liked it. I made it taller and skinner so I think it looks much better...less wide and overwhelming on the door.

And

2. I cut the whiter flowers off the bunch of sunflowers they were attached to. I dispersed them throughout the arrangement. For some reason, they looked a lot whiter in the photos I shared with you guys then they come across in person. In person, the centers of the white flowers are sort of creamy yellow. They look a lot better dispersed throughout the arrangement (now that I cut them off) instead of clustered along the bottom which is where they had somehow ended up since they are part of the sunflower bunch of flowers.

Sorry these pics were taken after dark...but hopefully you can see the changes I made...










I'm still looking for something viney and trailing to add along the bottom...

At the end of the fall season, I'm going to take this baby apart and buy some chicken wire to poke down in the basket...see if that will make arranging the flowers a little easier...that was another suggestion you guys had. Thank you to everyone!

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Sep 26, 2010

Welcome Fall With an Autumn Basket for Your Front Door! Welcome to the 89th Metamorphosis Monday!

I need your help today...I can't see the forest for the trees...so tell me what you think. I have a pretty fall wreath I sometimes place on my door...but this year I thought I'd try a basket instead. Here's how my front door has looked all summer. (Joining in Rhoda's Fall Door party HERE!)




Nice, but time to put this look away and welcome in the fall season...




I found this large basket recently while out antiquing and I loved the warm, rich color of the basket...it just said autumn leaves, cozy fires in the fireplace, and warm, woolly mittens. Yep...that's what it said...so I couldn't leave it there...it had to come home with me.




I bought a bunch of fall silk flowers...more than I figured I would need...because it's a HUGE basket. I knew it would take a lot to fill it. I even bought a few pumpkins/squash thingies in case I wanted to work them into the arrangement.




I stuffed newspapers into the very bottom...and added styrofoam on top. I stuck the stems of the silk flowers into the styrofoam. I left the tags on...just in case I didn't like the look. I can cut them off later if I decide to keep them all. Silk flowers are soooo expensive, so I have to make sure.




Next, I put newspaper in around the stems to help hold them...and wedged in more styrofoam. These plants were pretty heavy and needed a lot of support.




I added floral moss from Dollar Tree on top.




Ready for the reveal? Be honest...tell me if it just looks too big.









Someone mentioned about removing the white flowers...I tend to agree. But they are part of the whole sunflower bunch...connected together. So maybe I'll return that bunch for a different bunch. The white flowers do tend to stand out a bit against all the fall colors....not sure I like that. What do you think?

Update: I took a look at them and in person they don't seem so white. I'm not sure why they look so white in the pics. I may leave them since they aren't as white in person. :)
















Here's another alternative...a basket I used last year on one of the doors going out to the screened-in porch.




Nah...not crazy about that green basket against the red door. I think I'll use this back on the screened-in porch again this year.




So, is the basket too large? Should I return all the silk flowers and go back to my fall wreath from last year?




Or will this work?




Addition: I just reworked it some...made it taller and less wide. Ann...a reader of BNOTP, just emailed and said a trick is to use chicken wire down inside the basket...I like that idea!

Oh, I should have mentioned...I'm going to try to make pumpkin topiaries this next week. Wish me luck. Anyone know how to get those babies to all stand up interconnected? I want them to last at least until Halloween so I'm kind of reluctant to go poking holes in them...to attach them with wire or dowels. I'd love to pull out the existing topiaries (temporarily) and reuse the urns I already have...but I can't remove the topiaries from the pots...see THIS disaster post :( and you'll know why. So, I'll need to buy new urns/pots for my pumpkin topiaries. Home Depot or Lowes...here I come.




This post has been linked to Sarah, Outdoor Spaces Party at Thrifty Decor Chick.  Thanks, Sarah!







Metamorphosis Monday:
If you are participating in Metamorphosis Monday: Please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on your post name, then just copy and paste the address that shows up in the address bar at the top, into the "url" box for the picture linky. You'll also need to put your e-mail address in, but don't worry, it will not be visible to anyone.

I'd love it if you would include the MM button in your post, to make it easy for others to find you MM post. To do that, just copy and paste the Met Monday button to your computer or grab the html code from underneath the MM logo on my sidebar.

Please include a link in your MM post back to the host blog, Between Naps on the Porch. Why is this important? When you include a link back to BNOTP, it ensures your regular readers/visitors will find the other awesome "Before and Afters" linked for this Metamorphosis Monday. If everyone links back, this maximizes the visits for all participants.

Please do not add your link below, until your MM post is actually published to your blog. Please DO NOT type in all caps...it spreads the links waaaay out. Thanks! :-)

Let's try something fun today! Please visit the person who linked before you and after you...that way everyone will get some visits. Hope you'll visit more, of course. :-)


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Sep 25, 2010

Three Tablescapes: A Baby Shower, Beach Fun and Inspiration for Thanksgiving

Hi Everyone! Hope your week was fabulous! Any great plans for the weekend? I hope wherever you live...the weather is as awesome there as it is here. :)

Mikasa Give-a-Way: There's a fantastic Give-a-Way going on all this week from Mikasa...and it's just for BNOTP fans! Click HERE to visit the Give-a-Way post where you can leave a comment to be entered.

A few months back, I was blessed to receive some delightful pics of tablescapes created by three readers of BNOTP. I thought I'd share their wonderful tables today...along with the info they sent about how they were inspired to create them.

Kathy from Murray, KY told me, "I thought I'd share with you a table decoration I recently did for my daughter-in-law's stork luncheon at a restaurant in Memphis, Tn."


















Kathy, (second from the left) thanks so much for sharing these wonderful pics. I loved it and I know it will give other folks some ideas for future baby shower events.




Another BNOTP reader, Jo, sent pics of two adorable tablescapes she created this past summer. I apologize for taking so long to get these posted, Jo...life gets a little crazy on the porch sometimes. (LOL)

Jo told me, "Because of working full time and also not having that many dishes, I change my table setting for the seasons. Just wanted you to see my June, July and August theme. The first table is for my grandchildren. The tablecloth is a $12 beach towel from Walmart."





Jo continued, "The adult table and children's table were basically done by shopping at the Dollar Tree, Dollar General and Walmart! The tablecloth is a 3 yard piece of fabric I picked up at a bargain store after I'd already done my table setting. Thanks for all you and the others do to encourage people like me to make our lives more beautiful!"




Jo, thank you so much for sharing your beautiful tables with us. And, thanks for showing us that folks don't have to spend a lot to create wonderful table settings for their families. :)


Vernice shared these beautiful pics of a lovely fall/Thanksgiving tablescape she created.















Vernice, thanks so much! This table setting has provided so much inspiration for the fall season and the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday!

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