So this is the dining room...

Today I am linking this to Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch.

A special thank you goes out to Susan for hosting us each week.

As a side note, many of you commented on my pearl napkin ring holders last week, while unique, they couldn't have been easier- I simply took my pearl necklaces and bracelets and wrapped them around my napkins!

This tablescape all started with a fantastic candle holder I received last week from Mom for my Birthday. The brown candle she got to go with it smells just like mocha and goes beautifully with my "melted chocolate" color on my walls.

Since last weeks "ode to fall" turned into "goodbye to summer", I wanted to return to fall...

While exploring last week I came across these beautiful sweater pumpkins on the following site

http://hummadeedledee.blogspot.com/2009/09/sweet-sweater-pumpkin-time.html.

She has wonderful step by step instructions posted!
Today is all about elegant fall. Each place setting is made up of sliver chargers, sliver rimmed green metal plates, glass salad plates, and pressed glass fruit cups.
My daughter helped me make these wonderful little tassels!

Pumpkins pouring out of my green soup bowl...

Tiny hand print...
And tiny foot print...
Sparkling glass galore!

The clear stemware was a gift my sister brought back for me from Europe.

Happy Elegant Fall!

Thank you for visiting with me today!

Please join me tomorrow for Art Work Friday.

Little Surprises

My mom has a wonderfully unique plant.

The leaves are purple and shaped like three leaf clovers.

She keeps it on her kitchen table.

If you are just glancing at the plant you might miss something little.

But if you look closer, underneath the larger purple leaves you might see...
A beautiful little surprise!

I am so like that with things, I look too quickly at the outside of things.

I judge things and others at time by only what I can see,

or what I take the time to see.

But, when I take the time to look deeper, dig deeper

I can find "little surprises"!

Zac's Ark

Thank you to all of my wonderful friends and family for helping me celebrate my 41st Birthday!

When I started my blog ,back at the beginning of September, I had absolutely no idea what I was stepping into to. But I must tell you, what a wonderful and encouraging adventure this has been. My fellow bloggers, you have been some of the warmest, inspiring, encouraging, supportive and, I must say, productive individuals I've ever "met".

I am still working on my living room redesign, so I'm not ready to reveal that quite yet.

So what do I share for Metamorphosis Monday, when my biggest change is 8 piles of dirty laundry into eight piles of clean laundry?

My Aunt suggested I share a project that I must confess that no longer even exists.

So in the spirit of Metamorphosis Monday and many thanks to Susan At

Between Naps on the Porch...

close your eyes and imagine a empty bedroom with a crib and dresser...

Now image that the crib is needed to be moved to the room next door for the arrival of a new baby girl. This left our almost three year old in a twin bed. We soon discovered that our small child suffered from something we had never heard of but soon became experts on- Night Terrors. It seemed that moving him out of his comfy enclosed crib into his "big boy bed" had triggered almost nightly Terrors. We decided to try and build him a enclosed "big boy bed" and came up with a Noah's Ark or in this case Zac's Ark theme!

We used sheets of wainscoting to create the structure of the "Ark".

Baby sister, Madison, sitting in front of our "water" border.

Arks need Elephants, peering out of portholes!

Giraffes and Zebras!

Camels and mice!
Birds, butterflies and frogs!
A big cat lounging on the deck!

And most importantly a very handsome captain!

Here is the best photo I found of it all put together!

Obviously this was done years ago, 1998 to be exact.

The photos were all taken on my 35 mm and I scanned them into the computer.

For anyone curious, the bed did help reduce the number of night terrors! I wish I could say that it eliminated them totally, but he eventually stopped having them.

Painting the animals were a labor of love!

If you are interested in more art work check out my Art Label.

We have since moved from this house and the bed is no more, but thank you for taking the time to relive this precious part of our life!

For more inspiring ideas check out Between Naps on the Porch!

Art Work Friday #3

Today I will highlight a piece painted by my husband. It is one of my favorite pieces of art in my home. We have this piece displayed in our living room on an art easel. I am currently working on a room redesign for this room, but will keep this displayed for certain!

I would just love to stroll down this street...

Thank you for joining me today!

Saying Goodbye to Summer

Wow, I just never know how a tablescape will turn out.

Today's started out as an ode to fall and ended up as a goodbye to summer!

Thank You to Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for hosting Tablescape Thursday.

This week officially bid welcome to fall, although in my part of the country temperatures are still hovering in the muggy low 80's. So I gathered a smattering of left over summer flowers and created today's tablescape.

Please forgive the darker, grainier photos. the sun had been out all day up until the time I went to take pictures, but that is life...

All dressed up and no place to go!

The napkins get graced with pearls.

The last of our homegrown tomatoes...

The small clear glass votive holders were my thrift store find of the day! There were five of them including candles for .50 piece!

The center piece is simply maiden grass and day lilies!

Every table can benefit from a pop of color!

I love the shape of the little white pitcher.

As night falls..

Thank you for joining me for Tablescape Thursday.

Make sure you head on over to Between Naps on the Porch for inspiring ideas!

Join me tomorrow for Art Work Friday!

Wow, Here is it Sunday evening and I'm finally getting around to posting an art piece for Art Work Friday!

I painted this piece a few years ago for a bedroom redesign I was working on! I have always loved how it turned out and in many ways wished I still owned it.

This has been a very busy weekend, and I have been working on a grand undertaking to share for Metamorphosis Monday, however I'm not finished yet...

A Reader's Tea

Come join me for a Reader's tea!

Find a good book...And a comfy chair...
And settle in for a long read with a large teapot and over sized mug!

I just love the beautiful design on my brown plate!

Thank you for joining me today! Please be sure to check out Tablescape Thursday at

Between Naps on the Porch.

Join me tomorrow for Art Work Friday!