Welcome Fall with Neutrals and Yellows

 

Happy Tuesday, My Lovelies!  Did you have a nice Labor Day yesterday?  I hope you had a nice time grilling out with your family.  And if you didn't grill, I hope you had a lovely day and ate something delicious!

Today I'm joining fourteen other stylists as we share our Welcome Fall Tablescapes!

Sweet Rita from the Panoply blog hosts our blog hop parties.

Thank-you, Rita, for your hard work in hosting.  You're the best!

I wanted to use these fairly new napkins on my table.  The neutral seersucker ones were purchased from Anthropologie, and the bright yellow check napkins are from Farmhouse Pottery.

When I was looking around for table linens and tableware for this tablescape, I decided to go with mostly neutrals and yellow.  I think these colors are reminiscent of autumn, especially the browns.

The yellow cabbage rose tablecloth is the most summery thing on the table.  But this table is definitely a transition from summer to fall.  The checked table runner with the bright yellow stitching complements it.

The little salt and pepper shaker set is definitely a nod to autumn.  I like how it matches the table runner.

I chose chrysanthemums and sunflowers for the centerpiece.  Sunflowers are so plentiful this time of the year, and I love the colors of the mums.

For the past couple of falls I've taken out this espresso set.  The colors remind me of fall.

I also like how the cups and saucers look with our Longaberber stoneware.

I love the bright sunflower napkin rings.  Yellows and golds are lovely colors for fall!

Resources

Tablecloth:  Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic

Table runner:  Terrain

Seersucker napkins and salt and pepper set:  Anthropologie

Check napkins:  Farmhouse Pottery

Napkin rings:  Pier 1

Plates, bowls, mugs, and tea light holders:  Longaberger stoneware

Cutlery pouches: Smith's Variety

Green cut glass tumblers:  Green Row

Coffee press and espresso set:  Target

Vase:  MacKenzie-Childs

Flowers:  The Fresh Market and The Piggly Wiggly

Below are the links for the party.  Thrifting Wonderland is next if you're linking in order.

Panoply - Shuffling Seasons with an Early Fall Tablescape

Home is Where the Boat Is - Woodland Friends and Harvest Plaid

Everyday Living - The Colorful Bliss of Autumn

Hyacinths for the Soul - On the Cusp of Autumn

Celebrating Everyday Life - Welcome Fall with a Cozy & Elegant Tablescape

My Thrift Store Addiction - Curated Charm Autumn Breakfast Table

The Bookish Dilettante - Welcome Fall with Neutral and Yellow

Thrifting Wonderland - Thrifting for a Welcome Fall Tablescape

The Cat's Whiskerz - Hydrangeas, Sunflowers, and Pumpkins for a Fall Tablescape

Red Cottage Chronicles - A Cozy Autumn Dinner

Dinner at Eight - Leaves of Green - and Gold, Crimson, Rust and Bronze

Life and Linda - An Enchanted Fall Faerie Tablescape

Me and My Captain - Another Fall...Another Turned Page...in New Mexico

Corner of Plaid and Paisley - A Little Taste of Fall Tablescape

Mantel and Table - An Intimate Al Fresco Tablescape: Cozy & Beautiful Fall Dining

I love the color of these light yellow sunflowers from Mississippi.

I just wanted to share them with y'all!

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill

Welcome Fall with Neutrals and Yellows

Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Christmas Traditions Tablescape

 

Hello, My Lovelies!  I hope your Advent has been joyful so far!

I am so excited about this tablescape blog hop party hosted by Rita from the Panoply blog!  If you're linking in order, you were just dazzled by Cecilia from My Thrift Store Addiction.  I love her blog, and her Instagram feed is beautiful, too.

Thank-you so much for hosting, Rita!

Before I get started with my tablescape post, I need to tell you that my email service is going away.  For those of you who subscribe to my TinyLetter Newsletter, you will no longer get one from that service.  I migrated all of your emails over to Mailer Lite.  So far I am loving the change, and I think you will enjoy the new ones much, much more (you should get a newsletter in your inbox at some point today).  If you want the latest news from my blog, please subscribe to my newsletter by using the widget located on my Follow Me Page.  Thank you so much for following!  

Now on to my Christmas tablescape...

The reason I entitled this post "Christmas Traditions Tablescape" is because I used our formal china from our wedding registry.  I still love our pattern, and I especially like the cute little teacups.  I've set the table for several courses, and I also used our wedding registry crystal.  The only thing I didn't do is bring out the silver.  I was being lazy....I didn't want to polish silver.  But I think I will do so before Christmas and enjoy it on into the New Year! 

I started with our china.

One day I ran across this table runner from Shabby Chic, and when I saw it I thought it would be pretty with our china.

I added Shabby Chic napkins in ditsy prints.  None of them are alike, but they all blend with the other elements on the table.

The Christmas crackers are shaped like Christmas trees in shades of green and blue.  Mr. Bookish's family is English, and he requests this tradition each year.

The centerpiece is a little flocked tree with real roses stuck in it.  I think they look like little ornaments.

I wanted a few yellow roses on the table because the ruffle of the table runner has yellow in it.  You can't really see it much in the photos, but in person the roses complement the runner nicely.

I left a little room for serving on the Welsh dresser because our dining table is tight.  The green candles and bobeches are new.

I love bringing in cyclamen during Christmas.  This year we have white and a deep red.  I'll post more of our Christmas decor later in the week.

I thought I'd share a couple of photos with the lights dimmed and the candles lit:

The photos seem darker than reality, and if it truly were this dark one couldn't see to eat!

Resources:

China:  Rosedale by Wedgwood

Crystal:  (water, hock, claret, and salt and pepper set) Lismore by Waterford

Table linens except tablecloth:  Shabby Chic

White tablecloth:  Hotel collection by Williams-Sonoma

Christmas tree collar: Ramekin in the Piccadilly pattern by MacKenzie-Childs

Dark Blue flower frog vase:  LaPella Pottery via Etsy

Tall pink votive holders:  Shabby Chic

Short pink votive holders:  A gift from a blog friend

Christmas crackers:  Anthropologie

Ceramics on Welsh dresser:  Mackenzie-Childs

Ornaments on dresser:  Anthropologie

Candles:  The Fresh Market

Green Bobeches:  At Home, Homewood

Flowers:  Bloom & Petal, Greystone

Below you'll find the links for all the blog hop participants.  Maureen's blog, Red Cottage Chronicles, is next.  Her posts NEVER disappoint!

Panoply - A Christmas Home Tablescape

Hyacinths for the Soul - Plaid Tidings

Everyday Living - Repeat the Sounding Joy

Home is Where the Boat Is - It's a Marshmallow World with Snowmen

My Thrift Store Addiction - Kringle Family Tree Farm Christmas Tablescape

The Bookish Dilettante - Christmas Traditions Tablescape (You're here!)

Red Cottage Chronicles - English Cottage Christmas Tablescape

Pandora's Box - Dinner on the Old Round Table

From My Carolina Home - Vintage Christmas Tablescape

Thrifting Wonderland - Christmas Tree Magic

Corner of Plaid and Paisley - Christmas Nutcracker Table

Dinner at Eight - Dreaming of a White (and Blue) Christmas

Belle Bleu Interiors - A Joyous Christmas Table

The Cat's Whiskerz - A Rustic Christmas Tablescape

Life and Linda - Deer Prancing Through the Snow

Me and My Captain - A German Christmas Tablescape

The Painted Apron - The Season of Giving

Thank-you so much for reading my blog!

Until next time...

Blessings!

Ricki Jill

Christmas Traditions Tablescape

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Things I Didn't Do For Christmas This Year...

 

...that I'd like to do next year!

Happy Wednesday, My Lovelies!  There are several things I wanted to do around the house for Christmas that I didn't do since I wanted to keep things simple.  I thought it would be helpful for me to write a post for next year, and I thought y'all might like to see what my plans are for next Christmas.

First of all, I did NOT put up a tree this year.  There were several reasons I didn't, but the main one is my grand dog will be visiting, and he is TROUBLE!  Hopefully he will be out of the puppy stage next year.  

I love the one from The General, above, and below:

I would like to purchase a similar one I found at Balsam Hill, and it's flocked!  We might buy one when they go on sale after Christmas.

You can find this tree HERE.

Sometimes I make menus for our family meals.  I saw these cute ones from Daphne's Diary.  You can download this menu and print several for your Christmas dinner.  They have some festive downloads for all seasons, y'all.

I was inspired by this photo from Shabby Chic:

I like the small bowls with the floating roses.  Instead of roses, I'd like to use the pretty camellias we have on our property.  They are in bloom this time of the year, and they are also pink.  If we have any left after the very cold weather expected over Christmas, I might try this look for New Year's Eve.

I did not participate in a cookie swap this year.  Next year I'd like to host one.

Southern Bourbon Balls

Here is the recipe.

At the cookie swap, I'd like to make something like this for party favors:

This pretty craft is from Donna Hay.  Do you watch her on Disney+?  I enjoy her shows and videos.  I also follow her blog.

Here is the link to this project, along with other Christmas styling tips and tricks.

You might remember my review of her latest cookbook, The Fast Five, HERE. 

Although it's a pared-down Christmas this year, I'm having a lot of fun, and I'm finding a lot of joy.  What is bringing you joy this week?

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill

Things I Didn't Do For Christmas This Year...

Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Books Round-Up

Happy Thursday, My Lovelies!  Spring has sprung in Central Alabama.  Yesterday, we took the Westies for a long walk and enjoyed the sunshine and 80 degree weather.  It was like heaven in February, and I loved it!

As I promised in yesterday's post, today I have a round-up post of my favorite Rachel Ashwell books.  Below each photo I'll give a brief synopsis of why I love the book.

Published in 1996, it's easy to understand why Rachel's style in Shabby Chic has stood the test of time.  Chapter One covers diverse styles: casual beach, contemporary, traditional, and eclectic.  The featured rooms are so pretty, and there's nothing in any of these rooms I wouldn't have in our home today.  My favorite chapter in this book is Chapter Four: Fabrics. Several of Rachel's early printed linen fabrics are featured, and I would be so happy if she'd look in the archives and bring back some of them!  The last chapter, Chapter 7: Flowers, has the prettiest selection of roses I've ever seen, and I'd like to plant a few of the varieties shared in this chapter.

Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic: Treasure Hunting & Decorating Guide was first published in 1998.  This is more like a resource book to me on all things flea markets and estate sales. Rachel not only shares her best shopping tips; she also explains what to do with treasures once you've found them.  There are countless tips on cleaning, restoring, and decorating your home with your found things.  Some of her best tips are on how to clean and treat vintage fabrics.  This is a keeper because I love old linens, and I'm not as worried about buying something stained since I have this handy book.  

Shabby Chic Inspirations and Beautiful Spaces was published in 2011.  Of all the books, this one has the most diverse selection of homes and rooms.  Among some of the features of this book are Rachel's Texas Prairie property and Notting Hill apartment; Sharon and Ozzy Osborne's stunningly gorgeous dining room and foyer; and probably the most pinned tiny shabby chic cottage in the world, Sandy Foster's Catskill cottage.  

Published in 2013, Couture Prairie and Flea Market Treasures is all about Rachel's property near Round Top, Texas.  Each building on the property is featured along with the store and outbuildings.  Because The Prairie is an event venue, there's also a chapter entitled "Making magical moments."  There's also a chapter on flea market finds, and a handy reference guide for all things Round Top.  This book will be my go-to guide if I ever get to visit the Round Top Antiques Fair.

The World of Shabby Chic was published in 2015.

Mine is a little faded because it was sitting in the sun in my family room.

This is the book without the dust jacket.  Isn't it beautiful!

The World of Shabby Chic has three sections:  The Shabby Chic Story, At the Heart of Shabby Chic, and The Looks of Shabby Chic.  This book details the history and evolution of the brand, and I found it a very interesting read.  One thing that stands out in this book are the unique vignettes featuring flowers in unusual yet beautiful containers.

This is Rachel's new book, and in case you missed it, you can read my post about My Floral Affair HERE.

I love Rachel's style, and her influence can be seen in our home.

Until next time...

Happy reading!

Ricki Jill

Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Books Round-Up

Thursday, February 22, 2018