70, 80, 90

Hosted by Susan and Leigh
It is Thursday once again and that means another Thrifty Tablescape Thursday for me! And since I can't afford much, this is one meme I can certainly do every week!

Let's see what we've got shall we?

Ok, it may only be Spring and Summer's not even here yet, but for this gal, I can't wait for Thanksgiving in the Fall. I can't help it, May rolls around and my mind starts to wander on all things Fall! I start sketching and planning, planning and sketching.

Well, last year about late October, I saw this line of Food Network dinnerware at Kohl's. (We have Kohl's very close to us, but I don't go often.) That November, I saw them but since Thanksgiving was so close, they weren't on sale. I decided to wait them out.

After the holidays, I kept missing the sale though they never went lower than 50%. I didn't want the dinner plates as they are very dark, so I decided that I would get the salad plates only and that 50% is a good deal. I guess it wasn't meant to be as I missed the sale again! So, I resorted to just looking and since life took most of my time, this pattern became an afterthought, a good "maybe someday" bit on my "would be nice" wish list. But then again, I am very patient...

Imagine my surprise last Saturday when I saw them at 80% off- the very same salad plates, bowls and even a platter! I quickly grabbed six of each of the salad plates, bowls and the one platter especially when the lady that circled the shelf three times all of a sudden decided she wanted some and was trying to get her hands on some of them! I employed my children to grab the dishes as soon as I got them so that I can grab the others! One is a floral print and one is a hobnail solid dark red ceramic. (Don't worry, I left her all the mugs and two bowls... LOL "Brain was quite proud of me that I didn't do the happy dance upon seeing the tag on these pattern we've salivated over for a while now.)


THEME:
"Thinking of Fall"

MY INSPIRATION:
"Red Currant" salad plates by Food Network



I decided that coupling it with creamy white will be the cleanest look for the table that I want to do this year so I paired it with my Thomson "Blanc" solid dinnerware that I got from Ross for $1 each back in February. I also laid a white tablecloth and broke it up with a dark red table runner. (I'll probably change that to a creamy white as well.) ;-)

It's also been raining here a lot so the darkness and otherwise quiet day made me think of Fall and it's symbol of slowing down and togetherness.

The dark wood color of my table nicely complimented the dark brown seagrass round placemats I found at Kohl's for 70% off each!


Here's the table with the Living room light on... I love how you can see the candles' flames! That's Red, my guard rooster on top of the 80% off coordinating platter or $5.99. It's a big platter! Red loves to be the center of attention you know... When he's not on the table, he is on the shelf positioned to watch the front door. ;-)


This is after I turned off all the lights... Don't you just love the shadows that my crystal created? It certainly gave the table a more welcoming glow. I can almost smell the pies and dishes. *sigh*


I also chose to give it another casual twist by putting the utensils in the bowl. The napkins, they are only 49 cents each or 90% off!

But again, this is just a sneak peek, a practice run of my Fall table so more will be added that's for sure. It is still subject to much tweaking, but I love the base look, don't you? ;-) I want to fill up the platter with more fall accessories and fruits. I can't wait!

Oh, do you see Josh and Lily? They chirped and chirped until I heard them because they wanted to be part of the action of course!



I promised Red his close up shot so here it is... Isn't he a handsome fella?


Here's a closer look of the table. I love the shape of the bowls. The hobnail design is on the bottom rim of each bowl. It'll be perfect for that hearty soup I'll be making. I placed apples around the iron leaf-and-stem candleholder I also found at Kohl's for 80% off or 2.49!

Just like you, I gotta have my "artsy shot"! LOL I can't wait to get my garlands and napkin holders and other pretty things to go with this table. I'm getting so excited! Behind that candle, I'll have a great vase that I will fill with a great bouquet!

TABLETOP GOODIES:

Food Network "Red Currant" Salad Plates & bowls- Kohl's; 80% off or $2 each

Food Network "Holiday Napkin" Glittered White napkins- Kohl's; 90% off- 49 cents each

Food Network "Red Currant" Platter- Kohl's; 80%- 5.99

Hampton "Lace" Flatware- Walmart; $40 for 45 pieces

Gorham "Rose Serenade" Crystal Goblets- Tuesday Morning; 70% off- $4 each

Thomson "Blanc" Dinner & Dessert Plates- Ross; 75% off- $1 each

Holiday Home "Snow Frost" White Tablecloth- 75% off- $1.07

Blossoms & Blooms Seagrass Dark Round Placemats- Kohl's; 70% off- 2.99 each

Dark Red Table Runner- Ross; 75% off (can't remember)

MENU:

TBP

(To Be Planned)

Thanks a bunch again to our lovely hosts, Susan and Leigh.

These memes are so fun for me, I look forward to showing all of you how easily you can create a great table for very little money!

Now make sure to visit them to see other beautiful tables and thrifty finds!

Prepping Plates for the Patio Party Meme

Hosted by "French Lique, Texas"
Seeing Purple... The word today is "PLATES"... (shh..., they are all e-bay photos)





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Hosted by "A Southern Daydreamer"
I'm sure everyone's excitedly getting ready for Barb's May 5th Porch and Patio Party like I am!

While I get my patio in shape in the next week, let me share two inspiration ones.

From Target dot com

I love how this set blends in with the tile. It looks like the set was pulled up from the tiles!

From Patio Set dot com

I love teak especially those with storage capacities!

I can't wait to see my patio all cleaned up!

A BIG THANK YOU TO SUSAN AND DIXIE FOR HOSTING AGAIN TODAY!

TABLESCAPING IDEA: ("Brain" will be doing this with me on the 5th) Revolve your tablescape according to main color of your patio set to create a flawless and professional look. If dark, use it as accent colo. If light, infuse a natural element to bring it to life. Instead of a regular lemonade, do a Pineapple Zinger (pineapple with ginger ale) or any virgin cocktail you like. Have string lantern woven through the umbrella with some tropical garland or strung up above the dining area to add romance and low votives to bring a soft glow to the table.

1, 2, 3... Oh, It's Tuesday!

Hosted by "The Gypsys Corner"

I borrowed all these pictures online so you can see all the fruits we bought during testing week. Of course, any one of these are present in our home at any given day, but testing week is special so we "power up" our children inside and out! ;-)

Last night, we celebrated my teen daughter's NHS induction and also it is our younger daughter's testing week, so I grabbed the freshest fruits and veggies to feed them to get them ready for any tests! ;-) I think I don't need any explanation on the following. What do you think? ;-)

From Dreams Time dot com



From Babble dot com

From Wise Geek dot com

From Cooking Goddess dot com

Thanks for hosting Tam! I love this meme!

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TABLESCAPING IDEA: ("Brain" watches too much Food Network... Thank goodness for that! LOL) For a unique centerpiece, either create a fruit art or "style" your cut or whole fruits. Wash them first! As the guests start to dine, talk about why you chose those fruits (it goes with the menu and dinnerware of course!) then invite them to take some home or have them in lieu of sugary dessert. You'll be a hit for feeding them something pretty and healthy! Make the overall menu healthy with lime ginger grilled salmon or tuna or shrimp and or have ceviche and grilled chicken with steamed veggies!

The Folded Napkin

Hosted by "Southern Hospitality"
Hosted by "Between Naps on the Porch"

This is my first Thrifty Treasures, so this post is also perfect! I got 8 of these napkins- dirt cheap! You'll see!

Last Thursday, for my tablescape, many of you noticed my "tucked in" silverware and asked me how I did it. Well, since I'll be transforming a napkin into a pocket, I thought, "Brain" will this qualify for today's Met Monday? And she said, "why of course! Commence with the napkin to pocket metamorphosis!" That "Brain", she's a cut-up! LOL

So here are the steps to folding this napkin into a pocket! I used one of the new ones, tag still on it, because the initial fold gave me this idea!

1) Layout your napkin, long ones work best for this fold.

2) Fold it inside out, where you can see the main tag, not the store tag.

3) Fold down the top part by about 2 inches.

4)Fold in one side.

5) Fold in the other side so they face each other.

See the price tag at the above photo? I really did get it for 39 cents- 90% off!

6)Fold both sides together like a book. Easy so far, right?

7)Choose which part of the book fold you want to show and fold the bottom at an angle to show an isosceles triangle view of the bottom side.

8)Grab three silverware to tuck in and you're done!

This is what it looks like tucked in.

Here's a full placesetting. Gotta love swirly straws!

Or, you can put it on top of your plates and hint of a casual dinner to come.

I hope you all enjoyed the transformation of my 39-cent napkin. I love Kohl's, especially when they have enough of what I need and want for uber savings! Yay! I can't wait to share with you on Thursday more of my great finds!

Susan and Rhoda, I can't tell you enough how fun these memes are. Thank you so much! Ok, everyone, go visit other's thrifty finds and transformations! Heart ya for peeking!

TABLESCAPING IDEAS: ("Brain" doesn 't think she's needed for this one) To wow your guests at your next gathering, find and try a great napkin fold by going to this site: Napkin Folding Guide

A New Meme for Sunday!

First, we have to spread the blogging love with an award!

Honestly, when I started this blog, I wasn't expecting to meet so many wonderful women! For that I thank you all... This award is certainly fit to be with all of your blogs, but some do come with rules, so we will play by them. ;-)


One of my great blog buddies, the ever creative interior designer Cathy of "The Stylish House" rewarded me with this award for doing something I can't help; be grateful for all of you! It felt great of course as she is one of the nicest bloggers I know since joining in all the memes. I graciously accept and will honor the rules of sharing such a great gift. Thank you, Cathy!

The Rules of Accepting and Sharing this Award
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs that show an attitude of gratitude.
3. Link to your nominees within your post.
4. Comment on their blogs to let them know they've received this award.
5. Share the love and link to this post and the person who nominated you for the award.

Tell us how you've come to have an attitude of gratitude
I have always felt that if you are nice to people, they will notice it whether you want them to or not. It's also my belief that God put other people here for our benefit and happiness, so how can I not be grateful for that? I have a lot of things to be grateful for and pray every night that I never forget to say "thank you".

The 10 wonderful bloggers that I'd like to share this award with are: No particular order, these ladies have left comments, like all of you, that "puffed up" my heart. ;-)

Ann of "Three Little Ladies"
Lynn of "Lynn's Kitchen"
Marty of "A Stroll Thru Life"
Lorna of "Ivy & Lace Cottage"
Cindy of "Applestone Cottage"
Leigh of "Tales of Bloggeritaville"
Chari of "Happy To Design"
Ellen of "Mennonite Girls Can Cook"
Ceekay of "Thinkin Of Home"
Gina of "Painter's Place"

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Hosted by "Happy To Design"

How exciting is it to join in a new meme that our very own darling, Chari of "Happy To Design" is hosting! Make sure to link up if you want to join in!

Thanks Chari! You're such a sweetie for hosting!

I love a good laugh so this is one of my favorite post and I'm so glad I get to share it with all of you today!

THIS IS FROM FEBRUARY 11, 2009

A NORDIC(WARE) TALE

Have you seen these beautiful cake mold pans from Nordicware? Those castle, heart, and maple leaf ones? Especially the maple leaf ones? Those are sooooo cute! Well, I finally did last year at Walmart in one of their clearance aisles. So the stalking began...

In most places, these puppies command a retail of up to $40 (ok, $39.99), but of course Walmart, touted as the "Low Prices" King of retail, managed to slap on a decent $24.97 tag on the maple leaf molds. Did I jump at that $15 difference? Of course not! It's only close to 40% off, but not quite at 37% (Trade Secret #5), so NO, I didn't get it! (Did you think I would though, huh? Huh?)

Back to Walmart, November 2008... So right after Thanksgiving, I saw three of these Nordicware molds on clearance- $24.97 down to $19.97 ($5 off)- NO!

Almost Christmas, scoped out the last two- $19.97 down to $17.97 ($2 off)- NO! (The beautiful and smart "Brain" firmly set the "grab it" price at $12.50 and lower. I listen to her a lot!)

Yesterday... surprised to see the last one in the clearance aisle in between two badly chipped Autumn ceramic bowls-without a tag (you'll see). I quickly grabbed it ("Brain" said so) and hoped for the nearest price scanner (NONE btw, Walmart is technologically backwards from Target!). Charlie and Ian (he needed more meds, so we took him out of the house) head out to grab some windshield wipers for the van. I looked for them and found an associate.

NO, I didn't tell her that I've been stalkin' this one; I was nice and asked if they can find me a price for it so I can decide if I should buy it or not. She was very helpful. After a few minutes (ok, more like 10), another lady approached me and said, "We have no tag, but it's regularly $17.97, $18.00 regular."

("Nope, $24.97, I've been stalkin' remember?" "Shh! Brain, she'll hear you!").

She then told me that since it's clearance she'll give it to me for 50% off or $8.

("Half of $18 is 9!" "Hush Brain!")

I didn't say anything, but considered it so she asked me if I can show her where I found it. Along the way, we met up with the store manager and he was with another associate who addressed everyone as "Honey" (I later found out she was also a manager). She kept interrupting the manager and further explained that Thanksgiving items do not go lower than 50% off. That's just how it's been.

("Wrong again! Texas Walmarts (plural) shopper, I am , I am..." "Brain, shush!")

The store manager asked, "How much was the regular price? My lovely helper, replies, "$17 just like the hearts. I offered her $8, but she won't take it."

("$17? Back there, you said, $18! Which one is it?" "Brain, keep it down- shhh!")

He then says, "Oh right, those heart mold pans, they're similar. I thought they were heart shapes , but no, it's maple leaves, so yeah, it would be on Clearance."

("Hello! This is a Nordicware, don't compare those tin cans to this piece of art! How dare you?" "Brain, stop it! We know that, but they don't!")

(Faced me) "I'll give it to you 50% off, or (looking at my helper) $8, that's about right". The lady who explained things to me about their Thanksgiving clearance policy, she pipes in with, "Honey, listen. If you want to be precise, $7.50 is half of $17. So, $7.50. The store manager and the helper agreed.

("Brain" was waiting patiently for when these people would catch on. Nope, didn't happen...)

("Brain" says, if you can stop yourself from laughing, here's more...)

I said, "No, thank you. I've watched those since the day after Thanksgiving. It should've been marked down to 50% off then, and since it's February now and it's the LAST ONE, it should be marked down more." The "honey, listen" lady starts to walk away and says, "No, 50% is a good deal, I'd buy it for that or $7.50 (from her regular calculation of $17).

What did I do? (with "Brain" laughing in my head?)

I let them all walk away and then I let "Brain" kick in and declare that if they're willing to give it to me for $7.50, "I guess I'll take it." (looking like I gave in because I really want it- I did want it, but I didn't give i-iiinnnnnn...)

So off we go to get approval of the new price and said mold pan was checked out by "Honey, listen" lady, not knowing that "Brain" is celebrating up in my head.

$24.97 down to $7.50; that actually calculates to a...
70% off savings!!! Yeah!

(Thanks, "Brain" for shushing and "Mouth" for keeping quiet.)

And now... (drum roll, please) Presenting... (tan-tan-tan-tannnnnnn!) (pause for effect)

Nordicware Maple Leaf Mold Cake Pan!

(See the shmootz? That's from the missing tag)

She's a beaut, isn't she? All, 7 dollars and 50 cents of her! :-D)

(It's a little fuzzy, but you can see the new price)

Psst! (whispering) "Does this little scenario remind you of a certain TV show? If you knew which one I mean, the answer is... I am! I am!"

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TABLESCAPING IDEAS: ("Brain" loves that you read her first "published" conquer! LOL) There's nothing like using a favorite item, especially if there's a bigger sentiment behind it. Set a table that reminds you of favorite memories using food and maybe the dishes that added to that favorite.

A Short "Pink" History

Hosted by "Christine's Home and Travel Adventures"

Today, we're going to again explore what makes Carrollton, Texas special.

Did you know that Barney is produced in Carrollton, Texas?

That's where Disney stars Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato

got their start as 7 year old extras on the show.

From the Associated Press:

Sept. 19, 2006

A beehive of activityThe program is produced in the Dallas suburb of Carrollton, inside an unadorned red brick building that bears no hint of the beehive of activity within.
Inside, carpenters hammer away on set designs, elaborate props are constructed, voices and sounds are recorded and dance routines are rehearsed. The child actors who perform with Barney even have their own classroom and teacher.
Barney really is two people, as are each of his dinosaur sidekicks.

Aside from Barney, we also have...

Elm Fork Nature Preserve

This is the Amphitheater

Look at this Carrollton Police Department grounds?

Next Saturday, come join me and Christine for Sightseeing Saturday

and show us what's great about your city

or the places you've seen!

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Now onto something pink and pretty!

Hosted by "How Sweet The Sound"

"Victoria Park"

A Pfaltzgraff Pattern

This pretty, graceful pattern is rich in intricate textures and lavish details,
from the fluted exteriors to the scalloped rims,
all rendered in tones of pink and cream.
RETIRED as of 8/31/08.

(From Pfaltzgraff.com)

If you have this pattern, I have one thing to say to you...

You are...

one...

lucky duck!

I'm not into pink dinnerware much, but I found myself looking at this pattern a lot when I visit Pfaltzgraff online.

Thank you, Beverly and Christine for hosting another great one!HAPPY PINK SATURDAY TO ALL!

My blog buddy, Lynn of "Lynn's Kitchen" has a great recipe for Apple Crisp! Come see her and the yummy recipe. If you haven't yet yesterday, I mean! LOL I will so do it and show you all soon!

TABLESCAPING IDEA: ("Brain is just tickled pink about this idea!) Create a zen table using pink from the tablecloth to the candles. Meaning use the same shade of pink throughout and do a simple pink short orchid stem centerpiece in a clear glass. Use soft pink votives or tea lights in clear containers. By having a monotone table, it looks peaceful and serene, giving a zen feel to your evening. For the menu, plan a menu that's quiet to eat- creamy potato soup, marinated steak already cut in strips, brown rice pilaf or risotto and cheesecake bites. This is a perfect table to create when the whole family is stressed out over something like tests or a big move or not so good report cards. It will be an inexpensive and delicious therapy for everyone...