Tableware Under $125
Tablescapes
Classic Christmas Table Decor
Inspiring magic with classic Christmas table decor and a delicious meal! Where and when does Christmas magic happen — that twinkle of joy that fills your heart with gladness and light? More often than not I think it is in little quiet moments that sneak up on us: It’s a happy little plate stack with…
A Vintage Inspired Fall Fondue Party
This fall set the table with a plaid throw, classic Swissmar fondue pot, and a tumble of pumpkins and gourds for a cozy dinner party with savory foods! Fondue menu and tips included below! *This post includes affiliate links.* That delightfully crisp autumn air has rolled in. The leaves are glowing. And cozy evenings at…
A Bountiful Fruit & Chintz Thanksgiving Tablescape
Bring ease and elegance to your holiday tables: the same china pattern and the same tablecloth styled Thanksgiving to Christmas with a bountiful fruit and chintz theme! For my recent design tent at the Clinch River Antiques Festival (see it here) I set the table for Thanksgiving in an elegant style using fruit and flowers…
My Hello Fall Dinner Table
Set your dinner table for fall with warm tones, glowing copper, vintage china, and whimsical decor. Don’t miss the fall menu at the end! I’ve been thinking about this tablescape as my “so long summer, hello fall” table, and around here September has been a lovely blend of both: waning temperatures, warm light, cool breezes,…
Setting the Table for Independence Day
Are you ready for some fireworks, BBQ, watermelon, and all the red, white, and blue? I sure am! It also feels like a particularly poignant moment to revisit and reflect on our nation’s founding. While it is our nation’s 249th birthday, marking the day the Declaration of Independence was adopted, it is not the 249th…
China Patterns: The Rare & Valuable
Hello Lovely Peonies. Which china patterns are rare? Which are popular? Which are overdone? And how do I know if a pattern is valuable? My e-mail has been flooded with these kind of questions lately as well as requests for plate identification help (see this post on ID and this post for determining value). I’m…
A Blue & White Wedgwood Easter Table
Let’s set an elegant Easter table in blue and white with Wedgwood Queen’s ware, chintz linens, spring florals, and chocolate bunnies! Welcome to my Easter tablescape friends! If you are hunting inspiration for your spring parties and holiday gatherings, you are in the right place! This blue and white tablescape with Wedgwood Queen’s ware, chocolate…
A Traditional Christmas Tablescape in Black Watch Plaid
A blue and green traditional Christmas tablescape with Black Watch plaid linens, Spode Christmas tree china, gingerbread cookies, blue opaline coupes, and an evergreen centerpiece. It’s tiiiiimmmmmeeee! Time to think about your Christmas table! What better way to celebrate than with a traditional Christmas tablescape in Black Watch plaid? Blue and green for Christmas decor…
My Formula for a Pretty Autumn Table with Chintz
It’s time to host a fall dinner for friends and family! Press the pretty linens; pull out your favorite seasonal china; and whip up a hearty meal with luscious wine. Set a pretty autumn table with these tips! As soon as I laid eyes on this charming autumnal hued vintage chintz from P. Kaufmann I…
5 Tips for a Festive Christmas Table
Let’s set an elegant winter themed Christmas table for intimate holiday dinners and create a festive atmosphere! Good food, good drink, and a merry company of loved ones gathered around a beautifully set Christmas table make for that special holiday magic! It’s time to break out the festive linens, Christmas china, and good silver! Let’s…
Recipes
3 Easy Prep Ahead Breakfasts
Get weekday mornings under control with these easy prep ahead breakfasts! Busy mornings call for healthy breakfasts ready fast. As a mom of a busy toddler I’m finding it an absolute necessity to have a few homemade staples at the ready. Here are the recipes for my 3 favorite easy prep ahead breakfasts! Makes 12…
Insta Shredded Chicken 3 Ways
Make lunches and dinners a little easier this summer with my quick recipe for Instantpot shredded chicken. I’m sharing 3 ways to use it for quick tasty meals! Summer time is here and the living should be easy…at least in the kitchen! With kids out of school, vacation plans, guests, and outdoor events I know…
Shower Menu – Classic Southern Trio Salad Plate
Host an elegant but simple baby/bridal shower and serve a classic Southern trio salad plate! Classics are classic for a reason! I was reminded just how delightful classic Southern salads can be the other day when my mother and I enjoyed a delightful lunch at a little tea house. We both partook of the classic…
Autumn Cheese Board Round-Up
An autumn cheese board with mascarpone, figs, apples, rustic bread, blue cheese, and nuts + a round up of other themed boards to try this fall season! Charcuterie — because a generation raised on Lunchables is trying to be cool. ~ In the Curious Kitchen Hahahaha….I really couldn’t agree with In the Curious Kitchen more!…
A Fall Dinner Party Menu
Make planning your next autumn gathering easier with this fall dinner party menu that includes smoked chicken, creamed corn, lemon rosemary roast potatoes, and for dessert a fig tart! Sometimes selecting the menu for a dinner party can be the most challenging aspect of planning a get-together. I always enjoy searching through my cookbooks and…
Red, White & Plaid – A 4th of July BBQ Made Easy
Inspiration for your backyard Independence Day celebration with a red, white and plaid Americana tablescape and 4th of July BBQ made easy menu! Recipes and vintage sources included! With COVID restrictions lifted and July 4th just ahead, I know a lot of you are planning big summer gatherings for Independence Day celebrations. Keep it simple…
A Sunday Supper Menu Idea
Sunday suppers were one of those Southern traditions we adhered to with dependability when I was growing up. My whole family would amass at grandpa and grandma’s house for a feast she miraculously assembled somehow between shaking the preacher’s hand and a 20 minute drive. It was always a feast that made your mouth water,…
Red Velvet Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Feeling in the mood for a decadent dessert? Make these easy red velvet cupcakes with strawberry cream cheese frosting! If you like red velvet cake, you are going to adore these cupcakes with strawberry cream cheese frosting! It adds just the right amount of fruity sweetness to the tanginess of the cake. And I’m not…
My Mama’s Chicken Salad with Grapes & Pecans
A favorite summer dish perfect for picnics and dining al fresco — chicken salad with grapes and pecans! We all have a favorite dish from our mama’s kitchen….you know that dish that no one can make better than her! It’s one you get a craving for and can never make as tasty as she does.…
Carolina BBQ: We Like Pig Butts & We Cannot Lie
7 Tips for smoking delicious Carolina BBQ from our family grill master, including grilling tools, dry rub secrets, and techniques! Around our family circle, my husband Seth is the grill master. He can roast a steak to medium rare perfection, sear a scallop without it sticking, and smoke pork to barbequed goodness. Yeah, he is…
Cocktails
Homemade Autumn Wassail – No Alcohol
Cook up this delicious apple cider based autumn wassail for all the fall flavor but none of the alcohol! For us pregnant ladies looking to enjoy the traditional drinks of autumn and winter, it feels a bit disappointing to miss out on the mulled wines, hot toddies, and wassails! Am I right? So on our…
Pineapple Sherbet Limeade Mocktail
Mix up this non-alcoholic punch with pineapple sherbet and limeade for a sweet tangy refreshing mocktail perfect for the end of summer! If like me you are on an alcohol hiatus, you maybe searching for some refreshing beverages to enjoy on these hot and humid late summer afternoons. This pineapple sherbet limeade mocktail is the…
Summer Cocktail: An Aperol Pop
Looking for a delightful summer cocktail that’s easy to make and oh so refreshing? Try my Aperol pops with prosecco, Aperol, and tangerine popsicles! If you love an Aperol spritz in the summer months, you are going to adore this twist on a classic summer cocktail! This one is so easy to make, but feels…
The Easiest “Tastes like Fall in a Glass” Mimosa
An easy peasy apple cider mimosa that you’ll be making all autumn long! Happy October Friends! Do you like mimosas? Do you like apples? Do you like easy? YES! YES! & YES! Then do yourself a favor pop in to your local grocery and grab 3 ingredients: Fresh Apples Apple Cider & A Sweet Bubbly…
Cherry Mint Lemonade – Pitcher Cocktail
Mix up a big batch of my cherry mint lemonade for gatherings this summer. It is an easy pitcher cocktail that will delight your guests with its refreshing sweet tang! My cherry mint lemonade is a super easy and super tasty big batch cocktail! It is sweet from the cherries but tangy with the refreshing…
Mojitos Anyone? Put the Lime in the Coconut…
Let’s stir up the most refreshing summer cocktail for these hot sultry afternoons…coconut mojitos! 🎶 You put the lime in the coconut, you drink ’em bot’up Put the lime in the coconut, you drink ’em bot’ up Put the lime in the coconut, you drink ’em bot’ up… There is nothing more refreshing for sultry…
An Effortless French 75 Cocktail with Champagne Sugar Cube
Pour up this effortless French 75 cocktail recipe with champagne, lemon, gin, and Teaspressa LUXE sugar cubes for a delightful spring drink! Bartender! One bubbly spring cocktail please! Something fruity but light… Refreshing and bright… & mixed with minimal might! A quick pour of this and plop of that then before you appears this quick…
A Pomegranate Gin Holiday Cocktail
Mix up a delightfully fizzy pomegranate gin holiday cocktail for your guests this Christmas season! Who is ready for a fab holiday cocktail sure to please everyone of age? Ok, well maybe not the Grinch, but what does please him? After all the holiday prep and blogging, I am more than ready to kick up…
Bourbon & Bitters
Looking for a sophisticated cocktail idea that is sure to please all your dapper Southern gents and sassy belles? Try a bourbon and bitters bar station at your next cocktail party or dinner. Bourbon and bitters go together like fried chicken and Sundays, Dolly Parton and big hair, sweet tea and porches, like the South…
A Bubbly Apple
Celebrate autumn with a bubbly apple cocktail – sure to tickle the tastebuds and delight your guests with this mix of apple cider, caramel, and cava! Happy autumn y’all! I have been on an apple kick this past month, loving anything with this delicious fall fruit, so I had to concoct a yummy apple cocktail…