Just a Peek at the Wedding at Laurel Creek Manor in Seattle

Just popping in to say hello, really. I've been MIA a lot this month with travels, and most recently at a family wedding at this gorgeous venue in Seattle, WA. One of the most stylish and hip events I have ever attended.

I thought you might enjoy just a peek at Laurel Creek Manor which bills itself as "a setting in English country elegance." It does not disappoint.

You can see much more of this beautiful old property, built in 1917, by clicking on the website here. There is also a link to photos on Pinterest.

Set in the countryside, with lots of Italian influences, the surroundings are almost dreamlike in perfection inside and out. There were even calling geese flying overhead during the ceremony! So romantic.

We filled our short time in Seattle at great eateries and doing a little wine tasting tour with family enthusiasts. And a little too much time, I'm afraid, trying to wade through traffic. Oy! But it is very plain what attracts so many to live in this beautiful city. 

There are few more joyous and happy celebrations than a lovely fall wedding!

I hope you are enjoying these first few days of fall! When we flew through San Diego it was still 99 degrees! Gorgeous back home in the land of enchantment, though.

Happy Days to you!

Jacqueline

The Sideboard In Fall and Au Revoir to Summer

I think we are having our last day of summer. The weather channel says 88 degrees. I know many of you are so done with the heat! But it is a bittersweet day for a summer lover like me. The rest of the week shows a prediction for cooler days. I'm pretty confident we won't see almost ninety again for many months to come. Au revoir to my good friend!

That calls for a few changes of course. Many of them quite welcome. It has been a while since we saw much difference in the dining room sideboard, for instance, and I have given it a little refresh to herald a new season.

My inspiration came from these pretty new plates I got on sale at Pottery Barn this weekend. They told me they are from the spring collections. And that sounds about right. I haven't been shopping much since the nice weather hit way back then. But they seem so much more suited for fall to me. The colors certainly are. 

So I paired them up with some twiggy things to settle in.

There are more bowls than pitchers showing on the shelves this time. The days pouring forth with so much activity have passed too. I'm ready for books, woolly throws, and savory soups to cradle in my hands after a bracing walk in the woods.

The flickers which we only see at our vines in autumn have already arrived.

The lower half of the dresser holds plenty of plates and bowls to pull out with a little room left over for a few brimming serving dishes. I love the simple suppers of fall.

I have thrown open the patio door for more light, which shows off the textures of my Rose Point china. The goldfinches just outside are cheering me on with their song as they head for the feeders.

Someone recently posted a saying online that is a new idea for me. "Fall is for new beginnings." And I think I will be taking it to heart. . . .

Happy Monday!

And happy first days of fall!

May it be full of new beginnings!

Jacqueline

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Between Naps on the Porch~Metamorphosis Monday

Coastal  Charm~Show & Share

Savvy Southern Style~Wow Us Wednesdays

Little Farmstead~Share Your Style

The Charm of Home~Home Sweet Home

White Weekend

I have only simple stories to tell. And this one begins with our latest summer roses as inspiration.

Sometimes it's hard to grasp just how hardy these delicate beauties are. Yet here they are. Seeming only to await our return home to bloom. We have had only small bouquets in groups of two or three to bring in from the garden. But that simply means successive days of fresh cheer one after the other.

The shifting light means hunting down the best ledges to stage a photo. Our weekends are full, and so familiar objects fill in for a quick shoot.   

The brimming days can pass in large number before much is altered at the end of this room. The unchanging displays as steady as wallpaper.

The same textures and colors are at home in any season. 

I will miss these home grown petals when they are finally gone! As beautiful as they can be, hot house blooms feel more formal to me in the colder months ahead.

Wishing you a beautiful weekend!

Jacqueline

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Between Naps on the Porch~Metamorphosis Monday

Savvy Southern Style~Wow Us Wednesdays

Shabby Art Boutique~Shabbilicious Friday

Peeking Thru the Sunflowers~Share Your Style

French Country Cottage~Feathered Nest Friday

A Bird Inspired Table Setting to Celebrate September

When I give way to whimsy in decorating it tends to be mostly at the table. A little linen table square with a bird motif is my inspiration here. I found it at a flea market for under six dollars. Not my usual color scheme, but I have a friend who loves this combination, and it will make a cute gift.

A snippet of linen like this really enhances the look of a tablescape, and has me gathering things up to coordinate with it.

That's always going to include bits from my white and cream china collections of course! The green trim vintage English plates are the perfect thing here mixed with Wedgwood Queensware teacups. 

Vintage monogram napkins add still more to a layered look.

The lace tablecloth underneath is not an heirloom, or even vintage. It was made especially for me by my talented daughter-in-law just a few years ago. You can't even imagine how many different ways this is special to me.

A plain English teapot by Johnson Brothers, which is still in production, and a Royal Albert creamer and sugar bowl round things out to make a pretty picture!

I thought I was finished collecting majolica until I came across this fantastic bird pitcher a few weeks ago. It takes my breath away, and seems just made for this table setting. I love it when things just seem to fall together!

A bird themed table always makes me feel so cottagey!

And here we are coming up against another weekend already!

 Maybe it's a big one for you.

Hope it's fun!

Jacqueline 

Join me at

Between Naps on the Porch~Tablescape Thursday 

The Charm of Home~Home Sweet Home

Savvy Southern Style~Wow Us Wednesday

Peeking Thru the Sunflowers~Share Your Style