A Staffordshire Easter

“Be daring, be different, be impractical; be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers.”

- Cecil Beaton

Well it has been a while, hasn’t it?  Nothing like a holiday table to bring me out of blog hibernation.  My apologies for the radio silence - life, as it were, as well as some good things on the horizon so pardon my sporadic absences.  Never fear though, as an avid IGer, you can always catch me fancying about over there.

In the spirit of good ol’ Cecil, my Easter table this year is anything but practical and safe.  I sort of waited until the last minute, thinking that I would do a rerun of my blue Chinoiserie table from a few years ago.  But in a frenzy of inspiration yesterday, I switched gears entirely. Why not gather all my Staffordshire together in a riot of color to celebrate Easter?  Color me happy.

Happy Good Friday.  Hope your Easter weekend is colorfully happy.

All design, styling, and photos by Emily Vanderputten

kisses,  mrs. V   

 

A Rerun Of Our Chinoiserie Easter Table

With my kitchen all torn up because of The One Room Challenge™, I am not doing a beautiful Easter table this year.  But I am still so smitten with the table I set last year that I am sharing these images again.  I had so much fun making these eggs even though I set out to make pink ones at the outset.  Call it a happy accident that I ended up with these gorgeous deep blue beauties.  And as with all things in my life, all roads lead to Chinoiserie. It's like we are the ChinoiserVs with my mister as a reluctant but indulgent bystander.

Click here for more detailed info on how I actually made these.

An example of the pink color I was originally trying to achieve but I wasn't happy with the speckling and splotching.  That is when I shifted to the blue colorway but of course I could not resist slamming some gold on that pink.   Imma one trick pink and gold, chinoisy, animal printed pony.

Speaking of Chinoiserie, have you guys seen this goodness that Emilie is cooking up over at Shell & Chinoiserie for her ORC room in the link up? Living for these chintz chairs against that Imperial Trellis wallpaper!

via

Be sure to head over to Calling it Home to see what all the linking participants are up to this week.  So many great spaces coming together!

Have a good Friday on this Good Friday!

All photos, layouts, and styling by Emily Vanderputten unless otherwise noted

kisses,  mrs. V

A Colorful Spin on the Classic Blue and White

This is the part where I don’t talk about the weather, no matter that we are under yet another winter storm warning and school is likely being cancelled for the umpteenth million time as I type this, in the wee post-Oscar hours of the morning.  But, I am most definitely NOT going to talk about the damn weather.  The only thing I see fit to restore my sanity and banish these winter blues is a bright dash of color – so that is just what I did for this month’s Blue and White Bash over at The Pink Pagoda.

I put together a table chock full of color to go along with my vintage blue willow dishes – proof positive that blue and white goes with anything.  I shopped my local Kroger flower selection to put together the floral arrangement – proof positive that even simple flowers like carnations, spray roses, and alstroemerias can be quite gorgeous – in a striking 40s Westmoreland milk glass pedestal dish with shell and dolphin motif.  And I used a vintage Mexican serape blanket to anchor the tablescape.  The result is my usual kaleidoscope of color and mixed patterns.  What can I say?  I am a more is more kinda gal.

Come join me over at The Pink Pagoda for some more blue and white goodness.

Now all I need are some merry-making guests!

All photos and styling by Emily Vanderputten

kisses,  mrs. V

An Autumn Table

Ever one to embrace tradition, the flirtation, for me, is always brief.  While I acknowledge the foundational dalliance, I promptly dump tradition on its fusty head.  My autumn table is no exception to my fickle whims.  This gal does not do ‘red’ and ‘orange.’  If I see another orange mum or pumpkin wrapped in bittersweet, I swear I will scream.  And then I will laugh at you for your complete lack of imagination.  Sorry, no one ever accused me of being nice.

Getcha some spirits.  It's Friday.

All images and layouts by me.

kisses,  mrs. V