Set Your Table With Flair--A Whimsical Late Autumn Brunch or Tea

Hello, dear friends!!  For my American friends, how did you enjoy the holiday this past week?  Ours was lovely!  We had a bit of extended family over and I prepared a large meal, a throwback to what used to be our tradition pre-pandemic.  It really gives me such joy to cook for family and friends!  

When you have guests, planning a simple brunch day-after or weekend-following a holiday is a relaxing way to enjoy one another's company.  Light and simple fare after the larger eating is a great way to redeem yourself (lol)!  

Today I am sharing a fun setting that is great for a day-after-a-holiday tea, or a brunch anytime in the Autumn.  This is also a perfect setting for the final one of the Fall Season.

If you have been here before, you will know that sometimes I truly adore a masculine aesthetic.  That I am an ardent Anglophile by nature, and thus I love tweeds, houndstooths, and herringbones, preppy plaids, and the classicism of smartly-dressed individuals.  As a homage to all these things I love  obsessions, lol, I am using them as an inspiration today.  I hope you enjoy the post!

The table began with a simple topper of herringbone tweed.  Off-white plates circle the table with a mini pumpkin at each setting.  Adore these patterns!!

Each pumpkin was then joined by a birdie buddy such as this darling fella, each so smartly dressed!!

Aren't they dapper??

So. Stinking. Cute!

A centerpiece was created using a corresponding extra-large chap and a little buddy surrounded by handmade burlap acorns and mini pumpkins.

Hello, friend!

Doesn't he look studious??

A platter of biscuits is just perfect for teatime.

Mugs and matching saucers were placed at each setting.

To serve hot water for brewing a fresh cuppa, a corresponding pitcher is added to a simple creamer and a jaunty teapot (which will be used for coffee in this case), completing the trio.

I just adore, adore, adore Spode Woodlands for Autumn!  It is my favorite pattern, second only to Gien Solonge.  Sigh!!  One day.  You can view this collection here.

A goddess watches over the scene to assure everyone minds their manners.  :)

Antique gold flatware completes the setting, and it's time for tea!

Simple Centerpiece:

If tomfoolery isn't your cup of tea, you may prefer this centerpiece as a gracious alternative.  Plaid and sisal pumpkins combined with darling acorns made of burlap perfectly compliment the natutal Autumnal backdrop.

I can't wait for Christmas, can you??

Until next time, --Y

  

From my Collection:

Plaid pumpkin, Sisal pumpkins, mini pumpkins, jaunty teapot, and smartly dressed chappies, all, Target

Burlap handmade arcorns, found at a local thrift years ago

Off-white plates, Ralph Lauren Whipstitch Collection

Pitcher, mugs and saucers, all, Spode Woodland Collection, TJ Maxx, Marshall's, and HomeGoods

Cake Platter, Spode Woodland Collection, Tuesday Morning

Flatware, Vintage, American Stainless International American Flair Collection Local Antique

Simple creamer, Origin Unknown  

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Set Your Table With Flair--Thanksgiving Mock-Up Versus the Real Deal

Hello, Friends!!  How was your Thanksgiving this year??  Mine was quite enjoyable because we haven't had a gathering this large in such a looonnng time!!  The preparation for this was extensive, but well worth it!  Unfortunately, it impeded my being able to post ahead of time this year.  I've found that for the time being, it is much easier for me to share posts in real-time or as they have recently occurred.  Kudos and God Bless those wonderful mom and dad bloggers who are able to juggle it all!!  For me, as my children have become older and busier, it has been harder to post.  I do love sharing and writing, reading and visiting, so please don't give up on me yet, lol!!  I hope that even though this post is late, it can serve as inspiration for future gatherings!

When planning for a holiday, how do you set about the task?  In the past when time was more ample, I tended to already have in my mind what I wanted to do weeks in advance.   The past couple of years, I have been prone to setting the table a few days to about a week beforehand and editing the prior day to the event.  This year was no exception.  Today, I will be sharing the table I set prior to company arriving and the edited version I ended up with on Thanksgiving Day.  I hope you enjoy the post!!

I decided I wanted to step out of the box this year and again use the blues and greys that compliment my in-home décor rather than utilizing the typical autumn colors.  The result was a moody, cool and almost refreshing palette of color; a departure from the norm, but certainly a welcome one.   

The Mock-Up

For the mock table, I used a topper of linen in French Grey.  A runner pumpkins in soft greys, oranges, and yellows on a background of teal was laid next.

Garlands of corresponding colored flowers, mini pumpkins, and a ribbon dancing down the length of the runner perfectly complimented the simple green-blue plates and jeweled-green stemware.

 

I love this color!!  The photos don't do it justice...they look green, but the color really is a lovely teal-green that match the dark pumpkins perfectly.  So pretty!

At each setting, a pumpkin and Autumnal floral pick were placed upon the plates.  Some plates had the dark teal pumpkin and some had a glittery lighter green.

Closer look.

Completed mock-up tablescape.

Video of the table.

The Real Deal

On Thanksgiving Day, I found that we were having more guests than anticipated, and therefore, I needed to use other plates because I didn't have enough of the green-blue.  I decided to use my French Blue fleur-de-lis plates, and I also included a dessert plate (who doesn't indulge in a great slice of pie this time of year!?).  To make the setting more "Autumn" rather than Spring which those blue plates would normally be indicative of, I used bronzey-colored chargers.  

 

You'll note that I also pared down the embellishments on the length of the table, omitting the flowers, and instead using the ribbon, pumpkins, and sweet little pinecones here and there. I also used only one simple pumpkin on each plate; this made both much easier to move aside once my guests arrived.  A white damask was used instead of the French linen to accomodate the addition of both leaves in the table.  

Although these photos were taken with my older Ipad rather than the camera as they were with the mock-up table, the irony is these picture really showcase a truer representation of the color pallette.  Again I have to mention how much I love, love the color of this stemware!!

The complete real-deal tablescape.

Which do you prefer?  Do you set mock tables in order to plan for your guests, or do you like to wing it and set things impromptu?

I hope everyone had a blessed, blessed Thanksgiving!!

Until next we meet!

--Y

From my collection:

The Mock Up

Plates and stemware, generic

French linen, Colorbird French Vintage Collection, from Amazon

Runner, Nicole Miller

Glitter pumpkins and flower garland, The 99¢ Store

Autumnal picks, Big Lots

The Real Deal

White damask tablecloth, TJ Maxx/HomeGoods

Chargers and French Blue Fleur-de-lis plates, Tai-Pan Trading

Mini pumpkins at each setting, Target

If you enjoy this post, please visit the archives!  You may also visit my full profile to view my other blogs. Connect with me on my Facebook Page, Parsimonious Décor Darling.   You might like to visit my other blog hubs,

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Thank you for stopping by! ❤

About Last Night...Halloween 2021

Hello, bloggy friends and beyond!!  It's been a long time, and a very rough one globally.  Last night, we were able to celebrate Halloween.  We also took out last little one out for tricks or treats.  It felt so nice to return to some semblance of normalcy, since we had not taken her last year because of this horrible pandemic.

We were also able to have a sweet little get-together, nothing over-the-top, but by adding just a few simple steps, the simple dessert became a little less blah and a little more elevated.  Although we didn't use this table as such (my kiddos enjoy milk with their desserts!!), this idea could be used as a fun idea for a wicked tea, especially one that you plan impromptu and if you are entertaining a small crowd.  I hope you enjoy the post!!

Creating upscale but spooky ambiance:

Is there anything more ominous than a dark forest?  I know the notion of being lost in a forest, all alone (Cure lyrics, lol) gives me a shiver down my spine.  I absolutely adore this spooky shower curtain I found via Amazon.

It made for the perfect backdrop.

It reminded me of the scary forest in the opening credits of the 1980s series Tales From the Darkside, of which I was a huge fan in my teens.  I love campy 80s horror, lol:

Setting the table:

If you've been to my blog before, I am sure you are aware that not only do I adore Halloween, but I really, really love Victorian and/or Gothic elements this time of year.  Nothing says goth-chic like a beautiful damask, and this one did not disappoint, even though it's creamy white!!!!

A spiderweb runner was placed next,

(closeup of the detail)

followed by an arrangement of red dahlias, red and grey roses in an antique dish.

Ruby red saucers that will act as dessert plates

and spider dishes that will act as teacup saucers were placed next.

I love the faceted detail of these spiders; adore the way they catch the light!

In each spider dish, a corresponding teacup was placed.  The ruby color of the cup is just transparent enough to catch those beautiful prisms so that it looks like a bejeweled spider abdomen!

 

Love the spindly legs of the spiders, it makes them look not so creepy, but rather elegant as they dance down the table.

Matching ruby red candlesticks with black tapers add a little bit of romance.

I love impression glass, and this intricate pattern is no exception!

A little more ambiance was created with small scalloped-edge ruby dessert bowls that will serve as little dishes to display black votive candles.  The votives are self-contained, but I still liked the way the looked seated in those pretty little bowls.

I don't own a ruby teapot, so for this siorée, a pitcher will do, along with a ruby depression glass sugar and creamer.

To up the ante a bit, on each side of the table, I added a creepy-yet-whimsical red and black striped spider, and positioned each so they appeared as though they were in a mid-climb of the candlesticks.

To blot the lip, color and theme coordinated napkins were used.

  These are very inexpensive...however, just place in a gorgeous antique mail/napkin holder,

and violà!!  Instantly more elegant.

Finally, we must not forget the dessert.  Isn't that the main attraction always!?

To make a simple box cake a little more creepy-cool and upgraded, I did the following:

First, I began with a devil's food cake.  To make it more decadent and rich, I added a package of chocolate pudding into the batter before baking.  It made for a much more dense, moist cake.  I also added approximately a teaspoon and a half or so of Starbucks espresso to elevate the flavor just a bit.

After crumb-coating the layers with regular chocolate frosting, I added a homemade black crusting buttercream.  Crusting buttercreams are a wonderful way to make a cake look more uniform.  

You can see the recipe I've used before on my past post here.

  

For this Halloween cake, I used a simple Wilton recipe that you can find here.

To add a little sparkle, I added black sanding sugar.  Lastly, I drizzled flood royal icing in red to emulate blood. 

Adding a faux spidey definitely upped the eek factor on this cake, but I still love it!

Pretty accoutrement.  Antique silver forks for a devilishly decadent dessert.

Completed tablescape.

  

I hope you were able to get out and enjoy the evening with family and friends, and until next year, Happy Haunting!!

From my collection:

Ruby depression glass candlesticks, and cream and sugar, Avon 1876 Cape Cod Collection, antique
Ruby glass scalloped bowls, plates and cups, Anchor Hocking Royal Ruby Red Collection, antique
Dish used as vase, Wallace Baroque Collection, antique
Spiderweb runner, flowers, spider used as cake topper, spider saucers and striped spiders, The 99¢ Store

Victorian style cake plate, HomeGoods
Ornate Baroque Napkin/Mail holder, Godinger 20th Century, antique
Damask tablecloth, TJ Maxx/HomeGoods
Silver forks, Reed and Barton, antique

Ruby Depression glass pitcher, Anchor Hocking Ruby Roly Poly Royal collection, antique

If you enjoy this post, please visit the archives!  You may also visit my full profile to view my other blogs. Connect with me on my Facebook Page, Parsimonious Décor Darling.   You might like to visit my other blog hubs,

The Marvelous Maison, a lifestyle blog hub and 

Frugal Fab Fashionista, my fashion blog hub. 

Follow me on Pinterest!!  Please be sure to kindly follow the board guidelines!  Thank you!  

Thank you for stopping by! ❤