Sunday, February 28, 2010

Back Issues: The Little Round Table February 2010

And another Blue Monday at Smiling Sally has rolled around .....
How can it be the THIRD month of the year already??

Here's the February 2010 review of tablescapes here on
The Little Round Table and there are some BLUE ones here. :-)

The numbers jump around over time as readers old and new visit older
posts, but as of right now the top three tablescapes for February are:


You can still visit all these tablescapes if you missed any of them:






Saturday, February 27, 2010

Sunday Favorites: Vera and The Grape Harvest

Welcome to another Sunday Favorites over at Happy To Design!

Join everyone for a look back at some of the favorite old posts from the past.

Here's a post from last Fall here on The Little Round Table

Flowers bloom among the Fiesta on this table dedicated to the Fall harvest of grapes.
Plum, Ivory, and Lilac contemporary Fiesta mixed with vintage Fiesta Ironstone in
Antique Gold and Turf Green. Vintage crystal,  flatware is by Dansk and the
vintage tablecloth is by Vera.








 


Saturday Rerun: Flashback to Woodstock

On some weekends I'll be reposting some tablescapes from this past summer.
Hopefully more visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy them on this second time around.
*******************
Originally posted September 30, 2009

Very bright and reminiscent of those days of super bell bottoms, flower power,
and turmoil throughout our culture and nation.


Friday, February 26, 2010

Fossil Leaf Mirror and Leaves As Garden Jewelry

I'm joining in on Saturday Night Special over at Funky Junk Interiors
Jump on over and check out all of this week's DIY projects.

How to transform cement, sand and water into garden jewelry.

I have my supplies laid in to work on some more garden ornaments, now all I need
is some sunshine and some HOT weather!  This is a project that is so rewarding,
not that difficult, but it is very messy and requires clothing that you probably
never want to wear again. Start off with a small project if you are the least bit intimidated
and you will quickly see that this is just like making thick pancake batter.

Fossil Leaf Mirror
Heavier than Hypertufa and holds up to the weather
(although should be brought in where it freezes in the winter).

You will need a wheel barrow and a shovel or hoe for mixing your batter.
Other supplies you will need:
3 parts Fine Sand
1 part Portland Cement
(NOT Quickcrete or other premixed "cement" with aggregate)
Bonding Agent
Concrete Pigment (terra cotta is good)
Add water slowly to retain a firm consistancy
Freshly picked leaves from your garden, chosen for their detail and textural interest



First you are going to make the concrete leaves
that will adorn your project

or they can stand alone in their own right.
Place leaves face down on a few tablespoons of sand, cover with cement mixture
just to the edges.  Allow to dry overnight. Peel off the garden leaves. If you will be using,
your concrete leaves for a mirror project don't paint them yet, but if they will stand on their
own as garden decor you can paint them now or leave them just as they come out to age
naturally.  You can also spray your painted leaves with an acrylic sealer to slow the
natural aging process.  They can be repainted as needed over time.


The individual leaves are quick easy projects. Hostas are a good easy
beginner leaf. The sturdier and larger the leaf the more dramatic they are.
Lots of veins also enhance the look of the finished product.
Smoothing the batter thinner at the edges gives a more realistic look.
Large leaves like Gunnera are difficult to handle because of their size/weight and
should probably be reinforced with mesh fibers or something like chicken wire.
Elephant Ears are fun to do and very dramatic.

Even if you aren't "crafty" these leaves are a joy to make...it's just like playing with
mud pies when you were a kid. Mix up your "mud", pick some pretty leaves from the garden
make a pile of sand, place the leaf face down, smear on your "mud", let dry. Fossil leaves!!

Even broken leaves can sometimes end up being nice...on the top row left of the picture
of the sample leaves is half of a Gunnera leaf. Learn by doing...the veining is so heavy on them
that you have to put on a thicker layer of the concrete mix. I didn't do that the first time,
so I ended up with two halves.

**********

For your mirror:
Make a form out of 1 x 3 wood, place your cement leaves face down in frame.
Add a small mirror face down protected by Styrofoam or mat board.
Additional fresh leaves may also be used within the form for added interest.
Fill to depth ½ - 1 ¾ “ over back of mirror, being careful not to move
your leaves around too much,and add a hook on the back for hanging before
the concrete mixture sets up too much.

Allow to dry 24-48 hours (the larger the project the longer it will take to dry).
Carefully turn your project over so you are looking at the face of the mirror.
Peel off fresh leaves if used, smooth rough edges with a wire brush,
paint with a wash of thinned exterior acrylic, rubbing off excess with
old rags or paint as desired with any craft paints. Once the project has completely
cured and all the paint is dry spray with an acrylic sealer to protect the
surface from scratching or just leave as is and let it age naturally.


Notes:
What you are doing is making concrete leaves that have dried and are unadorned
(meaning not painted yet), then placing them face down in a frame, adding fresh leaves
(again face down) if desired, then covering the backs of the leaves and the mirror
with the concrete mixture.  Play with your arrangement remembering that everything
goes face down, so that the face of your piece will be facing the work surface.
Cover the work surface with something like Saran wrap or any other non-stick product
so you don’t adhere your piece to the work surface.

Remember to add a sturdy hook (made out of any heavy gage wire or purchased)
because these are heavy depending on the size you choose to make your mirror.
The one pictured above is 3 feet x 2 feet. The large split leaf philodendron was a fresh
leaf, all the others were pre-made and dried concrete leaves.

Flip the piece over carefully so the face of the piece is up. Remove the frame
(when making your frame screw the corners together using any old leftover lumber,
then it is easier to remove the frame after the piece has dried), peel off the fresh
leaves if used, remove the protective facing on the mirror, clean up the edges and
surface of the piece with a wire brush.

The particular mirror pictured above was made about 6 years ago and has lived in
my garden year round.  I think I'm going to give it a new coat of glaze since it has lost
some of its detail and character over time.  Here is what it looked like when it
was first place in the garden in 2004.



Try a project for your garden, I guarantee you will love the results!

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Vintage Scarlet Crustaceans and Salad For Foodie Friday

I'm joining Michael Lee and all the other Foodie Friday fans for another food fest
over at Designs By Gollum today.  Bring an appetite and plan on a shopping trip to
make some of the great recipes that will be shared.

This vintage Wilendur "Lobster" tablecloth is highly sought after.  Mine was a recent
gift from the "Dish/Tablecloth Fairy" from the Homer Laughlin China collectors
forum.  Opened my mailbox and it was filled with these beautiful scarlet crustaceans!



White and Turquoise Post 86 Fiesta with acrylic chargers. Flatware and glassware from
Home Goods.  Large Turquoise bowl is a vintage "Betty Bowl" from Betty Crocker, candle
holders are vintage Metlox.  Also shown are some vintage Turquoise Harlequin pieces and
a vintage Rhythm gravy boat.














And to do justice to this beauty, we're having an easy peasy and delicious lobster salad.

Lobster Salad

1 1/4 pound freshly cooked lobster (tear into chunks)
1/2 C good mayonnaise (Best Foods or homemade)
1 t grated orange rind
1 T fresh orange juice
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 small can mandarin oranges
1/2 C finely diced Jicama
 1 T or more large capers
1 T chopped fresh dill
salt
freshly ground black pepper

4 C mixed fresh salad greens

Combine ingredients except salad greens, chill for about an hour,
top lettuce greens with seafood mix.
Serves 2 as a nice lunch or 4 for a starter salad

Thanks for stopping by The Little Round Table and another big thanks to
The Dish Fairy for this lovely!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Happy Anniversary Meissen Porcelain

It's Thursday again, which means it is time to pull out your wonderful
Vintage Thingies for another party over at Coloradolady

Meissen porcelain was the first European hard-paste porcelain and was
developed in 1708 by Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus. After his death
that October, Johann Friedrich Böttger, continued his work and brought
porcelain to the market.


The production of porcelain at Meissen, near Dresden, started in
1710 and attracted artists and artisans to establish one of the most famous
porcelain manufacturers, still in business today as Staatliche
Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen GmbH. Its signature logo, the crossed
swords, was introduced in 1720 to protect its production; the mark of
the crossed swords is one of the oldest trademarks in
existence. The anniversary celebration marking 300 years
of production began on January 23, 2010.

Variations of the mark allow for determining an approximate date
of production. The piece from my collection that I am sharing today,
bears a mark that was first used in 1924.


You can learn more about Meissen porcelain by visiting the company website Meissen


This covered vegetable bowl or tureen has been in my family since the late 40s
and always sat in a place on honor on my mother's china hutch.  I'm not brave
enough to leave it out like that with a cat in the house, but it does have a spot
in the new "good dishes" cabinet I recently purchased, where I can see
it every time I pass by.








Tuesday, February 23, 2010

A Bit of White For White Wednesday

I'm joining in White Wednesday over at Faded*Charm,
stop by and see all the pretty WHITE!

Some of my vintage dishes.


Little People In Red

I'm joining in on Rednesday again this week,
jump over to It's A Very Cherry World to check out this week's RED posts!

This week I'm sharing some of my storybook dolls all dressed in RED.

You can read the full story and visit with their other storybook and
nursery rhyme friends in a post all about them  STORYBOOK DOLLS


Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs


Little Miss Muffet


Little Red Riding Hood

Meet the whole gang


Happy Rednesday!
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