I've Mustered Up Some More Table Settings...

You know.  I just can't let a good pun go.

So, I promised you more pictures from the Big County Fair and I know you've all been waiting for the with bated breath.  Whew!  You can breathe now.  ;)

Let's start off with the table the More Creative Bee created.  

MCB (as I like to call her) works for our county mental health department and she wanted to tie her table into both the fair theme (Locally Grown Fun) and Each Mind Matters and an Art Hop that showcased the art of people who have been involved with the county services.  

She used a cute palette as part of the table setting.  She even found some vintage landscape paintings and used those as placemats.

 My contribution was the menu!  It sounds so good, I just might actually make the dishes!  

Funny!  We didn't really talk about it too much, but we ended up going with the same color schemes!  (Great minds, you know the drill!)

Table 2 today was this adorable Cowboy Barbecue!

Trimmed with bandanas and burlap.

 I especially loved the menu board!

Table 3 for today is this adorable breakfast table!  I wish the pictures had turned out better cause some of them were so cute.  But you do what you can do the County Fair Picture Police are making sure you don't get any pics of the other tables?

Isn't this the cutest quilt?  I love the combination of white and red dishes, red flatware, and the vintage accessories - like the milk bottle, coffee percolator, and salt and pepper set.

 Wouldn't you have a chipper day if this was where you ate breakfast???

Table number 4 was a sweet little Christmas tea table.

Such a sweet lady was working on this table with her family.  Paddington Bear was her inspiration.  I think she's done British themed tables before.  It wasn't quite finished before we had to leave, so I can't show you it completed.

 Cute tea cozy, right?

There's Paddington!!!  Did you know there was a new Paddington Bear movie coming out soon?  Just saw a preview of it - not sure if I like the animated Paddington or not.

Table 5 for today had a Paris theme.  I also think they weren't quite done when we left.  

 I hope you can see all the beautiful paper accessories with this gorgeous table.  I would love to be invited a dinner party set like this.

And finally, Table 6 for today (and the last one) had a Downton Abby theme.

 She told us she'd been doing these table settings for about 20 years.  MCB and I were like, wow, and then we realized we've been doing this for about 15 years!  15 years?!?  Crazy how long we've done this.  Baby Bee wasn't even born yet when we did our first table.

Now I have to leave you with a picture from MY favorite table setting - my own!

You can read more about that table and a few others if you visit

this post!

And I can't wait to share with you some of the Christmas doings over here at Sweet Bee Cottage!

Please buzz by again soon for a visit!

It's so nice to see you!

Time for Some Catch Up!

No.  Not that kind of catsup!  

Did you miss it?  You know, the annual posting of all the table from the county fair?  Were you looking for it in October and I let you down?  Well, I'm here to rectify that RIGHT NOW!

The More Creative Bee and I bounced ideas off of each other this year, but we mostly did our own tables this year.  For my theme this year I went with - don't be shocked here - a Beach theme.  (I know, pick yourself up off the floor.  I'm nothing if not consistent with my obsessions.)

 I started with a burlap tablecloth that we have used several times at the Big County Fair.

My mom, the Sewing Bee, was a sweetie and sewed up the napkins for me.  She even sewed a few extras for us to use every day. 

 Each place setting was a plate from my new every day dishes and these amazing sea urchin bowls I found at World Market.  The flatware was some pearl handled ones I bought a few years ago at Home Goods.  All the glassware was from Dollar Tree!  I couldn't believe I found the perfect blue and green glassware there!  Gotta' love a bargain!

The centerpiece was a beach glass candleholder and then two driftwood surrounded glass hurricanes.  I found all these pieces at the ever fabulous World Market.

 I took shells and beach glass and strewed them down the center of the table.  

I LOVED my table, but I only got 3rd place in my division.  (And to be honest, I think there might have only been 3 entries.)

But the best thing is that I get to keep all that glorious beachy things for my Sweet Bee(ach) Cottage!

And now for a few of the other tables…... 

This table had a farm theme with a sophisticated touch.  Can you spot the black and silver barn that's part of the centerpiece?  

Did I mention I have to sneakily take pictures cause I get yelled at if they see I'm taking them of other tables?  That's why the picture quality isn't my best ever. 

Aren't those dishes adorable?   

I always adore the combination of black, white, and green too!   

And here is another fair themed table... 

Cute and I really liked their menu board.

This Fiesta table is the one that won first place in my division I think. 

Aren't the colors bright and vibrant?  Who wouldn't have fun at a party with all that going on? 

Don't you worry.  I've got plenty more tables to share with you if I can only mustard up the time!  Don't groan!  You know I couldn't resist the pun!

I'll leave you with one last picture from my table.  Just cause it makes me happy.  Maybe it makes you smile too?

Thanks ever so much for buzzing in for a visit!

P.S.  And I'll eventually get to some Christmas posts!  

One Last Post from the Big County Fair - Christmas in October

I think this is it.  The last post about this year's fair.

Every year the More Creative Bee and I enter the Christmas Tree Decorating contest.  It is definitely more work than the table settings because everything has to be handmade.  

This year the MCB and her mom took on the traditional tree.  And MCB and I tackled the fair theme this year.  

Again, here is their logo for the fair this year....

Love the looks and that cool vintage truck....but how the blubbins are we supposed to decorate a tree around that inspiration?

Well....aren't you glad you asked?

('cause you know I just have to show you)

 For garland I found a great vintage truck with an interstate frame around it.  I printed out a lot of them and then hinged them together with scrapbooking brads.  

 MCB hand painted the blue and red ornaments with a paisley pattern to match the bandana tree skirt.  I think she did a beautiful job.  (In fact, I'm going to put these up on etsy and try to sell them, they are that pretty.)

 I made the tree topper out of foam core board and fun foam. 

 (Pssst...don't look too closely - my cutting job on the 130 is not quite up to par - I will NOT be selling it on etsy.)

 And the MCB made this adorable tree skirt.  Don't you love the blue bandana bits (technical term, you know) she adhered to the edges?  

 And one more shot.  Oh!  I forgot about the wooden plaque ornaments I made.  I painted them red and blue, decoupaged red and blue scrapbook paper on them and then added prints of regional landmarks and products.

 And here are the rest of the trees - mostly traditional Christmas themes.

This one amazed me by how red it looked even though everything was on a green tree.

This one was so cute with all the gingerbread cookies.  Lots of handmade cuteness on this one. 

And this one was our competition!  They not only won 1st place, but they also won Best of Show!  They also did the fair theme and had some similar ideas to ours.  One of the things I loved about theirs was the yellow ticket garland.  It just tied everything together.  Well done Competition!  (Honestly, I don't know their name and didn't get to meet them, so I'll call them The Competition.) 

 And here's a very traditional Scandinavian tree.

 And someone made a super cute Halloween tree this year.  That garland?  Why it's hand crocheted skulls!  

Look at that spider web tree skirt!  Someone was a crocheting fiend! 

 This next traditional tree had the most interesting ornaments.

I think they were eggs.  Have you ever seen anything like this?  They are amazing!  And there were a lot of them! 

  

One the day we went to the fair this was the people's choice for the day....a pirate tree!  I loved the boat and fabric tree skirt!  

This next tree is the one the More Creative Bee and her mom put together.

Can I just say that they worked overtime making darling little salt dough cookie ornaments?

 That MCB (you'll see why she has that nickname) came up with the most clever tree topper.  She took an air conditioning duct part and added a handle so it looks like a giant cookie cutter!  

 She wanted the tree skirt to also look like a giant cookie so it's made out of fleece and felt and giant sprinkles.  The sprinkles were made from painted pvc pipe and then stitched on.

 The garland was tiny rolling pins and cookie cutters that she attached together.  It was so cute.  (I even volunteered to "keep" it for her, but no luck.)

Well, I hope you enjoyed the Christmas Tree tour at our Big County Fair!

And thanks for buzzing along with me.  So nice to see you've stopped in for a little visit.  

And I've mentioned some exciting news and here's another hint - especially apropos with all these Christmas trees.   

 Let's just say it The Best ___________ _____________ Ever!

Can you guess what my big news is?

P.S.  Just had to share this adorable crazy quilt that really caught my eye at the fair.  Doesn't it look like it's made from vintage linens?  What a great and sweet idea.

P.P.S.  After the kind words from Marty at A Stroll Thru Life I just had to join the party!