I've Got Time to Play!

So I played with dishes in the backyard!

I saw on Instagram there was a #summerdesignchallenge for a garden party and I thought it would be fun to play along.  Of course, I missed the deadline, but oh well, I had fun and I took enough pics to share with you!

I started with this table runner I picked up at Home Goods earlier in the spring.  It's perfect for where I'm heading with my sunroom/dining room.  

We have my parents old chippy picnic table and I love the way it looks.  However, Worker Bee is fed up with it.  He is worried about ingesting paint chips.  I told him it's good for the digestion, but he disagrees.  I just might have to repaint it this summer.  

Then I used my thrifted vintage Wedgewood Hedge Rose plates.

I added my vintage, probably antique, silver-plate flatware and napkins I bought at World Market.

I used the sweet aqua glasses I got from Pottery Barn and wine glasses my mom picked up for me at the pharmacy she used to work at.  They are made by Tag.

Finally, I used these aqua bowls from World Market.

Who knew?  My wine bottle even goes with the beachy colors!

And I am such a rotten friend.  I texted pictures of my little imaginary garden party to my friends teaching summer school.  Don't worry, I promised to have them over for a nice garden luncheon.

Now, can I serve you a lovely gazpacho soup?  Or perhaps a cold berry soup?

Thanks for buzzing' along!

Linking up to Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

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!