The Big County Fair Table #1

Edited to add:


I won first place in my category!
We just won't mention how many were in my category.....I know for sure there was definitely one!  Me!

For about 12 years now, the More Crafty Bee and I have been entering table settings in our local county fair.  (We also enter Christmas trees too, but I'll save that for another post.)

Well today was our set-up day!  

Our fair theme this year was "The Wild, Wild Best."  For the past few years it's had a cowboyish theme and the More Crafty Bee were just a little tired of that so we took it a bit further.  Our fair theme table this year is "The Wild, Wild Best (of Show)."

So here is our interpretation....

It's 1937 and four ladies from a small farming town are gathering to plan what they will enter in this year's county fair.  They have all won Best of Show in previous fairs and they are very proud of their endeavors.  One is an excellent baker and she has brought a fresh batch of her "Best of Show" cookies.  Another is an wonderful gardener and she has brought a bouquet much like the one that earned her "Best of Show" in floral arranging.  Our third lady takes great pride in her canning skills and has brought her "Best of Show" relish to share with the ladies.  And finally, the hostess of this gathering is a marvelous needleworker and she has her "Best of Show" stitching out for the ladies to admire.

Now how did we put it all together?

For the underskirt we used a chambray sheet that we hemmed (okay I must give credit to my mom, the Sewing Bee for doing the sewing).  On top of that we had a vintage lap or baby quilt.  The quilt is on loan from the More Crafty Bee's mom.  The napkins are also sewn by the Sewing Bee from a vintage looking creamy calico.

We had a hard time figuring out what to do with our placecards.  I downloaded some vintage images of  a lady canning, a gardener, a seamstress, and a cook and then added our guests names.  Loved them, but we just couldn't figure out what to do with them.  That More Crafty Bee came up with a great idea.  She had some snippets of vintage kitchen shelf edging and we put them in a circle, cut a couple of slits and slid the placecards in.  

Our dishes are Spode's Chelsea Wicker which I started picking up this spring.  The flatware is my grandma's silverplate, Holmes & Edward's Spring Garden.  The glasses are from another grandmother and I don't know their maker.  

(Sorry, it's a wee bit blurry, but I can't go back and take another.)

The "vintage" embroidery is actually something I made when I was about 8 or 9 years old.  That More Crafty Bee made the canned goods (she is multi-talented) and she assembled the silk flowers in a vintage water pitcher.  I provided the cookies (after spraying them with a quick coat of poly) on a vintage Jane Ray jadeite plate and an old cheese dome.  

I'll share our other table soon along with the other entrants' tables.  I'll share our Christmas trees too.

Thanks for buzzin' by today!  Your visits always bring a smile to my face.

Finally I'm going to link up with Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday!

I'll also be joining

the party over at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday.

****Giveaway Winner****

Oh dear, I was so excited and focused on the fair I forgot to announce the winner of my first blogthday giveaway!  The little package will be headed to Lora at My Blessed Life.  Hope you can stop by and see her wonderful blog!  It's full of great ideas for home schooling and family time.  She's a sweetie!

Thank you all of you who visit Sweet Bee Cottage from time to time.  I have loved getting to know you this past year!