Tuesday, November 23, 2010

My Friend's Thanksgiving Table

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Since we are going to be at my husband's daughter's home for the holiday,
I would like to share with you my friend's beautiful Thanksgiving table.

I met Nicole through an online sewing forum & when she realized how close we lived to each other, she offered to pleat some fabric for me & teach me to smock.
Little did I know what a BIG part of my life, she (and smocking) would become!




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I love her entire home but especially this beautiful room which can accommodate
seating for 12 at her gorgeous Chippendale dining furniture.

She used teal & cranberry accents in this tablescape.
Her china is the elegant Monroe pattern from the Presidential series by Lenox.
It has burgundy & black bands of color accented with gold twisted rope patterns & rims.
Her exquisite stemware is Waterford's Castlemaine...both sets are cherished wedding gifts.




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I forgot to bring my good camera to our weekly Smock & Talk gathering,
so I apologize that the quality of these photos is less than stellar.


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They don't do justice to all her beautiful items, such as the
Wallace sterling silver sugar & creamer above.
Here is a clearer photo of the same, below.



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Peek-A-Boo...I see you...do you see me?
LOL! I try so hard to stay out of those kinds of shots.


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The two GORGEOUS footed compote bowls at either ends of the table are
antique Imperial Acanthus Leaf Carnival glass.
I had to hold one up to the window so you could see &
appreciate the intense color & texture. Just Beautiful!!


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Darling handmade turkey placecards mark her children's seating.
I love how she mixes the whimsical with the elegant!



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Her flatware is the exquisite Wallace Grand Baroque, a gift from her mother-in-love.
I am GREEN with envy over this silverware!


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The above photo shows the intricate detailing of the handles as well as the pretty burgundy & gold band of her china.
The leaf shaped salad plates (source unknown) accent the teal in the placemats.
The pretty beaded napkin rings are from Pier One.



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On the other side of the dining room sits this exquisite
1924 English sterling silver tea & coffee service with bone handles
... a treasured family heirloom, gifted to her by her grandmother.

See the chains on both sides of the center vessel?
They hold pins which slip into little holes on either side to anchor the kettle to the base.



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Again, my photos don't do this justice...it is just magnificent!

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Carved Pilgrims & Indians mingle throughout the centerpiece arrangement.

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I am very happy that Nicole has graciously allowed me to feature her beautiful Thanksgiving table.
I cherish her friendship as well as the other members of our Smock & Talk group.

As a side note, it was Nicole's husband, a cardiologist, who was on call one year ago this week when my husband went into the emergency department in the middle of a heart attack.

It was Nicole's husband who was awakened with at least a half dozen calls from the ER staff as they tried to stabilize him with IV medications.

It was Nicole's husband who kept him alive until they could get an LVAD (left ventricular assist device) or *heart pump* inserted to give his heart a rest & some help in perfusing his body, while I begged God, "Please, not yet?"

I don't think I've ever properly thanked Dr. Joe for literally saving his life!
I am
humbly & eternally grateful.
He gave us one more year of sharing holidays...Christmas, our birthdays, our 23rd wedding anniversary & many precious moments with our children & grandchildren.


I wish for all of you many blessings this Thanksgiving.
Life is about caring & loving your friends & relatives
while you can still see & hold them close.

Thanksgiving Prayer

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)




It's time for another Tablescape Thursday with our gracious hostess,
Susan of Between Naps on the Porch!


Be sure to stop by her beautiful blog to see other participants in the party!
Thank you, Susan for hosting this fun event each week.



Photobucket

32 comments:

  1. Hi Rett...

    Ohh my...Nicole's home and Thanksgiving table is gorgeous! I love the teal and cranberry...such a beautiful color combination...different and I love that!!! The china and cyrstal is sooo beautiful...truly elegant! Ohhh...and my little heart just jumped when I seen all of her lovely pieces of silver! The tea set that was given to her from her Grandmother...FABULOUS!!! Everything is just sooo beautiful! Please extend our thank you's to Nicole and her family for sharing their lovely home and Thanksgiving table with us...it was such a treat!

    Well sweet lady, wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving! Have a safe and blessed holiday, Rett!!!

    Happy Thanksgiving...
    Chari @Happy To Design

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  2. Just a lovely table. Love her waterford and silver. Have a happy Thanksgiving!

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  3. Your friend has such a beautiful table Rett, I noticed that sugar and creamer right away! Wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving-enjoy:@)

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  4. First off, what a stunning dining room. And the table setting is the icing on the cake!! I love Nicole's china, silver and crystal and the pops of red and teal are perfect! The tea service is just gorgeous!! What a great friend she must be and you must feel so blessed to know her and her husband.

    Wishing you and your family a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!

    XO,
    Jane

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  5. Rett:

    Such a beautiful tribute to your friend's home and her husband.

    The color combination is so unique and beautiful. That tea set is amazing!

    Happy Thanksgiving.

    - The Tablescaper

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  6. Such a lovely dinner table, Thank You for sharing it!
    Enjoy your friends and family and have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

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  7. I'm just swooning over the silver flatware, your friend has some of the most beautiful pieces on her table of china and crystal I've seen in a long time. Thanks to both of you for sharing her table with us.

    What a wonderful relationship you two have forged out of a love of sewing and then to think that her husband was involved in a medical emergency is just overwhelming. It was meant to be that each of your lives would bring friendship to one another, truly something to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving!

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  8. Thank you for sharing your friend's gorgeous table, Rett. Joyful blessing and happy Thanksgiving Day good wishes to you and your family.

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  9. HI RETT!!!
    What a GREAT FRIEND Nicole is. And Thank God for her Dr. husband who saved your husband's life. What a small world it is, that her hubby has a connection with you and then she is so talented and teaches you --I can't imagine teaching you anything, but life is great like that, bringing people are way to teach us something new.
    Her table is exquisite indeed. I love the COLORS, love the cranberry and teal, I just would leap for joy at a table that lovely!!!Mine is nice, don't get me wrong, but that just is simply divine!!
    I am wishing you and yours a Very Happy Thanksgiving!!!
    enjoy your special day at your family's home!!!
    And I wish you many many more Happy Days with your husband, I Pray for strength for him everyday
    HUGS 2 U,
    jamie

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  10. Rett, I'm so happy you shared your friend's beautiful table. She does have gorgeous pieces! I'm in love with that tea service. Everything is fabulous! It's fun to see how others use their sugar scuttles. I have vintage napkin rings in mine at the moment. LOL Before that it was candy corn. Love the idea of serving nuts in it. I think I'll do that next.
    Happy Thanksgiving, sweet friend. Just reading your message about a year ago brought it all back to mind for me. I know you feel blessed! ~ Sarah

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  11. Rett, what a treat to see that beautiful table. I am with you, drooling over the silver.. all of it, the flatware and the tea service. Wow.

    I'd love to see your smocking.. I do some myself.

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  12. Wow... what a lovely table. I love the silver mixed in with all the fabulous textures.
    Happy Thanksgiving to your family as well as Nicole's...
    hugs ~lynne~

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  13. Your friend's non-traditional table is lovely...great colors. Her silver is stunning...wow!
    Happy Thanksgiving, Rett.

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  14. This is just lovely Rett. She has some fabulous silver and how wonderful that we got to share it with her. I love the whimsical turkeys too. Her runners are just gorgeous. What a lovely table. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

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  15. Hi Rett,
    Your friend's home is beautiful and her table/dining room is gorgeous.
    Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
    ~Delores

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  16. Found my way over from Jamie's. What a beautiful table. Wishes to you and your family for a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving.

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  17. Thank you for sharing Nicole's beautiful collection of china, silver and crystal. I know you feel blessed to be able to call her friend. Wishing you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving.

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  18. Thanks for the comments on my thanksgiving florals. $12.00 Tom Thumb flowers, wood stumps hubbie cut for the bases. Happy Thanksgiving to you too.

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  19. Dear Rett, First and for most I am so glad your husband is OK. Isn't it interesting that you found a friend and it was her husband who saved your husbands life. God works in strange ways doesn't he? He puts people in our life for a reason and sometimes it's not until years later that we understand why.
    Your friends table is absolutely gorgeous!! Every little detail so pretty. I especially like those little calling cards too. Please thank her from all of us for allowing you to share.
    hanks you so much for the link you sent me. What a truly beautiful and heart felt post.
    I hope you and your family have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving ♥

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  20. What a gorgeous table! The aqua and burgundy china is just stunning together -- and perfect on those placemats. How fun to have a smocking group! I smocked years ago when my children were small and greatly enjoyed it. Thanks for your comment -- I wish you lived next door and I'd "let" you iron my grandmother's tablecloth, since you profess to love ironing linens!

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  21. The table is the epitome of elegance and gracious entertaining. The part of the post that really made me catch my breath was the story of your friend's husband, the cardiologist saving your precious husband's life. This is an incredible testimony that for God's children there are no accidents. It was no accident that your friend and you met to share smocking....there was a plan from God in all of that...Praise the Lord! Thanks for stopping by my post. Come any time. Happy Thanksgiving! Cherry Kay

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  22. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I never realized this connection between you and Nicolle. Please tell her from me how exquisite I think her holiday setting is. I lived in New Bedford, MA for a time where they made carnival glass and I have seen a lot. Those two compotes are FABULOUS! and they are making me drool all over my keyboard up here in Maine. May you, Ern, and family enjoy a bountiful feast with much joy and laughter......Bunny

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  23. Hi Rett...oh this tablescape and room is gorgeous. She has beautiful things! Thanks for sharing!

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  24. I wanted to stop in today to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. Nicole's table is such a treat. I don't usually think of that color combination and yet it is beautiful...the placemats pull it all together perfectly.

    I am so glad that her wonderful husband saved your wonderful husband! That has bonded your families for life!

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  25. Love the milk & sugar shaker.

    They are to die for.

    Greetings from a very chilly town of Stockholm,
    /Chie

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  26. Nicoles home is fabulous!! What a stunning table and how sweet of her to allow you to show it off to all of us lookie-lous!

    Blessings!
    Gail

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  27. What a beautiful setting for Thanksgiving. Love the amazing tea set -- a true treasure. Thanks for sharing.

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  28. Your friend does have a beautiful home! My eye kept drifting to those chairs! Favorite piece? The tea/coffee set!

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  29. Love your blog. I'm your newest follower!

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  30. It looks beautiful! What pretty pieces, and what a lovely story!

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  31. The coffee and tea service is beyond exquisite! I love old silver, and that is just magnificent!!! Hope you and yours all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

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  32. Rett, It's a beautiful table but even more beautiful is the fact that you have your darling husband due to Dr. Joe and his God-given talents. You have a wonderful family and I wish you all the best of health and the happiest of holidays.
    Blessings, Beth

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Thank you so much for leaving a comment. I read them all & each one is so very special to me & I try really hard to return the visit!

fondly,
~Rett~