Everyday Living

Coffee Table Talk: Winter Edition

~ Decorating

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”
Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬

If my antique coffee table could talk, could you imagine the stories it would tell?!  How many living rooms has it sat in?  What might have been placed on top?  Did its owners put their feet on it?   What books have called it home?  What family traditions has it been a part of?  We have enjoyed our coffee table for many years, and occasionally I put my slippered feet on top.  I have always used its beautiful inlaid wood to place things that I have collected, and most importantly, tell a story.  The story might be of a wonderful place that we have visited…or a friend or relative that we love, or books that have enriched our lives.  Our table is changed seasonally or for different holidays, but even in those changes, it is representative of who we are.   It makes me think of  the way our lives each tell a story-bits and pieces from different places all woven together to make us who we are!  And the beauty of it all is that no two are the same.  Let’s sit down for coffee table talk, shall we?

A decorating book that I have enjoyed for several years was the inspiration to restyle my coffee table.

Flowers are always appropriate-the creamy white roses are a perfect winter touch!

The floral blue and white ginger jar (gift from Patti) is marked James Kent, England

A zebra leather tray holds the vase of flowers, books, and a travel treasure!

The sterling silver “Ark of the Covenant” was handcrafted in Israel.  While visiting Old Jerusalem, I spotted this amazing work of art and we debated over the purchase.  We have never regretted it, and it has a permanent home on our coffee table.

The round antique coffee table has a beautiful inlaid gold design!  And the rug-you know a girl loves her leopard!

I love using antlers, as they add texture.  Butch has been a hunter since he was a teenager (only a few years ago!), so that makes for a large collection!

The Russian hand-painted lacquer box of St. Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow is another purchase from our travels. The tiny intricate details are painted on papier-mâché and lacquered. These boxes are highly sought after and are only crafted in four art centers of Russia!

The small leopard box holds playing cards.  This image also shows a close-up view of the inlaid detail of the table!

I love coffee and it is such a treat to drink from a pretty cup!  The antique cup and saucer are Victoria Austria.

I have a small collection of magnifying glasses, and this one has a mother of pearl handle.

A heavy crystal votive was a Tuesday Morning find.  A  scented candle, fresh flowers, Italian roast coffee, and fascinating books make for an afternoon of bliss!

I love to “shop my house” and assemble a few interesting items together that tell a story!

Three miniature leather books of the works of William Shakespeare:  Othello, Julius Caesar, and King Henry V were published in the early 1900’s.

I always place books so they can be enjoyed by guests or myself!

The Winter House by Charlotte Moss, one of my favorite designers, was the inspiration for the table.

A view of a tablescape in Charlotte’s winter house in Aspen!

The bronze statue of a mother and child always sits on our coffee table.

Grocery store flowers are one of my guilty pleasures.  My motto is “let’s celebrate with flowers while we are living!”

Now, I would love to know what’s on your coffee table.  Please share in the comments!

pam closing

 Linking with: Pieced Pastimes, It’s Overflowing, Be Different Act Normal, Silver Pennies , By Stephanie Lynn, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Thoughts From Alice, Creatively Living, Rustic-Refined, Three Mango Seeds, Pink When, Mod Vintage Life, Coastal Charm, Knick of Time, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, The Dedicated House, Dwellings-Heart of Your Home, Savvy Southern Style, Ivy and Elephants, French Country Cottage, From My Front Porch To Yours, Stone Gable, Confessions of a Plate Addict,Worthing Court, Between Naps on the Porch, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, A Stroll Thru Life, The Style Sisters, The Charm of Home, The Winthrop Chronicles, Cornerstone Confessions, A Delightsome Life, Imparting Grace, Craftberry Bush, Posed Perfection, Katherines Corner, The Vintage Farmhouse,  My Romantic Home, Chic On A Shoestring Decorating, Rooted In Thyme, Share Your Cup, Alabama Women Bloggers

Tablescape Tuesday: Love Is In The Air!

~ Food & Entertaining, Tablescape Tuesday

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast;
it is not arrogant or rude.
It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;
it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth”
‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭4-6‬ 

With Valentine’s Day approaching, most of us think of a husband, a fiancée, or even that high school sweetheart.  And isn’t it fun to be the recipient of chocolates, and maybe even that beautiful necklace you’ve been eyeing!?  I think we love the “holiday of love” because we feel special and made much of on that day. But can we step back, if even for a moment and look at the bigger picture, of the greatest gift of love ever given?  Even the greatest love a human can show us will not compare to the complete and unconditional love of God.  You see, the greatest gift of love is this: Jesus, who gave and is the perfect gift.  He is the one true love.
-Katy Watters

With “Mediterranean Spice” walls in our dining room, the colors of Valentine’s Day are a perfect match!

During winter months, I love the way the sun strikes the walls and table!

As you can see, the setting is all red and white

Beautiful white roses in a tall ruby red vase serves as the centerpiece!

A pair of smaller ruby vases hold feathers, just to add whimsy!  You can see another tablescape I did with feathers here: Peacocks & Feathers.

A pair of white pillar candles in hurricanes sits on either side of the roses

A lacy napkin along with a red one bound together by a heart napkin ring!

White cotton tablecloth was used with playful heart placemats, plain white dinner plates, and ruby red salad plates!  The silver plated flatware pattern is used often and is a special treasure, as it was given to me by my mother!

The ruby cordials were a gift from my friend, Kathy and they are being used as votives.  Love to repurpose items!

This is a very simple setting and easy (and fun!) to do with what I had on hand!

Perfect morning sunlight makes me wish I had planned a brunch!

The ruby stemware is ideal for this holiday of love!

This is such a fun setting to me!  Red heart napkins, placemats, napkin rings, stemware, and salad plates were purchased many years ago from a favorite department store that closed-they always had the best tableware!!

The white plates were purchased at Pier 1 for our son to use at college

The cute heart candles were found at TJ Maxx!

Because I have loved tablescaping for years, friends often give me tableware gifts.  I love Paris, (a most romantic city) so it goes without saying that I love the Eiffel Tower place card holders given by a sweet friend many years ago!

I always incorporate candles into a setting.  You can see pillars, votives, and tapers on our Valentine’s table!

❤️Love special days spent with special people around a special table❤️

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver”
Proverbs‬ ‭25‬:‭11‬ 

Linking with Pieced Pastimes, It’s Overflowing, Be Different Act Normal, Silver Pennies , By Stephanie Lynn, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Thoughts From Alice, Creatively Living, Rustic-Refined, Three Mango Seeds, Pink When, Mod Vintage Life, Coastal Charm, Knick of Time, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, The Dedicated House, Dwellings-Heart of Your Home, Savvy Southern Style, Ivy and Elephants, French Country Cottage, From My Front Porch To Yours, Stone Gable, Confessions of a Plate Addict,Worthing Court, Between Naps on the Porch, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, A Stroll Thru Life, The Style Sisters, The Charm of Home, The Winthrop Chronicles, Cornerstone Confessions, A Delightsome Life, Imparting Grace, Craftberry Bush, Posed Perfection, Katherines Corner, The Vintage Farmhouse,  My Romantic Home, Chic On A Shoestring Decorating, Rooted In Thyme, Share Your Cup

The Catherine Palace

~ Travel

“Heaven is trembling in awe of Your wonders, the kings and their kingdom are standing amazed
Here in Your presence, we are undone.  Here in Your presence, Heaven and Earth become one
Here in Your presence, all things are new.  Here in Your presence, everything bows before You”
-New Life Worship

Saint Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia.  Being a major European cultural center, it is also an important port on the Baltic Sea.  Saint Petersburg, Russia, was not a city that was on our radar, but we were more than thrilled with all that we discovered!  The famous palaces…The Winter Palace, Peterhof Palace, and The Catherine Palace demonstrate the might of the Romanov dynasty through the sheer luxury of the tsars residences!  Today, we take you on a tour of one of those-the most beautiful Catherine Palace!

Fifteen miles south of Saint Petersburg is the town of Tsarskoye Selo.  In the eighteenth century it became an out-of-town imperial residence for the Russian Royal family.   Its centerpiece is the opulent Catherine Palace!

Catherine Palace was built for Empress Petrovna and was completed in 1756.

This is the Portrait Hall and was used to display formal depictions of Russian rulers.  In the center is a unique paper sculpture of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna in her official court attire. Wide doorways were definitely necessary!

Large delft porcelain heaters provided heat for the palace

The Green Dining Room- its pistachio colored walls are embellished with white moulded ornament

This was my favorite room in the palace!

The Amber Room was a gift to Peter the Great in 1716 celebrating peace between Russia and Prussia.  It was dubbed “the Eighth Wonder of the World.”  Construction of the Amber Room began in 1701 and was originally installed in the palace of Friedrich I, the first King of Prussia.  Peter the Great admired the room on a visit-and it was presented to him as a gift cementing a Prussian-Russian alliance against Sweden.

It was originally installed in the Winter House in Saint Petersburg, but moved in 1755 to the Catherine Palace.  After 18th-century renovations, the room glowed with six tons of amber and other semi-precious stones.

During World War 2, Nazis looted tens of thousands of art treasures, including the illustrious Amber Room.  In the final months of the war, the amber panels, which had been packed away in crates, disappeared and have remained missing for decades!

The new Amber Room’s reconstruction  began in 1979 and was completed 25 years later.

The White State Dining Room was used for grand banquets and evening meals taken by the Empress

The porcelain service was made at the famous Meissen factory in Germany.  In keeping with eighteenth-century tradition, the table is covered with elaborately draped tablecloths, decorated with garlands of flowers.

Catherine Palace is rich with gold ornamentation!

Hand-painted silk panels line the Chinese Drawing
Room of Alexander I.

The furnishings are exquisite…elaborate porcelain candelabra!

Ceilings are richly detailed!

Chevaliers’ Dining Room is not particularly large so mirrors and false windows containing mirrors on the walls make it spacious and bright!

The Great Hall (also known as the Grand Ballroom) is the centerpiece room at the Catherine Palace.
It is almost 56 feet wide and over 154 feet long!

The Great Hall is on the second floor and occupies the entire width of the palace.  The two tiers of windows enhance the impression of grandness and size.  The area between the windows are covered with gilded mirrors.

We were treated to 18th century music and dancing

The ceiling is elaborately painted and the inlaid parquet floor magnificent!

Royal carriages

Coach made for Empress Catherine II, is striking for its size, opulent gilded carving and rich interior decoration

The five golden domes top the Palace Chapel.  Over 200 pounds of gold were originally used to gild the exterior.

The dazzling 18th century Catherine Palace is a perfect example of Russian baroque…its bright blue exterior is distinguished by row after row of white columns and pilasters with gold baroque moldings running the length of the facade. Catherine Palace was named for Catherine I, the wife of Peter the Great, who ruled Russia for two years after her husband’s death.

The palace owes its grandeur to Empress Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great and Catherine I.  It was built on a scale to rival Versailles!

As we were leaving the palace, a uniformed brass band entertained and dancers in period costumes performed!

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.  They collapse and fall,
    but we rise and stand upright”
Psalm 20:7-8

 Linking with: Pieced Pastimes, It’s Overflowing, Be Different Act Normal, Silver Pennies , By Stephanie Lynn, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Thoughts From Alice, Creatively Living, Rustic-Refined, Three Mango Seeds, Pink When, Mod Vintage Life, Coastal Charm, Knick of Time, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, The Dedicated House, Dwellings-Heart of Your Home, Savvy Southern Style, Ivy and Elephants, French Country Cottage, From My Front Porch To Yours, Stone Gable, Confessions of a Plate Addict,Worthing Court, Between Naps on the Porch, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, A Stroll Thru Life, The Style Sisters, The Charm of Home, The Winthrop Chronicles, Cornerstone Confessions, A Delightsome Life, Imparting Grace, Craftberry Bush, Posed Perfection, Katherines Corner, The Vintage Farmhouse,  My Romantic Home, Chic On A Shoestring Decorating, Rooted In Thyme, Share Your Cup, Alabama Women Bloggers