A Thanksgiving Harvest Table...

Happy Thanksgiving!!! There are so many reasons for which to give thanks, and one of those reasons is all of the lovely bloggers I have met this year. Susan, Between Naps on The Porch, is one such friend whose door is always open wide and especially so on Tablescape Thursday. So thank you, Susan, for being the ever gracious hostess for this event! :-)



I had every intention of doing this tablescape last Thursday, but my internet server was having issues. So today, if you would be ever so kind to indulge me, please pull up a chair and let's dish...



I started this tablescape with these little floral picks I found at Michael's a few years ago. The picks are used as napkin rings on some vintage linens (note the leaf design in the damask tablecloth)...



The pheasant feathers have been residents of our home for going on two decades, and I love to use them with fall 'scapes. The white china is our wedding china (Royal Gold by Royal Doulton). The sterling flatware, a pattern started for me by my mother and also her pattern, is Gorham's Chantilly...



The china takes on a life of its own at night. Oh, how I love gold accents on china...



And I love the light play on this china in the daytime as well...



There's also a reflection of the crystal mirrored in the knife blade...



I have never tired of our silver, which can be dressed up or down, or our china pattern. I enjoy pairing Royal Gold with other patterns, like this salad plate in Mottahedeh's Duke of Gloucester...



I think the Duke, with his harvest of fruit and berries, is perfect for a fall harvest table...



This shot gives you a different view of the gold trim on both plates. The Royal Gold has a gold encrusted border featuring scallop shells while the Duke has wispy sweeps of gold...



And if you look closely, you'll see some little bugs trying to sneak off with a berry or two...



There are also slight variations in the design on some of the plates...



Another thing I'm using from our wedding gifts is our crystal which is Gorham's King Edward...



It has a cut very similar to Waterford's Lismore...



With a harvest theme, it follows that you need some pumpkins and gourds, seen displayed here in a reproduction majolica compote I found in Highlands, North Carolina...



The ceramic pumpkins and gourds have been picked up everywhere from Tuesday Morning to Beall's Outlet. Some are Italian, some Chinese...



And the tiny orange plastic pumpkins were either from Big Lots or Michael's...



Hmmmm, I spy something hiding around the base of that compote...



Ah, ha! Caught you, Mr. Fox...



He seems to be contemplating something...



Oh, the pumpkin! Better keep an eye on that lest he make off into the night with it...



One thing I definitely want to keep an eye on are these antique trumpet vases...



These vases are executed in a very decorative pattern, while most of the trumpet vases I've seen are rather plain (love those, too!)...



These vases were made by the Roger Williams Silver Company (not to be confused with Wm. Rogers) that existed for about a dozen years beginning at the turn of the 20th century. Roger Williams for whom the company was named was an English minister who founded Providence and was Rhode Island's first colonial governor. The silver industry played a big part in Providence's history for many, many years...



I purchased the little stand the pumpkin is on from Pier One years ago. Having arranged this table with what I had on hand, I would buy more leaves to tuck around the base of that pumpkin were I using this for our Thanksgiving table. I have added real horns because they remind me of the antique powder horn that belonged to Daddy...



That one is holding court over on the server...



This is a reproduction horn drinking cup. These were used in Scotland among the clan chiefs...



It was a shiny object I found years ago, and I thought it would be a fun accent to add to the table with the other two horns...



And here's the full place setting...



Plus a view of the centerpiece from daylight...



To dark...



And a shot of the sideboard with its bounty from the sea (this is Florida, after all!)...



And another shot of the table. Kind of looks like a Norman Rockwell illustration minus the people, except for one teeny tiny annoying little thing...



A blooper. Can you tell???



Yep. I got distracted by a telephone call and put down the dessert fork and spoon in the wrong order...



The spoon ALWAYS tops the fork. The other place settings were correct. I checked the photos. ;-)



But you know, I'm even grateful for mistakes because they give us a chance to laugh at ourselves and not take ourselves too seriously. Humor is another gift for which I'm thankful...



And speaking of thanks, thank you SO much for visiting me here today. I eagerly look forward to visiting you, too. Please visit Susan and her guests as well because there are always wonderful tablescapes to see there. I'd also like to take this opportunity to wish you the Happiest of Thanksgivings, particularly to my precious John who is serving overseas and to my sweet Adelaide and her family (including Cecelia and Clement... Hi! Hi!) with whom we were supposed to have Thanksgiving in the mountains of North Carolina. Mr. Magpie has been recuperating from a bout of the flu, so we are spending a quiet Thanksgiving at home in Florida and letting a nice restaurant do the work for us. Hopefully I can snap a photo or two of their buffet for you.



Here's hoping that you and yours have a blessed holiday and a Happy Tablescape Thursday as well! :-)

Most of all, be safe as well as thankful...

XO,

Mrs. Magpie (Sheila)