Bella Rustica Vintage Marketplace

We visited the historic Harlinsdale Farm in Franklin, Tennessee for the annual Bella Rustica Vintage Marketplace. Artisans near and far showed off their wonderful wares -

 

 

"Antiques" was the word ...

 

 

... with lots of beautiful vintage furniture dressed in chipping paint.

 

 

There were surprises around every corner ...

 

 

... and décor ideas everywhere!

 

 

We will be coming back next year ...

 

 

... see you then!

 

A Candle in a Teacup

Do you know what's better than candles and teacups?
Candles in teacups!

I purchased this teacup candle from a local retailer called Lights, Camera, Candles. Not only does it smell amazing, it also functions as a moisturizer. Yes, you read that correctly. The all-natural soy wax cools quickly after burns. You can dip your finger in the still-warm wax and rub it on your hands. It works amazingly well. I keep this candle on my desk. It's a wonderful treat while I am busy working.

The teacup and saucer are beautiful as well. It is a perfect gift for a tea lover like myself. Lights, Camera, Candles sources beautiful antique teacups for their candles. Each one is unique. They also make custom candles if you have a teacup that you'd like to use.

This post is not a paid advertisement nor am I affiliated with Lights, Camera, Candles. I am just one of their biggest fans! Check out Lights, Camera, Candles on Facebook.

We are linking up at Rose Chintz Cottage's A Lavender Tea

And at Antiques and Teacups' Tuesday Cuppa Tea

And at Bernideen's Tea Time Blog's Leaf Raking Tea

Wordless Wednesday Post #4

We are linking up at 5 Minutes for Moms' Wordless Wednesday: Meoooww

And at image.in.ing's Layers of Time

And at Dagmar's Home's Wordless Wednesday: Class Trip 

And at Mrs. Tee's Love Life Laughter's Perspective #WordlessWednesday

Wordless Wednesday Post #3

We are linking up at 5 Minutes for Moms' Wordless Wednesday: Splash
And at image.in.ing's Drip ... Drip Link-up
And at Dagmar's Home's Wordless Wednesday: Cape May Vacation 
And at Mrs. Tee's Love Life Laughter's Perspective #WordlessWednesday

Two for Tea

You're invited to a tea for two! I've quickly set the table to enjoy a simple cup of excellent tea along with homemade raspberry and lemon muffins. These muffins are delicious! So, please, sit for a spell.

These zinnias are leftovers from a bridal shower that I co-hosted this past Sunday. I will write a post on the shower later. The dried moth was found in our backyard. I imagine that he or she lived a beautiful life, flying high in the sky on those beautiful wings!

I love how the colors just pop against the neutral wood and tatted white table runner. I also used a vintage scalloped-edged milk glass vase that I picked from a local thrift store for $0.99. The vase is made in the USA, which makes me very happy. The white moth has found a beautiful resting place.

I picked this teacup from a local thrift store for $3. It is Royal Grafton, made in England. I do not know the name of this pattern. It reminds me of the 1940's. It has a white bow wrapped around a beautiful bouquet of purple flowers.

I picked this teacup from an estate sale for $2. It is Royal Albert, made in England. It is the Woodland Series, Humming Bird pattern. I absolutely love watching humming birds. It is amazing that so much energy is packed into such a tiny and seemingly delicate bird. I was very happy to find this teacup.

I picked this pair of teapot salt and pepper shakers from the local thrift store for $2. They are vintage, made in Japan. They are the perfect addition to a tea lover's collection!

The recipe to the delicious raspberry lemon muffins can be found here.

We are linking up at Antiques and Teacups' Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Fruits of Summer Tablescape

I love the sweet summertime! I enjoy the warmer weather and the fruits that it brings. The freshly picked raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries. The bright, colorful flowers. Summer is happiness!

I picked these zinnias from my mother-in-law's garden. I love their bright cheerful colors ... and they continually bloom all season long! They make for excellent cut flowers. I arranged the cut zinnias, along with hummingbird vine and gladioli leaves, in a silver-plated water pitcher that I found at an estate sale.

Here is a closer view of the beautiful zinnias in the intricately carved water pitcher. I love the softness that the hummingbird vine adds to the arrangement.

I've recently purchased these crystal strawberry plates, silver-plated napkin rings, and fruit napkins at the thrift stores. The set of 6 of made in France plates were $2. The set of 6 made in Japan napkin rings were $1 ... and the set of 6 Avon napkins were $3. I love finding good deals, especially on vintage things!

Here is a closer view of the crystal strawberry plate. You can see "France" inscribed on the bottom right, beneath one of the leaves. I haven't found any similar plates in my research. If you know what company produced these plates and in what year, please comment below. I'd love to know more about them!

Here is a snapshot of a butterfly on a zinnia in my mother-in-law's garden. I took this photo while I was cutting the flowers for my arrangement. Happy summer memories! Please share your happy summer memories by commenting below.

We are linking up at Between Naps on The Porch's Tablescape Thursdays

1960's Arlen Maple Leaf China

I am surrounded by thrift stores. I visit them quite often, at least once a week. I found this complete set of 1960's Arlen Maple Leaf china at a local thrift for $39. There are 8 complete place settings that include a dinner plate, a curved salad plate, a curved dessert plate, a bread plate, and a teacup with saucer. The set also includes a sugar bowl and creamer. The set is in near mint condition, only having slight knife marks on the dinner plates from light use. We registered for some china for our wedding, so we didn't need another set. So we got this set for a dear family that grew up with my husband.

I couldn't miss sharing this gorgeous find with my blog friends, here it is:

I couldn't believe how these pieces filled up my table! It made my table feel small. I added candles to my pair of Gorham Queen Anne hurricanes that I found at another local thrift over a year ago for $7. I was so happy to find these, they match our Gorham Queen Anne cake serving pieces and toasting flutes from our wedding. The family that got this china also gifted us a Gorham Queen Anne lidded candy dish for our wedding, which I treasure. 

I placed the settings on top of inexpensive silver chargers that I found at Walmart a while ago. I think the chargers add a muted flair to the setting and shows off the gray/ slate blue tones in the china ...

The china is trimmed in gold, so I didn't want to use my gold chargers.

The teacups and saucers are gorgeous - and so dainty! That is the bread plate under the saucer. I was running out of table space!

I used my tatted napkin rings that I found at a local thrift. I also found these vintage white linen napkins at an estate sale, $1 for a set of 6. I love them, they go with anything. Look at that intricate leaf pattern!

I let the napkins slightly hang off the end of the table for drama. I also used my vintage silver-plated silverware that I found at a local thrift. I use this set for just about every table setting. I got my money's worth! 

Here's another shot of a place setting. I used our crystal drinking glasses that we received from my husband's grandmother at my bridal shower. They were hers and they mean so much to us! She unfortunately passed away 6 months after our wedding, but we are so glad that we got to share that special time with her. We miss her sweetness everyday. She was such a lovely lady, I am so glad that I got to meet her.

This china blows me away. I think it would look especially gorgeous in the fall. I am so happy that I got to get this for our sweet family. 

Here is the sugar bowl and creamer. I just love their shape!

We hope that you have a lovely weekend and thanks for stopping by!

We are linking up at Between Naps on The Porch's Tablescape Thursdays

St. Patrick's Day Table Setting

Saint Patrick's Day is the perfect holiday to start the Spring season. All of the greens and golds remind me of grass and daffodils. Spring is my favorite time of the year. It's a season of hope. It's a promise that there are more blessings to come. Everything is brought back to life after a very cold winter ...

This holiday I decorated the table using rainbow place settings that I purchased from Kohl's. I found them in the clearance section and immediately thought of Saint Patrick's Day when I saw them. The set was extremely discounted and I used my $10 credit that I got in the mail. I bought the entire set for just a couple of dollars ...

I used my vintage silver-plated flatware that I purchased at a thrift store for $10. It is a complete set for 6, except it's missing the dessert forks. Who needs those, anyways? I got the glass plates at the dollar store. I placed paper dollies underneath for contrast. If I had 6 clovers, I would've placed those under the plates on top of the dollies as well. I used mini gold frames as placeholders. I found them in the dollar bins at Michael's!

I picked this set of 6 vintage Irish Coffee stemware at the local thrift for $4. The set is marked "Made in France" on the bottom. I fall for anything "Made in France." I especially liked the font and cloverleaves flanking the glasses.

The daffodils add a touch of Spring to the table setting. I picked the pair of green vases at a locally owned vintage store. They were drastically marked down and I got the pair for $2. They mistakenly thought they were candlestick holders. The dark green is perfect for holding bright yellow daffodils! 

  

Here are my pots of leprechaun gold - Lindt Lindor truffles that is! These make for yummy place settings. I bought the pots at the dollar store, they are salsa bowls. They come in packs of 3/$1. I used Easter grass that I got at the thrift for $0.50. I placed little shamrock scatters inside the bowls. I got a bag of them at Hobby Lobby after Saint Patrick's Day last year for 90% off.

Here is our (working) 1924 VV 410 Victrola! We found it on Craig's List. I sewed the leprechaun table runner on top. I was inspired by Pink Polka Dot Creations's Witch Boots Table Runner here. I saved the vintage-looking Lucky Charms cereal box that was released recently. Next to it is a stack of cereal bowls.

Here is a close-up of my leprechaun table runner. I added pleating, ruffling, and lots of lace!

The green and white houndstooth stockings are the perfect touch to this leprechaun's look! I used clear sewing thread to add the gold buckles to the boots. Now I need to find some good Irish music to play on my Victrola! How did you celebrate this Saint Patrick's Day?

Creating a Welcoming Fall Entrance

This year, I started decorating from the outside in. I think it's important to feel welcomed from the moment you step foot through the front door ...

I found the pumpkin wreath at Old Time Pottery last February ... long after fall. Needless to say, it was drastically discounted! The fall corn shocks came from a family friend. I saved the corn tassels that broke off and tucked them into my potted mums. The galvanized pot of mums was found at Wal-mart on clearance for $7. I also placed a little witch's hat from Kroger onto the stem of my Jack O' Lantern. I curled some fall-themed ribbon I found at Dollar Tree on the wooden bench by the front door ...

and added some miniature pumpkins tied up with green raffia ribbon that I found at a local thrift a couple of years ago. I love the curly vine that is still attached to the small pumpkin on the left!

I also added a decorative gourd on the left of the bench.

I tied a cute burlap and black chevron ribbon to the corn shocks. I also tucked in some local cotton for some added fall decoration ...

This glitzy witch sits at the bamboo table, prepared to greet our trick-or-treaters for the 31st. She was found at Lowe's Home Improvement.

This trio of grapevine pumpkins sits atop the bamboo table. This trio was found at a local thrift last year.

I hope that you have a purrfect Halloween!