Thou Art More Lovely ...

It's Tablescape Thursday with Susan of Between Naps on the Porch! I'm joining Diane of A Picture Is Worth a 1,000 Words for 2nd Time Around Tuesdays (almost everything in this post has had a previous incarnation!). Since my table isn't really a traditional one for dining, I'm also participating in Marty's Tabletop Tuesday meme at A Stroll Thru Life.

The 4th of July is almost here. I considered setting an outdoor table in the traditional red, white, and blue. I wanted to. I really did!

But, after cutting the grass (with temperatures hovering perilously close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit), I decided I wanted to head back inside and enjoy the air conditioning! Before darting inside, I did notice that the crepe myrtle in front of the house was in full bloom, and I cut a handful of the flowering branches.

I sat at the desk in an upstairs bedroom waiting for inspiration to strike. I glanced up at the colorful rural scenes painted in watercolor by my friend, Mary. "OK," I thought, "I'll use lots of rich color." Then I thought of the crepe myrtles (some spell it crape) and their origins in South Asia. I decided to go for a slightly exotic, layered, textural, romantic look.



I also decided to keep it in this room, using objects around me (and in nearby storage closets).


I took large pillows from the bed and spread beaded throws at either end of the coffee table. Instead of a running commentary, I'm sharing a classic, one of the best-known and most romantic poems:

Sonnet 18

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May

And summer's lease hath all too short a date:

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimm'd,

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance or natures changing course untrimm'd:

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest,

Nor shall death brag thou wandrest in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou growest,

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

-William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Thank you for stopping by on this lovely summer's day.

China: Lenox Essex Maroon (1938 - 1978)

Silver: Gorham La Scala (1964-present)

Stemless wine glasses: Goodwill (new in box, made for Target)

Napkin rings: Goodwill (new in box)

Pink patterned candle holders: Goodwill

Angel container with lid: Goodwill

Fabric and throws: garage sales

Decanter, stemware, napkins, sterling salt & pepper shakers, silverplated trays used as chargers: various local estate sales

Additional candle holders: Hobby Lobby on clearance

Silverplated cocktail shaker: thrifted

Masks (new in packages): thrifted

We have a winner in the Affordable Accoutrements 1st anniversary giveaway! The gift, generously provided by Stan Williams of The Elegant Thrifter, goes to Nana of Just Call Me Nana!

Thank you to everyone who entered (and left such generous comments)!

If you didn't win, but still want your Stan fix, you can get your very own copy of The Find: The Housing Works Book of Decorating with Thrift Shop Treasures, Flea Market Objects, and Vintage Details by visiting Borders, Barnes & Noble, Amazon or Powell's.

If you haven't stopped by Just Call Me Nana!, you owe it to yourself to pay her a visit. Nana's a frequent Tablescape Thursday participant and, while she has several sets of dishes, she often limits herself to using thrifted white Johnson Brothers Snowhite Regency ironstone china in an amazing variety of ways. I have some of the same dishes I've used in a few tablescape posts, but Nana puts me to shame!

Most of Nana's English ironstone collection was purchased for her by her sweet sister, Tammy, who also happens to be a blogger. You can check out her blog, Domestic Diva at Work HERE. Last Friday was Nana's birthday, so I thought it was a nice coincidence that she won the giveaway. I hope you'll all stop by and wish her well. Congratulations, Nana!

Please hurry over to see Susan of Between Naps on the Porch. It's always an entertaining and enlightening experience!