Tag Archives: table settings

The Day After

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slimpaley.thanksgiving

Happy The Day After!

I hope everyone here in America enjoyed a happy, meaningful Thanksgiving Day in whatever way you chose to celebrate.

I’m guessing there was probably some turkey and pumpkin pie involved.

I don’t have too much to report here.  All went well, and we were very thankful for all our blessings, especially having both our lads home with us for the holiday.

As readers with older children will appreciate, this becomes increasingly harder to accomplish as the years fly by.

slimpaley.comI managed a one-armed table set at the barn.

 The flowers and napkin folding were not quite up to snuff, but the overall effect was a success (even if I do say so myself! ;-))

I bought orchids,  persimmons and longan berries at the Santa Barbara Farmer’s Market on Wednesday, and my sister picked some berries for me.

Heritage TurkeyHeritage Turkey

My older son and his girlfriend cooked the entire dinner over a two day period. It was absolutely fantastic. They even made home-made stock earlier just for the gravy.

brussel sprouts with lardonFresh brussels sprouts from the farmer’s market with lardon, simmered in butter & chicken stock.

890A9376Delicious ham and fresh green bean casserole.

orchid & footballFlowers & football.  Story of my life :-)

slimpaley.pumpkinpieMaple pumpkin pie with chocolate crust (adapted from Bon Appetit magazine) with freshly whipped cream

pecanpieand pecan perfection!

My son made these. From scratch. Home-made pastry.

MY SON .

Almost everything was perfect

sweet potatoes with marshmallow Keeping two eyes and one arm on the final broiling of the whipped sweet potatoes with fresh ginger, coconut cream & marshmallows was my job.

Honestly. The lengths some people will go to to try and catch a glimpse of a fireman.

whipped sweet potatoesBut never let it be said that I’m not a master re-cycler.

The entire charred top popped right off and the slightly smoky flavour remaining just took the edge off the sweetness.

Good as new!

champagne.slimpaley.com

CHEERS TO GOOD FOOD, GREAT FRIENDS AND DEAR FAMILY NEAR & FAR.

Have a wonderful weekend!

xx

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Chartreuse linen napkins from “Linen Me”, candlesticks Georg Jensen, sandalwood runner from ‘Botanik’, Summerland, dinner plates “Target” (!) ‘vintage goblets.

Feeling Very Delftish

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blue & white tile

Watching Downton Abbey makes me think of Port. Thinking of Port reminds me of my trip to Portugal a few months ago and how crazy delicious the port wine was.

But that’s another post, as well as a glimpse into my thought process, which no, doesn’t always lead to alcohol.

This post is about Delft. Or perhaps I should say “Delft-ish” inspiration, as I don’t want anyone busting me on these images not being genuine Dutch Delft, a connoisseur of which I’m definitely not.

I do like me a good delfty object though and I can certainly appreciate how the blue & white of Delft can really make a room sing.

Prada Delft tile handbag

Or a bag. Like this Prada one.

train station, PortugalDuring our say in Portugal we had the pleasure of visiting the lovely little town of Pinhao, where the rustic scenes of this gorgeous wine making region are represented on the walls of their quaint train station.

Delft certainly seems to be having A Moment, or am I the only one noticing?

001fullscreenRoberto Cavalli Resort 2013

blue & whiteCheck the boots!

blue & white tile I’m totally in love with these Delft On Acid limited edition tiles by South African artist Ruan Hoffmann available thru Cletile.com

great traditional kitchenand you can’t beat a spot of delft for old world charm, here mixed with great panache with dark wood, rough plaster walls and the sleekness of modern components.

blue & white plate wallpaperDelft wallpaper via Studio Ditte

blue & white tile

DelftThe combo of Delft with peach tones=perfection

tumblr_mfhnaqUNBW1r2k6djo1_1280Carolina Hererra is channeling Delft for Spring 2013

Tadashi Shojiand Tadashi Shoji

Mondrian_Soho_NYC__HotList_cnt_26apr12_pr_b

opening-mondrian-sohoThe Mondrian Soho, NYC is in on the moment.

blue & white table settingGlorious. Especially if your frenemies are opposite.

J.Crew pajamas dang, I’ve lost the credit for these cute jammies.

*OK- Here’s the link to the PJ’s J.Crew

249316529342485224_aXrchNJW_f

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Chanel Skyline

nailing delft tones

222857881530307937_54eks0Jk_fAlways gorgeous mixed with sea grass and large palm fronds, but then again, you had me at seagrass & large palm fronds…

Atrium

delft bike

adorbs.

Screen Shot 2012-12-18 at 8.34.13 AMKarolina Kurokova steps out in Cavalli

vivienne-westwood-mens-spring-2013-delftware-slippers-8Vivienne Westwood

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Norman Parkinsonphoto by Norman Parkinson

gaston y daniela1

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Historical blue Portuguese sideboard by Heritage

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I don’t know that I could put this much effort into graffiti that can just be licked off, you?

I guess that’s why I’m not a cake icing graffiti artist and Shelley Miller is.

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29. carolina herrera bedroom patricia herrera jonathan beckerCarolina Herrera’s daughter in a sublime tableau of red & blue delftishness

Screen Shot 2012-12-17 at 8.28.21 PMTory Burch Spring 2013

delft wall, PortugalMy girlfriend admiring the gorgeous tiles of the Pinhao train station. I just noticed how her scarf ties in with the wall border.

154107618470582322_3lxvDL5m_cimage via Pinterest

tumblr_lsgyj1uArm1qcgtroo1_500Gaultier, of course

moooi-blown-away-vase-2

The Blow away vase by Moooi

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OK, I’m off to yoga and then I might even treat myself to a spot of Port.

xx

~

Merry Christmas!!

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Merry Christmas Everyone!

It was way past 8:00am here and not a creature was stirring, not even the proverbial mouse. Long gone are the days our boys were bursting into our bedroom well ahead of the sunrise, we still bleary-eyed from Santa antics only hours before. Pause for a moment of melancholy here.   OK. It’s over.

Screen Shot 2012-12-25 at 8.56.14 AM

By 9:30am I was on my 3rd cup of tea, had read my favourite blogs and broken into the dessert cheeses for breakfast. Hey-it’s Christmas.

When everyone was finally up and lounging around the living room opening presents at a very mature pace, I completely forgot I’d left apple cider cooking on the stove for over an hour (OK, two) in the kitchen. The house is now permeated with the scent of charred sugar. That sounds a lot better than it smells. Good-bye favourite saucepan. Though I feel lucky it brought to our attention a faulty smoke alarm. Silver Lining for sure. (BTW, have you seen that movie yet? We watched it last night and really enjoyed it)

ornaments christmas , slimpaley.com

Hoping our roasting turkeys will soon be filling the house with a much more pleasant aroma-I’m cooking two small ones (as to have more brown meat and crispy skin!) plus a giant ham. I’m happy to say our older son is feeling quite a bit better and will be able to partake in some food & fun.

currin_thanksgivingArtist John Currin

Christmas table , slimpaley.comI’ll also take some time to be so thankful for life’s blessings, especially the good health and happiness of my family and friends. This Christmas we are all holding many families in our hearts and prayers.

890A5214Another blessing I will count-having this forum in which I get to share all manner of randomness with you lovely people. I can’t tell you how much fun it’s been to have found this creative outlet at this particular time in my life.

Well, it’s time to go flip my birds

From my home to yours;

I WISH YOU A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS, PEACE , JOY & PLENTY OF LOVE.

xoxox

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Black & White Stripes Redux

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wicker basket with towel

Poolside, the Tintagel Hotel, Colombo, Sri Lanka

It seemed everywhere we turned in Sri Lanka, black & white stripes beckoned.

Slim Paley photo

The Tintagel Hotel

Slim Paley photo

Lobby of the Tintagel Hotel

We were so inspired!

Of course I had to answer the call.

Now as shopping meccas go, Sri Lanka’s not, well, Mecca, but I did manage to purchase a few things.

I found a great woven cotton black & white striped tablecloth and napkins (which didn’t make the post due to laundering concerns, having been packed with the black rubber coasters I bought that turned my bag into a tire factory for the rest of the trip ( picked up in our first port of call too. A lot of them.)

Well, honestly, who knew they would smell so pong-y?!

(have you read “King Leopold’s Ghost”?  A startling book about the history of the rubber trade in the Congo).

cold soupsSlim Paley photo

Gazpacho & stripes.  (Note rubber charger :))

Galle, Sri LankaSlim Paley photo

We loved the black & white striping at The Kahanda Kanda Hotel, Galle, Sri Lanka

 apparently somebody else was also digging the combo 

and didn’t attend his “Lizards #101 Blending In” class.

 Ralph Lauren does it beautifully

Going to be pulling out my black & white shirt with the itchy collar and soaking it in Downy til it cooperates.

I even ordered these straws. Probably won’t use them with the tablecloth, but…

Never say never.

I did buy coasters made out of tires.

PS. Straws can be ordered here

Paradise Road, Colombo, Sri LankaSlim Paley photo

Paradise Road, The Gallery Cafe, Colombo

19th century Swedish corner bench via Balsamo Antiques NY.

Amelia Handegan

Great little pop of blue from the bedside lamps!

black stair railings

My beach house stair railings from the second floor

Love this mix in AD

.Cute idea for a tea towel bar.

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Slim Paley photo

Tea towels from “Bed Bath & Beyond” $9.99

via

travel, Sri LankaSlim Paley photo

Gourdon, France

credit unknown

black & white stripes with wicker always works

photo of Miranda Kerr

been there.

Natasha Poly. Isabel Marant jeans

if memory serves I had a few of these little crocheted numbers growing up.

A far cry from last week’s Costco porno dummy suit (still sitting in my car)

Growing up,  my mom  used to say with a sigh; “Every Dog Has His Day”

( my mom’s from Dublin, she has 50 million of these expressions)

I never really liked that one because I never understood it,

 and now that I do , I still don’t like it :(

but it did come to mind when I saw these

swimsuits hand crocheted in Australia and  available on Couture Lab .

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black & white stripes

Slim Paley photo

.D Will Black & White stripes inspire you, or are you all about COLOUR for Spring & Summer?

How about combining colour & stripes and having it ALL and we’ll just thumb our noses at those “Dog Days”?!

S.P. photo

If you’re so inclined, you can find last year’s Black & White Stripes post  here

Stay tuned for more travel and “Springing into Summer” posts soon!

xx

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Forget The Turkey, What About The Table?

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Slim Paley photo

An intimate & casual Autumn lunch at my beach house. You wouldn’t really expect gourds to mix well with objects from the sea, but it worked.

 

Slim Paley Photo


And now, my favourite part of November- setting the Thanksgiving table, particularly fun, as Fall’s bounty is so plentiful and I love a great Over The Top, Bring It ON table for ‘Giving Thanks’.

 

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How chic, this black & white Thanksgiving table from Domino.  I have some black & white transfer ware- but not nearly enough.

I do have feathers though, and might just throw them into the mix this year.

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Martha.

Martha, Martha, Martha. If you’d only let me come to that cooking class all those years ago…we coulda’ been Buds!

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credit unknown (what if it’s martha?!!)

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Photo Luca Trovato for House Beautiful

An interesting and sophisticated table by Janice Feldman (Founder of Janus et Cie)

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Slim Paley Photo

I could do an updated version of my Sun Valley Thanksgiving table from last year…

BTW,  I’m going on record now- I don’t want to hear  “J’accuse” if I use a version of this photo again on my upcoming Plaid post!

Think of it as recycling. Plaids not the easiest subject.

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Photo via Linda Ervin

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“Her” again

Love this.

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Slim Paley photo

I’ve used those colours too  ( apples and hydrangea from my garden :))

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But ever since seeing this photo recently…

 

(Oh…let’s say British Homes & Gardens)

I’m feeling the urge to do a ‘Spicier’ tableau

Something about the heavy linen and very fiery flowers is really inspiring me.

 

I have copious amounts of Cranberry glass, which I would love to mix with mustard and brown.  You heard me.  There’s some interesting foliage in the garden right now that would work well with these colours, though I don’t have brown dishes, or at least not enough for the number of guests this year.  I might be taking a run down to P.B. or the local antique collective to see what I can find- because, really, it’s just not a Holiday for me unless I’m leaving everything until the last possible moment.

Don’t read my New Year’s Resolutions from last January about being more organized .  I’d obviously been drinking.

 

 

Some of the things I’ve pulled together so far….

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Slim Paley photo

Cranberry glass, mushrooms, quail eggs, antique books, and old letters…

 

I’ll keep you posted.

Do I win anything if I get the table set before Saturday?? (which would be absolutely wonderful, considering I’m out of town Thursday and Friday )

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Do you favour tradition and set the same table for the Holidays every year, or do you like to shake things up too?

What’s your favourite part of the holiday; the cooking, the table setting, or

the Clean up?!

(if you answer #3, we have one more place at the table :) )

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