Dee's Table For The Last Dog Days Of Summer!

I always struggle at this time of year with when to set out my fall decor because here in Houston, TX our temps are still unbearable HOT. We don't have many seasons in Texas. 

We have hot, hotter and scorching. Sigh. 

So, for those of you who actually have four seasons a year, I envy you and imagine what your colorful fall leaves must look like and the light crisp feel in the air that hits you when you step outside of the door. 

So, my tabletop today is especially for us southerners who are still not quite feeling the fall vibe but are counting the days... 

 My goal was to achieve was something transitional.

 I wanted an end of summer vibe but moving defiantly towards fall.  (Apparently I also wanted breakfast:-) lol!
Pastry is from Whole Foods! I just added bluberies and power sugar! It was sooo yummy

T

Earlier this summer, I found some cute lemon/lime napkins at Tuesday Morning. I had no idea what I would do with them but I  thought they were so cute and the price was great. I think I paid about six bucks for 4. I ended up getting 8 so that I could set my larger dinning room as well. As I was brainstorming about how to achieve that in between look, I thought my new lemon napkins would work perfectly for the end of summer.

I did this photo so you could see the entire napkin. Ultimately, I decided to cover the oranges and just work with the lemons on my napkins and the greens on the napkin. 

What do you think?

 Lemon, rattan and burlap? 

Does this say last dog days of summer?

I pulled in green topiary's from my kitchen and green leaves from my bushes in the back yard. I used my handy dandy glass canister from Homegoods to show off my new silverware. I actually love the look. I think I will start keeping all my sets of silverware in glass canisters and store them in my pantry. Cute right? 

I needed a bit of color so it wasn't too monochromatic so I tossed in some blueberries! EASY! Can you see the underlying blue tones in the cabbage plate and napkins. 

TIP: It's so hot outside I wanted the visual relieve of cool blue tones to make it seem like a cooler temperature to the eye. If I would have pulled out more of the orange color it would have come across as too warm. 

SHOPPING

• Napkins from Tuesday Morning. Similar lemon napkins HERE
• Bordallo Pinheiro Cabbage salad plates HERE
• Pottery Barn rattan chargers HERE
• Green napkin rings from Khul-Lindscome in Houston. You can find similar napkin rings at Target. 
• To warm up my grey table and really play up the texture,  I used two burlap table runners from Hobby Lobby. You can find them HERE.  
• And you can find similar topiaries on Wayfair HERE. 
• Pottery Barn Serving Tray HERE

No southern table would be complete without a cold pitcher of ice tea! I picked up these great glass jars at a traditional Mexican restaurant in our neighborhood. ( Find something similar HERE. ) 
For the life of me I can't remember the name of the restaurant, sorry!  They serve cantaloupe or watermelon juice out of them so I had to have them for tea or juice! They are the perfect size and I love the traditional wood cork inside. (I refuse to use plastic pitchers or glasses with ice tea. It's just not the same!)

For layers I have a few green depression glass plates. (I only have four, I must get more! They add that extra layer that I need and are great for stacking!

Tip: Setting a table is all about layering! Layering is sooo important. Lay down your base and start stacking! See how I have used my extra cabbage plates then depression plates then stacked the tea on top! I found a way to use the extra plates that I had left over to layer. If you find yourself having a hard time with layering think of stacking. Say to yourself, ok, what can I stack on top of this! Just think stack, stack, stack!

I wasn't sure about trying to store my silverware in this glass canister. I wanted to show off my silverware but I thought the idea might just be a little crazy. But, I was pleasantly surprised! I love it!  I usually store my silverware in a ziplock bag away in some back corner in my buffet in the dining room. I have to get on my hands and knees to dig them out! I think I'm going to start a linen/pantry for all my dishware and start storing all my silverware in glass canisters! What do you think? Good tip or no?

So why do I love creating a beautiful table top?

 There is something compelling about seeing a beautifully set table. It's an art. And if it's beautiful and inviting it's hard for people to say no!  When you see how much effort and love that goes into making a special table and a special meal it makes people stop and think twice before saying they can't sit down or stop to take the time to have a sit down meal.

I hope I've inspired you! I would love your feed back! Now go set your table! 

Happy Decorating,