Dining al fresco is alway one of my favorite things to do and it’s almost like food tastes better in the great outdoors. Having a porch with a table is one of those small pleasures in life for me and I have eaten many meals on my porch since I moved in this house. It’s a great place to relax and enjoy dinner!
Today, I’m joining a fun group of bloggers and we are sharing some tablescape ideas for outdoor dining. My small round table on the porch seats 4 and is the perfect spot to decorate with pretty dishes.
I’ve got enough dishes to play with and one set that I haven’t shared with you all in ages is my green Bordallo bunny dishes. In fact, the very first post on my blog in 2007 highlighted these bunny dishes at a church women’s social when I lived in Birmingham. Looking back at that table, I really thought it was pretty, but now I think it’s a bit overdone and sort of cheesey and I like to think that I’ve evolved in almost 10 years of blogging and decorating! Click over and see those pics to see all those bunny dishes put together with centerpieces and more. You can click the pics to enlarge! Please don’t laugh and then come on back here.
If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you will know that I have had a thing for bunnies for a few years. I still have several bunnies in my collection, but I’ve pared down over the years and only kept my favorite ones. They have to have a certain look for me to want to collect them. I like them indoors and outdoors.
You can see I have loved green for a very long time. My blog design even incorporates green. Green just seems to go so well on an al fresco table, giving a nod to the grass and trees outside.
The green tablecloth is leftover fabric I had and I just stitched the edges on the sewing machine.
I used some of my dried hydrangeas from my yard in a big white Southern Living at Home vase. I have 2 of these beauties and treasure them. They make great centerpieces and hold a lot of flowers. It’s too bad that company is no longer around.
I have collected these bunny dishes for close to 20 years now and I found most of them at TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Homegoods. They are made in Portugal and I still love them, even if I don’t get them out all the time. I have dinner and several types of salad plates, along with some other pieces that came out too, like the little bunny on the leaf you see. I haven’t seen these in the stores in years, so I am not sure they are still making them. I know you can still find some on Ebay, but they are way more expensive than what I paid for mine.
I also have some small bunnies and lots of seashells I’ve collected and those seemed to be a good mix to this cake plate and my centerpiece. It’s girly and fun!
I added a couple of feathers to my dried hydrangeas for some extra texture.
Setting a pretty seashell on each plate is a nice way to display.
The white dishes are my everyday Mikasa Italian Countryside which I totally love and use all the time. Glasses are from Mikasa too.
These pretty flatware pieces and green scalloped napkins came from a long ago yardsale and the placemats are from Goodwill. I didn’t set a formal table, but just a simple knife and fork at the place setting.
We ate dinner out here one night and it was such a nice ambience and felt extra special with the place settings and other pieces.
Shells make such a nice addition to a summer table.
Those salt and pepper shakers are also Mikasa Italian Countryside.
I love it when the curtains blow in the breeze out here on the porch and we certainly welcome them this time of year, in the heat of the summer. I spend a lot of time out here as often as possible, but spring and early Fall are probably my favorite. It’s so nice when there’s a chill in the air making it a comfortable spot to be.
Thanks for stopping by my summer tablescape today! I hope you enjoyed it, it sure was fun to get my dishes out again.
A fabulous group of bloggers is joining this Alfresco Tablescape blog hop this week, so you are sure to be inspired as you hop from blog to blog, soaking in all the inspiration! Most of these are new to me bloggers, so you might find some new ones to read!
MONDAY
Starfish Cottage | Knock it Off Kim | Life and Linda | Everyday Living
TUESDAY
My Kentucky Living | DesignThusiasm | Simple Nature Decor | Rowhouse Blog
Living With Thanksgiving
WEDNESDAY
Red Cottage Chronicles | The Little Yellow Corner Store | Ramblings of a Southern Girl
CoziNest | Love of Home
THURSDAY
Panoply | B. Lovely Events | Flourish & Knot | The Painted Apron | Dining Delight |
Celebrate & Decorate
FRIDAY
Lolly Jane | A Toile Tale | Bluesky Kitchen | Rattlebridge Farm
Rhonda Grice says
What a beautiful spot for alfresco dining! Love the pretty, simple green and white color scheme! Great plates, too! ~Rhonda
Susan B. Jones says
So, so pretty! I was a consultant for Southern Living at HOME and miss it like you do, but I do LOVE seeing pieces on your blog! I also have some of those same bunny dishes and usually just pull them out at Easter, but now will have to pull them out more often! And your dried hydrangeas are gorgeous!
Lory at Designthusiasm says
Rhoda, Your table is so fresh and lovely! I love the green and white and the bunnies are so sweet… 🙂 Nice touch using the seashells, as well. I love the single ones placed on the plates and also like the touch of feather in the centerpiece.
And btw, I actually really like the old tablescape! But then again, I’m not exactly known for restraint… 😉
Patti G says
Dear Friend,
I found you in 2008, and vowed never to let you out of my circle.
Still loving your blog and most especially, your heart.
This table is a knock out !!
Kudos on remembering my beloved Southern Living at HOME.
The passion for the classics it produced still touches my heart.
Blessings on you and yours always.
Rhoda says
Patti, you are so sweet! I love when you chime in with a comment, so glad to have you still with me.
Patti G says
Thanks friend.
Julia says
I enjoy sitting on the porch and dining on these summer evening! Your table is very inviting! And I love those bunny plates with the soft colors of the sea shells!
Lori says
How lucky you are to have that perfect spot on your porch for al fresco dining! Your tablescape looks so pretty with the green and white colour combo and I love that vase that the hydrangeas are in. The bunnies are a fun touch! The Alfresco Tablescape Blog Hop is off to a great start with contributions like yours!
Marsha says
I am so fond of your beautiful green Bordallo plates. I have only one large serving plate, but absolutely love it and there is so much you can do with them. Your use of natural elements like sea shells make it a tranquil tablescape. I am always a fan of hydrangreas. They always make a wonderful centerpiece. Your unique clear flatware goes so well and the whimsical bunnies bring a smile to everyone. So adorable.
Lolly Jane says
We can’t believe the hydrangeas are from your yard, they’re perfect!! XO
Lolly Jane says
And that vase is perfection!
Emily {B. Lovely Events} says
I love the seashells on the plates. SO cute. Plus that hydrangea centerpiece is darling!
Christine says
Beautiful table! I love how you use the color green, so cool and refreshing on a muggy day like today. It gives me the thought, that we could sit for hours without even feeling the heat.
Sarah says
Love the cool tones of green and white you used! And the shells are just a perfect touch. Lovely!