Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Dining in the High Cotton

This post begs the question: What kind of freak do you have to be to load up your crystal and sterling and china and head out to the middle of a cotton field?

Meet the freak family.

The Great Cotton Field Adventure took place after Sunday dinner. Once dessert was served, The Duchess, The Sister, and I loaded our goods into a pick up, and off we went.  We made the Newlywed Niece drive  so we could clutch our centerpiece and crystal as we bumped along the ruts.


The Sister rode in the back.

There she is...
in her pearls, no less.
I'm pictured in this post too.
I'm the one popping up like Where's Waldo in all the silver.

Our tablescape theme this week is
 Dining in the High Cotton.


High Cotton is an expression which basically means the lap of luxury and prosperity.




That explains 
 the china and crystal and sterling.
 Had we chosen to do a Cotton Pickin’ Table,
it would look different.





Inspired by the cotton blossoms, we chose a pink and white color scheme.


We used matching silver platters as chargers
and added china belonging to the Newlywed Niece.
The pattern is Pearl Platinum
 by Lenox. 
We're pretending those little dots along the rim
are cotton balls


The pink and green dessert plates belonged to my great-great grandmother. We've used them before.




We topped each plate with a tussy mussy
 using rose buds, cotton, and tea olive.



Pink cotton napkins are layered under white linen ones.  


Doesn't that design kind of look like a boll of cotton?
Yeah. We thought so too...


The  crystal is mine from
The Great Wedding Adventure of '84. 
 It's Moonspun by Lenox.




But the cup & saucer is from
 Duchess's wedding china.
 It's Alpine by Syracuse.
We're calling that little pink flower a cotton blossom.



High Cotton requires sterling. This simple pattern is mine as well. It's Old English Tipt by Gorham. It's the same pattern my mother-in-law chose for her Great Wedding Adventure.

Speaking of my mother-in-law
technically, 
this  antique tea set belongs to her as well.
She sent it my way several years ago to use
and  save  for her oldest granddaughter.

Where's Waldo?

Neither one of them figured that it would end up
in the middle of a field stuffed with cotton balls.




Gone With the Wind belongs to that daughter as well.  The knockout roses are one of the few things blooming here in Georgia. Cotton, confederate jasmine,  magnolia leaves, 
and a southern belle, and it's officially a southern table.



No, we didn't light those candles.
We're in the middle of a cotton field...
Follow along,  folks...



This week's table was a full family venture.

 



Aside from my own stuff, we had contributions from
The Duchess,
 The Newlywed Niece,
The Mother-in-Law,
 and even My Daughter.

  Of course, The Sister contributed the most important thing.
It's her cotton.

*****
I'll be posting this for the Porch People.

58 comments:

Ann said...

Amazing that you were able to take a theme as "common" as cotton and turn it into a dining adventure! GORGEOUS Debbie!

(BTW - I was never any good at "Where's Waldo" I was just as bad trying to find you in the photos!)

Also, had you not mentioned it, I might have commented on your sisters' wearing pearls in the back of a pick up truck, in the middle of a cotton field. Priceless. LOL!

Enjoyed it, as usual!
~Ann

Lynn said...

Hope you all looked back every once in a while to make sure the sister didn't bounce out of the bed of the truck! I'd say setting up in a cotton field does count as an adventure, it looks like you had a lot of fun! Everything is just beautiful:@)

Renée said...

Well if this one doesn't just beat them all! I now consider myself "High Cotton," well educated. There's only one question you didn't answer, when is the high cotton harvested?

It's really pretty stuff, all puffed, fluffed and tufted around you beautiful dishes, silver, and goblets. Love big sis in the bed of the truck and send hugs to all of you with thanks for another great glorious Georgia adventure. I had a blast!

saltbox
treasures
said...

WOW! This is one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever seen! Everything is gorgeous! and the cotton background is priceless with pink. Did you actually eat something there? or was it just for table setting fun?
~ Julie

Debbie said...

Gnee, it's being harvested as I type. That's why we had to beat the cotton pickin' farmer to the field on Sunday. Grin.

And no, Julie, we didn't eat a thing. This one was all just for fun.

Monique said...

Wonderful tablescape :) I hear the melody in my head : summertime....I wish I was invited!:)

Maria said...

I really enjoy your blog!!

FrouFrouBritches said...

Love it!! Love it!! Love it!! The table is stunning and what a great idea for a literal interpretation of "living in high cotton". Y'all are so smart! It's gorgeous! I have a thing for cotton too, so I especially love it.

Vanessa said...

Ok...Debbie...you guys are seriously AMAZING! When I first looked at this it reminded me of something out of Alice in Wonderland. You could be the Mad Hatter! :-) It was absolutely stunning and like nothing I have ever seen before. I'm thinking that maybe someday you could show a tablescape with plastic placemats with the alphabet and shapes on them sometime. That would be totally up my alley! :-)
Vanessa

The Charm of Home said...

Oh, this looks like fun!! We used to all load up and go pick apples, cherries, or shoot mistletoe out of a tree. I miss living on the farm. Your cotton table is wonderful. If you were dining in high cotton you would be well off. LOL Love the silver, crystal, and china. It is all beautiful.
Sherry

http://bitsandpieces-sonja.blogspot.com/ said...

What great imagination! In the middle of the cotton fields...

I'm trying to find one in my head to top this... can't do it! :)

elizabeth said...

Inside I'm jumping up and down and clapping my hands in glee at just the sheer wonderful absurdity of doing something like this for the pleasure and the beauty of it. So fabulously beautiful!
BTW, glad I could give you a shock with my choice of words today. :)
Elizabeth

Through My Red Door said...

Debbie,
I haven't been following you for very long, but I have to say I know I will never be
disappointed. This is fantastic! Your tables, pictures, story telling are so much fun. The cotton is beautiful and flowers are gorgeous. I especially love your great great grandmothers dessert plates. You really filled the table with all of Georgia!

I'm sure now though, whenever I get to go to the High Cotton restaurant in Charleston, SC, I will think of this post every time.

Thank you for visiting me and leaving the wonderful comment that you did. I appreciate it so much!
Sheila

Marlis said...

This has to be the most fun table scape ever! OMG, I think our cotton around here has already been stripped so maybe a dinner amongst the stalks.. now that brings up an interesting theme... I love your table. it's really very beautiful. The Lenox is perfect and the pink is perfect with the blooms.. Great job..

Jacqueline said...

What an unusual and exquisite table and of course, what is there to say about the extraordinary setting. I adore it all. I love the china and silver and pink flowers set amidst the cotton. This is really thinking outside of the box. Wow, I think this is one of my favorite settings every. Thank you for sharing this exquisite table today.

Chatty Crone said...

Okay so many things to say.

First of all - awesome. It does look like Alice In Wonderland and the Tea Party.

Great idea to have it in the cotton field.

I think I saw you taking a picture in the silver piece.

Now it was gorgeous and I am glad you do all this with the help of others.

I would love to come and have tea there with you. So many beautiful pieces and different themes.

But it does look like a lot of work!

Whew.

Sandie

Prior said...

Now, that is puttin' on the Ritz, for sure...I love it! Lezlee

Mary said...

What a cotton-pickin' good time I had here! LOVE all your attention to detail...your pink & white is beautiful and so fresh in the midst of the cotton field! Margaret Mitchell would be proud :-)

Elizabeth Dianne said...

Well, Debbie, this does take the cake--While it is absolutely beautiful, I laughed so hard--I can't imagine having the energy to do all that--it just amused me to no end--and yea, I knew all about being in "high cotton"--my grandfather was a sharecropper here in Arkansas and my dad picked cotton all his growing up years--you guys are so creative and incredibly energetic--this post will be hard for ANYBODY on the internet to EVAH beat--and I might add all of our tables were the "cotton-pickin" type--LOL

So beautiful, so entertaining, so amusing--well, words will not do justice to this!

Barbara said...

Here I am being a wimp, too afraid to even go snatch a few forgotten balls of cotton in the empty fields and YOU are actually setting up tables there! This was the most delightful of posts! Every detail, every picture and every word completely entertained me. Gorgeous!

Elizabeth Dianne said...

I found WAldo!!!!!!!!!

Linda (More Fun Less Laundry) said...

hi Debbie, I want to know what the farmer was thinking when he saw these crazy ladies (in pearls...!) carrying this gorgeous pieces into the field! I did a table once where I was in all the pictures, reflected in the large pewter pitcher. Had to start over again with all my photos. Seriously, your dishes are cotton-pickin beautiful. Linda

Mid-Atlantic Martha said...

How creative and beautiful! Love your "High Cotton" table!

Debbie said...

Ah, Linda...

He was probably thinking, "I have married into one freaky family!"

Actually, it was funny. He and my husband showed up to watch us before we were finished. I think he wanted to be sure we didn't tramp all over his high cotton.

a quiet life said...

absolutley FANTASTIC! this looks so much fun... my sister helped me do a tablecape in the house and we laughed ourselves silly, taking your show on the road is pure genius, you must have all had a blast! and did i mention its BEAUTIFUL? thanks for the smiles galore, loved loved loved it!

xinex said...

This is so entertaining, Debbie, so cute and so funny and so pretty and so unique! Very elegant tablescape in a cotton field. How do you ever come up with this idea?:-) High cotton for sure!...Christine

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Now you know I am loving this, Debbie! Oh, what fun! And I love the English Tipt silver. It looks just like antique coin silver, and I went wild when I saw it. LOL! And the limoge plates and the other pretty elements. You girls had fun, and I love the Duchess in her pearls! LOL! I need to drive up to Georgia and get into trouble with you!

XO,

Sheila :-)

The Quintessential Magpie said...

P.S. High Cotton has always been one of my favorite expressions! :-)

Yellow Rose Arbor said...

Oh, my!! This is wonderful!! I think you win the prize for having the most unique setting in that cotton field! Beautiful! I love the tussy mussy with the cotton and red rose! Well, I love it all!! I'm originally from Alabama, you are a girl after my own heart!

Katherine

Amy Kinser said...

I love your family!!! Y'all have so much fun!!!

The table setting is great and the cotton field marvelous. So...can you send cotton through the mail? I really really want some cotton stalks. (I assume that's what you call them)

By the way, the sister wanted me to make sure you knew that the cows in the photo yesterday were not milk cows. FUNNY!! :)

Keep going on your adventures and keep sharing them with us.

Diann said...

That was so much fun! And everything looked beautiful!

Entertaining Women said...

Great concept! Your colors were perfect and beautifully tied in the cotton blossom. The china was gorgeous; the dessert plate made my mouth water! Thank you for sharing your wonderful idea; you inspire me to think 'location, location, location.' Cherry Kay

Pattie @ Olla-Podrida said...

How romantic! Everything is just beautiful.

Sharon said...

What fun!! At first I thought we were having our meal in a snowstorm - then I realized it was GEORGIA snow!!! :)

My sis looks just precious in her pearls - and my other little sis, Waldo, was adorably cute in silver!!

And wasn't it just so nice of God to give you such a beautiful, crisp, clear blue sky as a backdrop? He's really good at that...

One question - where were the cotton pickin' invisible people??

Sandi (Meme) said...

Well aren't you all just the "cats meow"! I am so jealous that you have people who are willing to do the tables WITH you! How fun to have partners in your "crime"! Love the china, and shiney pieces too. Hope you have a great week. Sandi Oh yeah, did I ever tell you I LOVE your header photo? MMMMM-good!

CAL said...

I couldn't wait to see these pictures Debbie, as always I'm never disappointed. The details in your choices are cotton pickin perfect!! Love the charger choice and yes it does remind me of cotton balls.
Pink was a perfect choice it was just the spot of color necessary for impact. The tussy mussy just made me smile.
LOVE IT!!!

Chubby Chieque said...

An absolutely stunning and a cozy way of gathering the family.

Love your ideas. But bad for me who's living in the city of Stockholm.

However, I have a backyard and that can be use someday.

TY so much for sharing.


Hi there,

Smart way to see which & who owns the glass, right?

Last summer 2010, I found some pretty mini fruits in an odd store in Old Town in Stockholm.

I couldn't resist to buy some for me & that, I made my own fruity glass sign.

I will share some of these days coming.

But, absolutely stunning thoughts using buttons. TY for sharing. I might make more some of this.
To change my summery signs.

Happy TS…

Greeting from a freezing Stockholm.
/chie

we three dogs and me said...

What a wonderful memory you have made for your niece and your guests. I bet you are the ony one to dine in a cotton field with elegant dishes etc.The cotton plants made a wonderfu back drop.

Anonymous said...

This is beautiful. What a great job.

Alycia Nichols said...

Brilliant as well as beautiful! Not the least bit freaky at all! Your napkins are gorgeous, and the china, flatware, stemware...everything is lovely. I, too, use tussie mussies on the table, and I really like yours. The hot pink against the field of cotton is stunning. I had never heard the term High Cotton, but I like it! This is really, really pretty!

Linda said...

I can definitely tell ya all had fun doing this table scape.
Linda Seattle, WA

Tricia said...

You and your family have such fun tablescaping together! What a great theme for a table -- and what an authentic setting! I love that we share Moonspun crystal -- although I married a dozen years before you did. The tussy-mussies are adorable -- the perfect touch!

shannon i olson said...

That is just gorgeous! I have driven by cotton fields when we visit Mississippi, quite a treat for a North Dakota girl!

Nellie's Cozy Place said...

How beautiful and creative. Everything looks lovely and you sure where living in high cotton!!
What a cute idea for a tablescape and love the colors, so pretty!!

Anonymous said...

I like your style, you have a great and fun attitude for life!

Thoughtfully Blended Hearts said...

Dining in "High Cotton" was a lovely experience...ps saw you in the silver!!!

Fuzzy Slippers said...

Oh my stars! This is FANTASTIC. I love that y'all did this. I'm going to be dragging everyone to the computer at work to check this out. Such a fun adventure with the gals. I adore that your sis had her pearls on while in the flatbed. :)

Christi @ A Southern Life said...

What a unique and fun adventure. Whoda thunk? China, crystal and silver in a cotton field? Works for me!

Ms.Daisy said...

Debbie,
Aha! I, too, found Waldo! Love your tablescape "Livin' in High Cotton!" I hadn't heard that expression in years - your table is just beautiful.


~Jean

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

Debbie, I really want to be one of your sisters. Y'all have so much fun, and how wonderful that your mother joins in the fun. I am in awe of the creativity of you three! I have down a "cotton pickin' " tablescape before, but I would never have thought to take a table into the middle of the cotton field! And what an elegant table you set in the middle of the field! I don't think we, in Ark., have any unpicked cotton left. The pink and white theme is perfect, and all of that gorgeous china, silver, crystal, tussie mussies (filled with cotton-who would have thought?) ya'll carried out there are all just amazing! My wedding china and stemware were Lonox Moonspun also! This is definitely dining in high cotton (we also use that term around here). Loved this post! laurie

Miss Char said...

You just made my day with your High Cotton table. Everything on it is definitely high cotton, beautiful...no maybe exquisite. Your humor and ability to not take yourself too seriously as you bump across the field in your pearls and pickup just made me laugh. Thanks you for sharing.

Sue said...

You are some dedicated tablescapers that's for sure. And I think the most inventive and the most fun to read all rolled into one. The blue sky and the white cotton and the pink tablecloth looked FANTASTIC together, along with all of your other touches. Just wonderful!

And, you closed the comments on your sisters post and I just wanted to tell you that it is so beautiful and you are very blessed to have such relationships with your mom and sisters and daughters. You have such a way with words........a little green with envy here.

Marigene said...

I love it...how cool is dinner in a cotton field! Your great, great grandmother's dessert plates are beautiful with the tussy-mussy sitting atop them. There is nothing like having two wonderful loving sisters...mine are my best friends.

Donna said...

What a fun idea to have a table in a cotton field! I love it. The table and everything on it is so pretty.
D

Jenny @ Simcoe Street said...

Wow, this is so unique and stunning!

southerninspiration said...

What a fabulous family FUN venture!!
I love it all!!
Suzanne

Holly Lefevre said...

You know this is perfection all of it and the fact that it is in a cotton field....OH MY! LOVE, SWOON...You are fabulous.

How fun to do this with the Duchess and your sister.

I also loved your post about your sisters...my grandma had 3 sisters and they were so close. My great aunt was the only one left for 20 ish years and she missed her sisters terribly every day...such an amazing bond...I do not have a sister...ENJOY!

Gmama Jane said...

I'm new to your blog and have been blog hopping enjoying all the wonderful tablescapes. Living here in north Alabama surrounded by cotton fields, I naturally picked your tablescape! I absolutley love it! My daughter and I used to plan weddings and did many teas, showers, etc...We don't do as many anymore simply because of more pressing life issues. However, we still love decorating and serving our families.
Thank you for some wonderful ideas once the cotton is in bloom. I have Old Country Roses china pattern and thought how beautiful it would be with your pinck accents in the cotton field!
Blessings
Gmama Jane
stop by for a visit.
http://grandmamasstories.blogspot.com

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