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Let’s celebrate Faded Summer!

Posted on July 29, 2023 by Janet

I can’t believe it’s already August! Here in Iowa we were chugging along fairly reasonably, weather-wise, then we hit a hot, humid brick wall a couple days ago that brought us triple-digit heat. My poor garden is trying to maintain its enthusiasm, but I haven’t been outside to enjoy it for a few days now and it’s needing some attention.

Fortunately, with August comes one of my favorite times of year even if it is still hot out – actually, because it’s still hot out:

Faded Summer!

What is Faded Summer? Well, it’s my self-proclaimed and entirely unofficial Fifth Season! That period from August through September that bridges the gap between “Summer Brights” and “Fall Bolds.” It’s when we’re hot, and reluctant to admit we’re a bit tired of being hot… but not quite ready for chunky sweaters and Fall boots.

If you watched your social feeds flip instantly on July 5th to Fall decor, Halloween crafts, and even (gasp!) “101 Merry Christmas Ideas”… and you were looking around going, ‘Wait – it’s still summer!’ – well then, you are a Faded Summer Friend, and you will love this free offer I’ve got for you!

I’m giving away my mini-publication, “It’s Not Fall, It’s Faded Summer”!

What’s inside, you ask? Why, it’s chock-full of tips, tricks, and thinky-thoughts to help you fully enjoy the Unofficial Fifth Season – of course!

Best of all, receiving your free copy of the guide to Faded Summer is super-simple – just click the graphic at the top of the right-hand sidebar here on the blog, pop in your email address, and your FREE guide to Faded Summer will be on its way to your in-box! You’ll also receive future updates from the blog via email, including a whole series specifically about how to enjoy this most beautiful “Unofficial Fifth Season” of Faded Summer!

I hope you’ll take a moment to request your free Guide to Faded Summer – it will help you slow down, appreciate this amazing time of year, and savor every single day!

Posted in Faded Summer, Thinky Thoughts | Leave a comment

Mid-summer grape-inspired tablescape

Posted on July 27, 2023 by Janet

Time for a summer tablescape! I’m not much of a wine drinker, but I do love grapes and recently acquired this lively tablecloth at a thrift store and decided to go on a stash-busting hunt for purple glassware to put with it. I had a few options, but most notably the amethyst glass salad plates.

By the way, this post may include affiliate links to Amazon. If you follow a link and make a purchase, it costs you nothing extra but I do earn a small commission. Thank you for supporting my blog!

It’s admittedly very hard to see that beautiful amethyst color when the plates are stacked. I tried a white dinner plate, which did allow more of the purple to show, but the white plates themselves didn’t quite look right on the tablecloth. So I decided to stay with the tan. Here’s a better look at the glassware:

Our place setting includes these awesome tan scalloped dinner plates in a style I call “chunky pottery.” These are the J.C. Penney house brand called “Home.” I found them at a thrift store. I would have guessed the amethyst glass salad plates (also thrifted) were by Hazel Atlas, but initial research didn’t confirm that.

The napkins (thrifted) are a soft green cotton check, and fluffy floral napkin rings were on clearance from Pier 1 a few years ago. I just think these add drama and look fabulous in a summer tablescape!

Glassware for this table is vintage “Duratuff” by Libby – not a very elegant name, but a lovely tumbler-style water glass. Because I shop in thrift stores, I’m limited by what I can find so I’ve only got two of these in the purple. I’ve alternated them with the same style in pink, which I think also works well with the color scheme on this table. The green wine glasses are from Dollar Tree.

The flatware is one of my all-time favorite splurges – it’s “Napoleon Bee” stainless by Wallace, acquired from Amazon.

For the centerpiece on this table, I had recently thrifted a sort of Italian-looking compote that definitely gave “old world” vibes – perfect for the grape motif – and I even had a couple bunches of faux grapes to include with silk grapevine greenery and soft-hued roses.

Here’s a place setting with the pink water glass –

… a little more of the Wallace flatware –

… and a bird’s-eye view in case you are wondering what it looks like when perched on the chandelier!

Finally, of course, the “put-away” shot where everything is gathered up, just looking lovely before going back into the cupboards.

I hope you took some summer tablescape inspiration from this post! Here is an image suitable for Pinning in case you’d like to save it for future reference!

I’m sharing my summer tablescape over on Susan’s amazing blog, Between Naps on The Porch. Guys – “Tablescape Thursday” has been happening for nearly FIFTEEN YEARS!! Susan will be celebrating 800 weeks of this feature before the end of 2023 – I can’t wait! Please click through for more tablescape inspiration, and be sure to join my Facebook Group, Thrifty Tablescapers, specifically for budget-friendly tablescape ideas!

Posted in Tablescapes | 4 Comments

Just in time for Faded Summer!

Posted on July 26, 2023 by Janet

Remember those letter boards that were all the rage a couple of years ago, featuring individual plastic letters you wedged into the little grooves to spell out motivational, humorous, or (if you’re like me) deeply sarcastic messages? I found mine recently, stuffed into a tote bag in the back of a closet I was trying to organize. I promptly put this message on it, and posted it to Instagram:

The message applied to both the letter board itself and my Instagram accounts – which I had largely ignored since Christmas ~~1947~~ last year. Much like my poor neglected blog, which you now see has not had a fresh post since… ahem… January 1.

That doesn’t mean I dislike blogging or my sweet blog – far from it, I still love them both. VERY MUCH! As well as Instagram, Twitter, my Facebook Group and Blog Page, and my short-lived new bestie Threads. But let’s just say it’s been a long distance relationship with social media this year.

The thing is, I’ve returned to blogging (and BOTH Instagram accounts, and all the rest), just in time to pull you down the path of celebrating my “unofficial fifth season,” Faded Summer!

More about Faded Summer soon, but for now if you’ve read this far and would like to grab your free Official Guide to the Unofficial Fifth Season – Faded Summer, just click the top link in the ol’ sidey-sidebar (upper right corner of the blog)… pop in your email address… and you’ll receive your free digital guide directly to your in-box as well as future updates from me!

Thank you – truly – for reading. New stuff coming soon to the bloggity-blog – I PROMISE!

P.S. – Admit it: those letter boards were a HUGE pain in the you-know-what… so laborious to create a message, like trying to suck peanut butter through a straw. I actually hated mine.