Table setting for Halloween

I love to set the table for special occasions,

and for everyday.  So I am always

trying to come up with new ways to

set our table.

I love to shop the second hand stores to find new (to me)

dishes to have to set new tablescapes.

It sometimes is hard to find really good finds,

but just recently I found some black dishes.

Perfect, I thought, for

Halloween!

So here is my tablescape for Halloween.

I found  diamond shape fabric at JoAnns,

I just bought 2 yards and put it on top of a white 

tablecloth.

Then under each of my plates I put a sheet of 

black glitter spiderweb cardstock

found on our website

www.robinsnest-scrap.com

A princess pumpkin for my centerpiece on the table

topped with a black crow and black and orange diamond ribbon.

I bought 4 white plates at the dollar store and colored them in 

black felt pens to make the diamond plates.

In my garden I grew these cute mini white pumpkins.

White charger plates and black dinner and salad plates were found

at the second hand store.

I added a 'O" tag in black for O'Crowley.

The white and gray salad plate is from my mother's

china that our family would eat off on special occasions

.

This turned out to be such a cute tablescape.

It makes the kitchen/dinning area feel so festive!

Hope you have a fun Halloween.

It's just so fun to have this in the house!

See how fun just a piece of 12x12 paper can add to you 

tablescape!

Have a great October!

Ciao,

Robin

Recycled Mini Lamp

something for the home.

I have had this lamp for a very long time

and I love it, but it is getting very 

dated, and so I decided to upcycle it.

So I decided to make it match the guest 

house that we are working on this summer.

Out in the Uintah's Tablescapes for Alfresco Dining Part 2

Hello again!

We are still sharing tablescapes for Alfresco dining.

Our photos are taken in the Uintah Mountains

where we come to camp.

I love the outdoor air, the adventure of walking through

the woods, with the chance that you will

meet a doe and her fawns.

We did this, actually met 2 does,

but only one had fawns.

It was so amazing, and we just stood and watched them

and they watched us.  This was in the evening of the

day, they just feeding through the forest.

It takes you so by surprise to see such beauty as you

are just walking and talking off the beaten path and

there are such fabulous animals right before you.

Here are our fun alfresco dining tablescapes.

These dishes are just melamine,

I have 2 sizes, and I have to admit

we usually use the dessert plates more than

the dinner plates.

These dishes are old metal dishes.

I found them years ago in a junk store.

I fell in love with them, bought them and then thought

what am I going to do with these!

Over the years, 

they have been perfect for the outside.

I so love these t towels.

They have the perfect colors for the outside,

even if it is in the middle of the summer.

Some how I love the color ochre,

(go figure, it is the color of my house!)

But here it has such a fun look in the mountains.

Here is the entire set of metal pots that I purchased.

I don't even remember how much I paid for them,

but I was in love.  In love with the creamy

beige and green.

It reminds me of the cowboy out in the 

field on a round-up.

He has a cook that cooks for his men out over the fire.

Not only do they eat off metal plate and drink from

metal cups hot drinks to warm the tummy to the toes.

I also have this casserole dish, that can double as a dish to

eat from.  Bake dinner in the dish, then

place it on the table and eat out of it!

Simple life!

The table is so inviting with plaid and lace.

What more could you want?  

Food!

It is always time for a party,

and what better place to celebrate than in the 

beauties of the mountains.

I was able to find these awesome cupcake cloches.

Bringing them outside is scary, but they did

make it home in one piece when

I was finished with the photo shoot.

Hot Chocolate and cupcakes!

I'm so in love!

Hope you enjoyed our

fun tablescapes alfresco!

Till next time,

Ciao,

Robin

Out in the Uintahs Tablescapes for Alfresco Dining Part 1

Hello Readers,

I have been AOW for a while, 

and maybe in a few months I will share the whys of

this disappearance!   Nothing medical for Dana or I,

just some things going on with close family, and it has taken

us away from home 3 times since May 15.

Then we were sent to South Africa and Madagascar for 3

weeks with our Humanitarian work we do for the Welfare Department

of our church.  So this blog had to be set aside for a while.

I have also had some things going on with my father, 

his health hasn't been the greatest, and just a little

over a week ago, we decided it was time to live closer to 

him so we can be there if something really

serious happens.  

Thus my blog was put on hold.

Last week we were able to take our camp trailer up on 

to the Uintahs and camp for a few days.  

It was heavenly,

the smell of the pines, the shaking of the 

aspen leaves, and the wild life,

as it walked through the trails close to our 

camp site.

I love to eat with beautiful dishes.

We were able to get some of my grandmother's

dishes many years ago from Germany.

They are not the beautiful Dresden type dishes,

but they remind me of the Black Forrest, 

the water falls running off the rocks, and

the water following miles of creek beds through the 

forest.

I am in love with them, and they are in our camper

so that when we want to eat out in the trees,

we can pull them out, and eat a great meal on them.

Oh, how I love to come here and camp!!!

Our tradition was to camp for a week in September

at Strawberry Reservoir, but since our 

mission to Ethiopia, and our new call to work

as Technical Specialists for the Welfare Department

helping with Humanitarian relief throughout the

world, this hasn't happened.

First time in 5 years we have camped! 

Nothing brings me more pleasure.

You can see that these dishes aren't the fanciest,

but they are so perfect for the outdoor life.

I just bought these goblets from my best friend, 

they are such a perfect match to my home, 

and especially to this tablescape.

I so love this look!

It is fun that I have these awesome chairs made from
tree limbs.  I have had them for many, many years
but really they just sit in the garage and usually aren't
used.  But they are perfect for the feel of the
woods, to eat fish, or steak for any wild meat
out in the open skies of the Uintahs.

 Our friends were camping with us,
and when she saw that I was taking photos of
table scapes, she showed me her dishes and
said I could use them.

Aren't they so cute?
I also used our hot chocolate pot for this table scape.
Perfect for evening
to warm your tummy with something hot,
and possibly a bowl of chili or soup.

My last table scape for today is with these fun floral dishes.
I bought these 15-20 years ago, there were
only a few pieces left, but I really loved them.
I keep them in the trailer, we use them for goodies
or fruit on the table.

Here they are so perfect with the ochre goblets, my beautiful

Jacquard tablecloth my Taunte Inge gave me from Germany,

and brown Jacquard napkins.

I love a twig here and there,

just for fun.

I hope that you have enjoyed our outside dining 

ideas.  There are more to come!

So from the Uintah Mountains,

Ciao!

Robin

For the Love of Pink

One of my favorite

colors is pink.  Only in some things,

I don't love it for everything

but for Spring Tulips

I Love Pink!

For the last 4 years I seem to be gone

from our home when the pink tulips are in

bloom.

Last year, I think I saw one of

them bloom.

This year, we were home for one day

the rest of the month we have been gone,

but these tulips were ready to bloom

or were very close.

I cut them with my handy new

f;oral clippers the kids gave me

for Mother's day.

I hurried in the house and took these

pictures, then put the disk in

and envelope to take with me so I could

share with you these

favorite tulips that come

once a year.

I'm hoping when we get home that the

white lilacs will be in bloom

and I won't miss them.

We have been in Colorado with our

son, and his family, and also

visiting with Dana's Sister who

just moved to Colorado this month too.

So for the love of my

pink tulips, I put them in this small

white vase, packed them in the

car with us, and off to Colorado

we went.  We enjoyed them

on the kitchen island for a week

at our son's house.

I thank the Lord for letting these

flowers bloom for me on the one day

we were home, so not 

only could I enjoy them for a week

but I could share them with 

our kids!

Have a great week!

Robin

Spring in my Utah Garden

Spring comes late in Utah,

especially if you live close to the mountains,

and we live next to the Uintah Mountains.

Of course, we love it here,

we get beautiful cold winters, usually with

lots of snow, and very frosty springs.

Even today as I take the pictures of the 

flower beds and yard,

it is cold, a cold front coming in today.

But the one lucky thing is all

our fruit trees have not bloomed yet.

We are hoping they don't so we 

can get apples, apricots, plums and grapes

this year.  

Last year, not a thing, it warmed up fast, bloomed, and then

froze it all.

You always need a beautiful
inviting door!
I learned how to make these wreaths in November,
and made a bunch.  I so love how this
looks on my front door!
It matches the house, I know I am so monochromatic,
but elegant for sure.

So here are my spring garden photos

for April, we will be gone most of May, doing

Humanitarian Work for Latter-Day Saint Charities,

and spending some time in Colorado

a very close family member who 

has pancreatic cancer.

2 years ago when we arrived home from our Humanitarian Mission 

to Ethiopia, these flower beds were to my waist in grass.

All that grass just happy as can be and

choking out our perennials.  I had worked very hard over the

years to get these flower beds established and happy,

but not many people love to weed like I do and so when we

returned home, they were very neglected.

This flower bed, I painted the bench last year,

the boards are still not in good shape, but for the number of 

times we sit on them, they will do.

I took 2/3rds of this flower bed and gave it back to the

grass.  I had fought the grass ever since we started this flower bed

so as I studied it from my bedroom window,

I became apparent to me it was time to weed less.

It turned out quite nice, I also added the

wine barrels last year, with a few flowers in them,

I see that they have not survived the winter with 

the same amount of flowers in the spring,

we will fix that when plants come into the green houses.

I love these Johnny Jump Ups,

they were given to me by a sweet woman 

down the road.  She has now passed, and as I

see these in the spring I always think of her,

She gave me these and my first Iris'.

More Johnny's

This is part of the front flower bed, the Yellow tulips just now

blooming.  There will be red and some pink later in the spring.

We are leaving though for most of the next month

so I needed to take pictures today. 

We will see what is in bloom next week when we are home

for a few days.  I hope for a few pink tulips, they are 

my fav's.

Red tulips planted close to my sundial.

I so love these.  They are so bright and say

a friendly hello when they pop up.

Here is our first bloom on our new nectarine tree

we planted last year.  It is close to the

front of the house, so is able to take advantage of the warmth

of the house.  Hope he lives through this cold few days.

More red tulips,  I so love them.

I painted the garden shed this week, and put in the bricks
in front of the door.
It is easier to get in and out with the
bricks there. Big change from a red shed.
Dana wasn't sure about it, White he said,
I had to laugh, it's not white, but several shades
darker. Mmmm, he didn't see it.

Inside the our greenhouse the veggies are growing.
Dana started these in big barrels,
an experiment.  Needs to be much warmer before we can
plant them outside.

Close up of the veggies.  Love the greenhouse.
Will update you later on it, but was nice to share
the kale and greens here with you.

Well a happy spring to you!

I am loving this fun, fun day.

Tulips, and Johnny Jump ups, such a happy day.

Hugs!

Robin