Just a Little Show and Tell...Table Top Tuesday

     So many bloggers are really good at sharing all parts of their homes with us. I realized recently that I haven't done as much of that as most of you. I don't know why that is. I guess I'm a little private and very eclectic in my style. I'm one of those "less is more" people, so I don't have every space filled with wonderful things. I also lean a bit more contemporary than many of my fellow bloggers. However, I am adding touches of things I've never used before after seeing so many of your beautiful homes. I also love anything related to the sea, as you might have noticed in my laundry room redo yesterday...there are shells and little bits of "beach" scattered all through my home. I have new furniture mixed with antique family pieces and my only decorating rule is to use things that make me happy.

     Right now, this sterling tray is making me happy. I used it in my tablescape last week and I simply didn't want to put it away. So, I decided to try it on my library table. The table belonged to my grandparents and it sits at the top of the open staircase that leads to our basement. I added my Willow Tree angel, a gift from my parents. You can see she is listening to the sea in her conch shell, a sprig of azalea seemed to soften the look of the candleholders which I purchased a few years ago in Charleston, SC.

     I wanted to show you the rest of the table. Sometimes I use a runner on it, but in general I like it without. The sculpture piece was also purchased in Charleston at the same time as the candlesticks. The pottery vase in the center of the table I just bought at an art show in Florida. I haven't decided what to put in it yet, or if I will leave it as is. I may even move it off this table entirely, not sure yet. I'm thinking that maybe the tall piece should be near the wall with the tray on the opposite end. I need to look at this for a while.

     The vase has a bit of an interesting story. The artisan show in Sarasota was a large one. There were many artists and several of them sold pottery. We actually went the first weekend I was in Florida and truthfully, my heart wasn't in it...but, I needed to get away from the hospital for a while. My sister was also in town at the same time. We both went to the show at different times and met back at the hospital later. She told me she only bought one thing, as shopping just wasn't something we felt like doing. When she said she bought a piece of pottery, I knew what had happened. Out of all of the booths, all of the pottery artists...we picked the same one, the same pattern. Her vase is round, mine is tall...sisters think alike!

     I also wanted to show you my new canister set. MY HUSBAND BOUGHT IT! Now this might not be an unusual thing at your house...but, at mine this is big news. On our way home from Florida we stopped at Cracker Barrel and I stopped briefly at the display that was all beach related. As I headed for the restroom I said to him, "cool canisters on the beach table" just in passing. When I came out of the restroom, he said he bought them. My kitchen really doesn't have blue in it, but because most things in it are coffee/cappuccino related, using a color works. When I asked my husband what made him buy a canister set (I haven't had one for decades) he said he liked it. He liked the way the starfish matched other things in the house. My blog is having an effect on my husband...so strange, but aren't they pretty?

     Marty @ A Stroll Thru Life is our hostess for Table Top Tuesday. Take a moment to visit her, it is a great place to get ideas for little vignettes for your home.