Thankful!

  

A lake side cottage, brilliant fall colours, clear blue skies and summer like temperatures.  An absolute picture perfect setting for celebrating a harvest style thanksgiving feast with family and friends.   Every fall at this time I declare that its my favorite time of year and this year was no exception, well, actually the weather, the setting, the company - it was all truly EXCEPTIONAL.   I was up north at my brother's cottage where we had invited a group of other family and friends on the lake to join us for a Thanksgiving dinner.  I was in charge of setting the table (actually nobody really had a choice, I called dibs on it weeks ago!!!) and I was thrilled to do it because often at my own home, this is the part of a holiday dinner that I usually run out of time to do.  But not this weekend, this was a leisurely day, dinner was pre-planned and well organized ahead of time so we were able to enjoy the company and the gorgeous warm summer like day. 

                    

The sunlight illuminating the brilliant orange, red and gold leaves was the effect I wanted to create in a tablescape.

I had no idea how exactly I was going to set the table, I had no plan except that I would use whatever I could find on-hand both inside and outside the cottage.   We started by rearranging the furniture and setting up a long table down the centre of the cottage in front of the fireplace.   A mix of mismatched table cloths, runners, plates and stemware all seemed to work together with the fall colours.   Now the essentials were in place it was time to add some drama - my niece and I headed outside and collected a bundle of blazing red maple leaf branches and another bundle of golden yellow ones.  I placed three tall beaker style vases down the centre of the table and filled them with the long branches, we layered all the smaller off-cuts directly on the table itself scattering them down the middle from end to end. 

We gathered small pieces of birch bark and used them as place cards by writing names on them with an orange marker and setting one on each plate.  Lastly we scattered about a dozen votive candles down the table and set larger candle lanterns around the cottage.  The entire setting, including gathering the branches took less than an hour.

The effect was simply beautiful and dramatic, the tall branches created a brilliant canopy of leaves...

When seated at the table the colourful leaves glowed over our heads and all around the votive candles.  

We enjoyed the day outside, and had drinks and appy's on the deck overlooking the lake.  The sun was just setting as we headed inside.....from one spectacular showcase of colour...

To another.

Even though the weather was summer-like, we lit a fire in the fireplace, just for the ambience...

The drive home was full of breathtaking views likes this, we took the long scenic route home and soaked it all in.  In case I havn't said it enough times this weekend, its my favorite time of year!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

All Photos:  Carol Reed

One Fall Day

There's no other month that represents so many of my favorite things like the month of October, its even the month I was born so I've always felt that October and I were made for each other!  It's a month that truly stimulates all the senses and can make you feel so invigorated, it celebrates the best of mother nature and triggers our nesting instincts.  In my part of the world, October means warm sunny days, sweaters, boots, wood fires, harvest dinners, wine tastings, pumpkin pies, apple crisp, butternut squash soup, country drives,,,,, and all around you, being surrounded by the most spectacular explosion of colour you can imagine.  Once it arrives, I never want the month to end. : )

People travel from all parts of the world to experience the fall colours of North America but those of us who live here are priviledged to enjoy this natural phenomenom every year right outside our own windows. October wouldn't be complete without at least one drive into the countryside to soak in all the fall colours,,,and maybe come home with a pumkin or two.  On thanksgiving weekend we woke to the most perfect indian summer day you could ever wish for so I grabbed my camera and we took a short drive west of Toronto to the Niagra Escarpement area.  Because its been a warm fall season the holiday weekend this year wasn't quite the peak timing for colour but still, the 'leaf lookers' were out in droves and there was plenty of scenic beauty to take in even though we weren't seeing fall in all its glory just yet. 

Here's a glimpse at some of the images I captured that afternoon both on our drive in the country and from right outside our window at home.  Enjoy!

We drove and walked for hours thru picturesque roads like this one...

The yellows were luminous against the clear blue sky....

The leaves glowed in the sunlight, it was breathtaking....

A red Tree House in a forest of golden yellow...

There was bright orange.....

And spicy reds...

And still a lot of green....

The Niagara escarpment made a colourful backdrop to this farmers field.

I especially love the contrast of the colours against the weathered grey barns...

I was captivated by the rows in the corn fields along the side of the road, the texture and the colour especially,,,I caught a glimpse of this perspective for a split second when we drove by and had to turn back to get some photos (ok, i took about a 100) ; )

But you don't have to drive to the country to see all this beauty, back at home in the city up in my 2nd floor studio surround by windows, the view to the lake was framed with bright red maple leafs...

And in every other direction you looked the trees were literally glowing...

It was amazing to just sit on the sunny deck and stare at the colours...

And finally one last shot before the sun went down on this perfect October day.....

Happy Thanksgiving!

This thanksgiving weekend I've been thinking a lot about food,,,,,and flowers.  Food, naturally because I love any excuse to over indulge in all my favorite foods and the opportunity to savour the crops of the harvest season!  Flowers have been on my mind too as I've been working on an article for Canadian Florist Magazine and have been contemplating the current trends in that industry as it relates to what's hot in interior design right now.   

With respect to both of these topics this thanksgiving weekend, the following images really resonate with me because of their modern simplicity.   They demonstrate that it doesn't have to take a lot of fussy details or a lot of expense to infuse a little taste of the fall season into your home.   Interiors and table settings are adorned with simple natural elements like fall branches, antlers and burlap. Seasonal food presented simply and beautifully in an artistic way that showcases the food itself, complimented by wood planks or pheasant feathers.  For me when I cook, I put as much attention into the way I serve the meal as I do in preparing the food itself - when it comes to the presentation, its all about creating an experience.

One of my favorite sources of inspiration when it comes to beautiful and simple floral arrangements is the portfolio of New York based Interior Designer Brad Ford.   The image above is from his blog Design Therapy and you can view more images of this stunning home here.

The three images above are from the recent wedding of Canadian House & Home editor Suzanne Dimma.  The wedding took place last month at her newly built off-the-grid island cottage, designed by her Architect husband, Arrizz Hassam of 3rd Uncle Design.  Dinner was an intimate harvest feast for 24.  You can view more images and read all about this gorgeous modern-rustic wedding on Suzanne's blog.  Photos by Andreas Avdoulos.

Top Photo:  Country Living Magazine