Autumn Leaves

Cue the music:

"The falling leaves drift by the window

The autumn leaves of red and gold..."

We are almost through fall! The leaves are falling faster and faster, and most of the color is gone in my neighborhood except for the pepperberry trees, which are still bright red and orange. Only a few more weeks and Christmas will be busting out all over! My favorite version of the jazz classic "Autumn Leaves" is by Eva Cassidy, and one of my favorite fall dishes is Franciscan's "October," therefore here is a table to celebrate both! A relatively new pattern in the Franciscan lineup, October was introduced in 1977. Gladding Bean, the corporate parent, ended in 1984, so it is also a short-lived pattern compared to Desert Rose, Ivy, or Apple. October has the feel of the earlier Franciscan patterns with bold colors, hand-painted border designs, and a slightly scalloped and solid color edge.

Like many of the Franciscan patterns, October has many pieces in its settings: plates, bowls, serving pieces in many shapes and sizes. As it is one of the more "modern" patterns, there are square plates, many casserole serving pieces, and covered dishes. So many pieces to collect, so little space to store them!

Hubby has been traveling the last couple of weekends, so I've used the weekends for shopping, baking, and setting tables. Setting this table was so much fun. There are so many options with the beautiful fall colors in the plates (and I have so much fall table setting ware!) October can go a bit formal, such as in this table https://www.astheluckycrowflies.com/post/the-colors-of-autumn-must-be-celebrated, or casual - which is what I opted for. Starting with the tablecloth - do I use a solid, a pattern? I pulled out a few patterns, one with plaid and fall leaves, two different striped patterns, and ended up choosing a muted stripe in colors that were echoed in the plate. I love this tablecloth and use it a lot; I think it was originally from Kohl's.

Next was the plate stack; lots of chargers were pulled, light and dark woven, wooden, copper metal, and I decided on the rattan - it frames the plate so nicely and you can still see the tablecloth underneath. The next decision was to add Fiesta or not? I first tried a dinner plate underneath -- they were the same size - so no go... Fiesta bread plates on top? Nope, can't find all of the right colors easily or they're not clean! Fiesta berry bowls? Same problem! Oh wait! I have the Pier 1 plaid plates! Perfect!

The napkins complement the floral pattern of the centerpiece. I used my everyday Noritake Breeze glassware and recently added some new Vardagen tumblers from Ikea, which caught my eye with their rich brown hue. As for the silverware, I stuck with my everyday Mikasa Harmony set. I love this pattern, I chose it because the lines in it look so nice with Fiesta, but it water spots so easily. The Mikasa site says to polish with baking soda and water, maybe I will try that!

A casual table calls for a casual centerpiece, or pieces in this case... The runner is multi-color fall leaves, on top are two small flower pots of faux zinnias or mums and a Longaberger basket called "Autumn" that I purchased from Replacements. I got an email from Replacements, and they were featuring Longaberger. As I looked at the baskets, I saw this one and noticed they had two! Into the cart they went, one for me and one for my bestie - she loves fall too! For this table, it's full of fall fruits like persimmons, pears, and plums; the basket is perfect for breads, rolls, and crackers too! I am old enough to remember when Longaberger basket parties were a thing and how expensive they were - now you can find them at antique stores or thrift shops for really cheap, and you can never have too many baskets!

When I lived in northwestern Indiana, Bittersweet grew wild and I always thought its bright orange berries were so beautiful! I love to decorate the chandelier with Bittersweet in the fall. The amber ornament hangs there all year except at Christmas. The chandelier gets decorated for most seasons, no reason not to!

Thanksgiving is only weeks away and Kissy and I have been planning the table. I can't wait to share it! Menu is written, recipes are filed and most importantly, our entry fees in the annual San Jose Turkey Trot have been submitted!