With A Cherry on Top - Summertime Table Decor

The wait is finally over.  As promised, I wanted to share one of my all-time favorite table settings with you- CHERRIES!  And it's a good thing I love this tablescape so much because it stays out longer than any of my others.   I start the year with my Valentine table, followed by my Spring table, then cherries for the Summer, Halloween decor for a couple of months in the fall, and then Christmas to end the year.  So as you can see, it's a pretty constant rotation.  

A quick note for you before we begin the grand tour though...  Like all of my other table settings, this one has been lovingly and patiently collected over the years.  Sure, I could go out and buy up a bunch of pieces all at once, but to me, part of the fun is gathering special pieces as you go.  It makes it all the more special when you find  those long lost pieces you have been hunting for.  

So without further ado, here is my sweet little kitchen table all decked out for the summer.

And to give you a better look at some of the pieces, each place setting is all decked out with these precious napkin plates and chocolate cherry bowls and saucers.  It took me literally YEARS to collect enough of these bowls for the table.  This is the first year ever I have had enough to set the entire table with.  In fact, until this year, I only had one of these elusive bowls, so naturally I always sat it at my place at the table.  :)

Tea anyone?

And of course, you will need cream and sugar for that.

This cookie jar is a newer addition to this table as well.  She is lovely and one of those harder to find pieces. Where do I find my pieces?- you might ask.  All of these are from a discontinued Department 56 pattern called "Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries".  I actually set up an eBay alert to notify me whenever pieces from this  collection are posted.  I'd say I get a random alert a few times a month.  At this point, I have most of the pieces I see come up for auction, but whenever I spy a piece I don't already have, I give it a good once over to see if it's something I "need" for my collection. 

And speaking of those elusive pieces, this one is the pièce de résistance.  Cherry boy was never actually produced as part of this collection.  Department 56 made him in a very limited quantity for stores to use as part of their displays when this collection was initially launched.  When he came up on eBay a couple of years ago, my jaw hit the floor.  As soon as I was able to collect myself again, we contacted the seller instantly to barter a deal.  Sometimes dreams do come true; they can happen to you.  :)  He has been a prized part of this tablescape ever since. 

And though it's not technically part of the Department 56 collection, these lovely pieces have quickly made their way to the top of my all time favorites.  What you see here is a vintage ceramic bread box and napkin holder.  John's dad scoped these out at one of his auctions, and surprised me at Christmas with them.  All I can say is SCORE!!!

So there you have it, folks.  Nothing says Summertime (at least in my book) like cherries.  Now to just sit back and mix up some Cherry Blossom Martinis, and let the good times roll!