Friday with Friends: A Textural Tablescape

It all started when I spied these adorable little cafe chair napkin rings at Pier One. I knew I had to have them in my collection. The pink and cream loosely woven napkins seemed right for the textural tablescape, so I started with those as a color theme.

Then, knowing the IRONY in buying a burlap-wrapped vase with French script writing on it, I decided to build a Frenchy centerpiece for my table that would look pretty while my house-sitter was living at my house, but which would not require any maintenance.

I popped fake flowers into the vase, got out my flameless pillar candles and some woven decorative ornaments, and put it all on a wooden platter. I had a centerpiece.

When we got home from France, I replaced the fake flowers with some pink roses from the grocery store. They didn’t hold up very well, and quickly began to droop. I liked the blowsy, fading glory look of the centerpiece better that way.

We were eager to see our neighbors across the street after our trip, so I invited them over for dinner and a little music-making. We are all working on Godspell at my church and wanted to play through some arrangements Music Man has done for the pit band. Thank goodness, my friends don’t get excited when I get out my “stuff” and the men are quite self-actualized and don’t get offended by a pink-themed table. 🙂

We began with a little champagne. I have a large collection of wine charms, some of which are store-bought and some my friend and I made by choosing very specific charms relevant to our lives. Needless to say, I usually take the saxophone charm. I like the juxtaposition of the two stages of polish on the silver against the shiny brass of the wine charm and the sparkling champagne flute.

I started with the round woven “straw” placements I got at Tuesday Morning. I kept shopping until I found three packages of four placemats. I almost always buy twelve linens just in case.

I have eight of these majolica-style Italian plates that I bought many years ago at a home store. I picked the strawberries, cherries, and apples for this table as the fruit has pink coloring. There are also plums, grapes, and pears in the set.

Combined with my trusty Pfalzgraff Filigree plates, the Fostoria salt and peppers, the Gorham Chantilly silver, Anchor Hocking tumblers, and Crystal d’Arques Longchamp wine glasses, I had a tablescape.

We finished our meal with fruit, cookies, and candies brought by our friends and served on Fostoria plates and my favorite fruit compotes (really shrimp cocktail bases!). It was a wonderful way to spend an evening winding down after the stresses of the week — and recovering from jet lag.

For the recipes for this meal, check out my other blog, Got My Reservations. The Slow-Cooker Lasagna is definitely a keeper!

I’m linked up today at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday. Check out the creative and beautiful tablescape designs!

What Makes You Think That Is French?

I’m going to Provence and Paris soon.

We’re scheduled to go to this flower market. Beautiful.

One of the things that I’m going to be looking for is whether or not or not our Americanized vision of shabby chic French is actually something French people do in their decorating.

I’m not so sure.

I’ve only been to France once, and I’ve only been to Paris and Normandy. I’ve seen beautiful cotton lace, I’ve seen lovely textiles, and I’ve seen well-worn finishes on furniture. I’ve also seen classically elegant rooms like this one.

What I’m not sure about is all of the things I see on American blogs using layered laces and trims, chippy paint, and white, white, white. I’m pretty sure that there is more to French decorating than that.

I feel as though I’m going out on a very thin limb here, and maybe I’ll fall off with a big thud. Or maybe not.

I’m eager to find out what people are buying in Provence and Paris and I hope to post photos for you to see.

Or do we care?

My mother-in-law did, and as a result, my house is full of beautiful Provencal furniture and dishes from France. And none of them is painted white or is chippy.

I can’t wait to find out. That is one of the reasons for travel — to find out what one does not know.

Are you with me on this?

Happy Easter!

I’m thinking of my parents this morning — they created many special Easters for my brothers and me.

I’m pretty sure that my mom made that beautiful dress for me, too.

But it wasn’t Easter without going to church and singing Christ the Lord is Risen Today. In our family, Jesus was the reason for the season, even if we did love the pagan trappings of the Easter Bunny.

Here’s a blast from my past that has been part of my Easter celebrations for almost all of my life. It’s also not Easter if Peter Cottontail’s song isn’t cranked out of my treasured Easter music box.

Sometimes an oldie is still a goodie — when it comes to our religious celebrations as well as our secular ones. Enjoy your day — whatever you are celebrating.

Table Top Tuesday Tulips

Is there anything more beautiful in early spring than tulips on your table?

I’m linked up today to Table Top Tuesday at a Stroll Thru Life. Please stop by and given these creative ladies some comment love!

 

St. Patrick’s Day and Spring Bonanza

Nothing says St. Patrick’s Day like a touch of green, right?

So nothing says St. Patrick’s Day better than 32 touches of green. That’s what I’m telling myself.

We were having about 20 people over for book club and I wanted to table to just “whisper” St. Pat’s and not scream it. We’re not Irish and don’t really get into the celebrations here in Chicago, but there’s something to be said for a city that takes its melting pot of heritages seriously.

Image Credit

When I found these beautiful napkins at Tuesday Morning, I was thrilled — but there were only two packages of eight. Not enough for my party. I didn’t buy them, but the next day I found myself still wanting them. I buzzed out to the other Tuesday Morning a little farther from my house and they had two sets also. They also had some other wonderful beauties, but that’s a story for another day. I grabbed the two sets, scurried back to the original TM, praying that the other sets were still there, and found my holy grail of napkins. Thirty-two gorgeous green napkins for book club and parties beyond.

Of course there’s always a little fly in the ointment. After laundering, they needed to be pressed, but there’s something soothing about the rhythm of spraying and pressing linens.

P. S. If you were wondering why I’ve been slow to post over the last couple of weeks, I’ve taken on the responsibility of producing a musical at my church. It’s gonna be pretty time-consuming if the last weeks are any indicator. On the other hand, doing my tablescaping and taking the photos is a welcome escape.

P.P.S. For a view of some amazing St. Patrick’s Day decorating, click here to visit Cuisine Kathleen’s St. Patrick’s Day Blog Crawl.

Reblog from Quintessence: NY Botanical Garden Orchid Dinner

Yes, it’s getting old. Snow and more snow.

Image Credit

I encourage you to click into these two posts about the New York Botanical Garden Orchid Dinner. The place settings are awesome and just what we need if you are someplace where winter is still out in full force.

Click on the photos to go to Quintessence for more beautiful table settings!

Have a lovely day and enjoy whatever weather (or orchids) your day brings you.

Jennie

Elegant White and Gold Tablescape

After all the red hubbub of Valentine’s Day, my soul was crying out for some calmness and rest for my eyes.

The elegant white and gold tablescape was born.

The classic stoneware pieces are upgraded by lavish use of crystal and metallic accents — Grandma’s silver does its job again!

The key to an all white tablescape is texture and layering. Embossed detail creates interest on the dishes, golden embroidery on the placemats is mimicked on the wired ribbon accent, and the tablecloth, napkins, French scarf, and the bread warmer add lacy textures.

Using Grandma’s silver platter again, crystal jam pots and a covered butter dish are grouped together.

Grocery store tulips send a sweet message and provide a shot of color.

I’m linked up to French Country Cottage and Between Naps on the Porch this week. Visit these creative ladies to find more inspiration for your table!

Using Grandma’s Silver: Appetizer Tray

Sometimes the simplest things are the best.

Slap some baby carrots and whatever veggies you have in the house in some bowls or ramekins and add some purchased guacamole. Put them on Grandma’s silver platter (or your thrift shop treasure) and Voila! You have a healthy appetizer for the family as they wait for dinner to be ready. Or a snack if a friend drops by. There is no end to what you can do to make a party with a piece of silver.

There’s no reason not to use your silver. Every day.

I’m linked up today at Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style. Stop by to be inspired by the creative ladies you will find there!

One Last Look Before We Go On To Spring

I loved my red tablescape and I loved all of the beautiful tablescapes that I visited over the last month.

But sometimes one has to move on.

So say goodbye to the red tablecloth and the red glittery plates for a while. It’s time for some Spring on my table.

I’m linked up today to Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage. Please stop by and visit these inspiring ladies!

Tea for Two

The afternoon sun comes through my living room windows and I’ve always wanted to have tea on the little drop leaf table that sits in the window.I started with the snowflake lace tablecloth that I got for Christmas. I was inspired by Diane’s beautiful tablescape at An Extraordinary Day.

When my neighbor’s household goods were sold after her death, I snatched up her collection of silver teapots. Some, like this one, didn’t have a lid and were black with tarnish, but I know that there are a million ways to use silver teapots. In this tablescape, it holds pink carnations (fake, but for a real dinner I would use real flowers). I was wearing a red sweatshirt when I took these photos, and had to dump a lot of them because you could see me reflected in the newly polished silver. 🙂

Our wedding “china” was a collection of mismatched depression glass that our relatives bought us. It was a such a thoughtful gift for people who already had years of adult living but were starting anew together.

I layered my trusty Pfaltzgraff Filigree with the depression glass plate (Jeanette’s Cherry Blossom) and then added the Japanese hand-painted plates.

I picked up a pink damask tablecloth and twelve napkins at an antique shop and my mother-in-law gave us the collection of twelve silver napkin rings, each of them different. Looking at these photos, I think a white napkin works better –what do you think?

I collect all kinds of silver and I always grab the black silver trays at garage sales. This one probably cost a dollar. All I have to do is clean it up with some tarnish remover and polish it with a high quality polish and it looks like it’s a family heirloom. I use silver on the patio, as a vanity tray, for serving drinks, and always on my buffet tables and for meal service pieces. The silver’s patina gets more beautiful the more you use it, and it’s not much more difficult than washing a dish to keep it polished. Nan at Silver Magpies is my go-to source for all things silver.
Although I actually have a matching silver tea service, I thought that for this informal setting I would use a mix of colors and ceramics along with the silver. The Sadler teapot from England is the perfect coloring for matching with the depression glass cream and sugar. The mint meltaways found a home in a hand-painted German dish, and I put a crocheted doily on the platter to protect it from drips and scratches. The M&O pink votive was gift from a friend and its chunky texture complements the dainty glassware nicely.

Over the years, I have been lucky enough to have built a large collection of dishes, but a lot of what I have was purchased at reduced prices at garage sales, church sales, and consignment shops. Once you decide the direction you want your collection to go, not only will you see beautiful additions everywhere, but people will give you gifts to go with what you already have.

The point is to use it; don’t let it sit in a cupboard or even worse, sit unused in those storage containers. Once your stuff is packed up, it will seem like too much trouble to drag it out. Keep your silver flatware in a convenient drawer in your kitchen and your grandma’s china in your cupboard. You and your family and friends deserve beauty in your lives; every day is a special day!

I’m linking up today at Between Naps on the Porch, Cuisine Kathleen, and The Style Sisters. Visit these ladies for more Valentine’s Day inspiration and be sure to comment.

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