Hearts for a Valentine's Day Tablescape

February 02, 2020 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

I saw this tablecloth and napkins set at HomeGoods a few years ago and knew I had found the start for one of my Valentine’s Day tables for that year. I love the combination of gingham and hearts. There are a few extra layers to the place settings on this table. I had too many choices! The felt heart garland on the hutch came from Etsy and I have had the small metal heart wreath for many years. Can’t remember where I bought it.

I found these small heart bowls at HomeGoods a few years ago. I bought them in red, white, and pink. I love the beaded rim. They are made by chantal.

Reticulated Heart Salad Plate

I can’t remember where I found these reticulated heart salad plates, I have had them for a few years. They were made by La Porcellana Bianca. I really love the heart designs around the plate, it makes it so delicate looking.

These Bordallo Pinheiro heart dinner plates were made in Portugal. I have bought them a few at a time over the years on Ebay and they are not easy to find. I love all the raised hearts around the rim. I also have the same plate only with stars instead of hearts. This unique design works well with other plates.

These white dinner plates were a good addition to my dish collection a few years ago. I was looking for a white dinner plate but I wanted a rim with a detailed design feature that would add interest to a plate stack. These were made by Fitz and Floyd, the pattern was Oakdale White. I found them at HomeGoods. I love the rope design around the rim. I often use them on beachie tablescapes.

This stoneware charger or dinner plate came from Pottery Barn. I love this plate, I also have it in other colors. The pattern is called Cambria. It is the perfect size to be either a dinner plate or a charger plate, I love plates that have that kind of versatility. I use this plate several times a year on tablescapes.

I can’t remember where I found these felt heart placemats. I have had them for a few years.

This Milano Red flatware is Ginkgo International LePrix. I have had this set for years but it is still for sale. Not sure where I bought it. I use it several times a year on tablescapes. The simple design is perfect with this busy tablecloth.

I found the red metal heart napkin rings on Amazon. When the napkin has a busy design I like to use simple napkin rings.

Sorry this photo is a bit blurry. I bought these small plastic heart placecard holders on Amazon and then used a small foam heart for the card.

Using my red Waterford Marquis Brookside goblets here only this time I added the iced teas too. I really love this glassware. It is well made, heavy, and a true red color. I bought them at HomeGoods several years ago.

I can’t remember where I bought the red glass candle holders, I have had them for several years. They were some of the first ones I bought because I knew I would be creating many red tablescapes and I would need them.

I saw this red heart cardboard box online at Target a few years ago and quickly bought it before they sold out because I knew it would be the perfect size for a centerpiece. I love the way the solid red color contrasts with this tablecloth.

Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays and this table setting sets the perfect mood!

To see 220+ other tablescapes that I have created please click here. If you are on Facebook, join my Tablescape Ideas group! Just click on the Facebook Search box at the top of the page and type in Tablescape Ideas. Don’t miss my Tablescaping How-To section at the top of this blog post for more tablescaping tips and tricks.

I put a new tablescape on my blog every week so please check back!

Nana’s and Mother's Haviland Tablescape

January 29, 2020 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

I am sharing a very simple tablescape this week just to show a bit of the Haviland china that I inherited from my mother and Nana. I love vintage damask tablecloths as my mother did and I like to use them from time to time. I probably inherited this one from my mother although I have bought a few on Ebay.

My mother was born in February so I set this table in her memory and to honor how she set her table for guests. This was the “Good Haviland”, she inherited it from her mother and she used it for special occasions. I added to it over the years so I have many different pieces. Most of the china is the pattern Ranson Gold, and probably Schleiger Number 1. Haviland china had a complex pattern naming system but many of the gold rim on white patterns can be used together because they are similar in appearance.

The mark on the back of the china indicates that it was made between 1894 and 1931. The dinner plate in those days was smaller, it measures about 9 inches across and the salad plate is a bit smaller. The gold rim was hand painted and you can see the two small indentions on the rim between the larger ones that indicate that it may be pattern Schleiger Number 1.

My Haviland has two different finial and handle designs. This one is called Twig.

This one is called Bow. I actually like this design better but most of the china I inherited was the Twig pattern and it was easier to find Twig than Bow when I was buying additions to the set.

I have a few different sizes of covered vegetable dishes.

You can see the twig design on the underplate on this covered sauce dish.

I have several different sizes of serving bowls.

This tea pot, creamer, and sugar bowl are not the same pattern as my other china but they are a close match, just more gold. I love the shapes of these pieces.

I do have a creamer and sugar in the twig pattern and you can see the difference in the two sets here.

A simple table setting to share some cherished family treasures.

To see over 260 different tablescapes that I have created please click here. If you are on Facebook, join my new Tablescape and Table Settings Ideas Facebook group for lots of tablescaping inspiration! Just click on the Facebook Search box at the top of the page and type in Tablescape and Table Settings Ideas or click here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2553689988183392

If you live in Southern California join our Facebook tablescaping group Southern California Tablescapers BTS Group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/440356398581157 We are planning a gathering for tablescapers in January in the Los Angeles area..

Don’t miss the Tablescape How-To tab at the top of my blog for DIY tips and tricks.

I put a new tablescape on my blog every week, please check back!

Fun with Vintage Valentine Puzzle Hankies

January 13, 2020 by Beth Wilson in Home

Many years ago I collected vintage Valentine hankies. It started when I found a poinsettia Christmas hankie in my mother’s things after she died. I remembered her carrying it. Soon after, I was wandering around an antique mall and found another one, and why have one when you can have two…or three or… They were easy to store, inexpensive, and fun to look for when out and about because you didn’t find them that often. I branched out to all holidays and subjects and it was a fun search for several years. Then Ebay came along and they were too easy to find on there and there were too many collectors driving up the prices so after a while I stopped collecting. I still have a very large vintage hankie collection. I didn’t realize that some of my Valentine hankies were puzzle hankies until I read a book about vintage hankies. They were also called Secret Message hankies. When they are folded in a certain way, they look completely different and sometimes they have a special message. They date from the late 40’s and early 50’s but none of mine have any markings or labels still on them. Since I wrote this blog post I have discovered St. Patrick’s Day and a Mother’s Day Puzzle hankie too so there are more designs out there.

The Valentine hankie in the first photo looks like this when it is unfolded. Unless you know that it is a puzzle hankie with a secret message, it just looks like a pretty Valentine hankie.

You start to create the design by folding the hankie in half horizonally from bottom edge to top edge after you determine which side is the top. You might have to try folding it a couple different ways until you get it right.

Then you fold that folded half back down in half on top of itself. At this point you may begin to see the new design you are creating.

You fold the hankie in half again from left edge to right edge.

Lastly fold the previous fold of the hankie back on itself from right to left. Suddenly the message, My Valentine, appears. You may need to adjust the design a bit. Once you see the secret message or design you can look back and see parts of it in the orginal unfolded hankie.

The easiest way to find a puzzle hankie is to look at the borders of the design and the design on the Valentine hankie. On a puzzle hankie they are always irregular and the side designs don’t match.

A regular Valentine hankie is usually symmetrical although sometimes there is a large design on the hankie that isn’t symmetrical.

You can see the irregular design border on this Valentine puzzle hankie and the corner designs don’t match.

When you fold it, a Cupid suddenly appears! I love this one!

The irregular design really shows on this one.

Once it is folded, it becomes a heart. The folds are a bit different with this one. Sometimes you have to experiment to determine what the correct folds and sequence should be to create the design.

I like the tiny hearts in the center of this one.

This one becomes another heart. This one required differents folds than the other ones I have. Sometimes the final design doesn’t line up perfectly.

Once you learn how to identify Valentine puzzle hankies you can sometimes determine what the words will be in the secret message by looking carefully for individual letters in the design before you start folding.

The words, With Love, appear after the final fold on this one. If you look back at the original unfolded hankie you can see bits and pieces of the letters.

Lots of flowers on this one.

With the final fold, another Cupid appears on this one. He is well hidden in the unfolded hankie. These vintage Valentine puzzle hankies are not always easy to find because they are so old and if you do find them, they are sometimes expensive. I do see them on Ebay from time to time. Sometimes the seller doesn’t realize that it is a puzzle hankie so the price is more reasonable. I love their secret messages!

For more photos of some of my vintage Valentine hankies check here.

I have a Facebook Group, Vintage Hankies, Handkerchiefs, https://www.facebook.com/groups/897980928627111 to share photos of my hankies. I am hoping that others will join and share their hankies too!

A Tablescape Full of Pine Cones

January 08, 2020 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

I have been planning a tablescape with this theme for years, just never got around to pulling it together until now. I already had all the elements, I didn’t have to buy anything new for this one. I think I bought the tablecloth at HomeGoods, I have had it for several years. This tablescape reminds me of the mountains and the pine trees of the Eastern Sierra, the area of California where I grew up. And now that the family has a cabin in that area, the pine cone connection is even more special. They signify a touch of home for me.

After we all bought the cabin I started looking for dishes for it and I found these but I decided on some other ones with a cream background and I kept these for use at home. They have been discontinued but they were made by Andrea by Sadek. I love the pine cone raised relief design.

The dinner plate has the same pine cone design only larger.

I bought these square brown charger plates at Pier 1 several years ago, they are some kind of melamine.

This flatware is labeled SR Showroom Italy. It was made by Zaffiro and I think I bought it on sale online at Horchow. The color is called Smoky and it looks like it has been discontinued. I really liked the simple design so I bought it in other colors as well. It is 18/10 stainless and a nice heavy set. The pieces are really longer in length than normal flatware. I have mentioned this before. If you are buying flatware and it isn’t 18/10 stainless always check the fork tines to make sure they have been filed enough and aren’t too sharp. Cheaper flatware often has this problem.

I found the pine cone napkin rings on Amazon. They are called Park Design Pine Lodge iron pine cone napkin rings. I bought some for the cabin as well as some for home. The brown napkins came from Dillards a few years ago.

I think I bought these metal pine cone place card holders on Ebay because I only have eight and I usually buy in sets of twelve if I am buying from a store.

The brown goblet was made by Lenox between 1966 and 1985. It was called Antique Brown. I bought them on Ebay several years ago. The green plastic goblet came from Pier 1 several years ago. If you read my blog, you have seen these goblets before a few times.

I bought these cast iron votive candle holders online somewhere. They are really really heavy.

When I started tablescaping I bought a few lanterns in different colors because I figured they would be an easy and casual centerpiece. I think this one came from Pier 1. You can find lanterns online and in stores in all different colors and shapes. Just put a candle inside and maybe some filler if you want and you’re done!

I love this table setting with its mountain and pine cone theme. Makes me want to head for our cabin!

Don’t miss the Tablescape How-To tab at the top of my blog for DIY tips and tricks.

I put a new tablescape on my blog every week, please check back!