Polar Bears on the Tablescape

February 19, 2020 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

Yes, there is definitely a story behind this tablescape! It’s a repeat of one I did some years ago but I wanted better photos of it. To explain, my hubby loves polar bears. He collected them for many years until he ran out of space. (He still sometimes gets a small one as a gift at Christmas.) When I saw these melamine polar bear salad plates at Crate and Barrel a few years ago I knew I had to add them to my collection of dishes. I bought the small centerpiece snowflake quilt table topper on Etsy and the tablescape grew from there. Can’t remember where I bought the red felt snowflake placemats.

I love this bear face, it is such a strong design with the white on red.

Using my Cambria stoneware charger from Pottery Barn as a dinner plate on this table. I love this plate, I also have it in pale blue and sage green. 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 bought the frosted white flatware on sale online at Wayfair a few years ago, it is made by Cambridge. It is 18/0 so the fork tines are a bit sharper than I would like but I really liked the frosted color. Wayfair has really good sales on flatware sometimes.

I think the napkins came from Crate and Barrel several years ago. I found the polar bear napkin rings online somewhere, they were made by Pfaltzgraff. I was really surprised and pleased to find them. Sometimes white bears don’t look like polar bears but these definitely do!

The polar bear place card holders came from Crate and Barrel. I was amazed to find them too!

I used my red Waterford Marquis Brookside goblets for this table setting. I bought them at HomeGoods several years ago. If you read my blog you have seen this goblet in many tablescapes. I think if I were starting a tablescaping hobby, a set of red goblets would be one of my first purchases. They can be used several times a year. I was looking for a clear goblet that was about the same height as these red goblets and I found these clear ones at HomeGoods a few years ago. They are also part of the Waterford Marquis series and this pattern is called Brady. They are a good match for each other.

The centerpiece polar bear was one I gave Hubby at some point. It is sitting on a red Pottery Barn drink dispenser stand. I have a few of these stands in different colors and I often use them to give centerpiece items more height.

This small Lladro polar bear was another gift for Hubby. He normally sits on a book shelf in the family room with a small collection of other polar bears.

The kids gave Hubby this small polar bear bought in Alaska when we took the whole family on a Disney cruise there a few years ago. He has a small jade fish in his mouth. He normally sits on the book shelf in the family room too.

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

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Miss Blackbirdy at the Valentine's Day Tablescape

February 05, 2020 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

I have had these unique black and white plates and table linens for several years but this is the first time I have used them in a tablescape. The design is called Miss Blackbirdy and the creator was a Dutch fashion designer and artist, Merel Boars. I am not sure they are being produced now but you can still find them for sale online. The first time I saw them I thought they were amazing and I bought a few pieces at a time over the years until I had a set. The design also comes in white on black but I decided to use the black on white color combination for this Valentine’s Day tablescape. I just love the detailed designs on the tablecloth. I added the runner I had also purchased to the center of the table because I wanted more detail on the table than the tablecloth’s white central area. The placemats came from Pier 1 several years ago.

The red heart bowls are made by Fiesta. My everyday dishes are also this pattern and color.

The design on this salad plate is wonderful. I love the detail with the hearts and the designs around the edges. You can see a couple small blackbirds near the center of the plate that give the pattern its name.

Take a look at what is on the back of every plate. I love that little heart hanging over the edge and the phrase that the artist added here.

The designs on this dinner plate are so unique. I love all the hearts and flowers and bows and the way they are all connected to each other. So much detail is on this plate, it is really a work of art! If you look closely, you can see a singing blackbird too! On the lower right at about 5 o’clock you can see where the design goes over to the back to connect with that heart on the back, such a clever tiny addition to a wonderful design!

I didn’t use the smaller dessert plate on this tablescape but I wanted to show it on the three plates stack here. The repetition of the edge designs on the two top plates really pops.

This is the dinner plate in white on black, it is a striking plate with great contrast. I love the blackbird in the center of the plate. I have used this plate as a charger on a Halloween tablescape before.

This is the salad plate with white on black, so much detail here! Sorry about the linoleum background on this old photo. With our remodel, that flooring is now long gone!

The flatware is made by D & D Inox in Italy and the pattern is called Roma. I bought them at Neiman Marcus or Bloomingdales during a major sale a few years ago. There are similar patterns available online now. I really like the marbleized design on the handles and the stainless quilted design.

I have had the black napkins for several years, I think I bought them online somewhere. The metal love napkin rings came from Amazon this month. The design is such a perfect match for this table setting.

I knew I wanted a black placecard holder of some kind and I started looking through all the photos of my holder collection and I found this one. Having photos of everything really makes designing a table so much easier. I love the way this small lantern stand looks on this table. I just cut out a few red hearts to use for the cards.

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 and you often see them on my table settings.

I collected pottery for several years and I have a small collection of black vases of different sizes and designs. I really like the size and the matte finish on this black vase. The roses came from Hobby Lobby this month.

The color combination of black and white and red creates such a strong design. I love how this tablescape turned out!

To see 120+ 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.

Please check out the March 2022 issue of Country Sampler magazine for a photo of one of my Spring tablescapes.

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

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.

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.