A Tablescape for Mountain Living

I saw these salad plates depicting a tent camping scene on a lake in another blog and instantly wanted a set to create a table setting around. Hubby and I both come from tent camping families and when we got married 48 years ago some of the first things we bought with wedding money were a tent and camping equipment. At least once a month we would head up the coast and camp along the beach at one of the public campgrounds. (They were free in those days.) In addition, for 28 years in a row every President’s Day weekend we would meet Hubby’s family at Death Valley to tent camp. I took very small children tent camping up there several times! These plates remind me of wonderful memories camping with family even though I am now done with tent camping! I bought the tablecloth at HomeGoods a few years ago. It has a slight brownish tweed design in the fabric.

These salad plates are very difficult to find. I found a few on Ebay and a few on Etsy and a few at Replacements, Ltd.. I was lucky to find eight, I don’t see any more for sale anywhere right now. The back says “International Tableworks, from a genuine hand engraving Bob Timberlake”. They were made in England and the pattern is Timberlake Camp 166. It was a bit of a struggle to find a dinner plate that worked with this plate because the color is a dark forest green. I have several green dinner plates but none of them are forest green and none of them worked with this plate color. I love the camping scene with tents, a campfire, and canoes along a lake next to a mountain. The rim designs are wonderful with lots of forest and mountain creatures.

I was trying to find any dinner plate I had that would work with these salad plates and I suddenly remembered this set. I knew the center wouldn’t show for photos and the rim had the right colors. These dinner plates were made in England by Johnson Bros. The series was called The Friendly Village and there are different designs on the dinner plates. This one is called The Village Street. I bought them at HomeGoods several years ago I think. I was so glad to find something that worked with the salad plates.

I knew my hunter green chargers would match the salad plates perfectly. These chargers were made by Mikasa and are called Color Spectrum in Hunter Green. I love this charger, it is heavy and a great color. I have several others in other colors. I bought them all a few at a time on Ebay.

You can really see the tweed design in the tablecloth in this photo. 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 of the lucite handles 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 really sharp fork tines and they can cut your lip!

The plaid napkins came from Pier 1 several years ago, where will we find great napkins now that they have closed! The brown napkins came from Sur La Table online a few years ago. I found the pine cone napkin rings on Amazon a few years ago. They were called Park Design Pine Lodge iron pine cone napkin rings. I bought a set of these for our mountain cabin too.

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.

A bit of a story behind the dark green cut glass goblet on the left, I saw them online at Williams Sonoma last December and I fell in love with them and Hubby ordered 12 for me for Christmas. They remind me of the High Sierras near where I grew up, and where we have a family cabin now. I received four in December and was told that the other eight were on backorder until May. I received another four in April. As yet, I have still not received the last four. Every time I check the tracking information it tells me that they are to be delivered that day. They are supposed to be here today and of course, nothing yet. It’s getting a bit ridiculous, I will ask for a refund I quess because it looks like they no longer have them. (I asked for and received a refund for the last four a couple hours ago, at least I have eight.) I do love the cut glass pine cone design and the deep color. It was this goblet and the salad plate that started the theme idea for this tablescape. The brown goblet was made by Lenox between 1966 and 1985. It was called Antique Brown. I bought them on Ebay several years ago.

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’ve got a simple centerpiece! The green candle came from HomeGoods.

I bought these cast iron pine cone votive candle holders online somewhere several years ago. They are really really heavy.

One of these days we will be able to head to the mountains again. I hope it is soon! To see another pine cone themed tablescape that I did last year please click here. For a look at our rustic cabin and its pine cone decor, please click here.

To see over 80 different tablescapes that I have created please click here. If you are on Facebook, join my new Tablescape Ideas Facebook group for lots of tablescaping inspiration!

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

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Homemade Napkin Ring Ideas, Tablescaping DIY

I have many different napkin ring sets but sometimes I can’t find just what I need for a themed table setting even after an online search. I looked all over for orange-red crab napkin rings for a Crab themed tablescape that I was creating with no luck. I found lots of metal ones and blue ones but nothing the red color that I was looking for to match the tablecloth and other elements on my table. I had bought these small crabs on Ebay to use as table scatter but they were shiny red when they arrived. Hubby was going to spray paint them orange-red for me so I could use them as scatter on this table setting. My daughter was visiting and I was telling her about my bad luck finding napkin rings and she suggested that I turn these small crabs into napkin rings, genius! So Hubby bought plain wood rings and spray painted the crabs and the rings and we glued the crabs to the rings and suddenly, cheap napkin rings! Any small object can be glued to a wooden or metal ring to create a simple and easy napkin ring. If the color is wrong it is easy to use spray paint to create the color you need. To see more photos of this crab tablescape and a similar one, please click here and here. You can see more tablescaping DIY ideas on my blog here: https://www.whispersoftheheart.com/tablescapehowto . To see my 300+ themed tablecapes please click here: https://www.whispersoftheheart.com/tablescapes

Another example of a napkin ring that I created. I bought these small plastic lobsters on Ebay also. For more photos of this tablescape, please click here.

I was working on a tablescape with a travel theme and I wanted napkin rings with maps or flags and I couldn’t find anything close to that. I finally found some pins with country flags on them and I just temporarily attached them to a simple black napkin ring that I had with Sticky Putty. If you go to a hardware store and wander the aisles you can find many different materials that can be turned into napkin rings, all kinds of rings, pipe, and square objects with holes are available. Small plastic items can be found on Ebay or Oriental Traders online or at any party supply store. For more photos of this tablescape, please click here.

I was working on a John Deere tractor and farming themed table setting and I couldn’t find any napkin rings that fit the tractor theme anywhere. I finally looked on Etsy for some John Deere scrapbook paper to buy and download. I found exactly what I needed and then we cut it and taped it to a simple napkin ring I already had. Using this technique the possibilites are endless! You could actually recycle the same napkin ring over and over many different times for different themes (or different colors too). To see more photos of this tablescape, please click here.

To see over 300+ different tablescapes that I have created please click here. If you are on Facebook, join my Table Settings and Tablescape Ideas Facebook group (4,000+ members) for lots of tablescaping inspiration! Just click on the Facebook Search box at the top of the page and type in Table Settings and Tablescape 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. (200+ members) https://www.facebook.com/groups/440356398581157 We had a gathering for tablescapers last year in the Los Angeles area and we are planning another one this fall. You won’t want to miss it!

Don’t miss the Tablescape How-To tab at the top of my blog for DIY tips and tricks. That link is here: https://www.whispersoftheheart.com/tablescapehowto

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

See Shells on the Tablescape

I used these blue seashell plates on a tablescape six years ago before I started blogging but it was with red accents and a white tablecloth. I wanted to do something different this time. I tried several different blue tablecloths and a white one too before I ended up with this green gingham one. The blue in the plates is more of a purple blue and all of the blue tablecloths that I have clashed with that color. I like the contrast between the green and the blue. I bought this green gingham tablecloth on Amazon several years ago. I have used it twice in the last few months, you can see it here in my Strawberries for Dinner tablescape and here in my Keeping it Rural, John Deere tablescape. You will probably see it again one more time this summer in an upcoming Watermelon themed table setting. The placemats came from Pier 1 several years ago.

These blue seashell plates were some of the first plates that I bought when I started tablescaping and they are some of my favorite plates. I just love all the starfish and shell details in the raised design. They were made by Bordallo Pinheiro in Portugal and I bought them a few plates at a time on Ebay. I still see them there from time to time. I love the scallop shell surrounded by a rope in the center of this salad plate. Some of their salad plates have a starfish in the center of the plate.

The dinner plate has some of the same border details as the salad plate but the center is plain.

The charger plates have an additional conch shell design added to the outer rim.

The three plate stack really makes a statement! I love the way it looks!

This seashell flatware set is special. I love the shell design on the end of the handles, there is a different shell for each of the four pieces. The flatware was made by Reed and Barton and the pattern is called Williamsburg Gloucester Shell. It is 18/10 stainless and heavy, a really good quality set. Once you hold stainless that is 18/10 nothing else will come close in quality. I bought it a few place settings at a time online at Amazon but it is still for sale a few other places as well.

I have had the blue and green napkins for several years, they came from Pier 1 or HomeGoods probably. I bought the white shell napkin rings on Ebay last year, they have two different shell designs. They are labeled Knobler Taiwan.

The shell place card holders were made by Andrea by Sadek. I can’t remember where I bought them but it might have been Ebay.

The acrylic blue goblet on the left came from Pier 1 this spring. You can also see it here on my Crab Bisque for Dinner tablescape and here on my Lobster for Dinner tablescape. The blue glass goblet on the right came from Ebay, you can still find them for sale there. They were made by Libbey in the 1970’s and the pattern is called Tulip in Dusky Blue.

I love using this large shell bowl as a centerpiece. I found it at HomeGoods a few years ago. The bowl usually sits on an open shelving unit in the family room. You can also see it here in my Starfish and the Sea tablescape from May. The blue starfish plates were made in Taiwan by Primitive Artisan. I can’t remember where I found them but it may have been HomeGoods. This starfish plate may get its own tablescape next summer. I almost used it as the salad plate on this table but I wanted the original three piece plate set.

Just for fun I added my Waterford Conch shell to the table that Hubby gave me several years ago. I love cut glass!

I also added my Swarovski clam shell with a pearl that Hubby brought me back from Europe several years ago too.

Just noticed one of my goblet storage containers in this photo…oh well!

Looking at this tablescape and wishing we were up the coast somewhere right now walking along the beach looking for seashells…Someday!

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 (or here) 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!

Anchors Await on a Summer Tablescape

I have been wanting to use these anchor salad plates in a tablescapes but it has been a struggle to match them with anything. The background of these salad plates has the same color as the dinner plates but the phone camera changes all the blue and green tones so that it looks like the various pieces don’t match. I definitely need to move away from tables with turquoise, seafoam, teal, or aquamarine colors for awhile! The phone camera just doesn’t portray the colors accurately. I think I tried four different tablecloths and none of them were the correct color shade so I ended up with white. I have found several simple polyester tablecloths in various colors on Amazon including this one.

I bought these anchor plates at HomeGoods a few years ago. They are heavy melamine and they were made by Cynthia Coulter Home Designs. They appear on Ebay from time to time still. During spring and summer there are so many different cute plate designs available in melamine now.

This dinner plate is a much prettier color than this photo shows, it is a beautiful turquoise green color. I bought them at HomeGoods several years ago. They were made in Portugal.

When I saw these place mats online at Pier 1 a few years ago I immediately thought of all my beachie and ocean creature dishes and I knew these would match some of them. How I miss our Pier 1 store!

I bought this set of plastic bamboo flatware online somewhere several years ago after I saw it in a tablescaping blog. I can’t remember where I bought it but I have seen similar sets online at various sites. It’s a fun set to use on Summer table settings.

I bought these white anchor napkin rings at Bed, Bath, and Beyond online a few years ago. They were a distressed white and Hubby painted them white for me. I am not a fan of distressed paint on anything. The outside napkin came from Pier 1 a few years ago. The colors really match the colors in the place mat. I found the anchor napkins on Amazon a few years ago. The background is more green blue than this photo shows.

Can’t remember where I bought these anchor place card holders. They were originally gray and I bought two sets and Hubby painted one set white and one set black for me.

The acrylic goblet on the left came from Pier 1 a few years ago. I can’t remember where I found the one on the right but it may have been Pier 1 as well.

The larger white anchor came from HomeGoods a few years ago. I am always on the look out when I go there for larger objects that I can use as centerpieces. The next larger anchor came from Hobby Lobby online a few years ago. It was a dirty distressed beige with a tattered rope winding around it but Hubby cleaned it up and repainted it for me. The small anchor was part of a three piece tea light holder set but Hubby unscrewed it from the base for me and repainted it too. I put it on another glass tea light holder for more height. I can’t remember where I found them. When I started tablescaping, I knew I was going to be creating many beachie tablescapes so for a few years I collected various beach and ocean related items so I would have them when I needed them. The anchors are all sitting on a wood stand I bought at Pier 1 a few years ago. It was natural wood but Hubby painted it white for me. Can’t remember where I got the turquoise netting but I think it may have been Amazon because that is always the first place I look for things.

I can’t remember where I bought these small tea light holders. When I started tablescaping I bought many of them and I have a whole cupboard full. I tend to forget that I have them!

Some of the tablescapes that I create are ones that I love and some are ones that I like. This one is definitely a like one but I am already thinking about next week’s!

Anchors await a seafood dinner maybe!

To see 220+ other tablescapes that I have created including 18 other Ocean and Nautical themed tables 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.

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 next year in January.

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