Tablescaping DIY, Part 4, Choosing What Plates to Buy, Salad Plates

This is Part 4 in an ongoing series about how to create your tablescapes. You can read Part 1 about developing a theme for your table here , Part 2 about Choosing what Plates to Buy, Chargers, here and Part 3 about Choosing What Plates to Buy, Dinner Plates, here. There are some similarities when choosing different kinds of plates so there will be some repetition in this blog post with the other how-to posts. The salad plate is the most important plate on the table from a design standpoint. It is the plate that is seen all around the table with a repeated exact or similar design and this helps define and illustrate the theme of your tablescape.

There are five things to think about when buying salad plates; size, color, shape, material, and price. Salad plates can be anywhere from 6 inches to 9 inches in diameter. You want a salad plate about that size so that a larger dinner plate will show below that plate with the charger plate below that. This provides a nice balance for the plate stack. When I am looking for salad plates I try to keep in mind the charger plates and dinner plates that I already have so that whatever I buy will match something I already own. I also buy plates thinking about the tablescape themes I am working on and how the plate design could add to the theme. Salad plates are sometimes called luncheon plates when they are a larger size.

This salad plate is just the right size. The dinner plate border shows below it and the charger plate below that. 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. The back says “International Tableworks, from a genuine hand engraving Bob Timberlake”. They were made in England and the pattern is Timberlake Camp 166.

You can’t go wrong choosing a salad plate in a solid primary or secondary color. You will use them over and over again. They were some of the first plates I bought when I started tablescaping. This is a salad plate made by Fiesta and the color is Sunflower. (The dinner plate below the salad plate is Fiesta as well, in Shamrock.)

My salad plates are pottery, ceramic, melamine and glass like this square glass black salad plate. It really doesn’t matter what the plate is made of and I am amazed at how many wonderful melamine salad plate designs are available now. When I started tablescaping I bought round plates but after a few years I started adding some square plates to my dish collection. We found these black glass plates somewhere in Virginia while we were visiting our son and his family a few years ago. They were made by Luminarc France.

Sometimes a salad plate will be sold as a set of three or four with different designs on each plate. These different designs can add additional interest and fun to the tablescape. I bought these small Halloween plates several years ago, I can’t remember where but it may have been Ebay. They were made by Omniware and there were four different designs in the set. I have always liked them because they have such a classic Halloween style.

I bought these green melamine salad plates online several years ago. I can’t remember where. They were made by Baci Milano and the pattern was called Baroque & Rock. I have them in red also, I like the ruffle design on the lip and rim. On this particular tablescape I added another blue salad plate that was just a bit larger under this green salad plate because I wanted to separate some colors in the plate stack and add a bit more blue to the tablescape. HomeGoods and Dollar stores are great sources for inexpensive salad plates. If you live in an area that has thrift stores and garage and estate sales, they can also be great sources for inexpensive plates too. Salad plates can be expensive, especially the ceramic and china ones. Over the years, when I found an expensive one that I really liked, I bought one or two a month until I had the number I needed. I have read about tablescapers who buy glass plates at a Dollar store and then draw on them or add fabric to them to create a new design. Check on Pinterest for information about how to do this, I am not crafty and I have never done it but they look great!

These melamine strawberry salad plates came from Sur La Table online a few years ago. Online stores often have cute salad plates and I wait until the end of season sales and buy them then.

Depending on the theme of your table it is fun to find salad plates with an unusual shape. I often find them by googling whatever it is that I am looking for, something often pops up. I really love this Santa face salad plate. This plate was part of Fitz and Floyd’s Peppermint Santa tableware series several years ago. I have several pieces of this series that I collected over the years online from different retail sites. It is really the cutest Santa face that I have seen so far on a plate. When I have a special detailed plate like this one I remove them from the table before we start eating. They are mostly for show. I have other salad plates waiting that can be eaten on.

I have had these Fitz and Floyd salad plates for several years. I bought them a few at a time over a few years on Ebay. The pattern was called Autumn Bounty and they were made between 1996 and 1999. I love all the detail, the fruit, the vegetables, the flowers and the wicker design in the center.

For this tablescape I used what is called a tidbit or appetizer plate on top of the salad plate. These plates are usually about 4 inches to 6 inches in diameter. When you are buying salad plates online be sure to read what size the plate is so you know exactly what you are getting. This melamine snowflake plate is sitting on a simple white salad plate. This plate stack was one of my favorites as was the tablescape itself. I found these blue and white small snowflake plates on Ebay several years ago. They were made by Nicole Miller. I really love the shape of these plates and the design as well.

I never buy sets of dishes because I wouldn’t use all the dishes on my tablescapes and it would be a waste of money. But over the years when I found a plate design that I really loved (after I made sure it was all available) I slowly bought matching chargers, dinner plates and salad plates until I had the number of place settings that I wanted. Sometimes this took me a few years to accomplish depending on the availability of the plates. I often bought plates a few at a time on Ebay as they came up for sale. Some I am still looking for! These blue seashell plates were some of the first plates that I bought when I started tablescaping and they are still 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.

I love the design of these flag plates, it is a simple but strong design. They are melamine and I bought them at Pier 1 a several years ago before they closed their stores. As soon as I saw them I knew I wanted both the salad and the matching dinner plates.

I love red and my kitchen is white with red accents so when I saw these plates I knew I had to have them. The top plate is tidbit size, then a salad plate, then a larger dinner plate that can be used as a charger as well. The plates were made by At Home with Marieke and the pattern was called Sarah. This pattern has been discontinued. I can’t remember where I bought them but it was online.

If you are lucky, you may have inherited a set of china from a relative. This was my Nana’s Haviland passed down to me from my mother. I cherish it and try to use it on a tablescape a few times a year at least.

To see over 270+ 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

For lots of other Tablescaping DIY tips and tricks click here: https://www.whispersoftheheart.com/tablescapehowto

If you live in Southern California join our Facebook tablescaping group Southern California Tablescapers BTS Group, (270+ members) click here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/440356398581157 We had a gathering for tablescapers last January in the Los Angeles area and we hope to have others in the future.

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

A Pink Flamingo Tablescape

If you read my blog you know that my tablescapes are usually theme based and sometimes full of color. This tablescape is no exception, flamingos, an odd creature for sure, and very colorful. I found the tablecloth on Amazon several years ago and that started the design process. There are two large flamingos on the tablecloth but they are hidden by dishes so you can only see parts of them. The tablecloth design set the color scheme of pinks and greens for this tablescape.

I looked at a few dozen salad plates online with flamingos on them and couldn’t find anything that I really liked until I saw these online at Poshmark but they only had four. I quickly checked Ebay and luckily found another four there so that I would have six for my tablescape. They are melamine and they were made by Cynthia Rowley. I love the mixtures of pinks, greens, and blues.

This dinner plate was made by Fiesta and the color is called Meadow. I have Fiesta plates in Shamrock and Lemongrass but I wanted a medium green color to add to my tablescaping collection. It has been the perfect addition.

Hubby went to the Dollar Store a few years ago and bought silver chargers for me and then spray painted them this bright pink. I am going to have to do that more often. It is such an easy and inexpensive way to create chargers that are the right colors for your table setting.

I bought this stainless and plastic bamboo flatware set several years ago when I first started tablescaping. I can’t remember where I found the set, they are just marked Stainless, China but I see similar patterns are available online at several places.

I bought the tropical leaf napkins on Amazon several years ago. The flamingo napkin rings came from Wilford & Lee Home Accents online a few years ago. I love those long legs!

These small plastic flamingos came from Oriental Trading online a few years ago. They were in the Easter section and they can be opened.

I found the plastic goblet on the left at HomeGoods a few years ago. The green color and bamboo stem are a perfect match for this tablescape. These funny plastic pink flamingo goblets came from Oriental Trading online a few years ago too. I couldn’t resist them!

I found this ceramic flamingo figure at Bed, Bath & Beyond online a few years ago. There is actually a battery operated LED light inside. The flamingo is sitting on a bright green drink dispenser stand from Pottery Barn that I bought several years ago.

I found both flamingo salt and pepper sets on Amazon a few years ago.

I love all the pinks and greens together!

It’s a colorful tablescape, for sure!

To see over 270 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. https://www.facebook.com/groups/440356398581157 . We had a gathering in January 2025 and we plan to have others as well.

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

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

Bumblebees on a Spring Tablescape

I had fun pulling this tablescape together. Two years ago I set a bee tablescape but it was yellow and blue. I can’t remember what started the idea for a bumblebee theme. I think I saw some metal bumblebees for garden art in a mail order catalog (I get dozens of them every month). I figured I could use them as a centerpiece and then put them in the garden and I knew I already had yellow and black dishes so it went from there. I ended up buying the metal bumblebees on Amazon because I knew they would get here faster. As it happens sometimes, I ended up not using them for the centerpiece on this tablescape. I found something better. Hallmark has closed many of their stores but we still have one open here and it has a nice gift section. We went in because I was looking for a large butterfly (for another tablescape) and this bumblebee cookie jar was just sitting there. Hubby took one look at my face and he knew it was coming home with me as well as the salt and pepper set. Serendipity! I found the black and white buffalo check tablecloth on Amazon a couple years ago. It is heavy cotton and it is really easy to iron with a steam iron.

I searched for a while before I found these small melamine plates with a yellow honeycomb background and flying bumblebees. They came from Walmart last month and they were made by Gourmet Art. I like the strong yellow background design.

To make the plate stack colors harmonize with each other in a certain pattern I added two extra plates to the plate stack. I think the plate stack mirrors the stripes on a bumblebee. This small black plate is not marked but it might be a Fiesta plate, not sure where I bought them. I have had them for several years.

This salad plate was made by Bordallo Pinheiro in Portugal and the pattern is Morning Glory. I have this pattern in a few other colors as well. I bought them over the years a few at a time on Ebay. You can still find them for sale there. I really like the raised design and the rim pattern is a nice addition to this plate stack.

This black dinner plate was called Fun Factory and it was made by Waechtersbach. I have had them for several years and I can’t remember where I bought them. It is handy to have a basic black dinner plate in your tablescape collection.

This is a Color Spectrum charger by Mikasa, the color is Sun Yellow. I bought these chargers on Ebay a few at a time because I love the quality and the colors. I have them in several colors now. If you read my blog you saw these chargers last week on my Bunnies and Chicks tablescape.

This black flatware set is Ginkgo International LePrix. I have had it for several years, not sure where I bought it. You can still find it for sale online.

I searched for a while before I found this flower and bumblebee napkin ring. I really wanted to use a napkin ring with just a bumblebee on it but I couldn’t find one that was the right color and wasn’t too expensive. I found these on Amazon and finally decided to buy them. They actually have grown on me a bit, I like the design, and they match the napkins perfectly. I found the napkins on Etsy, I really love the pattern on this fabric! It is so bright and cheerful and perfect for this tablescape.

This beehive place card holder went through quite a metamorphosis. I found them online at Oriental Trading a couple months ago. They were in the Easter section and they were lemon yellow, inside was a plastic bumblebee. I bought them because I knew Hubby could paint them for me and then he added a wooden base so they would stand. I already had the tiny bumblebees so I added a few for fun. I really like how they turned out.

The gold Poly/Carb goblet on the left was made by Le Cadeaux and the pattern is called Fleur. We found them at a gift shop on one of our trips up the coast a couple years ago but they were really expensive so we only bought a few of them. I had been looking for that color for a long time and after we got home, I found them much cheaper online so I bought a few more. I bought these black goblets on Ebay and they were one of the first sets that I bought several years ago. They are Lenox Midnight Mood black glass water goblets and they were made between 1974 and 1982. They are 7 1/4 inches tall. When I started buying goblets I didn’t pay attention to the height but now I like to buy goblets that are at least about 8 inches tall because my table is large and I think they show better. You can still find them for sale on Ebay from time to time.

This bumblebee cookie jar was made by Gerson International and I bought it at our Hallmark store. It has such a cute face! It is sitting on a small black glass cake stand that I bought when I started tablescaping several years ago. I can’t remember where I bought it but it may have been HomeGoods.

I wanted something small on each side of the centerpiece. This matching bumblebee salt and pepper set is perfect.

I really wanted a black and yellow bumblebee honey jar but I settled for this yellow one from Amazon.

I love how the yellow and black play off each other on this tablescape.

To see 100+ other tablescapes that I have created please click here. If you are on Facebook, join my Tablescape Ideas group! 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!

This tablescape was featured at A Pinch of Joy, https://www.apinchofjoy.com/ , Lou Lou Girls, https://www.loulougirls.com/ , Common Ground, https://www.commonground-do.com/ and Life and Linda, https://www.lifeandlinda.com/ Please visit these blogs, you will enjoy them!

Bunnies and Chicks on an Easter Tablescape

I wasn’t planning to set another Easter tablescape this year but the kids have gotten their vaccines and one of our sons and his family are coming for Easter dinner so I knew I’d better have an Easter tablescape ready! I pulled this one together really fast. I have boxes of Easter decorations in the attic but I didn’t want to take the time to pull them down and go through them so I made do. We are eating family style with the food on the table instead of a buffet so I needed a simple centerpiece that could easily be removed. The tablecloth probably came from HomeGoods some years ago.

I found this set of Easter salad plates with vintage graphics at HomeGoods last month. They were made by Mr. Christmas. I was going to use them next year but oh well! They came as a set of four with four different designs so I bought two sets so that I would have six for a tablescape. I used three of the designs on this tablescape. I love the designs, they look like they came from a vintage Easter children’s book. This bunny with the bow and the flower is so cute!

This duckie holding a tulip is darling! I love his little outfit and bow tie. I love the pink scalloped rim around the plates too.

These plates are so darn cute! Love the bonnet and bows!

This is a Fiesta dinner plate and the color is Shamrock. If you read my blog you have seen this plate before. They came from Macy’s or the Fiesta site online. I have Fiesta plates in several colors and I often use them on my tablescapes.

This is a Color Spectrum charger by Mikasa, the color is Sun Yellow. I bought these chargers on Ebay a few at a time because I love the quality and the colors. I have them in several colors now and you will often see them on my tablescapes.

This flatware is called Madeline Green and I bought it at World Market several years ago. If you google frosted flatware and add the color you are looking for you will find similar sets. I use this flatware often in the Spring and Fall.

I found these metal bunny napkin rings last month online on Postmark and then added a couple more from Ebay. I bought the napkins on Etsy a couple years ago.

I have had these cute bunny and egg place card holders for several years. A reader tells me they came from Pier 1 originally, I had forgotten that.

The green plastic goblet on the left came from Pier 1 several years ago. The yellow goblet on the right was made by Noritake and the pattern was called Yellow Perspective. These were made between 1970 and 1983 and I found them on Ebay. This pattern came in other colors, I have them in cobalt blue and sage green also. Ebay often has this pattern for sale in various colors. If you read my blog you saw these goblets on my Yellow Chick Easter tablescape two weeks ago.

Because the salad plates had a vintage look I really wanted a vintage looking centerpiece. I knew I probably had something in the attic that would work but I didn’t have time to search. I was running out of time. I had seen this book shaped box at HomeGoods a couple weeks ago and had passed on it and I decided to go back and get it because it had a vintage look to it. I didn’t realize until I set the table that it matches one of the plate designs!

I was looking through my tea light cupboard and found these Easter egg candles and added them to the tablescape at the last minute. I can’t remember where they came from. They have glitter on them and I never buy anything with glitter on it, I hate glitter! It gets everywhere!

Wishing all of you that celebrate Easter a Happy Easter!

To see 90+ other tablescapes that I have created please click here. If you are on Facebook, join my Tablescape Ideas group! 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!