Taco 'Bout a Cinco de Mayo Tablescape!

May 02, 2026 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

I have been thinking about a Cinco de Mayo tablescape for several years but I never got around to creating one until this year. I have had this vintage Southwest style small cotton tablecloth that was made by Wilendur for several years. I love all the bright graphics that are on it and the colorful border. You can see some of the other 300+ tablescapes that I have created that include bright colors on my blog here: https://www.whispersoftheheart.com/tablescapes

Hubby found this set of Southwest style dinner plates at an estate sale a few years ago. They are marked Certified International, copyright Nancy Green. The pattern was called Serape and they were manufactured between 2005 and 2008. You can find them online from time to time on the secondary market. There is another color in the set, a bright teal but I decided not to use it on this tablescape.

I decided to use a placemat instead of a charger on this tablescape. I bought these red placemats at Pier 1 many years ago before our local store closed. I have this placemat many other colors too. When I need a placemat I usually turn to this style. They have a simple design and they are available in many different colors.

I have this Ginkgo International Le Prix stainless flatware in Black, Red, Moss Green and I added Mimosa Yellow and this color called Persimmon a few years ago. I often use this flatware set during Halloween time. I can’t remember where I bought the set online but if you google it, they will pop up. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying flatware here.

I can’t remember where I bought these blue cotton napkins. They are one of my favorite shades of blue. I found the metal Fiesta napkin rings on Amazon. I love the bright colors and they match the other items on this tablescape. To read about the What, When and How of napkin rings please click here.

I found these Kigley Cinco de Mayo wooden place card holders on Amazon. They came in a set of 18 pieces including this sombrero, a pinata, a cactus, and a taco. I decided to use this sombrero and the cactus on this tablescape. I really like that they are painted on both sides. To read about the What, When and Why of place card holders, please click here.

Hubby found the red glass goblets on the left at an estate sale several years ago. I think they are hand blown Iris Ruby Red Bubble Glass Goblets made by Artland. You can find them for sale online from time to time. It can be difficult to find yellow glass goblets that don’t have a gold tint to them so when I saw these yellow goblets on the right on Etsy I immediately bought them a few years ago. I love the color and their size. I don’t know who made them or what the pattern is called but they are a good match for the red goblet. I decided to use the colors red and yellow as accent colors on this tablescape so I chose these goblets for the table setting. I like the way it all turned out. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying goblets for your tablescaping collection including the colors that I use most often here.

The easiest centerpiece for any tablescape is a vase full of flowers. I decided to go that route for this tablescape. This vase was made by Fiesta and I think that the color is called Lapis. I bought the faux red, blue and yellow flowers at Michael’s. I love how these bright colors look together.

If you read my blog you have seen my use of salt and pepper sets on my tablecapes often. I use them to add interest to my tablescapes and sometimes fill the spaces to the left and right of the centerpiece. I found this Giftco hand-painted ceramic sombrero salt and pepper set on Ebay. I have a weakness for salt and pepper sets, I have many of them!

I found this Sberna Deruta hand-painted salt and pepper set on Ebay also.

I love the bright colors on this tablescape!

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 to have another one this fall.

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!

This blog post was featured at, Life and Linda, https://www.lifeandlinda.com/ Please visit this blog, you will enjoy it!

A Lofty Spring Tablescape

April 27, 2026 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

I have been thinking about creating a Giraffe themed tablescape for two years since I did an African Animals themed tablescape. You can see that tablescape as well as 300+ other themed tablescapes that I have done on my blog here: https://www.whispersoftheheart.com/tablescapes . I knew that I wanted to use a beige tablecloth for this tablescape and I can’t remember where I bought this one. I wanted to add a bit more interest to the table top so I found this linen Hahafelt giraffe print table runner on Amazon to put over the tablecloth.

I found these giraffe salad plates at Anthropologie online a few years ago. They were designed by Lou Rota and they were called Nature Table. I love the different colors on this plate and how well they work together.

This brown dinner plate was called Double Ridge Cocoa Brown by Rachael Ray. The plates were made between 2012 and 2014 and they have been discontinued. I wanted a simple brown dinner plate and I finally found these several years ago, I can’t remember where I bought them but it may have been HomeGoods.

This charger was made by Mikasa and the pattern was called Color Spectrum. They came in several different colors and this color was called Royal Blue, I love this shade of blue. I bought them on Ebay several years ago, a few at a time as I saw them, until I had the number that I needed. I have this charger in other colors as well. They are heavy and well made.

This amber flatware was made by D & D Inox in Italy. I bought it online at Neiman Marcus or Bloomingdales during a major sale several years ago. I liked this pattern and it was a really good sale so I have the same pattern in cream, wine red, and dark aqua. This camera phone photo makes the handles look like they are different colored flatware sets but they are the same set. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying flatware here.

I can’t remember where I bought these blue cotton napkins. I bought the handcarved brown wood giraffe napkin rings on Etsy. To read about the What, When and How of napkin rings please click here.

I found these Safari Ltd. Giraffe Baby toy plastic figures at Michael’s online. They made perfect place card holders on this tablescape. To read about the What, When and Why of place card holders, please click here.

I think I probably found these coffee colored glass goblets on the left at HomeGoods. Over the years I have purchased several goblet sets there because they are really inexpensive. I have found some unusual colors there too like this one. We found the blue glass goblet on the right at Michael’s a few years ago. I was looking for a light blue glass goblet and these were the perfect color. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying goblets for your tablescaping collection including the colors that I use most often here.

Hubby found this tall giraffe head ceramic vase at an estate sale several months ago. I set it on a wooden stand that I bought at Michael’s several years ago to give it a bit more height. I added the faux billy button yellow flowers just for fun.

To see over 300+ different tablescapes that I have created please click here. If you are on Facebook, join my new 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

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!

This blog post was featured at Miz Helen’s Country Cottage, https://www.mizhelenscountrycottage.com/ Please visit this blog for lots of great recipes!

A Vintage Spring Flowers Tablescape

April 21, 2026 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

I am reposting a tablescape that I did six years ago, I love these dishes! Everything on this tablescape is vintage except for the flatware, the place card holders, and one goblet set. Well, the faux flowers aren’t either but you get the picture. The light green tablecloth and napkins are a vintage damask set I found on Ebay several years ago. It’s not easy to find a vintage damask tablecloth with matching napkins and I was fortunate to find this set. The tablecloth is just barely long enough. When I iron and use damask table linens it always makes me think of my mother who loved white damask tablecloths. I actually enjoy ironing good vintage damask because with a steam iron it is so easy to get the wrinkles out, the iron just glides over the fabric. And yes, I will remove the centerpiece so people can see each other while they eat and chat.

These plates were made by Schumann-Bavaria. The factory was founded in Arzberg, Bavaria, Germany in 1881 and went out of business in 1994. The pattern is called Empress, Dresden Flowers. The plates have different markings on the back and some say Germany US Zone, they were made in the 1940’s. The first time I saw this pattern I loved it, and I bought a few plates at a time over the years on Ebay. I love all the different colored flowers and the raised design on the rim with the gold accents.

There are different flower designs on the center of these plates as you can see on the previous salad plate and this dinner plate.

This 11” charger plate is difficult to find. As you can see, the center design is different on this one than the previous two plates. The flowers around the rim are so colorful here and I love the green leaf accents.

I think this china pattern dictates a more formal table setting so I used folded napkins without napkin rings. The gold flatware matches the gold rim on the plates. This gold plated flatware set was a Christmas gift from Hubby one year. I had bought a cheap set of gold flatware several years ago. It was poor quality and the gold started flaking off. You get what you pay for! We found this set on major sale at Macys. It is made by Wallace and the pattern is called Mikasa Duchess Gold. It is brighter than this photo shows and it is heavy. I love the design on the handle.

I was looking for a gold place card holder and found these inexpensive ones on Amazon. They are made by Gray Bunny.

I tried different colored goblets on this table but they all looked a bit overpowering so I ended up with clear glass goblets. My wedding crystal, a Waterford Lismore goblet is on the right. On the left is another Waterford goblet but a less expensive pattern. It is Marquis by Waterford and the pattern is called Brady. I bought them at HomeGoods. Just as plates have increased in size over the decades I think some goblets have as well.

I wanted to add a bit more interest to the table so I raided my china cabinets. This rose bowl is one of my most cherished possessions. It was my mother’s, I think it was a wedding gift to her in 1938. I can remember it sitting on a shelf while I was growing up and I have always loved the hand-painted flowers. The bottom says, “Made in Czechoslovakia”. It has some of the same colors that the plates have. I have it tucked away in a china cabinet for safe keeping.

Hubby found this Fenton Thumbprint ruffled glass bowl at an estate sale and brought it home for me. It had a sticker with a name and 1940 on the bottom. When I looked for the name on Ancestry I found a woman who died in Wisconsin in 1953. How it got to Southern California, I don’t know!

Just for fun I added a cut glass cream and sugar set.

And a cut glass salt and pepper set too, I love the cut glass patterns on the bases of this set.

This large white pottery vase is one of a pair of vases that I inherited from my mother. She received the pair of vases as a wedding present in 1938.

As I was finishing writing this post, the sun was setting and shining on the table from the front living room windows that face west. I love how that looks, the light and shadow.

In my book, vintage never grows old!

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!

A Spring Sprinkled Tablescape

April 17, 2026 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

I created a tablescape with a watering can centerpiece five years ago but I decided to tweak it a bit and do another one this week. It seems so whimsical to water a garden with a watering can but of course it is very impractical as well if you have lots of space to cover. I bought this heavy cotton green and white gingham tablecloth several years ago on Amazon. You can see the other watering can tablescape that I did together with 300+ other tablescapes of mine on my blog here: https://www.whispersoftheheart.com/tablescapes

I have always loved Mary Engelbreit designs and when I saw this small stoneware appetizer plate on Ebay that she designed in 1994, I decided to use it on this watering can themed tablescape. I love the small watering can and the red and white design around the rim. The plate was made by Sakura and it is marked Garden Time, At Home with Mary Engelbreit.

One of the color combinations that I seem to return to over and over on my tablescapes is red and green not only at Christmas time but at other times of the year as well. I just like the way these colors look together. This Fiesta salad plate in the color Scarlet is part of our every day dish set. I bought them at Macys when we remodeled our kitchen several years ago.

I am using another Fiesta plate on this table, a dinner plate in the color Shamrock (a color that has been discontinued). This is my favorite green dinner plate and I use it often. They probably came from Everything Kitchens online because they have sales on Fiesta dishes from time to time. You can read about what you need to think about when you are buying dinner plates here.

I have a huge collection of these placemats in many different colors that I bought when I first started tablescaping. I bought them years ago at our Pottery Barn store, I wish it was still there. I was going to add a charger to this plate stack but then the stack was going to be too tall so I decided to use a placemat instead.

Seems like every time I use this frosted green flatware set I get questions and comments about it. The pattern is called Madeline Green and I bought the set at World Market several years ago. If you google frosted flatware and add the color you are looking for you might find similar sets. I use this green flatware often during Spring and Fall. You can see it here on a Fall Pumpkin tablescape. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying flatware here.

I had someone on Etsy make these napkins for me several years ago, she made several sets for me. I told her what I wanted on the napkins and she searched for different fabrics for me to choose from. I really wanted green watering cans and she found gardening fabric with them. The watering can napkin rings came from Michael’s a few years ago. They were a tin color and Hubby painted them green for me. To read about the What, Where, and How of napkin rings please click here.

I saw these small plastic watering can party favors on Etsy a few years ago and I knew I could use them as place card holders. They were baby blue but Hubby painted them green for me. To read about the what, where, and how of place card holders, please click here.

The green goblet on the left came from Macy’s a few years ago. They are called Qualia Glass Meridian. I like the height and the beautiful green color. I can’t remember where I bought the Cristalleria Fratelli Fumo red glass goblets on the right but I love using them with these green goblets because of their similar shape. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying goblets for your tablescaping collection including the colors that I use most often here.

I saw this large green metal watering can on another blog a few years ago and I knew that I had to have it. I have used it as a centerpiece on a couple of other tablescapes that I have created over the years. It was made by MacKenzie-Childs and I bought it on their web site. Someone on another blog mentioned how lifelike these red poppy faux flowers were and I bought them on Amazon to match the red flowers on the napkins.

I love this butterfly!

I decided to add a Mosser Glass red salt and pepper set to this tablescape. I bought this set online at The Vermont Country Store a couple of years ago. The Mosser Glass Company was established in 1971 and it is located in Cambridge, Ohio. They sell high quality American made glassware and I love their products. I have a few sets of their goblets and a few cake stands too.

I bought this Mosser Glass Panel Hunter Green salt and pepper set online at Everything Kitchens a few years ago.

Time to get out into the Garden!

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!