A Vintage Spring Flowers Tablescape

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, 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.

These plates were made by Schumann-Bavaria. The factory was founded in Arzberg, Bavaria, Germany in 1881 and went out of business in 1994. This 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. I just bought a sixth one this past month so I could do a tablescape with them. 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 was a gift from Hubby this past Christmas season. 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 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 were all a bit overpowering so I ended up with clear glass. My wedding crystal, a Waterford Lismore goblet is on the right. On the left is another Waterford goblet but a less expensive pattern, I think it is Marquis by Waterford Markham. I bought them at HomeGoods. Just as plates have increased in size over the decades I think some goblets have as well. I used these same goblets on last week’s tablescape.

I wanted to add a bit more interest to the table so I raided the 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. I love 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 salt and pepper set too, I love the cut glass patterns on the bases of these. I used this set on last week’s tablescape too.

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

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

In my book, vintage never grows old!

For another Spring tablescape that I did last year check out the following link to my blog post about it: https://www.whispersoftheheart.com/blog/2019/4/24/a-table-for-the-birds

For photos and information about 50+ other tablescapes that I have created over the past year, click on tablescapes at the top of this blog post or keep scrolling down here and click on older when you get to the bottom. The posts are mostly about table settings but there are a few other topics as well. (I did three different table settings for Easter last year.) Check back because I post a new tablescape every week, usually on Thursdays.

Waterford Crystal for a St. Patrick's Day Tablescape

I created this tablescape and posted it a year ago and decided to post it again because I am in the middle of organizing, photographing, and counting all my napkin rings and place card holders and there are many bins scattered all over the dining room table right now. My collection has gotten a bit away from me so I need to regroup. I have many new readers too so this table will be new to them.

Can’t think of anything more appropriate to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with than a table set with Waterford crystal, crystal that was first made in Waterford, Ireland in 1783. When we were married 49 years ago we registered for Waterford crystal glassware in the Lismore pattern. This pattern was introduced in 1952 and is still in production, one of the most popular crystal patterns that Waterford has ever produced. Over the years Hubby has given me other pieces in this pattern including serving pieces, candlesticks in different sizes, and small glass animals and other objects. The white damask tablecloth is vintage, I bought it on Ebay. My mother loved damask tablecloths and napkins, I always think of her when I use them.

This is a fairly simple place setting. The small shamrock plate is actually a candle tray made by Yankee Candle several years ago. I bought them a few at a time on Ebay. The white dinner plate was made by Fitz and Floyd and the pattern is called Oakdale White. I bought them at HomeGoods a few years ago. I like the braid design around the rim of the plate. The charger was made by Mikasa and is called Color Spectrum in Hunter Green. I love this charger, it is heavy and a great color. I have several in other colors. I bought them all a few at a time on Ebay also.

The Green napkins came from World Market online several years ago. I have napkins from them in other colors as well. They often have inexpensive napkins for sale. The flatware is labeled Helmick/O.M.C. and is called Celtic Crusader. I see it is currently (2/2021) on Amazon under the brand, Ginkgo International. I have learned to buy 18/10 stainless because with cheaper quality flatware sometimes the fork tines have not been filed and they are really sharp. I always test flatware by touching the fork tines to see how sharp they are. I love the way this flatware looks and it is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. I can’t remember where I bought it after I saw it on another blog. I bought a few place settings at a time over several months. I think that the hammered design and the shape of the end of the handle really demonstrate the Celtic style.

I love the shape of the knife, it is long and it has such an attitude!

I bought these crystal place card holders at HomeGoods several years ago when I first started tablescaping. They were made by Oleg Cassini. They are heavy and solid and I really like the design.

My wedding crystal, a Waterford Lismore goblet is on the right. On the left is another Waterford goblet but a less expensive pattern, I think it is Marquis by Waterford Markham. I bought them at HomeGoods. I have this goblet in red glass and I use it often. Just as plates have increased in size over the decades I think some goblets have as well.

We bought the Lismore centerpiece bowl at an outlet mall while we were on a long weekend up the California coast several years ago. It is really heavy and I love the size and weight of it. Put flowers in it and it really makes a statement!

I have these Lismore candlesticks in four differents heights. One of these days I am going to create a tablescape and arrange them all down the center. With the candles all lit up at night, I think they would look amazing.

I really love this small Lismore jam jar. I have always loved cut glass and this piece is a cutie. Look at all the cuts on the little knob!

I don’t think this cut glass salt and pepper set was made by Waterford but the design is a bit similar to Lismore. Hubby found them at an Estate Sale and bought them for me.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

For another St. Patrick’s Day table with a few of the same pieces, click on the link to last year’s table: https://www.whispersoftheheart.com/blog/2019/3/16/shamrocks-for-st-patricks-day

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!

This blog post was featured at, Across the Blvd., https://acrosstheblvd.com/ Please visit this blog, you will enjoy it!

Vintage Good Luck Hankies for St. Patrick's Day

Sharing a few vintage St. Patrick’s Day hankies from my collection. This one is really not St. Patrick’s Day but it is full of lucky and unlucky sayings and it has a few clovers so I added it. Some of these sayings I have heard before but a few are new to me. These hankies were popular during the 40’s and 50’s.

Several St. Patrick’s Day themes on this one.

The gray color on this one makes it unusual.

Lots of clovers on this one.

I love this one, have only seen a few of this single clover design.

Looks like green carnations and lots of clovers.

This is a special one. If you find the four leaf clover on it you will have good luck! I keep finding it and then losing it again!

After I shared my Valentine Puzzle hankies someone asked if they existed for other holidays and I said no. But look what I found on Ebay this month! A St. Patrick’s Day Puzzle Hankie!

When folded a certain way, it becomes a different design!

I love all these bits of St. Patrick’s Day vintage charm!

I have just started 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!

Grandma's Depression Glass on a Summer Tablescape, and her Tablecloth too!

I am reposted a tablescape for summer that I did before a couple of times because I really like it. This table setting started out going one direction and ended up going another. I wanted to do a tablescape with some of my collection of Depression Glass and I put together a table that was just green and white…and it looked boring. So I decided to add red geraniums as a second theme. I have done red and green tables before many times and I love that color combination. I started with a vintage geranium tablecloth. It still has a faint label that says Harmony House, Sears, Robuck and Co.. I love this tablecloth, it is heavy and the colors are bright. It isn’t quite large enough so I layered it over a white one. I already had the faux red geraniums.

This Depression Glass pattern is called Circle and it was made by the Hocking Glass Company in the 1930’s. My grandmother gave me five of the tall sherbets after I was married and I put them away for several years. I found a few other matching sherbets and I bought them to add to the set. After we bought a house I brought out the ones I received from my grandmother and realized that they were all chipped and too sharp to be used so I had to trash them. But I already had a few others and, of course, I started looking for more. It was fun knowing that it was a pattern my grandmother had used. Circle was one of the least expensive Depression Glass patterns in those days and it was fun to look for pieces when I was out and about.

This table setting is a bit odd I know but I wanted to use different pieces from my set. The dinner plate is small, about 8 1/4” across, I have never found a larger plate in this pattern. I put a shorter sherbet on top of the plate. The ones I received from my grandmother originally were the taller ones.

I started out with green flatware and it just didn’t add anything to the table so I pulled out this set. I only put one fork on the table. With the plate so small it didn’t seem to need two. 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.

I bought the geranium napkins at Sur la Table a few years ago. They aren’t an exact match colorwise for the tablecloth here but they are close enough. The plastic Koziol Pip Bird napkin ring in red came from Ebay several years ago, I have it in green also.

I added a green goblet and a tumbler to the table. I have both in smaller sizes as well.

I read somewhere that cups and saucers aren’t supposed to be placed on the table until after the meal is over but I wanted to show them so here they are. I have two different cup styles, this one is more rounded than the other one.

I really like this green glassware. I need to use it more often. It’s amazing when you think about how old it is that it has lasted this long.

At some point I found a cream and sugar, I like the tallness and the shape of them.

I looked for a salt and pepper set in this pattern for several years until I finally found these. I am not sure they are actually the Circle pattern but they sure look like it.

I wanted to add a bit more red so I added this red Fiesta salt and pepper set from our everyday dishes.

I was still looking for a bit more red to add and I saw these in the cupboard. They were made by Terramoto Ceramic and I think I found them in a gift shop somewhere. Yes, I know, if you read my blog, you know I have a thing for red…

The centerpiece started out as some of the serving bowls from this pattern on top of each other with white flowers in the top one but when I added red geraniums to the table I used this pitcher instead because I remembered I had the faux red geraniums. I love pitchers, I have several of them.

I caught the morning sunlight coming in on the edge of the table when I took this photo. You can see where the vintage tablecloth ended with the white one underneath. It is interesting to think about how collections and possessions develop. I have this set of Depression Glass because I was given a few pieces by my Grandmother and it all started with that.

To see 200+ 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.

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