Spring has Sprung, the Tablescape is Set!

It’s time for another tablescape to celebrate Spring. I can’t remember where the tablecloth came from but it was probably HomeGoods several years ago. I like the trellis and flower design and there are even a few bunnies on this tablecloth.

These Bordallo Pinheiro geranium leaf plates were some of the first plates that I started collecting when I started tablescaping. I bought them a few at a time on Ebay several years ago. You can still find them for sale there. I like that the leaf design covers this entire salad plate.

This dinner plate is a great anchor for any Spring themed salad plate. The rim leaf design really sets off any smaller plate.

This is a large heavy charger and another great plate to anchor the plates on top of it. The three matching plates together makes an eye catching plate stack.

I wanted to show this cute design along the side of the tablecloth so I finally remembered to take a photo before I added the dishes! I am still looking for napkins to match the pink roses on this tablecloth.

I used my Madeline Green frosted green flatware on this table setting, I bought it at World Market several years ago. I really like the frosted design on the handles. After red, I think green is the most used color flatware on my tablescapes.

I bought the white plastic napkin rings on Etsy several years ago. The pink gingham and solid pink napkins came from Amazon a few years ago. I don’t have a lot of pink items for tablescaping so I am trying to add more of that color now.

I have had these bird cage tea light candle and place card holders for a few years. I can’t remember where I bought them online but I think it was a wedding supply store. They were cream and Hubby spray painted them white for me.

The green goblet on the right was made by Noritake and it is called Sweet Swirl in light green. These were made between 1985 and 2005, I bought them on Ebay a few at a time several years ago. The blue and green goblet on the left came from Horchow online several years ago. They are called Bormioli Rocco Group Bahia goblets.

This wire wicker type cake stand is one of my favorite centerpieces. We found it in an antique mall up the California coast in Cayucos several years ago. I can’t remember what color it was originally but Hubby spray painted it white for me. It usually sits on a table on the back patio with various flowers inside and he touches it up for me every Spring. I put some flowers inside but I didn’t want to detract from the design so they are small. I really love this thing!

I bought this small creamer at Juliska online a few years ago. I was attracted to the raised design on the sides.

Hubby brought this small hand painted bird house home to me from an Estate Sale. The colors match this tablecloth perfectly!

I found a set of these small open salt cellars at an Estate Sale last year. I suddenly realized that they would be a good match for this table too with their blue and pink flowers. I love the tiny birds! There is a mark on the bottom but it is faint and I haven’t been able to identify it.

Hope this table sends a bit of Spring cheer your way!

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!

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What's in the China Cabinet?

I have been working on a long term project off and on to photograph and inventory all the special bits and pieces in the house so that after we are gone, the kids know where everything came from and whether it was an Ebay purchase or something inherited from relatives and ancestors. I have many different kinds of bits and pieces in my china cabinets. Everything in them is there for protection, however Hubby reminds me that, in a strong earthquake, that protection will disappear! I remember this vintage California Pottery Spanish dancer figurine from my childhood, it was my mother’s. It is marked S-quire Ceramics California, 107, Figurine by Zaida. It is hand painted ceramic and it was made sometime between 1943 and 1950 in Los Angeles. According to a relative online, Zaida was an amazing women, she was a fan dancer with Sally Rand and her father was a silent movie actor. She was also an animator for Disney and both Hanna Barbara and American Artists. 

I love the hand painted details, the flowers on the dress, the facial features, and the hibiscus flower in her hair.

This small 2” tall hand painted condiment jar came from my mother-in-law. It may have belonged to her mother.

It has the Rising Sun Nippon mark that was in use starting in 1911. Use of the word Nippon to mark Japanese porcelain made for export to the United States was done from 1891 to 1921 so that dates the production of this jar between 1911 and 1921. I need to find a tiny spoon to go with it.

This California Souvenir Plate was imported by The Rowland & Marcellus Co. of New York and it was made in Staffordshire, England. It was imported for A. Hamburger & Sons, Inc. in Los Angeles. I bought it in an antique mall many years ago when I was collecting souvenir plates from places that had special meaning for our family, where we were born, lived or visited. It was produced after 1891 when the Los Angeles Courthouse was built and before 1928 when the Catalina Casino construction started.

A. Hamburger & Sons, Inc. was founded in 1881 and later became The May Company. The company name was changed in 1908 to Hamburgers so this plate was probably made between 1891 and 1908.

This vintage Darn It, sock darning doll or egg was made by Cleminson Pottery in El Monte, California. They were called “Darning Dodos”. It belonged to my mother but I’m not sure if it was her mother’s as well. It has a chip in the top but I love it anyway. I remember watching my mother darn socks using this little darning doll. It dates to the early 1940’s. During World War II the company wrote this verse. “To mend our ways is dull, it's true, But Uncle Sam says 'make it do' So stitch in time, else you will rue it; Let this 'Darning Dodo' help you do it!”

As a child I was always fascinated by these tiny feet on the darning doll, such a unique addition!

My father was in the Army Air Corp and after World War II ended, he was stationed in Japan between late 1945 and 1946. He brought this gravy boat back to my mother from Japan. I remember it being used for gravy on every holiday table while I was growing up.

This is the only marking on the bottom of the gravy boat. It depicts Mount Fuji and a stream and my research indicates that it may be the Japanese mark for Fukagawa/Koransha porcelain made before World War II. Lots more in the cabinets so there will be more blog posts later.

Time for an Easter Tablescape

I decided to repost this Easter tablescape that I did three years ago because it is a favorite of mine. I think I bought the tablecloth on Amazon and the purple place mats came from Juliska online several years ago. I bought the purple eggs on Etsy a few years ago. I really like the dark purple place mats against the green tablecloth.

I love these bunny and flowers plates. They were made by Fitz and Floyd and the pattern was called Halcyon. The pattern was produced from 2003 to 2004 and it has been discontinued although pieces are still available on the secondary market. I bought the plates a few at a time over the years on Ebay. I love the bunny’s big brown eyes and the plaid bow as well as the relief details on the flowers.

This lemon leaf charger was made by Bordallo Pinheiro but they have been discontinued. I bought them a few at a time on Ebay. This is a heavy charger. I have many plates that were produced in Portugal by Bordallo and the heavy relief details are always eye catching. To read about what you should be considering when you are buying chargers, please click here.

This flatware was called Madeline Green and I bought it at World Market several years ago. I really like the frosted design on the handles. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying flatware here.

This white bunnies napkin ring came from Pottery Barn a few years ago. Not sure where I bought the purple napkins, I have had them for a long time. The green napkins came from World Market online. To read about the What, Where and How of napkin rings please click here.

This white place card holder can be written on as well with a special pen. Can’t remember where I bought them but it was probably Williams Sonoma or Crate and Barrel. To read about the What, Where and When of place card holders, please click here.

I think that the purple goblets came from Pier 1 several years ago. I was so sad when they closed our local store, I was a good customer for many years. The green goblet was made by Noritake and is called Sweet Swirl in light green. These were made between 1985 and 2005. I bought them on Ebay a few at a time. 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 centerpiece bunny cookie jar was also part of the Fitz and Floyd Halcyon dish series and it matches the plates. I put it on a white plastic stand to add a bit more height. I can’t remember where I bought it.

I bought the green glass candlesticks on Ebay a few years ago. I needed some green ones and I was really pleased when these arrived. They are well made and a great color. I am not sure how old they are or who made them, they aren’t marked.

Don’t look too close! The candles are crooked but they were the perfect color and stores were closed when I did this tablescape.

Love those bunny plates!

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 for more tablescaping tips and tricks.

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

Time for a Cheshire Smile on the Tablescape? Definitely!

If there ever was a time when we needed a smile, this is it! I have my daughter to thank for this tablescape. She loves the Cheshire Cat and she entertains a lot so a few years ago we gave her Cheshire Cat plates and a cookie jar and later we both created a tablescape for a dinner party she was having. This week I borrowed her plates and cookie jar and I took that design and tweaked it a bit for this tablescape. I started with a vintage white damask tablecloth and then added yellow place mats. I finally found the right shade of yellow place mats on Amazon last year. I had goldish and pale yellow mats but I had been looking for a true yellow for quite a while. These are almost there.

The salad plate is called Disney by Britto and the design was copyrighted by Romero Britto in 2011. How can you not smile at that face! Can’t remember where we found them but it might have been Ebay.

The dinner plate is melamine and it was made by Max Studios Home. I think I found them at HomeGoods a couple summers ago.

I love this fuchsia glass charger, I have them in a few different colors. They were made by Bormioli Rocco and I think the pattern is called Inca. They are heavy glass and the weave detail on the bottom really adds to the design. I bought them on Amazon several years ago. On top of the yellow place mat they look like they are a different color so I moved one onto the white tablecloth to take the photo and this shows their true color.

This fuchsia flatware is labeled SR Showroom Italy but it is called Zaffiro flatware. I think I bought it online and on sale at Neiman Marcus or Bloomingdales several years ago. I have it in a few different colors because I love the simple design. The handle is actually heavy plastic.

I bought these glass bubble place card holders online last year but I can’t remember where. In the back there is a small hole where a small flower blossom can be placed. I used them last on my Grinch tablescape at Christmas time last year.

Can’t remember where I bought the napkins and napkin rings. I have had them for quite a while.

I think the purple goblets came from Pier 1 several years ago. I am so sorry they are closing, I was a good customer for a long time! The yellow goblet was made by Noritake and it’s called Yellow Perspective. These were made between 1970 and 1983 and I found them on Ebay.

This cookie jar makes me smile! It’s just labeled Disney on the bottom. It needed some height on the table so I went through my pottery collection and just turned a purple vase upside down to use as a base.

I added a couple small white vases with faux flowers and a few tea light candles for more interest.

I had been planning to do this tablescape for a long time and decided that this was the perfect time. Smiles!

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