Mother’s Magnolias Spring Tablescape

My mother was very sentimental about magnolias so I knew that eventually I would create a tablescape around them. And she loved roses too so I added them as well. I posted this tablescape a few years ago but I decided to post it again in memory of my mother.

I’ve had this pink tablecloth for several years, I bought it on Ebay I think. I bought the white tureen centerpiece at HomeGoods several years ago. I am always on the lookout for interesting objects that I can use as centerpieces but I have run out of room to store them unfortunately. The pink roses came from Amazon and the magnolia garland from Ebay as well. Someone had used the garland for a wedding and it was just what I was looking for.

I found lots of magnolia salad plates over the years but none that I really liked until I saw these. I watched them at Pier 1 when our store was open for a while until they finally went on sale, these are ironstone. I wish Pier 1’s online store had the kind of merchandise that the physical store had before they all closed.

This photo doesn’t show the correct color of this pink dinner plate. The photo with the small magnolia plate does show the correct color. I saw these plates on another blog and immediately checked HomeGoods (the source) for them with no luck. I had been looking for a basic pink dinner plate for a long time. I have most of the basic colors in dinner plates but I was missing pink. I finally found them at another HomeGoods a month later a few years ago. They were made in Portugal by Matceramica.

This charger was made by Mikasa and it is Color Spectrum in the color sage. I love these chargers, I have them in several colors. They are heavy and a basic design that can be used on any table setting. I bought them a few at a time on Ebay.

This photo shows the colors of the tablecloth and the dinner plate accurately . The small melamine magnolia plate was made by Cameron Designs in Atlanta, Georgia. We bought them in a gift shop on a trip to Savannah, Georgia a few years ago.

This sterling flatware was my mother’s, it was the pattern she registered for when she was married in 1938. I decided to use it on this table because I wanted something a bit more dressy. The flatware was made by Towle and the pattern was called Chased Diana. It was made between 1928 and 1996 but it is still available on the secondary market.

I bought these small pink rose place card holders a few years ago on Ebay. I love searching for vintage place card holders on Ebay, I have found some great ones over the years. These were called Georgian and according to the label, they are fine bone china. The mark on the bottom stands for Marks & Rosenfeld, a US giftware distributor in the 1950's and 1960's that commissioned their own range of ceramics and gift ware.

The pink magnolia napkins are by Kate Spade, I found them a few years ago on Ebay. The magnolia napkin rings are Countess fine bone china and they were made in England. I found them on Ebay too. When I am looking for special themed place card holders and napkin rings I check Amazon first and then Ebay. Then I do a google search for whatever I am looking for because I often find things that way that I wouldn’t find any other way.

The colors in this photo are more accurate than in some of the other photos.

These short sage green glass goblets were made by Noritake and the pattern is called Sweet Swirl in light green. They were made between 1985 and 2005, I bought them on Ebay a few at a time as I saw them. I looked for tall pink goblets for a couple of years and suddenly World Market had them a few years ago. They sold out quickly so others must have been looking for them too.

One of the reasons my mother was so sentimental about magnolias is this house on Magnolia Avenue in San Bernardino. My grandfather had it built in 1915 and my mother was born in the house the next year. It is still there and it was recently completely remodeled and then sold.

The other reason my mother loved magnolias is this house on Magnolia Avenue in Orange. We lived in this house when my twin brother and I were born in the early 50’s, joining my three older brothers.

This is Mom holding us on the front porch. After my mother moved into a retirement community she had a small magnolia tree planted outside her windows so she could see it every day. (Someone reading the blog tells me that Mom’s dress has a magnolia pattern!)

My mother would have loved seeing this table.

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!

Bits and Pieces from My Mother's House

After my mother died, we emptied her house and we each took a few bits and pieces. She had a list of who got what and she put our names on the bottom of special things too so it all went really fast and it was easy. This blog talks about a random group of things but that’s what our houses are filled with. This print was always on the wall when I was growing up. There were actually two different prints but the other one was in poor shape so I didn’t save it except for the frame. (I later bought a replacement for that print on Ebay and used the original frame on that one.) I have always loved this print, it is so colorful. The original frame for this print was imitation bamboo but it was in bad shape so I had the print reframed. This print is actually the cover for a 1940’s ship wine list, the S. S. Lurine owned by Matson Lines. The ship was built in 1932 and traveled between California and Hawaii. The artist was Frank McIntosh, he was born in 1901 and died in 1985. He did many designs like this for cruise ship menus. I don’t know where Mom got the prints, I wish I knew. It’s partly why I am writing these blog posts, so my kids will know the stories.

When I was growing up this was always a lamp in the house. At some point, Mom took the lamp parts off and it became a vase again. I think she bought it in the 1950’s somewhere maybe in Vista or Elsinore where we were living then. It doesn’t have any markings on the bottom. I think it came from China as an import for purchase in the United States.

I have always been fascinated by the dragon design on this side, and looking so closely at the vase for the first time, I see what looks like a butterfly on the bottom!

I turned it around to take a photo of the back and suddenly I saw the bird design, I have never seen that before! I thought this side was just a random design. I never looked that closely at it. Looks kind of like a flying chicken but I’m not sure. If anyone knows further, let me know!

As a child, I remember this hanging on the wall. I’m not sure where it came from. It was stained with age and so I treated it carefully with Biz and reframed it. It hangs on the wall just inside the front door and I think of my mother every time I see it. She loved people and she had many friends who she kept in touch with all her life.

As a child I remember this print hanging on the wall too, it came from my Nana. In one corner it says, Moden Z 1841. After my Great-Grandfather died in 1880 in Indiana, my Great-Grandmother took her two small daughters and moved to her brother’s in Kansas to learn how to make hats. I think this fashion print probably was hers because it shows different bonnet designs. It is very old and fragile. I had it reframed because the original frame was falling apart.

One of my regular chores while I was growing up was setting the table every night. There were seven of us, my mother was a stickler for proper etiquette, and I learned early on how to set a table correctly. At some point she bought these aluminum napkin rings, one for each of us I think. I wonder if any of the boys still have theirs.

This sterling bell came from my Nana, it was used to summon the maid I think (when they still had a maid, before the Depression). Sometimes when I was sick my mother would let me keep it next to my bed so I could ring it if I needed her. I love the delicate flower design on it and it still has a wonderful tone. I cherish all these bits and pieces from my childhood and the memories they recall.

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!

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

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.