A Snowman Winter Tablescape

January 18, 2022 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

Tablescaping in January can be a challenge. The holidays are over and Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day are off on the horizon. I try not to post holiday tablescapes too far in advance. I wanted to post a snowman tablescape but finding snowman designs that don’t have any Christmas elements on them can be difficult. I finally found these snowman salad plates a few years ago but I didn’t have a chance to use them on a tablescape until now. This sage green tablecloth came from Amazon a few years ago. I love it and it washes and irons beautifully. I went back and bought a few other colors as well. It is called maxmill Jacquard Table Cloth Swirl Design. If you read my blog you saw some gray napkins last week with this same fabric. It has lots of movement to it.

These cute Snowman salad plates are made by Pfaltzgraff and the pattern is called Evergreen Ernie. They come in a set of four salad plates with four different designs. I love the blue, green, and brown colors, they are perfect for a winter tablescape and the birds are a cute addition.

This green dinner plate came from Pier 1 several years ago. It was part of their Spice Route collection and the color was called Clove. I use this dinner plate often in the spring and fall.

This blue stoneware charger or dinner plate came from Pottery Barn a few years ago. I love this plate, I also have it in a few other colors as well. The pattern is called Cambria. This color is called Turquoise but it is actually kind of a dirty turquoise, not a really bright color. It is the perfect size to be either a dinner plate or a charger plate, I love plates that have that kind of versatility.

I bought these square brown charger plates at Pier 1 several years ago, they are some kind of melamine material. Most of my plates are round but I have added a few square plates in all sizes to my tablescaping collection.

This flatware set is labeled SR Showroom Italy. It was made by Zaffiro and I think I bought it on sale online at Horchow several years ago. The color is called Smoky and it looks like it has been discontinued. I really liked the simple design so I bought it in other colors as well. It is 18/10 stainless and a nice heavy set. The pieces are really longer in length than normal flatware. I have mentioned this before. If you are buying flatware and it isn’t 18/10 stainless always check the fork tines to make sure they have been filed enough and aren’t too sharp. Cheaper flatware often has this problem.

I have had these flannel plaid napkins for several years and I can’t remember where they came from. It was probably Pier 1 or HomeGoods. I have used them on tablescapes for fall and winter in the past. I bought the brown concave wood napkin rings at Pier 1 years ago before our store closed.

I found these brown wood place card holders on Amazon a few years ago. They are called MyGift Rustic Brown Wood Place Card Holders. They work really well with these brown chargers. The place cards came from Amazon as well.

The green acrylic goblet on the left came from our Pier 1 store before it closed a couple years ago. I think I bought the blue goblets on the right at Pier 1 a few years ago too. When I started tablescaping I didn’t pay attention to the height of the goblets that I was buying and I soon learned that I like them to be taller like these two.

These tree candles all came from Crate and Barrel over the years. I can’t remember where I found the snow people candle holder, I have had it for many many years. It is labeled Center Street Design, Snow Couple.

I added two small snowmen to the tablescape on each side of the centerpiece. This one isn’t labeled and I am not sure where I bought it.

This little snowman is a favorite of mine. It was made by Enesco and it is labeled Snow Folks by Priscilla Hillman, “I’m Here To Warm Your Heart”. I have had it for a long long time and I don’t remember where it came from. I love the design, the buttons, the hat, and the sparkle in his eyes.

I love these cute snow people for a winter tablescape!

To see over 260 different tablescapes that I have created please click here. If you are on Facebook, join my new Tablescape and Table Settings Ideas Facebook group for lots of tablescaping inspiration! Just click on the Facebook Search box at the top of the page and type in Tablescape and Table Settings 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 are planning a gathering for tablescapers in January in the Los Angeles area..

Don’t miss the Tablescape How-To tab at the top of my blog for DIY tips and tricks.

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

Tablescaping DIY, Part 6, Choosing What Flatware to Buy

January 17, 2022 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

This is Part 6 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; Part 3 about Choosing What Plates to Buy, Dinner Plates, here; Part 4 about Choosing what Plates to Buy, Salad Plates, here; and Part 5 about Storage, Napkin Rings and Place Card Holders here. Different flatware colors and designs can add so much to your tablescapes. Since I started tablescaping I have gathered many different flatware sets to use on my tablescapes and I continue to add more from time to time when I find one that I really like that is a good price. Let me start by saying that I hand wash all my flatware sets. Most of my flatware sets have good quality plastic handIes and I want them to last a long long time. There are four things to think about when buying flatware; size, color, material, and price.

My flatware place settings contain a dinner knife, teaspoon, dinner fork, and salad fork. (Please make sure you know the correct placement of each piece on the table! It’s easy to find place setting diagrams on the Internet.) Sometimes if I add a soup bowl to the setting, I add a soup spoon. Dinner knives on average are about 9 1/4” long. A teaspoon is about 6 3/8” long. A dinner fork is about 8” long and a salad fork is about 7” long. There are variations to these sizes.

Before I started writing this blog post I took an inventory of how often I have used all my flatware sets. This frosted green flatware set has been used the most often. I use it often for both Spring and Fall tablescapes so I think that is why it was number one. This flatware set is called Madeline Green and I bought it at World Market several years ago. Frosted flatware is very popular right now and if you Google the word frosted flatware with the color you are looking for you can probably find some.

A few of my flatware sets have a teaspoon that is somewhat larger than average, a custom design for that pattern. This frosted blue flatware set was made by D & D Inox in Italy. I have also seen it labeled as made by Bugatti for Vietri and the pattern is called Aladdin Brilliant. I bought it at Neiman Marcus or Bloomingdales during a major sale some years ago. I have this flatware in a few other colors as well because I really like the design. There are two different designs of this pattern. This one is Aladdin Brilliant and the web design is shiny, the other version is called Alladdin Antique and the web design is matte. I think this design is prettier.

This black flatware set has been my second most used flatware set. I use it constantly during Halloween season but I also use it sometimes in the Summer and Winter as well. This black flatware is called Ginkgo International LePrix. I have had this set for years but it is still for sale and you can find it online easily. I am not sure where I bought it. I also bought it in other colors as well because it is a basic set with a simple design. It has a more informal look to it and that works for me because I tend to create more informal themed tablescapes.

This red flatware set is the same pattern as the black flatware set above. It was one of the first flatware sets I bought when I started tablescaping years ago because I knew I would be using red quite a bit on my tablescapes. I can’t remember where I bought it but it is still for sale. It is the set that I have used the third most often. I use this red flatware several times a year on my informal tablescapes; Valentine’s Day, 4th of July, and at Christmas time as well as on other random tablescapes that need a pop of red.

This red flatware set was made by D & D Inox in Italy. I bought it at Neiman Marcus or Bloomingdales during a major sale several years ago. I use it on tablescapes that are more formal in design. It is more formal looking than the one pictured above it. It is one of the top five flatware sets that I have used most often.

I bought this frosted white flatware on sale online at Wayfair a few years ago, it was made by Cambridge. It is 18/0 so the fork tines are a bit sharper than I would like but I really liked the frosted color. I use it on summer tablescapes and winter tablescapes as well. It is also one of the top five flatware sets that I have used more often.

When you are looking for stainless flatware to buy you should make sure that it is 18/10 flatware even though that makes it more expensive than other stainless flatware. (If it isn’t labeled as 18/10 it probably isn’t 18/10 so you should always ask before you buy.) An Internet site explains the importance of chosing 18/10 stainless. “18/10 stainless steel, as well as 18/8 and 18/0, are fractions explaining the percentages of chromium and nickel alloys, respectively, added to stainless steel to reduce rust and enhance shine and durability. 18/0 contains limited nickel and is therefore, slightly less resistant to oxidation, while 18/10 provides the highest amount of nickel producing the greatest resistance to rust, and longest held polish.” When you hold a piece of 18/10 stainless it is heavier and brighter than the other grades of stainless and it just looks to be of greater quality. Even more important, the fork tines have been nicely filed and they are not as sharp as the other grades.

This is an unusual fish shaped stainless flatware set. As soon as I saw it on another blog several years ago I knew I wanted to buy it. It was made by Galleyware and the pattern was called FishStix. I bought it some years ago online but I can’t remember where. I love the fish head designs in the bowls of the forks and spoon and the fish tail handles. The knife has a shark face on the side. I think this set has been discontinued. An unusual shaped flatware set like this can add lots of interest and whimsy to a themed tablescape and it’s fun to have a few sets like this in your flatware collection. I have stainless flatware sets in a few different shapes and I enjoy using them from time to time on my themed tablescapes.

This is another fun flatware set that was made to look like bamboo. 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 currently available online at several sites. It is a perfect set to use on a summer or tropical tablescape. There are lots of flatware sets with wood and metal handles for sale also and it just depends on what themes you are thinking about and how often you think you would use these flatware sets.

If you are lucky you have inherited a sterling or silver plated flatware set from a relative. I inherited this sterling flatware set from my mother. It was the pattern she registered for when she was married in 1938. 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 use it from time to time (and if you have silver flatware you should use it as well) on some of my more formal tablescapes as a memory of her. I also have a much older partial set of sterling that I inherited that probably came from my grandfather’s first wife before 1900. I haven’t used it yet on a tablescape but I will at some point. Good sources for less expensive sets of silver plate and sterling flatware are estate sales, consignment stores, and thrift stores.

When I started tablescaping I really wanted a set of gold colored flatware for my tablescaping collection. I found an inexpensive set and I bought it. Within a few years the color started flaking off, you get what you pay for! Hubby gave me this set for Christmas a few years ago, it is much better quality (and a higher price). We found this set on major sale at Macy’s a couple years ago. It is made by Wallace and it is called Mikasa Duchess Gold. It is brighter than this photo shows and it is heavy. I am really happy that this gold colored set is part of my flatware collection.

This bird stainless flatware set is one of my most expensive flatware sets after my sterling sets. I loved it when I first saw it on another blog several years ago but it was expensive. This is probably one of the prettiest stainless flatware sets that I own. I absolutely love the different and delicate bird and flower designs on each handle. It is called Audubon by Ricci Silversmiths. I bought it online at Horchow a few place settings at a time over several months several years ago. I used to do that when I started tablescaping when I found something I really loved that was expensive. It is 18/10 and great quality.

This is another high quality stainless flatware set from my tablescaping collection. When I first saw it several years ago I knew I had to have it and I bought it on Amazon a few place settings at a time over several months until I had twelve place settings. I love the shell design on the end of the handles, there is a different shell for each of the five pieces. The flatware is made by Reed and Barton and the pattern is called Williamsburg Gloucester Shell. It is 18/10 stainless and heavy, a really good quality set. Once you hold stainless that is 18/10 nothing else will come close. In the summer I often set tablescapes with ocean themes and I love using this shell flatware set then.

I have spent quite a bit of money over the years on flatware sets for my tablescaping collection (just like many hobbies) but I use them all over and over and over again so I really get my money’s worth!

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!

A Winter Tablescape

January 12, 2022 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

My daughter and I did a Winter tablescape similar to this one several years ago for a dinner party she was having. I tweaked it a bit for this version. I found the snowflake tablecloth at HomeGoods a few years ago. You can just see the snowflake designs on the tablecloth in this photo.

I wanted a napkin fabric that had some movement to it for this tablescape and I found these dark gray napkins on Amazon a few years ago. Once they got here and I saw them, I ordered a couple tablecloths in different colors in the same fabric because I really like this fabric design. I can’t remember where I found the shiny snowflake napkin rings online a few years ago but a Google search will turn up several similar designs.

I found these simple white dinner plates at HomeGoods several years ago when I first started tablescaping. They are labeled Ralph Lauren Club Porcelain.

This white beaded charger came from Williams-Sonoma several years ago and the pattern is called Antique Beaded.

The shiny silver placemats probably came from Pier 1 several years ago. I like the way they reflect light.

This frosted flatware set is made by Vietri and the pattern is called Aladdin in gray. I bought it on sale at Bloomingdale's several years ago. I bought the same pattern in a few other colors because I really like the design.

I can’t remember where I found these silver snowflake place card holders but they are perfect for this tablescape. I found the snowflake place cards in my place cards drawer. I can’t remember where they came from.

On the left is a Waterford goblet but one of their less expensive patterns. I think it is called Waterford Marquis and the pattern is Markham. I bought them at HomeGoods a few years ago. I have a similar goblet in red (but the pattern is Brookside) and it is one of the most used goblets in my tablescaping collection. On the right is one of my wedding crystal goblets, a Waterford pattern called Lismore. Even after 50 years this goblet is still in style.

I found this crystal candelabra at a local consignment store a few years ago. It is really heavy. It had been mended so I got a really good price on it. There was a matching one that I bought as well. I bought the silver candles at Hobby Lobby a few years ago.

Hubby found these two cut glass salt and pepper sets at an Estate Sale a couple of years ago and I added them on each side of the candelabras.

I usually have more color on my tables but I like the combination of white, gray, glass, and silver on this tablescape.

To see over 270 different tablescapes that I have created please click here. If you are on Facebook, join my new Tablescape and Table Settings Ideas Facebook group for lots of tablescaping inspiration! Just click on the Facebook Search box at the top of the page and type in Tablescape and Table Settings 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.

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

A Polar Bear Winter Tablescape

January 04, 2022 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

My husband loves polar bears and he collected them for many years so when I started tablescaping I knew that a polar bear themed table was somewhere in my future. I did my first polar bear tablescape in 2017 and then another one a few years later but when I saw these small plates, I knew I would be doing another one. I found the charcoal tablecloth on Amazon a few years ago. It is a perfect match with the background on the polar bear plates. I can’t remember where I found the red felt snowflake placemats, I have had them for several years.

These skiing polar bear plates came from Crate and Barrel last year. I love the bold crisp design on these appetizer or tidbit sized plates.

The next plate down in the plate stack, a small white salad plate, is bone china and it was made by Wedgwood. The pattern was called Intaglio. I bought them at HomeGoods a few years ago.

This larger red salad plate came from Pottery Barn several years ago and the pattern was called Cambria.

This red Cambria charger or dinner plate matches the salad plate and it also came from Pottery Barn. I really like this plate and I use it often.

I like the larger size of this red snowflake placemat because it shows around the edges of the charger plates.

I bought this frosted white flatware on sale online at Wayfair a few years ago, it was made by Cambridge. It is 18/0 so the fork tines are a bit sharper than I would like but I really liked the frosted color. Wayfair has really good sales on flatware sometimes.

I’m not sure where the red and white plaid napkins came from but it was probably HomeGoods. I really like the thread design on them. I have had them for a few years. I found the wood polar bear napkin rings on Etsy a few years ago.

The polar bear place card holders came from Crate and Barrel a few years ago. The red place cards are from Amazon.

The red goblets are Waterford Marquis Brookside, I use them frequently on tablescapes. I found them at HomeGoods several years ago and snapped them up! These goblets are a bit taller than most and I like that. I finally found these white goblets at Walmart a few years ago after looking for white goblets for a long time. They were made by Artland and the pattern is called Veranda.

The centerpiece polar bear was one I gave Hubby at some point. I can’t remember where I found it. It is sitting on a white Pottery Barn drink dispenser stand. I have a few of these stands in different colors and I often use them to give centerpiece items more height. I added some red, white, and silver scatter that I found on Amazon.

I added a small Lladro polar bear from Hubby’s collection to the table to the left of the centerpiece.

Another bisque polar bear from Hubby’s collection is to the right of the centerpiece. It is marked Carren and it was designed by Roslyn S. Carren.

This is the polar bear tablescape that I did a few years ago, you can read about that one here. You can see it has some of the same parts but others as well.

Not cold enough for polar bears but definitely winter here!

Don’t miss the Tablescape How-To tab at the top of my blog for DIY tips and tricks.

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