Vegetables on a Summer Tablescape

May 16, 2022 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

I have been planning a vegetable themed tablescape for a while but it took some time to find what I needed to pull it all together. I saw this vegetable themed Insalata tablecloth at Williams Sonoma online a few months ago and I really liked it but I didn’t want to buy it because it is more than I am usually willing to pay for a tablecloth. I kept looking at it though and I finally gave in and bought it. Once in a while I do that. I have a vintage looking Halloween tablecloth that was expensive but I really love using it. My kids can fight over them after I am gone!

Williams Sonoma Insalata Tablecloth

I wanted to share the tablecloth design before I put everything on it so you can see it. I really love the graphics.

Fitz and Floyd 1995 Vegetable Bouquet Plate

I found these Fitz and Floyd 1995 Vegetable Bouquet salad plates on Ebay. I bought them one or two at a time over the last two months. They were exactly what I was looking for for a salad plate for this tablescape. The plates are embossed (Majolica style) with turnips, corn, carrots, red onion, and celery.

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 plate often in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. I like the beaded design around the rim of the plate. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying dinner plates here.

Bordallo Pinheiro Geranium Leaf Charger

This Bordallo Pinheiro Geranium Leaf charger is one of my favorite Spring and Summer chargers. I bought them one at a time over several months on Ebay until I had the number I needed when I first started tablescaping several years ago.

This flatware set is Madeline Green flatware and I bought it at World Market several years ago. This is the fourth time that I have used this flatware this year. If you are starting a tablescaping collection I recommend you buy a green flatware set. You will use it during every season. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying flatware here.

I can’t remember where these vegetable themed napkins came from, I have have them for several years. Someone may have made them for me on Etsy. Williams Sonoma has napkins to match the tablecloth but I knew I could use these instead. If you google vegetable napkins several other choices will pop up. I found the painted metal vegetable napkin rings on Ebay last month. There were six different vegetables in the set.

I found these tin watering can place card holders on Etsy last month. I am usually not a fan of tin and I was going to have Hubby paint them for me but he convinced me to try them on the completed table first and I decided they were fine. The tin metal adds a bit of interest to the rest of the table setting. I found the place cards on Amazon, I have them in several colors now.

The sage green acrylic goblet on the left came from our Pier 1 store before it closed a couple years ago. I think I bought the orange goblet on the right at Ross or T.J. Maxx. They were some of the first goblets I bought several years ago. I use them more than I thought I would. I think I have goblets now in all the primary colors. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying goblets (including the colors I use the most) for your tablescaping collection here.

When I saw this salt and pepper set on Ebay a couple weeks ago I knew I needed to add it to this tablescape.

To balance the table I added a corn salt and pepper set to the other side of the table. It probably came from Ebay too a few years ago.

I knew I probably wanted a Fitz and Floyd centerpiece of some kind for this tablescape and I looked at several until I found this cookie jar. It was made by Fitz and Floyd in 1996 and the pattern was called English Garden Bunnies Cookie Jar. I found it online on Mercari. I love all the detail, vegetables, gardening tools, and a few bunnies too! I wanted it to be a bit higher so I looked through my cupboards and found this Bordallo Pinheiro cake stand. I totally forgot that I had it. I probably bought it on Ebay several years ago.

I am showing the back of the cookie jar because it has cute details too. With the bunnies this centerpiece could be used at Easter as well.

One of these years I am going to start a vegetable garden! This table setting is giving me lots of incentive!

To see 100+ 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.

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 Stone Cottage Adventures, http://www.stonecottageadventures.com/ Please visit this blog, you will enjoy it!

Sea Turtles on a Spring Tablescape

May 09, 2022 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

I have always loved sea turtles and their story. Six different species of sea turtles are found in the United States in nine different states, mostly on the East Coast, but also in Southern California, Texas, and Hawaii. I have created several different ocean themed tablescapes over the years and I am always looking for more ideas so when I saw these sea turtle themed salad plates I knew I could create another ocean themed tablescape using them. I found this Tommy Bahama blue coral tablecloth at HomeGoods a few months ago. It is a heavier broadcloth type cotton material and I love it. It is an easy iron.

Sea Turtles Salad Plate

I found these melamine sea turtle salad plates at HomeGoods a few months ago. I love the color combination of lime green and different blues and I have used it before on my tablescapes. The salad plates were made by Sigrid Olsen Home. When I saw them I knew I had other dishes and goblets that would work well with them. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying salad plates here.

Fiesta Lemongrass Dinner Plate

I am using my Fiesta dinner plates in the color Lemongrass. I probably bought them at Macy’s or online several years ago. I really like Fiesta dinner plates and salad plates. They have bold colors and they are the perfect basic building blocks for a plate stack. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying dinner plates here.

Villeroy and Boch Verona Charger

This is one of my favorite glass chargers. I bought them when I first started tablescaping. They are a heavy blue glass and I love the color and the tweed like design in the glass. They are made by Villeroy and Boch and the pattern is Verona. I am not sure where I found them online. I have this charger in a few other colors as well.

I wanted to break up the busy tablecloth a bit more so I added blue placemats to the table. I have read that you should not put a placemat on a tablecloth on tablesettings but I do it anyway sometimes. My tablescapes are more informal so I think I can get away with it. The blue placemats probably came from Pier 1 years ago before our store closed.

Frosted Blue Flatware

I have had this frosted blue flatware set for a few years. The flatware was made by D & D Inox in Italy. I bought the set at Neiman Marcus or Bloomingdales during a major sale several years ago. There are similar frosted patterns available online now. If you google frosted flatware and the color you want, something should easily pop up. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying flatware here.

Wilford & Lee Home Accents Aqua Sea Turtle Napkin Rings

Bella Coastal Decor Sea Medley Turtle Napkins

These cute ocean themed cotton napkins came from Bella Coastal Decor online a few months ago and they are called Sea Medley Turtle Napkins. The colors are perfect for this tablescape. I was so happy when I found them. I found the beaded sea turtle napkin rings at Wilford & Lee Home Accents online a few months ago.

I found the imitation coral place card holders two years ago at KateAspen, a wedding site online. I often find napkin rings and place card holders on wedding sites online.

The plastic blue goblet on the left came from Pier 1 several years ago. Dollar Stores sometimes have this style of plastic goblet for sale for summer in bright colors. I bought the green spiral glass goblets on the right at Pier 1 several years ago. If you read my blog you have seen these green goblets several times on my tablescapes. These are both taller goblets and I like the height. I try to buy taller goblets now. They show better on my tablescapes because I have a large table.

HomeGoods Coral Centerpiece

I found the white coral centerpiece at HomeGoods a few months ago. The centerpiece sea turtle came from Wilford & Lee Home Accents online a few months ago.

This tablescape makes me want to be walking along the ocean right now!

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

A Spring Birdcage Tablescape

May 02, 2022 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

I have been thinking about a birdcage tablescape for a few years since I found the birdcage place card holders but I couldn’t find a salad plate that worked until I found these. This tablecloth is an April Cornell tablecloth. I like her tablescloths but I don’t like paying that much for one tablecloth. I think I found this one at HomeGoods several years ago. I like the paisley style design and the combination of blue, yellow, green and white. It’s perfect for Spring.

I kept looking for salad plates shaped like a birdcage and I finally found six of these on Ebay and Poshmark with blue and yellow birds. They were made by Grasslands Road, an unusual plate for sure! You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying salad plates here.

Fiesta Shamrock Dinner Plate

I am using my Fiesta dinner plate in the color Shamrock. I have said it before, if you are looking for a basic dinner plate in a basic color, Fiesta dinner plates are a good choice. I have this plate in several different colors. I usually buy them online at Everything Kitchens, they seem to have one of the best prices. Macy’s carries Fiesta as well but they often have to order the color you are looking for. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying dinner plates here.

Sur La Table Fresh Sqeezed Lemon Dinner Plate

I added an extra plate to the plate stack because I wanted a yellow plate included. This yellow dinner plate came from Sur La Table several years ago and it was part of their Fresh Squeezed Lemon Collection.

Villeroy and Boch Verona Blue Charger

This is one of my favorite glass chargers. I bought them when I first started tablescaping. They are a heavy blue glass and I love the color and the tweed like design in the glass. They are made by Villeroy and Boch and the pattern is Verona. Not sure where I found them online. I have this charger in a few other colors as well.

I found these white metal birdcage napkin rings on Ebay a couple of months ago. They were a distressed white and Hubby spray-painted them white for me. I am not a fan of distressed colors. I have had the napkins for several years, not sure where I bought them. They were made by Pfaltzgraf and the pattern was called Summer Breeze. This is a great example of how you can take the small pattern on a tablecloth and find the same colors on a napkin with a larger pattern and the contrast often works well together. It works vice versa too. I was going to use yellow napkins but these napkins add so much more interest to this table setting. You can read my blog post for ideas about how to store napkin rings and place card holders here.

Madeline Green Flatware

This photo nicely shows the tablecloth colors up close. This flatware is called Madeline Green and I bought it at World Market many years ago. If you google frosted flatware and add the color you are looking for you will find similar sets. I use this flatware often in the Spring and Fall on my tablescapes. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying flatware here.

I have had these metal white place card holder and tea light candle holder for several years. I can’t remember where they came from but it might have been one of the wedding decoration sites online. I have found inexpensvie napkin rings and place card holders on those sites before. A Google search turns up a few birdcage napkin rings on those sites right now. I added a small green tea light candle and a place card with a bird on it. Not sure where they came from.

Anchor Hocking Circle Depression Glass

The blue goblet on the left came from HomeGoods a few months ago. It seems like no matter how many different colors of blue goblets I have, I always can find a shade I don’t have. I really like the bright blue color on this one. The green goblet on the right is my Depression Glass pattern and the pattern is called Circle. This pattern was made by Anchor Hocking between 1930 and 1935. I don’t use them very often because they are so short. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying goblets (including the colors I use the most) for your tablescaping collection here.

I have had this large metal green lantern with birds on it for many years. It usually sits on the top of a shelf in my study. I bought it when I first started tablescaping and it probably came from HomeGoods or Pier 1. I put a white candle in it (and should have turned it on for the photo!). When I started tablescaping I bought lanterns and candles in several different colors because they were an easy centerpiece.

I added a few small white birds to this tablescape to break up the busy tablecloth design. They probably came from HomeGoods several years ago.

A perfect tablescape for a beautiful Spring day!

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 Miz Helen’s Country Cottage, https://www.mizhelenscountrycottage.com/ Please visit her blog, lots of great recipes! It was also featured at Modern on Monticello, https://modernonmonticello.com/ Please visit this blog too!

Flow Blue on a Spring Tablescape

April 25, 2022 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

I have been planning this vintage Flow Blue tablescape for a while. It’s a bit different from my usual tablescapes because I have included some serving pieces that I wanted to showcase. A good friend gave me some Flow Blue dishes in various patterns that belonged to her grandmother, Blanche Agrelius Jobes. Blanche was born in Youngsville, Pennsylvania in 1875 and married her first husband in 1904. She may have bought and used these dishes after that. Flow Blue is a term used to describe ceramic items that were decorated with blue underglaze designs that had a smudged or blurred appearance rather than a sharp clear pattern. This decorating design started in England in the 1820’s and United States potteries followed with the designs toward the end of the nineteenth century. Flow Blue ceramics were primarily manufactured from 1825 through the early 1900’s and they were very popular in the United States between 1885 and 1915. They usually have a manufacturer’s mark on the bottom of the piece. Different Flow Blue patterns can easily be used together. I decided to use one of my vintage damask white tablecloths and white damask napkins for this vintage table setting. I have bought vintage damask linens on Ebay several times. I love the quality of older damask linens.

Johnson Brothers Flow Blue Eclipse Small Plate

The dishes I was given did not include larger dinner plates so this plate stack has smaller plates. This small Flow Blue salad or dessert plate was made by Johnson Brothers in England and the pattern was called Eclipse. It was probably made circa 1900 and after. I love the gold detailing even though some has been worn off with use.

W. H.Grindley Waverley Small Plate

This second Flow Blue salad plate in the plate stack is a bit larger than the previous salad plate. It was made by W. H. Grindley & Co. LTD. in Tunstall, Staffordshire, England and the mark was used between 1891 and 1914. The pattern was called Waverley. There are more Flow Blue Waverley pattern pieces in this Flow Blue collection than other patterns. These plates still have some gold on the edge of the plates.

The last plate in the plate stack was made in England and the pattern was called Dorothy. I have not been able to determine who the manufacturer was. If you can identify it, please let me know. In Victorian times dinner plates were smaller in size and this plate might have been used as a dinner plate as well.

Mikasa Duchess Gold Flatware

I decided to use my gold colored flatware on this tablescape to match the gold detailing on the plates. This gold plated flatware was a gift from Hubby a few Christmases ago. 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.

The nice thing about using a traditional napkin fold is you don’t have to worry about napkin rings! I love vintage damask napkins!

I found these gold place card holders on Amazon early last year. They were made by Gray Bunny. A simple gold place card holder is good to have in your tablescape collection. I looked through my place card collection and found these with two gold bands on them. I’m not sure where they came from, place cards are often included when you buy place card holders.

I decided to use simple clear Waterford goblets on this tablescape to not detract from the dishes. The goblet on the left is Waterford Marquis Markham, a less expensive Waterford goblet. I bought them at HomeGoods a few years ago. The one on the right is my wedding crystal, Waterford Lismore, still being sold 50 years later.

I decided to do a really simple centerpiece using a Flow Blue covered vegetable dish and a Flow Blue platter. I added some faux white roses. (Not my favorite centerpiece but I wanted to showcase these serving pieces although the vegetable dish doesn’t really show.) I have included a photo of it.

Johnson Brothers Flow Blue Peach Platter

This large platter was made by Johnson Brothers in England and the pattern was called Peach.

W. H. Grindley & Company Flow Blue Waverley Covered Vegetable Dish

This covered vegetable dish was made by W. H. Grindley & Co. LTD. in Tunstall, Staffordshire, England and the mark was used between 1891 and 1914. The pattern was called Waverley.

W. H. Grindley & Company Flow Blue Waverley Gravy Boat and Underplate

This gravy boat and matching underplate were made by W. H. Grindley & Co. also and the pattern was Waverley too. It’s nice that I have a gravy set that is a matching pattern. Lots of gold still left on these pieces.

Johnson Brothers Flow Blue Persian Vegetable Dish

I set this Johnson Brothers Flow Blue vegetable dish on a small platter. The bowl pattern was called Persian and the mark includes the words Pat. Oct 21, 02 so that dates the piece.

Johnson Brothers Flow Blue Oxford Small Platter

This is a Johnson Brothers Flow Blue small platter in the Oxford pattern. It was made circa 1900 to 1912.

This cream and sugar set are not the same pattern but like other Flow Blue pieces they can easily be used together.

Johnson Brothers Flow Blue Tokio Creamer

This creamer was made by Johnson Brothers in England and the pattern was called Tokio.

W. H. Grindley Flow Blue Waverley Sugar Bowl and Lid

This sugar bowl and lid was made by W. H. Grindley & Co. and the pattern was called Waverley like some of the other pieces on this table.

W. H. Grindley Flow Blue Waverley Butter Dish

This Flow Blue round butter dish and lid was also made by W. H. Grindley & Co. and the pattern was Waverley as well.

This butter dish came with a rare drainer insert, these were usually lost or broken.

It’s difficult to imagine that these dishes are over 100 years old.

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!