How to Tablescape, Part 1, Developing a Theme

My tablescapes are themed tablescapes and they usually start with an idea or a theme. Many people create generic table settings with special dishes and a flower arrangement and/or candle centerpiece and these can be really pretty but there are hundreds of them, and they look somewhat the same in photographs. Others create themed table settings and these can be lots of fun to create and sometimes they are really unusual and grab your attention. My tablescapes are mostly theme related and they usually include several elements that are tied to the theme. You can see my 270+ themed tablescapes and read all about everything on each table and where it all came from here: https://www.whispersoftheheart.com/tablescapes .

How to pick a tablescape theme idea.

I start with an idea and sometimes it will take as long as a year to gather all the elements to carry out the theme on the table. The searching can take that long but it also spreads out the budget for the table and that can help keep the costs down. I usually have several different themes that I am thinking about creating and working on at any one time to find items to carry out the theme. This table started with some card plates and a large dice I found at a garage sale. I already had the vintage tablecloth and so an idea for a tablescape was born! But it took several months before I gathered all the other theme elements. This Playing Cards Table is always an attention getter. To read more about this tablescape please click here.

How to develop your theme using your centerpiece and salad plate.

The focal point on the table is the centerpiece and it can make or break the success of the tablescape. The two theme elements that I start with are the centerpiece and the salad plate because it is on the top of the plate stack and that image will be repeated around the table. It is those two elements that can visually set the theme for the table and create the unity that you want for the table setting. These salad plates were the last element I found for this Lobster themed tablescape. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever find the right salad plates but these were perfect. I found them after a Google search.

How to find the pieces that you need to carry out your theme.

There are so many different theme ideas, the sky is the limit. You can do holidays, seasons, food, insects, travel, ocean, beach, animals, and special interests like camping or hobbies. Sometimes I will think about a table theme and then try to find all the elements to carry out the theme. When I knew that I was going to do a lobster themed tablescape I searched for a centerpiece to carry out that theme. I always start with a Google search for whatever I am looking for, in this case, a lobster, and I found this one on Etsy and then I added a piece of faux coral for it to climb from HomeGoods to use as the centerpiece. When I am out and about I am constantly looking for things that I could use as centerpieces wherever I am. I find many of my tablescaping items online after a Google search on various sites or on Ebay, Etsy, Poshmark, or Mercari or at HomeGoods or Michael’s. Amazon is another source, I often look there first because I am a prime member and shipping is free. My husband loves estate sales and garage sales so we find many things there also. You can read more about this Lobster themed tablescape here: https://www.whispersoftheheart.com/blog/2020/5/27/lobsters-for-dinner-definitely

How to find ideas for themed tablescapes.

Sometimes I will find a special themed salad plate or centerpiece when I am out shopping and that discovery will start the theme I want to create. One Christmas I suddenly found a Grinch salad plate and at almost the same time, a Grinch cookie jar that I could use for the centerpiece, so that tablescape was off and running.

It was not a theme that I would have thought of but the items I inadvertently found suggested the theme. I am constantly looking for unusual large objects that can serve as centerpieces. You can read more about this tablescape here.

How to repurpose items to use as centerpieces.

Hubby once found a lighthouse lamp at a garage sale and we removed the lamp part and I put it on a stand and used it as the centerpiece on a lighthouse themed table. Sometimes I find something but it is not the right color so we paint it whatever color that I need. Sometimes we paint it more than once!

I bought a larger bowl shaped like a shell at HomeGoods as soon as I saw it because I realized that it could be used all summer long on different summer table settings.

How to use lanterns and candles as centerpieces.

I also have generic centerpieces items like lanterns and candle holders that can be adapted for different theme tables with the addition of decorative elements. When I started tablescaping I bought various lanterns and candlesticks in primary colors so I would have them when I needed them to add as accents on a tablescape.

How to use Cookie Jars as centerpieces.

Cookie jars can be a perfect centerpiece, I have used them many times. If you are looking for a centerpiece for a theme, search for a cookie jar. It can be set on the table on a small stand as a perfect centerpiece.

How to organize your tablescaping items.

I usually divide my table ideas into seasons, Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall and purchase accordingly. For example, buy items like napkins in fall colors that can be used on table settings starting in the Fall through Thanksgiving. When you buy an item for a tablescape think about how you can use it on different table settings and try to purchase items that are versatile, that way you won’t have to purchase so many. I try to store things by season too which makes it easier to find them. Think about what theme you want to create on your table and then start slowly looking for the elements to illustrate that theme. I post a new tablescape every week and I keep a list of the themes week by week for the entire year, trying to do advance planning for what I will need for each themed tablescape throughout the year.

How to find other tablescape ideas.

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

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 here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2553689988183392

If you live in Southern California join my Facebook tablescaping group Southern California Tablescapers BTS Group. (240+ members) https://www.facebook.com/groups/440356398581157 . We had a gathering in January and plan more in the future.

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

This blog post was featured at Modern on Monticello, https://modernonmonticello.com/ Please visit this blog, you will enjoy it!

Shamrocks on a St. Patrick's Day Tablescape

I obviously needed to create a Shamrocks tablescape this time of year. I think that this shamrocks tablecloth came from HomeGoods a few years ago. I love tablecloths that show things in their true colors and not some weird shade of that color or another color completely.

I found these melamine shamrock small salad plates at Wayfair online two years ago. They are the perfect green color. When I did a Shamrock tablescape before, I called a four leaf clover a shamrock and someone corrected me. Three leaves is a shamrock and four leaves is a four leaf clover.

I am using my go-to basic white dinner plate on this table setting. Every tablescaping collection needs at least one basic white dinner plate. This plate is labeled Club Porcelain, Ralph Lauren. I found them at HomeGoods several years ago.

Hubby bought these chargers at the Dollar Store last year and spray-painted them Kelly Green for me so that I could use them on my tablescapes. We have done that a few times before when I needed a certain color and I didn’t have a charger the right color.

I am using my Celtic flatware again on this tablescape as I did last week. This flatware set is labeled Helmick/O.M.C. and it is called Celtic Crusader. I have also seen it under the brand, Ginkgo International. It is 18/10 stainless and I have learned to buy 18/10 stainless because with cheaper quality flatware sometimes the fork tines have not been filed enough and they are really sharp. I always test flatware by touching the fork tines to see how sharp they are. 18/10 flatware is heavy and really well made but it is more expensive. 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 online over several months. I think that the hammered design and the shape of the end of the handle really illustrate the Celtic style.

I found these lucky napkins at HomeGoods a few weeks ago. I was lucky to find them for this tablescape! Their label says cupcakes and cashmere.

I bought this four leaf clover place card holder on Amazon a few weeks ago. I already had the place cards, I can’t remember where they came from.

These green glass goblets and iced teas are made by Mosser Glass in the United States. The pattern is called Arlington and the color is Hunter Green. They are really heavy glass and very good quality. I have bought a few pieces at a time over the years online where I can find them at the lowest price. I also have this pattern in red and cobalt blue.

I was wandering around HomeGoods last month with Hubby and he was getting in line to pay. At the last minute I suddenly saw this shamrock tree. I immediately picked it up and took it over to him. He took one look at my face and he knew it was going home with us. Smart man! He is the kind of person who will ponder a purchase forever and I am the kind of person who knows immediately if I want something or not, especially things for tablescapes. As soon as I saw this tree I visualized the tablescape design (with a few tweaks).

Because the centerpiece is tall and narrow it needed something else on each side of it. I had just bought these green glass taper candle holders at Sur La Table online. Even though they are not quite the same shade of green glass as everything else on the table, they work. Hubby cut a couple of white candles that I had shorter for me so I could use them. The candlesticks are a delicate thin glass. Sur La Table had them in a pretty bright blue color too so I bought those as well.

I added a Hunter Green Mosser Glass Panel salt and pepper set to the tablescape and a White Mosser Milk Glass Panel salt and pepper set as well.

We are ready for a St. Patrick’s Day dinner!

To see 220+ tablescapes that I have created including eight other St. Patrick’s Day tablescapes, 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 has been featured at Miz Helen’s Country Cottage, https://www.mizhelenscountrycottage.com/. Please visit this blog for lots of great recipes!

Waterford Lismore on a St. Patrick's Day Tablescape

To start with, is this a busy tablecloth? Yes, it is, and I like it that way. And no, the centerpiece doesn’t block people from seeing each other while they are eating because I remove it before we eat. (Can you tell I am tired of trolls and their unasked for criticism? Ah well, it goes with the territory.) On to happier subjects, I found this shamrock tablecloth and the matching napkins at HomeGoods last week. They were made by Nicole Miller Home. They came out of the dryer ready for the table with no wrinkles although I did iron the tablecloth anyway.

I did another Waterford tablescape for St. Patrick’s Day four years ago. You can see that tablescape here. I wanted to do a second Waterford tablescape but I have been waiting for Waterford Lismore salad plates and I finally broke down and bought some on Ebay. I think they are so pretty. Waterford crystal was first made in Waterford, Ireland in 1783. When we were married in 1972, we registered for Waterford crystal glassware in the Lismore pattern. This pattern was first introduced in 1952 and it is still in production. It is one of the most popular crystal patterns that Waterford has ever produced.

Once I had the salad plates I had to decide what to put them on. I really wanted the design to show well so I decided to just use a clear glass dinner plate under them. I found one online at Crate and Barrel last week that I liked and we have a Crate and Barrel store so I went over there with the salad plate and a napkin to use as the tablecloth to see how it all would look together and I was happy with the result. These dinner plates were on some kind of sale and they were $3 each, such a deal and I saved with no shipping!

I have been looking for a simple white ceramic charger for several years with no luck. I guess I am picky! From time to time I look online again and I found these plastic scalloped white chargers at Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago. I hate shopping there but sometimes I do. I will keep looking for a white charger that I like but these will do for now.

This flatware set is labeled Helmick/O.M.C. and it is called Celtic Crusader. I have also seen it under the brand, Ginkgo International. It is 18/10 stainless and I have learned to buy 18/10 stainless because with cheaper quality flatware sometimes the fork tines have not been filed enough and they are really sharp. I always test flatware by touching the fork tines to see how sharp they are. 18/10 flatware is heavy and really well made but it is more expensive. 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 online over several months. I think that the hammered design and the shape of the end of the handle really illustrate the Celtic style.

I really like the muted shamrock design on these Nicole Miller Home napkins and the tablecloth.

These cut glass place card holders came from Ebay a few years ago. I don’t remember where the place cards came from. I have had them for a while.

These Waterford Lismore goblets are 8 1/4 inches tall, 7 inches tall, and 6 inches tall. The 7 inch tall ones were my registered wedding crystal. Hubby bought me the 8 1/4 inch tall ones for our 50th wedding anniversary. I have 12 of the tallest one and more of the middle size. The 6 inch tall ones came from estate sales and I am not sure how many of those I have. Even after 52 years I still love this glassware pattern.

We bought this Waterford Lismore centerpiece bowl at an outlet mall to celebrate our anniversary 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. I found the faux shamrocks on Etsy last month.

Over the decades we have purchased several pieces of Waterford Lismore glassware. These Waterford Lismore candlesticks are 6 inches tall. I also have the same candlesticks that are 8 inches tall and 10 inches tall. I am not sure where we bought them all over the years. I already had the green candles in my candle collection.

Nothing says St. Patrick’s Day like Waterford Lismore crystal!

To see 220+ 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!

Violets on a Spring Tablescape

I have been pondering this tablescape for over a year now and I finally pulled it all together. The purple polyester tablecloth came from TablecothsFactory online several years ago. The label says veeyoo. It is the perfect color for a spring or Easter table setting.

Several years ago our main bedroom was decorated with purple and green and I had a few violets accents scattered around. (The decor in that room has changed since then.) I found a Royal Albert bone china salad plate made in England while I was looking for anything with violets on it. I really like the violet flowers design on these plates and the scalloped gold rim. The plate design was copyrighted in 1973 and they were part of a series of plates called Provincial Flowers, this plate in the series was called Purple Violet. It took me several years to find six of them and then they sat in the hutch until now. I actually have four sets of cups and saucers too because they often came with the plates.

When I am looking for a basic dinner plate in a solid color I usually look at my Fiesta dinner plates first. I have this plate in several different colors now. I think this Fiesta color is called Plum. When I want to buy Fiesta plates I usually google the color that I want and buy them where they are the cheapest. You can read about what you need to think about when you are buying dinner plates here.

I bought these iced glass sage colored chargers at Pier 1 several years ago after I saw them on another blog. I love using them in the spring and the fall. To read about what you should be considering when you are buying chargers please click here.

I often use this frosted green flatware set on Spring tablescapes. I bought the set at World Market several years ago and the pattern was called Madeline Green. I really like the frosted design on the handles. Every time that I use it I get comments about the set. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying flatware here.

These green cotton napkins came from our World Market store many years ago when I first started tablescaping. I use them often in the spring and the fall. The vintage bone china violets napkin rings came from Ebay last month. To read about the What, Where and How of napkin rings please click here.

I found these vintage bone china violets place card holders on Ebay as well last month. To read about the what, where and how of place card holders, please click here.

The green goblet on the left came from Macy’s three years ago. They are called Qualia Glass Meridian. I like the height of them and the beautiful green color. It has taken me several years to gather goblets in the purple colors that I need for my tablescapes. I can’t remember where these purple glass goblets came from but it was probably HomeGoods. 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.

I found these faux violets on Amazon a few weeks ago. I put them in this large white pottery vase that I inherited from my mother. She received a pair of them as a wedding present in 1938. I decided to add one of my vintage violets hankies under the vase. (If you are the observant type you will notice that this hankie doesn’t match the hankie in my first photo. I changed the hankie because I thought the other hankie with curved edges looked better and I decided not to take the time to redo all the photos.)

I added this small violets trinket to the table setting on one side of the centerpiece. It was made by Royal Albert in England and it is bone china. It was part of their Flowers of the Month Series and it was called Violets. I probably found it on Ebay several years ago.

On the other side of the centerpiece I added this small lidded bowl covered with violets. It is labeled Royal Porzellan Bavaria KPM Germany Handarbeit. It probably came from Ebay as well.

It’s not Spring yet but it will soon be here.

To see 220+ tablescapes that I have created including 26 other Spring tablescapes 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!