Fairies on a Spring Tablescape

I have been thinking about this tablescape design for a couple of years at least but I have never been able to find what I needed to create it until now. I decided to set the table without a tablecloth to suggest a wood forest. This solid wood table was made by Stickley as were the chairs and hutch. We bought the set many years ago.

These fairy salad plates were not made to hold food, they are collector plates. They are purely for decorative purposes. They would be removed from the table before the food is served. I purchased six different plate designs for this table setting. This fairy plate is called The Lavender Fairy and it was the First Issue in the Flower Fairies Collection inspired by the works of Cicely Mary Barker. It is labeled Heinrich Germany Villeroy & Boch. This plate design was based on an illustration that was a part of Cicely Mary Barker’s The Fairies of the Garden series of illustrations. Cicely Mary Barker’s Flower Fairies drawings were first published in 1923. She was an English illustrator. There were 170 original illustrations and they have been reproduced on many different products including plates and ornaments in several different series. You can find them on the secondary market in stores and online. I found all these fairy plates online a few months ago from several different sources after googling fairy plate. I planted lavender last year and it is doing well in my garden.

This fairy plate is called The Sweet Pea Fairy and it was the Second Issue in the Flower Fairies Collection inspired by the works of Cicely Mary Barker. It is labeled Heinrich Germany Villeroy & Boch. This plate design was based on an illustration that was a part of Cicely Mary Barker’s The Fairies of the Garden series of illustrations. When I was growing up we had sweet peas all along the side of the house that my mother planted I think. I have started planting them myself and I can’t wait until they are tall and the flowers have bloomed.

This fairy plate is called The Candytuft Fairy. It was the Third Issue in the Flower Fairies Collection inspired by the works of Cicely Mary Barker. It is labeled Heinrich Germany Villeroy & Boch. I was not familiar with Candytuft until I found this plate. I am not sure if it would grow in our ocean climate. This plate design was based on an illustration that was a part of Cicely Mary Barker’s The Fairies of the Garden series of illustrations.

This fairy plate is called The Heliotrope Fairy. It was the Fourth Issue in the Flower Fairies Collection inspired by the works of Cicely Mary Barker. It is labeled Heinrich Germany Villeroy & Boch. This plate design was based on an illustration that was a part of Cicely Mary Barker’s The Fairies of the Garden series of illustrations. Now that I have this plate I might try to grow heliotrope.

This fairy plate is called The Blackthorn Fairy. It was the Fifth Issue in the Flower Fairies Collection inspired by the works of Cicely Mary Barker. It is labeled Heinrich Germany Villeroy & Boch. Blackthorn won’t grow in my California climate. It is found in the Northeast and Europe. This plate design was based on an illustration that was a part of Cicely Mary Barker’s The Fairies of the Winter series of illustrations.

This fairy plate is called The Apple Blossom Fairy. It was the Sixth Issue in the Flower Fairies Collection inspired by the works of Cicely Mary Barker. It is labeled Heinrich Germany Villeroy & Boch. This plate design based on an illustration that was a part of Cicely Mary Barker’s Alphabet Fairies series of illustrations.

This is a Fiesta dinner plate in the color Green Meadow. I love Fiesta dinner plates. They come in lots of great colors. According to online information Fiesta is a line of ceramic glazed dinnerware manufactured and marketed by the Fiesta Tableware Company of Newell, West Virginia since its introduction in 1936 with a hiatus from 1973 to 1985. Fiesta is noted for its Art Deco styling and its range of often bold, solid colors. In the years since Fiesta was first produced, there have been a total of 47 colors in the line. Today, The Fiesta Tableware Company introduces one new color each year. Over the years some colors are retired as new ones are added.

I found these sage green crochet doily place mats at Bed, Bath, and Beyond several years ago. I wish they had come in other colors too because I really like the ruffled edge and the way it sets off whatever is set on top of it.

This flatware set is Milano Ginkgo International LePrix and the color is Moss Green. Not sure where I bought it. I also have it in a few other colors. It’s 18/10 and really good quality flatware.

These sage green linen napkins came from Sur La Table a few years ago. All of the napkin rings that I used on this tablescape were made with a fairy ornament temporarily attached to a sage green ceramic napkin ring. I found all these fairy ornaments online a few months ago from several different sources after googling flower fairy. This fairy ornament was called the Heliotrope Fairy and it was part of The Original Flower Fairies Collection copyrighted in 2012. This ornament design was based on an illustration that was a part of Cicely Mary Barker’s The Fairies of the Garden series of illustrations.

This fairy ornament was called The Strawberry Fairy and it was part of the Flower Fairies Collection, Series II copyrighted in 1999. This ornament design was based on an illustration that was a part of Cicely Mary Barker’s Alphabet Fairies series of illustrations.

This fairy ornament was called The Poppy Fairy and it was also part of The Original Flower Fairies Collection, Series II. It was copyrighted in 2001. This ornament design was based on an illustration that was a part of Cicely Mary Barker’s The Fairies of the Summer series of illustrations.

This fairy ornament was called the Mallow Fairy and it was part of The Original Flower Fairies Collection. It was copyrighted in 2012. This ornament design was based on an illustration that was a part of Cicely Mary Barker’s Alphabet Fairies series of illustrations.

This fairy ornament was called the Geranium Fairy and it was part of The Original Flower Fairies Collection. It was copyrighted in 2012. This ornament design was based on an illustration that was a part of Cicely Mary Barker’s The Fairies of the Garden series of illustrations.

This fairy ornament was called the Bluebell Fairy and it was part of The Original Flower Fairies Collection. It was copyrighted in 2012. This ornament design was based on an illustration that was a part of Cicely Mary Barker’s The Fairies of the Spring series of illustrations.

These small resin fairies that I am using as place card holders on this tablescape came from Amazon last month in a set of four. I set them on a clear square place card holder. I bought these crystal place card holders at HomeGoods several years ago when I first started tablescaping. They were made by Oleg Cassini. They are heavy and solid and I really like the design.

I can’t remember where I found the green glass goblet on the left. The green acrylic goblet on the right came from our Pier 1 store before it closed a few years ago.

I found this fairy figure at HomeGoods a few months ago. I had her sitting in my study on a small table next to the chair that my husband sits in sometimes and he said she was giving him the eye…Lol!

Because everyone needs a little fairy dust now and then…

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!

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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!

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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!

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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!