Ants-tertainment on a Summer Picnic Tablescape

May 08, 2024 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

I did ant themed tablescapes five years ago, four years ago, and then two years ago and I thought I was done for a while with this theme until I saw these large ants at Michaels a few weeks ago. I just had to have them! The cotton red gingham tablecloth came from Amazon last week. I had one already but I wanted a second one in case I ever wanted to cover two picnic tables at the same time. This ants themed tablescape is similar to the other three that I did but I changed a few things on this one.

I love these smaller porcelain salad or appetizer plates. The pattern was called Thrill of the Grill. The red gingham design and the crawling black ants are a great combination for a plate for picnics. They are labeled Boston Warehouse Trading Corp, copyright 2008 and I bought them at our Pier 1 store several years ago before it closed. I have seen them on Ebay from time to time.

This simple white salad plate is labeled Gibson elite bone china. I think I bought them several years ago at HomeGoods. Our store has a complete aisle of white dishes with lots of different shapes and sizes to chose from.

I have used this Fiesta Scarlet dinner plate so many times on tablescapes. We bought them when we remodeled our kitchen a few years ago because our kitchen is white with red accents. They are our every day dishes. I have this plate pattern in several different colors. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying dinner plates here.

These black glass Starburst chargers are called Charge It and they were made by Jay. I bought them several years ago on Amazon. They are heavy glass and work well with many different table designs. I often use them during Halloween season but I use them at other times of the year as well. To read about what you should be considering when you are buying chargers, please click here.

Not sure where I bought this black Ginkgo Le Prix flatware set. I have had the set for several years and I have this pattern now in other colors as well, orange, red, yellow, and a dark green. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying flatware here.

I had someone on Etsy make the ants cotton napkins a few years ago. I really love that print! I can’t remember where I bought the simple red napkin rings. I found the black plastic ants on Etsy a few years ago after looking for the right size for a while. I attached them temporarily to a red plastic napkin ring that I have had for several years using a product called Joe’s Sticky Stuff. It is a really sticky tape with a sticky material on it and your peel off a tiny bit and attach it to whatever you want to attach somewhere. When you want to remove it, it comes right off. I can’t remember where it came from.

To read about the What, Where and How of napkin rings please click here.

I bought the metal ant place card holders at Pottery Barn five years ago. They were red but Hubby spray painted them black to match the plates and napkins when I first did an ant theme tablescape five years ago.

To read about the what, where and how of place card holders, please click here.

I can’t remember where I found these red plastic cup goblets but it might have been Party City. I decided to just use just one goblet on this picnic themed tablescape. 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 get such a kick out of these black metal ants from Michaels. They had them in red also. I love the spring body and the large bug eyes. We bought the fake rock several years ago in a mall somewhere and Hubby used it to trick people in his office for a long time. When he retired, it came home, and I have used it more than once on a tablescape.

Might be time for a summer picnic!

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.

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 next year in January.

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 this blog for lots of great recipes!

Six Summer Tablescapes Ideas for the 4th of July

May 08, 2024 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

I have always loved the color combination of red, white, and blue. For many years our family room was decorated with patriotic colors and designs. Since I started tablescaping several years ago, I have created several 4th of July tablescapes and I decided to repost some of those tablescapes to share again. Maybe they will give you some ideas for your summer holiday tables this year.

This tablescape was one of five 4th of July tablescapes that I did in 2019. I called this tablescape Uncle Sam’s Tablescape because of the Uncle Sam pitcher that I used as a centerpiece. Every time I show this tablecloth I get lots of comments about it, people love it as much as I do. The bunting detail down the sides is really unusual. I was browsing on Ebay several years ago looking for vintage tablecloths (I collected them for a while) and this tablecloth popped out. I have never seen another one like it. I love how the white stars stand out against the blue background and the bunting design down the sides is amazing. I suspect the tablecloth was maybe made in the 60’s or 70’s.

My Uncle Sam pitcher took center stage as the centerpiece on this tablescape. He is standing on a Rhodes drinks dispenser stand from Pottery Barn that I bought on sale several years ago. I use it often to elevate whatever I am using as a centerpiece. It is just the right height, not too short and not too tall. I actually bought it in a couple other colors too and I have used them all. The stand is resting on three plastic trays I bought on sale online at Sur la Table a few years ago. They match the napkins I used on this table, I must have bought them all at the same time. I love the way the repetition of the design on the trays defines that space. I collected Uncle Sams for a while when the family room was decorated with red, white, and blue and I bought this Uncle Sam pitcher several years ago, can’t remember where. It was made by Department 56. I have always loved pitchers, I think because with a large family we always had one on the table while I was growing up. My mother never allowed a milk carton on the table! My four brothers tried to sneak one on a few times but it never worked. Then they would sometimes put it on the floor next to their chair! I love this pitcher, it is one of my favorites.

This patriotic salad plate is enamelware and I think it’s the only enamel plate in my plate collection. It was made by Golden Rabbit. Can’t remember where I bought it but I have had it for several years. I like the bright colors and bold design. For more information about everything on this Uncle Sam Tablescape please click here.

This tablescape was one of the other 4th of July tablescapes I did in 2019. I called it A Stars and Stripes Tablescape because of the stars and stripes on the melamine salad and dinner plates and the tablecloth. I really love this tablecloth, it is a favorite of mine. The napkins and the tablecloth came from Sur la Table several years ago. They are soft and heavy, a really good quality, and I love the simple bold design. I really like the way the stripes on the tablecloth and the stripes on the salad plate copy each other.

I have a weakness for patriotic tableware. These salad and dinner plates are melamine and they came from Sur La Table a few years ago. I wait for their after season sales and buy online. Their stock seems to be not as varied as it has been in the past but maybe it will get better.

This set of creamers or small pitchers that I added to this tablescape make me laugh. We are a two political parties household so when I saw this set I had to have them. They are from Fitz and Floyd, I can’t remember where I bought them. I have had them for a long time. For more information about everything on this Stars and Stripes Tablescape please click here.

This is another 4th of July Tablescape from 2019. I called it, Red, White, and Blue for Me and You on the 4th of July. The Heartwood Creek angel centerpiece was designed by Jim Shore in 2003, it is no longer in production. It was called “I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag” and it was licensed by Enesco Group, Inc.. The angel is standing on a Pottery Barn Rhodes drink dispenser stand to give it a bit more height.

I love this angel’s sweet little face. I have a large collection of vintage doilies and I suddenly remembered that I had a few red, white, and blue ones. I really like how this doily centerpiece adds a bit of excitement to this table.

The small star appetizer plate and the dinner plate are heavy melamine and they came from Sur La Table several years ago. I like the combination of the wide red and white stripes on the small plate, the small red and white stripes on the dinner plate and the red and white stripes on the napkins.

I used my red Waterford Marquis Brookside goblets for this table setting. I think if I were starting a tablescaping hobby, a set of red goblets would be one of my first purchases. They can be used several times a year. I love the fact that they are a bit taller than other goblets and the design goes with everything. I bought the blue goblets at Pier 1 a few years ago. I love this shade of blue and the etched design. I also like the height of these goblets. For more information about everything on this tablescape please click here.

This is another 4th of July tablescape that I did in 2019. I called it Flags and More Flags because of the plates and centerpiece. I really like the contrast between the dark tablecloth and the bright American flags plate stack. This was an easy centerpiece to pull together. I found a large bowl at a garage sale and I bought it because I knew I would be able to use it as a centerpiece in some way sometime. I just put patriotic napkins in it and tucked in small American flags and it was done.

When I bought the napkin rings they were brown but Hubby painted them white for me because I knew I would use them more often if they were white. They are a great match for the stars on these melamine flag plates. I can’t remember where I bought them. It’s good to remember that whatever you are looking at can usually be painted if you need a different color. For more information about everything on this tablescape please click here.

This was another 4th of July tablescape that I did in 2019. This one was called Stars and Stripes and Uncle Sam. I found the tablecloth and napkins at Kohl’s a few years ago. I used one of the Uncle Sams from my collection, a nutcracker, as a centerpiece. You can see items on this tablescape that I have used on some of the other tablescapes.

If you don’t have a napkin ring that works on your tablescape, and you don’t have a design on the salad plate that you don’t want covered, you can fold the napkin around some of the plates and it becomes part of the plate stack design. This is such a colorful plate stack and the napkin really makes it pop. For more information about everything on this tablescape, please click here.

This was the 4th of July Tablescape that I did a few years ago. It was called Ready for 4th of July. It is similar to the first tablescape I mentioned that I did for the 4th of July in 2019 but I made a few changes. I added different plates to the plate stack but I used the same enamel patriotic salad plates that I had used the year before.

I bought this flag stand online at Grandin Road a couple years ago. I really love the design, with all the flags it definitely makes a statement!

I have a weakness for small salt and pepper sets and when I saw these patriotic eagles online at Cracker Barrel last year I had to have them. I often add small salt and pepper sets to my tablescapes that help illustrate the theme of the table.

If you look at all these tablescapes you will see that I used this white frosted flatware set on every one. I bought the frosted white flatware on sale online at Wayfair a few years ago, it is made by Cambridge. It is 18/0 (18/10 is the best) so the fork tines are a bit sharper than I would like but I really liked the frosted color. I use this set often. If you are going to buy colored flatware, white is a good color to start with and then I would buy red, black and green. Those seem to be the colors I use the most. For more information about everything on this tablescape please click here.

I hope you have found some inspiration for your holiday tables!

To see 220+ tablescapes that I have created including these 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.

If you live in Southern California please join our tablescaping group, Southern California Tablescapers BTS Group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/440356398581157 We are planning an event next January.

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

Southern California Tablescapers BTS Group

May 05, 2024 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

We have started a tablescaping group for hobbyists in Southern California who create unique table settings just for fun. https://www.facebook.com/groups/440356398581157 We had an event for our group January 18, 2025 and we are planning more. Come join us!

A Starfish Summer Tablescape

May 02, 2024 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

Summer is just around the corner so it’s time for an ocean themed tablescape. I love starfish and I did a starfish tablescape four years ago but this one is a bit different. A couple of interesting facts about starfish; they can live up to 35 years and they have no brain and no blood. There are about 2,000 different species of sea stars (starfish). I found this starfish tablecloth at HomeGoods earlier this year. It was made by Sigrid Olsen Home.

I found these Akcam Iridescent Turkish Glass Starfish Plates on Ebay a couple of months ago. I love the different colors and they match the tablecloth too.

This is a Fiesta White dinner plate. I found them on sale in Salt Lake City on a trip there a couple of years ago.

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. To read about what you should be considering when you are buying chargers, please click here.

I have had this frosted blue flatware set for a few years. It is labeled D & D Inox in Italy. It was made by Vietri and the pattern is Aladdin Brilliant in light blue. (Don’t mix it up with Aladdin Antique, that stainless set has a darker matte finish on the stainless.) I bought this set at Neiman Marcus or Bloomingdales during a major sale several years ago. There are similar frosted patterns available for sale online now. I have other frosted flatware sets from different companies and I use them often. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying flatware here.

I have several different blue napkins but often I don’t have the right shade for a table setting. It took two tries on Amazon before I got this color right two years ago. I needed this color for my napkin collection anyway. I wish computer monitors were better at showing colors correctly. I found these silver finish metal napkin rings at Bella Coastal Decor online a couple of months ago. Hubby painted them blue for me and I didn’t realize that they would be a perfect match for the napkins.

To read about the What, Where and How of napkin rings please click here.

I found these white starfish place card holders on Etsy last month. I was going to paint them blue but I decided to leave them as is. The place cards came from Amazon a few years ago. To read about the what, where and how of place card holders, please click here.

I’m not sure where I found the blue glass goblet on the left but I love this shade of blue. The blue and green glass goblet on the right was one of the first goblets that I bought when I started tablescaping and I can’t remember where I found them. The pattern is called Bormioli Rocco Bahia. The blue and green color goes perfectly with this tablescape. I see this pattern on Ebay from time to time. 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 think this starfish stack came from Michaels. It was a white gray color and Hubby painted it blue for me. I really like the design on the stars. I set it on a white wood cake stand and added some small starfish and sea glass to the base.

This is the thirtieth ocean themed tablescape that I have done over the past ten years. Because we are about a mile and a half as the crow flies from the Pacific Ocean I seem to be drawn to that theme sometimes.

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

This blog post was featured at The Cottage Market, https://thecottagemarket.com/ Please visit this blog, you will enjoy it!