A Bandana-ful Summer Tablescape

May 25, 2026 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

I bought this Leacock bandana print small tablecloth on Ebay a few years ago. It had a small hole in it but I knew it wouldn’t show. When I saw the tablecloth I could immediately visualize a tablescape that I could create with it. When I use a smaller tablecloth, I usually set it over a larger tablecloth, in this case, a large white cotton tablecloth that I have had for a long time. It has a label that says KAF HOME. To see my other summer tablescapes and 300+ other tablescapes that I have created that are posted on my blog please click on this link to my blog: https://www.whispersoftheheart.com/tablescapes .

I think I bought these melamine red and blue bandana salad plates at HomeGoods a few months ago. Sometimes I see something and I immediately know that it is coming home with me and that was the case with these plates. I just loved the design and the bright colors.

This large square beaded rim white plate was made by 10 Strawberry Street. A large square plate like this is a great starter plate if you want to begin to do tablescaping and you want square plates. You can use it as a charger or a dinner plate. I have large square plates in black and brown also. I wanted to have a few square plates in basic colors in my collection of dishes. I can’t remember where I bought this plate several years ago but it was probably HomeGoods. They always have a large collection of different white dishes for sale.

I added another square white plate to this tablescape because I wanted the plate stack to be a bit taller. It is just a tiny bit larger than the other square white plate. This plate is melamine and I bought it at HomeGoods a few years ago. It has a Tommy Bahama mark on the back.

I have this Ginkgo International Le Prix flatware set also in black, green, yellow and persimmon orange and I just ordered it in navy blue. I can’t remember where I bought this red set online but if you google it, something will pop up. I like this flatware design because it is a bit more informal like my tablescaping style. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying flatware here.

When I decided to create a bandana themed tablescape I started looking for bandana napkin rings and these red and blue ones popped up on Etsy, exactly what I was looking for. I can’t remember where I bought the royal blue cotton napkins, I have had them for several years. Over the years I have shopped for napkins at HomeGoods, Pier 1, and World Market so they may have come from one of those stores. To read about the What, When and How of napkin rings please click here.

The red cotton napkins came from Pier 1 many years ago.

I bought these mini woven baskets on Amazon six years ago. I knew that I could use them as place card holders. They came in a set of 24 and they were brown so I took six of them and Hubby spray-painted them white for me for this tablescape. I bought a red and a blue bandana print scarf on Amazon as well and cut them down to fit these baskets. I set them on a small square white wood place card holder that I already had to made them a bit taller. To read about the What, When and Why of place card holders, please click here.

When I am working on a tablescape Hubby is always a great help because I tell him or show him a photo of what I want to use on the table and he goes out to the garage and finds it on the many racks of dishes and glasses that are out there. (Sometimes it takes both of us to find things out there!) I sent him out to find different goblets but he came back with these two and I decided that they were a better choice than what I was originally planning to use. He has watched me create tablescapes for several years now and he sometimes comes up with better choices than mine! I think the red glass goblet on the left came from Crate and Barrel a few years ago. I had been looking for some simple red goblets and I grabbed these when I saw them online. I only bought six and I wished I had bought more but Hubby found six other red glass goblets at HomeGoods that are so similar you can’t tell the difference. The blue acrylic goblet on the right came from Pier 1 several years ago. I really like the height and shape of it and I have it in several different colors. Dollar stores sell them sometimes in different colors in acrylic and in glass. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying goblets for your tablescaping collection here.

I have had this white metal basket that I am using as a centerpiece for several years. I don’t remember where I bought it but it might have been at an antique mall. I found the Hananona red and blue faux flowers on Amazon. They came in a set with white flowers too but I decided to just use the red and blue flowers on this centerpiece. The basket is sitting on a small plastic stand that I sometimes use to lift my centerpieces higher. I have had it for years and I don’t know where I bought it.

I sometimes add salt and pepper sets to my tablescapes to add a bit of interest and fill the spaces on the left and right of the centerpiece. I often buy salt and pepper sets on Amazon and I found this set there. They were made by Brighter Barns. They have the words SALT and PEPPER written in white on the back.

I also added a Mosser white glass salt and pepper set that I bought online from Everything Kitchens to this tablescape.

This is a tablescape that could be set before Memorial Day and used through the 4th of July and beyond!

To see over 300+ 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. (200+ members) https://www.facebook.com/groups/440356398581157 We had a gathering for tablescapers last year in the Los Angeles area and we are planning another one this fall. You won’t want to miss it!

Don’t miss the Tablescape How-To tab at the top of my blog for DIY tips and tricks. That link is here: https://www.whispersoftheheart.com/tablescapehowto

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

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

An Octopi Your Seat Tablescape

May 18, 2026 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

I planned this Octopus Tablescape for a long time a few years ago and I finally got it done. I couldn’t decide what color octopus to use but I was leaning toward looking for white ones because I had seen this underwater pattern tablecloth on Amazon and I wanted to use it. You can see several other Ocean themed tablescapes as well as 300+ other tablescapes that I have created on my blog here: https://www.whispersoftheheart.com/tablescapes

Once I decided on using white octopuses I looked online and I found many octopus salad plates but none with a white octopus. I almost gave up when I found these melamine octopus salad plates at Wayfair online. They were called Whitson Octopus and the brand was called Rosecliff Heights. I love the octopus graphic and the background colors matched perfectly with this tablecloth. They pick up all the different blue and turquoise colors that are on the table.

I found this turquoise melamine dinner plate at HomeGoods several years ago. I like the beaded rim design.

This Ocean Blue Cambria charger or dinner plate came from Pottery Barn several years ago. If you read my blog you have seen a red charger like this one often on my tablescapes. I have this plate in a few other colors now too because I like the design. Pottery Barn sells the plate in several different colors.

This white Antique Beaded charger came from Williams Sonoma several years ago. If you read my blog you have seen it several times on different tablescapes. It is one of my go-to chargers when I need a white one.

I bought this frosted white flatware set on sale online at Wayfair several years ago, it was made by Cambridge. It is 18/0 so the fork tines are a bit sharper than they would have been if it was 18/10 but I really liked the frosted white color. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying flatware here.

I found the octopus napkin rings at Walmart online a few years ago. They were made by Fennco Styles and they were dark blue but Hubby painted them white for me. I bought the napkins at our Pier 1 store before it closed several years ago. I love the multi-colored design because I seem to have many different shades of turquoise, teal, and blue dishes and these napkins match many of them. I often use these napkins on my ocean and beach themed tablescapes. To read about the What, When and How of napkin rings please click here.

I am using my white clam shell place card holders on this tablescape. They were made by Andrea by Sadek. I have had them for several years, I can’t remember where I bought them but I see them on Ebay from time to time. To read about the What, When and Why of place card holders, please click here.

I think the blue glass goblet on the left came from Pier 1 several years ago. I can’t remember where I found the turquoise acrylic goblet on the right but it may have been Pier 1 as well. I have had them for several years. 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 had found a gold brass colored octopus mug holder online that we were going to paint and use for a centerpiece but I really hated to paint it. We were in HomeGoods a few years ago and I found this one, perfect! I love the spreading waving tentacles! It is sitting on a navy blue Rhodes drink dispenser stand that I bought at Pottery Barn several years ago.

I found two small plastic white octopuses on Etsy to add to the tablescape on each side of the centerpiece. They were made by a 3D printer.

I love the different shades of blue and turquoise on this tablescape. I have always been fascinated watching how octopuses move themselves through water and they are very intelligent creatures. This was a fun tablescape to pull together, lots of movement here like what goes on in the ocean.

Don’t miss the Tablescape How-To tab at the top of my blog for DIY tips and tricks. That link is here: https://www.whispersoftheheart.com/tablescapehowto

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

Ladybug Luck on a Spring Tablescape

May 12, 2026 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

I love ladybugs. Every couple of years I buy some at the nursery and release them in the evening and they have a feast on the aphids on some of my potted plants. When you see a ladybug it is supposed to be a sign of good luck too. I can’t remember whether I found the centerpiece or the salad plates first but I knew then that a ladybug tablescape was in the works. The simple white polyester tablecloth probably came from Amazon or a tablecloth site online several years ago. I actually set this table with a black and white tiny gingham check tablecloth first but it just looked too dark so I changed it to white.

These ladybug salad plates are labeled Boston Warehouse Trading Corp.. I found a few of them on Ebay and a few on Poshmark a few years ago. I love the antennae!

I added a couple extra plates to this plate stack because I wanted different colors stacked on top of each other. This small white salad plate is Gibson elite bone china. I think I found them at HomeGoods several years ago. Our HomeGoods always has a full aisle of white dishes with many patterns to chose from.

This black porcelain dinner plate was made by 10 Strawberry Street and the pattern was called Classic Black Porcelain. It’s always good to have a simple basic black dinner plate in you tablescaping collection. It can be used throughout the year. I think I found them at HomeGoods several years ago. You can see this plate on a Summer Barbeque themed tablescape here and a Winter Buffalo Check Pine Cone tablescape here.

Pottery Barn Red Cambria Charger

I am using this red Cambria charger from Pottery Barn as a second charger on this table setting. I have had them for several years. You can read about what you need to think about when you are buying chargers here.

These black glass Starburst chargers are called Charge It. They were made by Jay. I bought them several years ago on Amazon. They are heavy glass and work well with many different color schemes. You can see them on a Halloween tablescape here and a Christmas Eve tablescape here.

This Milano Red flatware set is Ginkgo International LePrix. I have had this set for years but it is still for sale. I have the set in a few other colors as well. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying flatware here.

These napkins rings were custom made for me by SouthlandOnlineShop on Etsy a few years ago. I have bought napkin rings from her before. She has some really cute ones. The red cotton napkins probably came from HomeGoods, Pier 1, or Amazon several years ago.

I am using these ladybug napkin rings as place card holders. They were originally sold by Crate and Barrel but I bought them on Poshmark a few years ago. I set them on a Oleg Cassini clear glass place card holder. I bought the place card holders at HomeGoods several years ago when I first started tablescaping. They are heavy and solid and I really like the simple design. I often use them as a stand for place card items. (After I set this table, took photos, and took it all down I was organizing my place card holders and napkin rings and I found small ladybug place card holders that I had bought and forgotten!) You can read my blog post for ideas about how to store napkin rings and place card holders here.

The red goblet on the left probably came from HomeGoods several years ago. The goblet on the right with the black bowl and clear stem was made by Classic Touch and it is called V-Shaped Water Glass, Black With Clear Stem. I bought them at Houzz online a few years ago. 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

This ladybug cookie jar came from Country Door online a few yerars ago. I just googled ladybug cookie jar and it popped out. I set it on a small black glass cake stand that I have had for many years. Don’t know where it came from.

I think these ladybug candles and candle holders came from Ebay.

I have done other insect tablescapes. You can see a Bees Tablescape here and a Bumblebees Tablescape here.

Don’t miss the Tablescape How-To tab at the top of my blog for DIY tips and tricks. That link is here: https://www.whispersoftheheart.com/tablescapehowto

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

This blog post was featured at My Wee Abode, https://myweeabode.com/ Please visit this blog, you will enjoy it!

Taco 'Bout a Cinco de Mayo Tablescape!

May 02, 2026 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

I have been thinking about a Cinco de Mayo tablescape for several years but I never got around to creating one until this year. I have had this vintage Southwest style small cotton tablecloth that was made by Wilendur for several years. I love all the bright graphics that are on it and the colorful border. You can see some of the other 300+ tablescapes that I have created that include bright colors on my blog here: https://www.whispersoftheheart.com/tablescapes

Hubby found this set of Southwest style dinner plates at an estate sale a few years ago. They are marked Certified International, copyright Nancy Green. The pattern was called Serape and they were manufactured between 2005 and 2008. You can find them online from time to time on the secondary market. There is another color in the set, a bright teal but I decided not to use it on this tablescape.

I decided to use a placemat instead of a charger on this tablescape. I bought these red placemats at Pier 1 many years ago before our local store closed. I have this placemat many other colors too. When I need a placemat I usually turn to this style. They have a simple design and they are available in many different colors.

I have this Ginkgo International Le Prix stainless flatware in Black, Red, Moss Green and I added Mimosa Yellow and this color called Persimmon a few years ago. I often use this flatware set during Halloween time. I can’t remember where I bought the set online but if you google it, they will pop up. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying flatware here.

I can’t remember where I bought these blue cotton napkins. They are one of my favorite shades of blue. I found the metal Fiesta napkin rings on Amazon. I love the bright colors and they match the other items on this tablescape. To read about the What, When and How of napkin rings please click here.

I found these Kigley Cinco de Mayo wooden place card holders on Amazon. They came in a set of 18 pieces including this sombrero, a pinata, a cactus, and a taco. I decided to use this sombrero and the cactus on this tablescape. I really like that they are painted on both sides. To read about the What, When and Why of place card holders, please click here.

Hubby found the red glass goblets on the left at an estate sale several years ago. I think they are hand blown Iris Ruby Red Bubble Glass Goblets made by Artland. You can find them for sale online from time to time. It can be difficult to find yellow glass goblets that don’t have a gold tint to them so when I saw these yellow goblets on the right on Etsy I immediately bought them a few years ago. I love the color and their size. I don’t know who made them or what the pattern is called but they are a good match for the red goblet. I decided to use the colors red and yellow as accent colors on this tablescape so I chose these goblets for the table setting. I like the way it all turned out. 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.

The easiest centerpiece for any tablescape is a vase full of flowers. I decided to go that route for this tablescape. This vase was made by Fiesta and I think that the color is called Lapis. I bought the faux red, blue and yellow flowers at Michael’s. I love how these bright colors look together.

If you read my blog you have seen my use of salt and pepper sets on my tablecapes often. I use them to add interest to my tablescapes and sometimes fill the spaces to the left and right of the centerpiece. I found this Giftco hand-painted ceramic sombrero salt and pepper set on Ebay. I have a weakness for salt and pepper sets, I have many of them!

I found this Sberna Deruta hand-painted salt and pepper set on Ebay also.

I love the bright colors on this tablescape!

Don’t miss the Tablescape How-To tab at the top of my blog for DIY tips and tricks. That link is here: https://www.whispersoftheheart.com/tablescapehowto

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

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