Lady on a Shell Tablescape

After much debate, Pat and I decided that we would not do a Cinco De Mayo tablescape this year. We wanted to do something different instead. "Frilly" tables are not our norm (as you probably already guessed from the various or odd tablescapes that we have done....(i.e. the Painter's table, the Spotted Cow table, the Elvis' tables, Ralph the Rain Gear Frog table, Betty Boop and the Spa table, Gladys' [one of my Dachshunds] Birthday Table,  and the list goes on.)

Pat started with one of our Mother's Armani figurines and designed the table around it. It definitely turned into a very frilly, feminine tabletop.

Over view of the table

No tablecloth this week. It made the table too white. Pat wanted the ice blue color to show up so she put the place setting directly on the wood.

The place setting

First layer is the soup bowl

Next comes the salad plate

The dinner plate is 10 1/2" wide

The ice blue Charger is from Pier 1

Stainless flatware is "Image" by Spode

The five piece place setting

Pat thought the pearl napkin ring fit the sea/water/wind theme of the table perfectly

The ice blue napkin was wrapped in a white chiffon overlay to give it a softer appearance

This great set of dishes even has the bread and butter plate in a shell design

Pat used these glasses because she thought that the lines looked like wind was sweeping past them.

You can see the line detail

Armani figurine is called "Windsong" and stands 17" tall

Unique Blue/green candle holders match the color on the figurine. They are the "Swirl" pattern in Ultra Marine color from Jeannette Glass Company (1937-1938)

Can you believe it? Pat found ice blue/green votives to match

The centerpiece started with an inexpensive curtain sheer that Pat trimmed off

One last look from the other end of the table

Where is came from:
Ice Blue Chargers - Pier 1 last year
White Dishware - "Shell" by Otagiri from a local antique store many years ago
Flatware - "Image" by Spode (one of our favorite stainless patterns) from Tuesday Morning
Ice Blue Napkin - from Tuesday Morning several years ago
Chiffon Overlay - purchased by Pat in Woodland, CA
Pearl Napkin Ring - Pier 1
Glassware - Pier 1
Frosted Votive Holders - Tuesday Morning
Ice Blue Votives - Ross
White Tapers - Michael's
Candle Holders - Ultra Marine "Swirl" by Jeannette Glass Company from eBay
Armani Figurine - "Windsong" (904C) from our Mother's collection

We will be joining Cuisine Kathleen's "Let's Dish" Wednesday night: http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

Schumann Spring Time Challenge

We are joining Cuisine Kathleen's "Let's Dish" Springtime challenge this Wednesday night (  http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/  ). The theme is Spring, birds, bees, flowers, or trees. Our tablescape this week is near and dear to my heart. Pat is using my "good china" for the dishware. I have collected Schumann "Wild Rose" since I was in High School (remember Hope Chests?) Of course, it seems the week I started to buy it, the company stopped manufacturing it, but I forged ahead and now, after more than 40 plus years, I have many, many pieces thanks to Replacements.com, eBay, and every antique store I get to. I am still looking for bone dishes.....but as all dish hounds know, it is the thrill of the hunt.

Many people mistake the pattern for apple or cherry blossoms. With that in mind, Pat used apple blossom branches in a simple vase as the centerpiece since the dish pattern is so busy.

Over view of the table

Pat and I went back and forth over the chargers. We tried pale lavender, gold, light green, a deep burgundy - all looked good but we finally settled on this beautiful rose color.

The place setting

The first layer of the place setting. The reason I fell in love with this pattern is the cream soup bowl. Naturally, this was the first piece that Schumann stopped producing. (Alicia, now you know my secret.  http://tabletwentyone.wordpress.com/  )

The next layer is the cream soup bowl liner.

Earlier versions of this pattern had the roses a bit larger. As time went on, Schumann used this size.

The color is horrible (it's overcast and dark outside) but this charger is a lovely shade of rose pink.

Pat chose gold flatware to enhance the gold painted rim of the plate

The five piece place setting

I love it when tablescapers show the back of the plate (another little thing that I picked up from Alma at the Tablescaper  [ http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/ ].) You can learn so much from a plate "mark" or label.

Glassware is from Pier 1 last year

Individual salt and pepper shakers are from Shannon Crystal by Godinger

Pat mixed crystal candle holders

The stack

One last look

Where is came from:

Tablecloth - gift from Pat
Pink Charger - Rose Color Spectrum by Mikasa from Replacements.com
Wild Rose Dishware - by Schumann from Walsh's (a local store long out of business), Replacements.com and eBay (along with several antique store from here to everywhere I ever went.)
Glassware - Pier 1
Gold Flatware - eBay (pattern unknown)
Candle Holders - Pat's personal collection
Stems and candles - Michael's
Individual Salt/Pepper Shakers - gift to Pat

Not really tablescape stuff:

I looked for over 40 years for a soup tureen in the Wild Rose pattern. (Pat reminded me about the tattered picture of it that I had hung upon my wall for years.....If I couldn't have it, at least I could dream.) The family knew they could say good-bye to any inheritance if I ever found it. Or it may be beans and rice for the rest of their lives. I didn't care how much it cost. And then on September 23, 2012, it happened. EBay. There it was. And I was the only bidder. And it was cheap. Life it a miracle. (The family can eat...and they are getting lots and lots and lots of beautiful dishes as their inheritance. Sorry, girls. Oh, remember when you argued over who was going to get "stuck" with the ugly green and pink dishes???)

Not everyone's choice....but it makes my heart flutter.

Pat replaced the blossoms with this cute couple as a centerpiece after the pictures for the blog were taken to use the table for an anniversary celebration for friends. (I told you that she makes everything do double duty - including the tablescape.)

Please join us Wednesday night at Cuisine Kathleen's "Let's Dish" challenge - http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

Flower Power Tablescape

Humboldt County - one of the last bastions of flower power, summer of love, love children, flowers in you hair, and all the other reminders of hippies. We still have children named "Moonbeam," "Sunlight," and "Starshine." We are famous for our "Humboldt honeys" - those darlings in hemp clothes with no shoes (or maybe a pair of very ugly Birkenstocks), no bra, no clean hair, no wash machine. And the guys aren't much better. Our local Humboldt State University was recently made famous by a mention on the Jimmy Kimmel show. He told the world about a program that students can get a degree in - the study of marijuana. Just special.......

Well anyway, back to normal. Pat and I thought "flower power" was a perfect way to practice on a table for the April 24th challenge on Cuisine Kathleen's "Let's Dish" blog (.http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/). The theme for that challenge is spring, birds, bees, flowers, or trees.  So flowers it is........albeit Humboldt County, CA style (love, peace, and all that stuff.)


Over view of the table

The place setting

Inexpensive flatware is by Cambridge

Close up of the five piece place setting

We had to use the orange and blue glasses again. This time with flower glasses from Pier 1.

First layer of the place setting consists of a Sunshine yellow Fiestaware salad plate.

Pat use a Tangerine Fiestaware luncheon plate next

This was followed by a Peacock Fiestaware dinner plate

Wooden chargers are from the Cancer Society's Discovery Shop

Lemongrass bowl and Scarlett bread and butter plate from Fiestaware

Pat chose an "lovely" vase - Ball canning jar from her shed

What Flower Power table would be complete without a VW bus????

Pat used these little wooden peace signs as votive holders

Ralph as a "flower child." Sorry, we couldn't figure out how to get flowers in his hair.

Remember this??? Pat found them deep in my curio.....

Only the "finest" wine - a local brand from the next county over

One last view from the other end of the table

 

 

Where is came from:

 

Placemats - Pier 1

Wooden Chargers - Cancer Society's Discovery Shop

Dishware - Fiestaware by Homer Laughlin from Macy's, Replacements, Kohl's

Flower Glassware - Pier 1

Orange and Blue Glass - from Marshall's in Santa Rosa, CA

Flatware - by Cambridge from Ross

Napkins - Handmade by Pat

Round Peace Sign Votive Holders - Michael's

Votive holders - Pat's personal collection

Votives - Michael's

VW Bus - Ross

Wooden Peace/Victory Signs - from my Mother-in-law over forty years ago (yeah, don't bother with the math. Both Pat and I were "there" in the 60's. The difference was we had a wash machine, work ethic, sense of values and duty, and a set of parents that were not liberal.)



Please join us Wednesday night for Cuisine Kathleen's "Let's Dish": http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

OK, one more time.... for my family and friends that didn't catch it last time. Here are those other blogs again -
1.  http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/  (Limoges in the bathroom, fabulous storage ideas, great tablescapes. You're going to swoon over some of the ideas. Now you know why my craft room looks like it does. Oh, and check out the entire month of January, 2012. She used blue as the theme for the month. That's why Pat and I started our other "one theme" blog. )
2.  http://www.thelittleroundtable.com/ (all kinds of Fiestaware used in tablescaping. Beware - it is addicting.)  
2.    http://tabletwentyone.wordpress.com/  (great tables, outstanding table decorating ideas, lots and lots of different chargers. One thing though....she is a Kansas City Royals fan. Sorry Sue and Barbara. Just ignore that.)