Old World Italian Dinner Tablescape

When we were growing up, every Sunday was spent at Grandma's house. For dinner, we always had polenta with "something" - chicken, beef, venison. It didn't matter. And Grandma always had cheese, wine, and salami on the table. (Grandpa's home-made salami and wine were stored in a cellar like room - only a few steps down from the kitchen.) In my mind, I can still smell the smells from Grandma's house. What a wonderful and innocent time it was.

For the tablescape this week, Pat decided to update our typical Sunday family Italian meal.


Over view of the table

Close up of the place setting

Pat used large, heavy hammered-like flatware

The five piece place setting

Glassware is from the Dollar Store

Pat recently purchased these accent plates from Pier 1

The dinner plate and bread/butter plate are Paprika Fiesta by Homer Laughlin

These over sized, heavy chargers are perfect for the place setting. They measure 13" across.

Pat made an arrangement of assorted grapes and wine bottle corks for the centerpiece

This vintage wine bottle opener has been in the family for years......

One last look at the table from the other end

Where it came from:
Charger - Cobalt blue Espana by Tabletops Unlimited from eBay
Fiesta Dinner and Bread/Butter Plates - by Homer Laughlin from Replacements
Accent Plate and Centerpiece Bowl - "San Marino" Earthenware from Pier 1
Flatware - Hammered Stainless Steel by Godinger Stainless
All Glassware - from the Dollar Store
Rust Napkins - from Pier 1
Cheese Board - "Eco-Friendly Circo" from Bed, Bath, and Beyond

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

Teal and Silver Tablescape

This was an packed weekend for all of us - last of the graduations, the annual Humboldt County Oyster Festival [not one that as a Vegetarian I participate in, however, but thousand of other less "enlightened" people do,] birthday parties, baby showers, a celebration of life for a friend....all kinds of events happening, but the best was a tablescaping day set aside with my sister and her daughter (who was here for her father's birthday party the day before.) We got together and did nothing but set tables and create place settings all day long. We did it last year (then the theme was FIESTA dishes - I'm told it is not Fiestaware as I have been incorrectly calling it.) And we had a ball - both years. As you know, the love of dishes runs in my family. And Pat's daughter, Jennifer, is no exception. [http://thewelcomedguest.blogspot.com/2012/07/wow-what-weekend.html]

So, this year, the theme turned out to be a crazy napkin that Jennifer thought she could "do something with it." And did we have a great time.

Pat and I found this material at JoAnn's last year. She quickly made twelve 20" by 20" napkins "just in case" we find the right place setting to use them.

Jennifer's new love (well, not so new - its been over a year) has been FIESTA by Homer Laughlin. She collects the new colors (post 1986), but has a lot of vintage pieces to mix and match. This was the perfect napkin with all the colors and pattern. But as it turned out, she used no FIESTA in the tablescape that we chose for this week.

Over view of the table

The place setting

First layer is three napkins (the theme napkin, a teal colored napkin, and a silver overlay) held by a hammered silver napkin ring from Pier 1

Dinnerware is "Reina" by Noritake

The glittery-like glass teal charger is from Pier 1

Jennifer used teal crackle glassware

Pat added decorative teal balls to put a little more color on the pale maple table

Of course - teal candle holders

Pat and I found this gorgeous teal pitcher during one of our "antiquing" trips. Jennifer put it on a silver charger stacked with a teal dinner plate (from Pier 1) and Noritake Reina salad plate

Our new favorites - Pat found these gorgeous "Alexandria" by Crystal Clear salt and pepper shakers at Tuesday Morning. They are 61/4" tall.

The five piece place setting with the butter spreader.

One last look from the other end of the table

Where is came from:
White Placemats - Calvin Klein Satin Band from Tuesday Morning
Flatware - Silverplate "Windsong" by Nobility from eBay
Dinnerware - "Reina" by Noritake (our Mother's)
Teal Charger - from Pier 1 last year
Teal Crackle Glassware - Pier 1 this year
Teal Napkin, Silver Overlay Napkin, Silver Napkin Ring, Teal Balls - Pier 1
Teal Glass Pitcher - Art & Old Things, Fortuna, CA antique store
Teal Candle Holders - eBay
Silver Candles - Bed, Bath, and Beyond
Crystal Salt and Pepper Shakers - "Alexandria" by Crystal Clear from Tuesday Morning

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

Here's a few of the other tables/settings that Pat and Jennifer created:

We were going to use the color combination of gold and teal first.

This was another option - gold flatware and charger on a black placemat with purple crackle glassware.

The centerpiece was "bold."

Another option we considered was using black Mikasa Color Spectrum charger, Peacock FIESTA dinner plate, Flamingo FIESTA luncheon plate, Lemongrass FIESTA salad plate with Noritake Black "Decision" ceramic flatware, and black Artland glassware.

This option uses a purple placemat, Mansfield by Lenox dishware on a gold charger, purple crackle glassware from Pier 1, and a gold and pearl napkin ring.

A few more "just for fun" place settings without the theme napkin:

Apple green "Color Moods" charger by Cris D'Arques holds an Ivory FIESTA dinner plate and Flamingo FIESTA luncheon plate, brown "Clarion" by Lenox glassware, and the popular Bamboo flatware by Cambridge

Pat took the unusual "Color Moods" charger and put white FIESTA dinner plate, Flamingo FIESTA luncheon plate, Lemongrass FIESTA salad plate on a Bamboo charger with Lenox brown "Expresso" glassware.

I challenged Jennifer to use this Burgundy colored charger by Mikasa - she found the print napkin in one of our plastic tubs and here is what she came up with: White FIESTA dinner plate holds a Sunshine Yellow FIESTA luncheon plate, hammered stainless flatware, similar patterned glassware and complimentary solid color burgundy napkin.

Spoiler alert - we are going to use this very simple place setting soon on a table.

And if all of these place settings/tablescapes aren't enough, please take a look at "Table for One" to see the other table that Jennifer created this week. http://tableforonetablescapes.blogspot.com/