Yellow Sunny Branch Tablescape

Yellow is a great color - especially for tablescaping. It makes any table bright and cheery. With that in mind, Pat created a simple, summertime place setting for one.

Over view of the table

Close up of the place setting

Flatware is from Pier 1

The salad and dinner plate match

Sun Yellow Color Spectrum charger is one of my favorites

What could be better than a sunny yellow water goblet?

The white porcelain napkin ring is from World Market



These white milk glass swirled candle holders are from Westmoreland Glass Company

The yellow flower bowl is actually a Waechtersbach Fun Factory soup bowl

One last look at the table

Where it came from:
Yellow Charger - Sun Yellow Color Spectrum by Mikasa from Replacements
Salad and Dinner Plate - Sunny Branch from Pier 1
Bread/Butter Plate - Sunshine Fiesta by Homer Laughlin from Replacements
Cup/Flower Bowl - Yellow Fun Factory by Waechtersbach
Yellow "Thumbprint" Water Goblet - Our Mother's
Champagne Glass - "Bubbles" by Maxwell & Williams from Tuesday Morning
Flatware - from Pier 1 last year
Napkin - Handmade by Pat
Napkin Ring - from World Market
Candle Holders - by Westmoreland Glass Company from eBay
Yellow Candles - Bed, Bath, and Beyond

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

Summertime Challenge

Once again, Cuisine Kathleen of "Let's Dish" (http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/ ) has issued a challenge to all tablescape bloggers. This time? Design a table using Summertime Fun as the theme.

What could be more Summer "time" that going to the beach in your VW Bug, soaking up the rays, and surfing the waves? Remember, we live in California. (Of course, it's Northern California with dangerous undertow so you can't do much surfing in the ocean, there's very little flat beach - most of it is boulders or very poor access where there isn't undertow, and if all that is not enough, the area doesn't really get that hot. EXCEPT this last weekend. We had an all time high record setting temperature for this time of year at [are you ready?] 73 degrees. Yes, that's seventy-three degrees. You have heard me complain before about the heat, but, man, it was warm.)

Anyway, here's the table:

Over view of the table

Close up of the place setting

Pat fell in love with this nifty acrylic napkin ring after seeing it in "Southern Lady" Magazine

Pat used a Fiesta Paprika Dinner Plate, Ivory Luncheon Plate, and Periwinkle Salad Plate

Can you believe it? The VW Beetle is almost the same color as the Dinner Plate.

Tea light candles are pumpkin color

With this color scheme in mind.......

Pat chose this napkin - it coordinates perfectly with the surf boards

One last look

Where it came from:
Round Jute Placemat - Pier 1
Flatware - "Everyday" by Reed & Barton from Bed, Bath, and Beyond
Dishware - Fiesta by Homer Laughlin from Replacements, Macy's, and eBay
Napkin - Handmade by Pat
Beer Stein - Dollar Store
Clear Votive Holders - Bed, Bath, and Beyond
Pumpkin-colored Tea Light Candles - Pier 1
VW Beetle - Ross

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

School Days

School starts in just a week for most of the schools here in our county. So Pat thought it would be fun to do a table to commemorate the day (and celebrate that it's not us that have to go back.....) She started with a plate and used that as her inspiration for the table design.

Over view of the table

Pat selected this plate from the dozens our Mother had. Even though it was the Spring selection of 1954's Norman Rockwell Four Seasons, it reminded her of school days and the innocence of children going to school

Pat tried several different colored chargers but settled on this one since it did not clash with the blue of the goblet and napkin

Although gold flatware usually makes a table extra fancy, this simple pattern works well with the gold rim of the plate and charger to make a more casual setting

What represents school more than "an apple for the teacher"? It also makes a great dessert.

White Portieux water goblet with a sparkling blue wine glass (unknown maker)

Norman Rockwell's "School Days" figurine on vintage school books is a natural centerpiece

Although collector plates are not used to eat from, the addition of a clear glass dinner plate can make any plate usable.

One more view of the table

Where it all came from:
Charger - Mansfield by Lenox from Pat's daughter (and will be returned some year...)
Norman Rockwell Plate - from our Mother's collection ("Four Seasons Illustrations of 1954 - Spring: Young Man's Fancy" by Gorham)
Clear Glass Dinner Plate - by Luminarc from Bed, Bath, and Beyond
Gold Flatware - by F.B. Rogers from eBay
Bread/Butter Plate - Peacock Fiesta by Homer Laughlin from Replacements
White Goblet - Portieux white from eBay
Blue Goblet and Small Vase - from our Mother's collection
Norman Rockwell Figurine - From the "Four Seasons Illustrations of 1949 - Fall: A Scholarly Pace" by Gorham
Burnt Orange candles:  Bed, Bath, and Beyond
Old Schoolbooks - Pat's collection

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

Globe Import Dishes - Something Different

Unless you lived in Humboldt County, CA many years ago, you probably never heard of Globe Imports. It was a treasure of all kinds of merchandise - nothing really expensive, nothing highly sought after, nothing "trendy", just great stuff for all ages. You could find toys, dishes, pottery, clothes, baskets, food, crafts, everything and anything. Better than Cost Plus/World Market any time. It was a sad day when the doors closed. Locals still talk about the great stuff to be found there.....

Well, anyway, long before the doors closed for good (having my dish addiction at an early age....), I purchased some "oriental-style" dishware. Then they sat. For well over thirty years.....until yesterday when Pat pulled them out of the cupboard and set a table for one.

Over view of the table

The place setting - Pat actually used a small tray (that was designed to hold the teapot and cup) as a dinner plate/liner for the soup bowl.

The Jade tree was a gift from our brother to our Mother over forty years ago

This small tray is actually for egg rolls

One last look

Flatware......just in case the chop sticks aren't working so well.....

Where it came from:
Bamboo Placemat - Pier 1 years ago
All Oriental-style Dishware - Globe Imports
Chop Sticks - local Supermarket
Navy Blue Napkin - Bed, Bath, and Beyond
Bamboo Flatware - Shafer's Hardware (a locally owned hardware store that still has all the great stuff old fashion hardware stores used to have)
Jade Tree Arrangement - Our Mother's (a gift from our brother when he was stationed in Japan in 1969-1970)

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