1973 was the year Franciscan China brought out Picnic - a big, bold, brazen pattern that is heavy and different from other dishware of that period. The color and style is reminiscent of that decade. Remember the avocado green shag carpet craze? The Jetson's space aged house? The green and yellow color is the first thing you notice when you see the pattern. Picnic's salt and pepper shaker combination form a futuristic mound. The water goblet is straight out of George Jetson's kitchen. Most of the pieces are conspicuously over-sized.
Although not everyone's choice of dishware, Picnic can still make a nice family friendly tablescape. Pat chose it as this week's inspiration pattern. She realized that too much of this pattern can be over whelming. So, she mixed other dishware to "tone" is down a little. And to make it just a little different, Pat set each table as if it may have been set during three different decades since 1973 to show it can be fun and versatile (and timeless, too? Well, no, not really.....)
The inspiration pattern:
Over view of the tables:
Dinner in the 1970's
Breakfast in the 1990's
Dinner 2013
Details of each table:
Table One - Dinner in the 1970's was a simple event. Nothing fancy. Probably coffee and/or milk was served with the meal. No individual courses. No fancy napkin fold. Pat did add a bright yellow charger and used a lime green napkin for additional color.
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Simple, inexpensive stainless flatware
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The piece piece place setting
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The bright yellow charger is Sun Yellow Color Spectrum by Mikasa
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Pat used a clear water glass with the futuristic "George Jetson"-style goblet
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The cup and saucer are the only pieces in this pattern of "average" size
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This tall vase was used to balance the extra large coffee pot
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The coffee pot is a huge, hefty 11" tall and when filled with coffee, extremely heavy
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Table Two shows a possible breakfast setting from the 1990's. (Sorry, we used a current newspaper.)
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Flatware is "Vault" by Gourmet Settings (satin finish with smooth handles)
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The five piece place setting
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The butter dish (big enough to hold a pound of butter - not just a cube)
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Small pitcher is actually a gravy boat
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Pat used simple glassware - "Samba" by Libby
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The mug is lime green "Playa" by Tabletops Gallery
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Small 17" white napkin is held by a Lime Green Napkin ring (our favorite - PVC pipe spray painted with plastic friendly Fusion spray paint)
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No dinner plate here - Pat used the ample salad plate
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Debris from the devastating March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan started arriving on the North Coast of California last month
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Table Three was set for use anytime.
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Flatware is Noritake Iron Brown - ceramic and stainless
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The five piece place setting
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The yellow napkin is held by a lime green flower napkin ring
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The place setting starts with a Franciscan Picnic Bread and Butter plate
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The next layer is a Fiestaware Sunflower Yellow Luncheon plate by Homer Laughlin
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Holding it all is the over sized dinner plate
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Pat started with a hand woven rattan charger that is almost 15 inches across
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The Bread and Butter plate is Fiestaware Sunflower Yellow
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Some describe the salt and pepper shakers as a "mushroom"
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The flower arrangement sits in a Picnic pitcher/gravy boat
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Pat mixed a Lenox Expresso water goblet with an inexpensive Dollar store flute
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One last look
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Where is came from:
Picnic Dinnerware - by Franciscan China from my personal collection
Fiestaware - by Homer Laughlin from Macy's
Noritake Flatware - "Iron Brown" from Walsh's (a local store long, long out of business)
Vault Flatware - by Gourmet Settings from Bed, Bath, and Beyond
Over sized Rattan Chargers - from Costco years ago
Yellow Placemat - from Bed, Bath, and Beyond
Napkins - Hand made by Pat
Newspaper - our local daily newspaper ("The Times-Standard")
