Hi Everyone! Classes are winding down and my final session for this semester is tomorrow. It’s been great fun teaching and sharing travel and food with students and friends. We have a three week break and then my hubby and I are teaching a Summer cooking class. Just four weeks and then the rest of the Summer is ours.
Summer will give me time to explore new recipes, new places to visit and new projects to complete around the house. There’s a wooden wine box calling my name right now. I’m not sure what it will become but I’ll have a good time transforming it.
But on to the tablescape pictured above. I used some old Thrift Store finds and some new Thrift Store finds to create this one.
These gorgeous plates were a find from this week. They are Royal Doulton, Carmina. I discovered them in a Humane Society Thrift Store. I really liked the color scheme incorporating soft greens, yellows and blues. The dinner plate has a blue cloud center with a geometric pattern encircling it. The rim is yellow and picks-up on the geometric designs around the center of the plate. The dessert plates come in two different varieties. The first is a depiction of a lemon branch with leaves and fruit. The second is a potted lemon tree. I love how different variations of the primary colors are featured on the dessert plates.
The plates rest on a wooden charger in a pale off-white. Beneath the wooden chargers is a green, textured place mat. I use these often in the Spring and Summer. You can see how well the mats bring out the green in the plates. Everything rests on a newly thrifted round blue tablecloth. I found it this week and it picks up the blue in the plates.
Nicole Miller stainless flatware rests beside the plates. The flatware was a find at a Miracle Hill Thrift Store. When I ran across it I thought it might have been mis-marked. A 5-piece place setting for 8 was under $4. This is actually pretty expensive flatware so I was lucky to find it. I use it all the time. It’s very sleek and not as heavy as my other pattern of everyday flatware.
Here’s a look at the fork and dessert fork. I like how they don’t distract from the plate patterns while adding a quiet presence to the table setting.
I wasn’t quite sure what to use as a centerpiece then remembered I had this rather endearing vintage watering can. It’s a snail in the plate colors of yellow and green. He has a very friendly face and seems to invite you to sit down.
I added some ivy and some bright yellow yarrow to the watering can to further tie it in to the plate colors. He’s a precious little guy and welcome anytime at the table.
I decided to add some additional yellow flowers to the table with a small nosegay at each place setting. Small, clear, cream pitchers, each slightly different, sit on the corner of each woven mat. Yellow flowers are so cheerful.
Yellow napkins with green woven edges reflect the green and yellow on the rest of the table. They are held by napkin rings depicting garden vegetables. A small garden tool, a shovel or a rake was slipped into the napkin ring as a table favor.
The table was kept simple with green, blown glass water goblets. The casual setting invites you to sit and linger over a glass of ice tea or lemonade and enjoy all that Spring has to offer.
Here’s a bird’s eye view of the table. The beautiful china sets a relaxed tone and feeling of fun to the table. Lemon trees, Tuscan sun and gentle breezes come together in this table setting. Enjoy!