Swede

Tablescape: Crowns

 

I put together this little tablescape for my husband and I using one of my favorite objects, a crown.  I remember liking that shape since I was in first grade. I like collecting old ones especially if they are from an European church.

 

 

 

I just purchased this old one which I believe was used in a processional. Inside it has where the pole would be attached.  I liked the aqua stones in it so am pairing it with my aqua bubble goblets called Summer Oasis. They are from Dillard's.

 

I am also using this gold metal crown together with other old world looking objects for the centerpiece.

 

The French dinner plate is from Niderviller and the pattern is called Grande Siecle Henri IV.  It has an irregular shape and I loved the crown motif on the top center with the insignia and the little detail at the plate bottom. The brass chargers my husband inherited from his Mother. In this photo, it is easy to see that the plate is not round.  Sort of a funny shape.

 

The sterling flatware is from one of my favorite companies, Durgin, in the Empire pattern from 1895.  I love the little crown on the top.

 

The Niderviller bread plates are cute too.

 

A close up look at the top.

 

Here are a few items I gathered up from around the house for the centerpiece.

 

I am using napkins from Daniel Cremieux from Dillard's because I liked the gold pattern on the neutral linen. I also like that they are 22" square.

 

I am using my canvas tablecloth again that I have shown many times. I like the rough texture of it.

 

Fun for a dinner for two.

I am participating in Tablescape Thursday this week on the blog Between Naps on the Porch.

 

To see all the entries, after 9:00PM Eastern on Wednesday, go here:

 http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

All the best to you,

Summer

Photos: Swede

 

Gardening: Green Promises

 

My life is filled with green promises.  And promises delivered.

 

Green promise.  Hybiscus.

 

Promise delivered.  Incredible.

 

Green promise.

 

Promise delivered.  Bearded Iris.

 

Green promise.

 

More promise.

 

Promise delivered.  Pink Hydrangea.

 

Green promise.

 

Promise delivered.  Peach double Daylily.

 

Green promise.

 

Promise delivered.  White Trumpet Lily.

 

Lots of green promises.

 

Promises developing.

 

 

Promises delivered.  Cancun Asiatic Lilies.

 

Green promises.

 

Promises delivered.  Joan Senior Daylily.

 

Green promise.

 

Promise delivered.  Lavender common Hydrangea. 

 

Green promises.

 

Promises delivered.  Annabelle Hydrangeas.

Flowers in honor of my parents on this Memorial Day.

Summer

Photos: Swede

 

Heartfelt Thanks: Memorial Day

 

 

My heartfelt thanks to all men and women who gave their lives for our country.

Summer

Photo: Swede

 

Tablescape: Godetia and Gold

 

For this week's tablescape, I am using the colors of gold and magenta. Instead of using objects in the center of the table this week, I decided to do a fresh floral arrangement.  Godetia flowers are nearly a perfect match to my antique china.

 

I purchased five packages of Godetia from my local grocery store to make the centerpiece.  The tag says they were grown in Colombia. 

 

I am cutting greenery and pink Fairy roses from shrubs in my yard. I need two bricks of wet oasis. So for a total of $34, this is what I made.

 

I will show you how I put the centerpiece together further in this post.

I also made the gold shimmery tablecloth with nine yards of Monace satin from Hancock's Fabrics. Since it is metallic, there is a reflection in the photos. It is washable and just happened to be on sale for 30% off the day I was there, so I made it for about $61.  It will fit the table with two of the 22" leaves in it so I can seat 10 people.

 

Below is the china I will be using today.

 

Napkins are 100% hemp from Williams-Sonoma in a magenta colorway. I know you are not supposed to place the flatware on the dinner napkin, but sometimes I break the rules when I don't have much space to work with.

 

Charger is JL Coquet's Hemisphere Matte Gold. It is heavy and very wide.

 

Dinner plate is German Royal York. Magenta with lots of gold.

 

The salad plate is probably English.  It is only marked on the reverse with the retailer's store name with the words B. Nathan, San Francisco.  I purchased these plates with the lidded tureen used for the floral arrangement at an estate sale in the Gold Coast of Alameda, CA around 1995. Those estate sales in the old Victorian homes were always amazing and I miss going to them. All the pieces are hand painted with different flowers on each plate.  This one looks like a Rhododendron or Camellia.

 

Here is the Iris.  There are also Roses, Pansies, etc.  I got them all for $8.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I would have gladly paid $80 or more. They just wanted to clear everything out.  I got to the sale late and found these in a cardboard box underneath a table so most people missed them. One good find keeps me going to more estate sales.

 

Dessert plates are antique Spode Copeland hand painted and signed by R. Wood.  

 

I'm using two pieces of stemware. On the left is Varga's Imperial in raspberry and on the right is a ruby flash stem from Pottery Barn in bubble glass. I guess you would call this hi-low decorating at $325/$11.  I don't care much about the cost of the item but care more about quality, how it looks and the colors. The same for the plates. They can come from Tiffany's or Goodwill as nobody will know but you.  

 

For flatware, I am using William Durgin's Chrysanthemum pattern from 1893. It is as detailed on the reverse side as it is on the front and maybe more. 

 

This is the overall table with the salad plates.

 

A wide view of the dinner plates.

 

And the dessert plates.

 

Dessert is a vanilla cheesecake with strawberries.

 

The cake plate is a Spode/Copeland service plate from a larger set that, unfortunately, has only a few pieces remaining.

 

Lastly, I said I would talk about putting the centerpiece together.

Starting with the five packages of Godetia, I cut greens from the yard.

 

After soaking the oasis, I cut it with a butcher knife to fit the container.

 

I just walk around the yard and find different kinds of greenery that please me. 

 

I have seven of these Fairy rose bushes in the yard, so I clipped some stems that are close to the pink on the inside of the Godetia blooms.

 

This is the container I am going to use. It is the bottom of the lidded tureen that matches the salad plates.  The metal frame I purchased this spring at Texas Marburger Farm antique show. The brass, crystal and marble candlesticks were inherited by my husband from his mother.

 

Notice I placed the oasis so it sticks up above the rim of the dish. That way I can grip the oasis on an angle and have my stems drape over the container sides.  

 

On my kitchen counter, I put the greens in first. Then place the flowers in with numerous triangles until I am satisfied with the spacing.

 

As the Godetia ages, it will unfurl so the blooms will be closer together in the arrangement.

 

I hope you are having an enjoyable week.

I am participating in Tablescape Thursday this week on the blog Between Naps on the Porch.

 

To see all the entries, after 9:00PM Eastern on Wednesday, go here:

 http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

All the best to you,

Summer

Photos: Swede

 

Tablescape: Ocean Blues

 

I know, I know.  Don't chide me.  I told you that I was getting blue out of my house and that I was not going to buy anything new that was blue [except I still like aqua].  But then I came across these turquoise French buffet plates by J. Seignolles that were on sale.  As a tablescaper and dishaholic I couldn't pass them up.  The price was too good.  You know I get weak in the knees over French porcelain.  They are a gorgeous shade of turquoise. That was last year's Pantone color of the year. 

 

Here is the culprit that made me go astray.  This is Jammett Seignolles's pattern Madison with the wider gold edge.  I have shown you in the past the Seignolles Diplomate pattern I have in orchid and peach that have a thinner gold edge and a water color design on the rims.

So then I had to root around in the closets to find something for a centerpiece and decided to use these glass fishing floats. I collected these over a period of years.

 

I used a wide diameter white French Pillivuyt pedestal cake stand from Williams-Sonoma for the floats so they would not roll around on the table.  Then I stopped by Hancock's Fabrics and got eight yards of this 56" wide cotton washable twill, cut it in half [two four-yard pieces] and sewed it back together with a center seam down the middle lengthwise on the table.  It looks like an Icat but is really a tiled pattern. That allowed me to get a width of 110" so it touches the floor on all sides. Because it is washable, I think this tablecloth would work well outdoors.  When I am tired of it, it could be made into little girls' cotton summer dresses.

 

Then I borrowed these two fiberglass pots holding sea coral from the entry foyer console table.  That kept me from needing to buy anything new for the centerpiece or make a floral arrangement of all white flowers. I got the light-weight pots from Home Depot a year or so ago. They are just perfect as cachepots to hide typical florist potted plants that are easy to pick up in the grocery store.

 

I am starting off with these 10" service plates for appetizers since I am going to use the Seignolles plates as dinner plates instead of chargers.  I haven't shown these fish plates before.  They are Rosenthal from Germany and have the names of the fish on the reverse and are signed by the painter.  There are several different species of fish represented in the set.   I believe they are hand painted.  These fish seem longer and thinner than fish painted on my other sets of china.

 

This one is a Blaufelchen.

 

This is called Aesche.

I won't show you all of them, but the one below is a Lachs.

 

And here's an overall view.

 

Damask napkins are a set of 12 that I found at an antique shop. They do not have monograms.  I am using mini seashell clustered napkin rings found at an estate sale that I paid wayyyyy too much for and I am reminded of that everytime I see them in the drawer. I'm sure you have those things too.

 

Blue acrylic flatware is from Pier 1.

 

I am using two tumblers instead of stemware. The one on the right has a handmade glass seahorse embedded into the side.  I found two on the sale shelf at Pier 1 and they called a store in Texas who shipped me enough for a set of 12.  I thought they were very interesting and only $3 each [originally $8]. 

 

Monogrammed bread and butter plates are vintage Limoges. Butter spreaders are from Williams-Sonoma and have various sea life on the handle.

 

For salad, I'm using Richard Ginori's Fiesole rim soup bowl.  I've always wanted some kind of charger to bring out those little turquoise dots on the edge of Fiesole.  Madison is a great match.  

 

There was a time I didn't think much of this pattern because of the browns and blacks in the little rectangle.  But, I have grown to love these little landscapes.

 

Table end view.

 

For dessert, I am using Royal Crown Derby's Lombardy pattern because it, too, has little turquoise enamel dots that need to be brought out.

 

I'm serving a white cake on these plates. With a ruffled edge, they are a bit off-style for an ocean theme, but I like using them because of the color.

 

And, one last view.

 

I am participating in Tablescape Thursday this week on the blog Between Naps on the Porch.

 

To see all the entries, after 9:00PM Eastern on Wednesday, go here:

 http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

All the best to you,

Summer

Photos: Swede

 

Mother's Day 2011

 

 

 

Have a romantically nostalgic Mother's Day.

Summer

 

Tablescape: Just Peach-y Keen

 

Today's tablescape is all about peach.  I went around the house gathering up everything I could find that was peach colored hoping I would find enough to do a tablescape.  I found the inside of some of my seashells was peach toned, I found peach buffet plates and two vases that had a peach color in the design.  I do not have peach placemats nor peach tablecloth, so I used chocolate platemats and Salmon colored napkins by Martha Stewart of handkerchief linen.

 

I placed the shells in the center of the table back to back so people sitting on both sides of the table could look at them equally.  My husband also loves shells and coral and has gifted some of these to me over the years when he has found them.

 

The 14" Chinese vases I purchased last fall at a charity consignment shop. The painted design has several colors that can be pulled out with various accessories. I got the Curly Willow bunches at the Spring Garden Show in Nashville, TN and dried them.  I wished later that I had purchased three bunches instead of two to make the vases fuller.  I also use the vases for long-stemmed flowers from time to time.

 

I have an ongoing love/hate relationship with my dining room table. We have been together since 1983.  I have joyfully sold the 10 chairs that originally went with it.  They weren't what I wanted in the beginning but I couldn't find different ones so after all these years of disliking them, I was so happy to see them go.  In trying to determine whether I should paint the table creme with gold accents, I made a list of pros and cons.  The things I liked about it included the fact that it does not have an apron to get in the way of people's legs and chairs with arms can be pushed under the table. I do like the size which is wide and has three 22" leaves to make it 132" long when I want to seat 12 people.  I like the Henredon quality of how it is made but I think it is out of style even tho it is traditional.  I also like that it is supported with pedestals that don't get in the way and that it is on casters so I can roll it around.  Now the "hates".  The color!  I just don't like brown wood.  Back in 1983 the selection of what was available in a painted table was very limited.  Everytime I get the paint out I have second thoughts that I will definitely "ruin" it by painting it.  But on the otherhand, I worked and paid for it and should  have my way with it if it pleases me, right?  I couldn't sell it for what I have into it. Such a delimna.  One of these days, my paint brush will accidently touch it and then I will have to finish the job.  Such a tough decision to make.  And, yes, I've looked at a million tables to replace it but just can't find one I am in love with.  If I find one I like, I will probably just store this one in case I need to seat 12 or more people again. I also battle with myself that I should be grateful for the table I have.

 

When I want to do a peach theme, I bring in from the living room these Henredon chairs covered in melon plaid moire Schumacher fabric.  I love these chairs and wish I had bought more of them as they have now been discontinued.  I think they are the nicest chairs Henredon ever made.  The size is just fabulous, they have great curves and I Iove the gold leaf crackle finish.  I also bring from the upstairs hallway two Henredon petite wing chairs in plaid silk that matches the drapes for the ends of the table. Last fall I painted the only wall in the dining room Nasturtium by Martha Stewart.  I like having chairs that I can switch around the house.  When I need to go back to neutral white chairs, I love having that option so the fabric doesn't clash with various colors of china that I use.  Sadly, the flat weave Aubusson rug is out of style now too even though I still like it. 

I should also mention that I have a hate/hate relationship with my dining room.  It got "fired" after we moved into the house and switched with the living room.  After many years of that, I got tired of it and decided to switch the rooms back again.  What I don't like about the dining room is that it only has one real wall.  Another wall is windows with plantation shutters and the other two walls are not walls at all but arches that are open to the foyer on one side and open to the hall on the other.  So basically, the dining room is so open that you can't put any furniture in it, not even a hutch or sideboard to store any china.  What is a china addict to do with all that china and no storage????

For today's peach table, I am starting with these peach buffet plates from French maker J. Seignolles.  They are actually called buffet plates not chargers.  I am going to use them today as dinner plates.

 

The placemats are Noble Excellence from Dillard's and are embroidered chocolate on chocolate.  Sterling is Tiffany's 1898 St. James which I dearly love. It was only produced for 14 years and to me it is probably the prettiest pattern they ever made.  Balanced - neither masculine nor feminine and goes with just about every china pattern.  If I had to narrow down my silver collection, I could easily live with just this one pattern.  I started by finding just a sherbert spoon at an antique show in St. Charles, Missouri 25 years ago and then both my husband and I have added to the set over many years.

 

For appetizers or service plates, I always like to start with something unusual.  I love these peach Limoges fish plates sold in a shop in Paris at the turn of the century.

 

I just love the delicious color of the borders.  This fish looks like he is giving us the evil eye.  In the set of 12 there are different species of fish swimming in different directions.  Below are a few more.

 

The one above is swimming to the right.

 

Some are flipping their tails. This one is swimming to the left.

 

Here's how they look on a table set for a small group of six.

 

For this meal, I am using a crystal stem and a tumbler.

 

William Yeoward's Flavia pattern and Slant's leopard.

To serve dessert, I am using French Limoges bird plates from Elite and sold at Higgins & Seiter of New York in the 1890's.

 

Each of the male/female pairs is named on the reverse, such as Ruffled Grouse, etc.  It is interesting that all three plates I am using today were made in France in different decades but all the peach glazes and paints work so well together.

 

These all have a peach sky or background which works for this peach setting.

 

 

 

 

I am participating in Tablescape Thursday this week on the blog Between Naps on the Porch.

 

To see all the entries, after 9:00PM Eastern on Wednesday, go here:

 http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

All the best to you,

Summer

Photos: Swede