Black and Blue All Over!

The Blossomtime Blue by Staffordshire was one of those eBay deals too good to pass up!  It was the most recent décor in my kitchen cupboard. You can see it in the background in the Mother's Day tablescape.

I just love this china! At first, I wanted to use my brown Fostoria with it, but I used brown in some form or fashion for the last couple of three-way tablescapes. It's funny to me that I always go straight for the brown when I think of the three-way tablescapes because I don't normally use it that much.  I suppose I think of it because I know it isn't a color that my mom or Emma is likely to use. But all of this didn't really occur to me until after I shot the table. Here is a pic from the first go-round.  

Though I love this table, I really thought it was too similar to recent posts. I guess I will save the pictures for the file.  Maybe sometime down the line, I will need an extra post. I think bloggers everywhere have those weeks!

In the end, I decided to go with black. I have been wanting to do a black and blue table for a while, though I was thinking about completely different patterns. In the end, I am sooo happy with the way this one turned out!

The Royal Stafford Blacksmith plates were TJ Maxx finds a few months ago. Because the dinner plates are jumbo-sized, they made great chargers for the Blossomtime Blue! 

In my post "You might be a tablescaper if...", I mention that I have spreadsheets that include plate measurement information. It is really helpful! It might save you a few trips up and down the ladder if you know in advance that plates are too close to the same size to layer. Or likewise, it might give you ideas when considering what is stackable. I think this combination was really nice.

The detailed designs on the plates are really pretty.

The animal glasses were also purchased at TJ Maxx. 

Tuesday Morning provided the napkins, place mats, and the vase, (which is actually a tea light holder). I think the vase and the glasses are a close enough match.

I LOVE the place mats - not only because they have black and blue, but because they are one of those designs I can see using with all kinds of china, formal and informal. They add a lot of depth to the table.

  

I have the matching napkins, but I like the combination with the more casual, checked napkins. The matching napkins made the tablescape too dark, no matter where I placed them on the table. I felt the same way with black goblets on the table.

I have to share one funny thing with you, though. This year is a cicada year where I live. Anytime during daylight hours, they are whirring like crazy outside. They molt, and there were a good many cicada shells on my porch screen prior to shooting this table. I have never had that problem as we have only lived here for 12 years, and these cicadas are the 13-year variety. I tried tapping the screen to make them fall off with no luck. I thought I was going to have to get a BIG ladder outside to remove them. However, I ended up using a toothpick to poke through the holes in the screen to dislodge the legs. It took just a few minutes to removed twenty-something of them. I am guessing the ladder idea would have taken a bit longer. Besides, I am pretty sure we don't have a ladder tall enough. To read more about cicadas, click here. The sound during the day is enough to drive you mad - even indoors. Here is a pick of one that fell on my car today: 

He was ok, just a little black and blue maybe!

Have a great week!

-Andrea