Too Much Blue?

When my daughter suggested that we use her Staffordshire “Blossomtime-Blue” dishes for our next "Times Three" tablescapes, I was thrilled, because I have so many blue pieces in my collections. However, I realized, when I began putting this table together that I have very few blue tabletop items that are not cobalt. I have always thought that I had an over abundance of blue items, especially, since my kitchen was blue for many years. I was certainly mistaken! Everything is cobalt and this lovely china of my daughter’s is definitely not that hue.

I used blue napkins that I had previously bought from an online store. I bought them for a future tablescape that my granddaughter and I are going to do together. I was happy to find them in my china cabinet. The napkin rings encircling the napkins were a Dillard’s purchase.

I had a couple of blue votive holders that were purchased at Tuesday Morning.

Then, I remembered that I had my mother’s old Hall China delphinium blue refrigerator pitcher that came with a long ago Westinghouse refrigerator. My family used the pitcher to keep water cold, until the lid broke. The pitcher without the lid is fine for this tablescape – I am using it to hold the flowers for the centerpiece.

If you would like to know more about the Hall China company and the pitchers and food containers for “left-overs” that were included with the purchase of refrigerators, you can visit the Hall China collectors web page, http://hallchinacollectors.com/_sgg/f10000.htm.

The flowers (daylilies, amaryllis, jasmine) in the bouquet were all growing in my yard. Sometimes I write “garden” in my blogs, but I am afraid that it is really just a “yard” with lots of flowers and trees with a beautiful lake in the back. To write that I have a “garden” is quite an overstatement!

Every year, when the daylilies began to bloom, I always think of my friend, Mona, and her family. We lived in the same town for years and her grandmother always grew the most incredible daylilies, which she was always willing to share. I think Mona inherited her grandmother’s “green thumb” and can grow all kinds of beautiful flowers – she, also, writes a wonderful blog that I know you will enjoy. You should visit Mona at her sweet blog: http://hiddenartofhomemaking.blogspot.com.

In setting the table, I first used a Lenox “Solitaire” plate and placed the “Blossomtime-Blue” dinner plate on top. I used the smallish salad plate as a bread plate.

I used my grandmother’s “Presentation” silverplate flatware.

The iced tea glasses are Galway “Longford”.

The Bohemian crystal salt cellars are used with sterling silver salt spoons from Mexico.

The salt served in the cellars is very special. I bought it in Provence in the south of France, when I visited there. Apparently, there are countless arguments among the French as to which region has the perfect salt. There is salt from Provence and there is salt from northern France from the Brittany region. If you would like to learn more about all of the different kinds of salt, I found a web page (http://www.saltworks.us/salt_info/si_gourmet_reference.asp) that explains them. You can even purchase the very salt that I bought in Provence. I am not a gourmet cook, but for those of you who are, this should be fascinating reading!

Well, I guess that I had better stop writing for now, because I found the prettiest Fostoria blue (not cobalt) goblets on the internet. I think that I shall have to order them, because one can never have too much blue!

Diane