Tablescape Times Three: Goodwill

Have you ever had the perfect table setting in your head and thought you had everything you needed to set the table only to realize that you did not? This happens to me frequently and napkins are usually my nemeses! I have lots of different napkins and always think that I can just pull some out at the last minute. However, I have been wrong so many times that you would think that I would learn to plan ahead much better!

This blog is a prime example. I have been planning it for quite a while. I had these interesting Mikasa “Coq D’Oro” plates and thought that I could make a cute breakfast table setting with them.

A green tablecloth went on the table first.

I have ruffled green and gold placemats, so I knew that I could use one of those colors with the plates. I decided on the gold ones.

Green glassware was no problem. I have lots of Fostoria “Mesa” in an olive green color that I chose for my everyday glasses, when I married.

I recently bought these small glasses that I will use for juice on one of my shopping trips to the Goodwill thrift store. I would just like to say that I love shopping there! I always find something interesting to buy.

The rooster centerpiece was a find on the shopping website “Joss & Main”. The first one that I purchased arrived broken and the customer service was incredible! Dealing with Karen there was such a pleasure and it was no time before she had a replacement sent, which arrived in perfect condition.

I searched for a while for rooster napkin rings. I found these awesome ones online at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

All of the pieces were ready. As I added the different layers, I was feeling really good about how the table was beginning to take shape.

Then, it happened! After pulling out napkin, after napkin, I realized that nothing looked just right! My yellow ones were too yellow. The green ones were not olive enough. The red ones did not have enough pink in them. The rose ones were too pink. The white ones did not look right with the centerpiece, which has cream on it. Noooooooo, not again!!!

I was in a hurry and did not have time to spend all afternoon shopping for the perfect napkins, so I settled for ecru ones. They are definitely not what I wanted, but sometimes we just have to settle for what we already have. “The real world” is what my husband calls it – facing the reality that we cannot always have or even find exactly what we want.

Good lesson to learn, but next time I think I will buy the napkins first and plan the whole table setting around them!!

Diane

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(Winner announced here!)

Do you know what prompted this blog to come into being? A very sick little girl.

Spring, 2010

Emma, my daughter and fellow blogger, has been home sick with a bone infection since October of last year. Emma and I, (Andrea), have certainly spent a lot of time in hospitals, at doctors' offices, and at home together and with my mom, Diane. There are only so many entertaining things to do day after day, and that is one reason Emma became more interested in the passion we have for table goodies. When my mom and I spend any time at all together, the conversation inevitably turns to household treasures. It was a good distraction between consultations and treatments. Emma couldn't escape, bless her heart! She has a passion for HGTV, interior design, architecture, and writing, and being able to create and write a little has been good for her. You have certainly given her a big boost in your appreciation for her creations, so we are thinking it's time to give back to you a little.

Based on the feedback on a recent optimistic post, "Outdated Kitchens Can Be Pretty, Too," we decided to expand on that theme. I wanted to show you another lovely look in the same kitchen (my kitchen) with the outdated décor. I am so in love with my outdated kitchen now that I know how to work with it. And guess what! Four of these dinner plates will go to our lucky giveaway winner! I hope to share with you how something that might appear to be very limiting is full of possibilities!

Let's start with the fantastic plates! Noritake made so many different pieces in this pattern, Lineage, including flatware! The dinner plates normally sell for around $20/each on the major websites that sell vintage china, so four of them have a value of around $80. (The giveaway rules are at the very bottom of the page.) These plates have so many beautiful colors, but the green is dominant. Later in the post, I will show you how I could have picked any color to emphasize in these plates, making it easy for me. They go with anything! Blue, red, yellow...even purple! (Pics at the bottom of the post.) But I thought the green would be a challenge in my kitchen. Plus, St. Patrick's Day is this week! So I went with it!

The design reminds me a little of Indian Tree motifs, and the birds are such a great plus! I love that they are oven, microwave and dishwasher safe. Many of my vintage patterns can only be hand-washed, so I don't use them everyday. But this is durable enough for enjoying with my little ones!

These plates were part of a huge vintage set I bought at a local Goodwill. I love them! Can you imagine them in the kitchen from the earlier post?

In the advice from the earlier post, I recommended changing out accessories to give a new look. The first thing I did was change out everything in the cupboard to emphasize the green in the plates. I tried putting in more green than this, but adding other colors helped. I used the oranges to tie it to the peach in the wallpaper. The brown pieces and the pottery were other good accents with the wood in the room.

The little turtle in the front is from one of my children. I have their art all over the house as decoration. They are my favorite pieces.

A few other examples:

But I digress...

The oranges emphasize the oranges and yellows in the plates. And the large ceramic platter was a great TJ Maxx find that I found a while back.

I like the narrow dish which allowed me to add depth. But I have a secret...it's Holiday by Lenox. I placed it on a high shelf and the oranges hide the pattern.

One of the other things I recommended was using flowers as a color focal point. These are certainly a good match!

Are you ready to see the whole table?

I think the changes worked! By the way, the reverseable placemats here are the same ones from the prior post with the pink glass plates. $1.50 each at Big Lots and two great looks!

Do you think these plates would work in your kitchen? In your dining room? Here are some examples of the plates on different placemats of mine.

Yes, that one is actually a mulberry/pink placemat.

Really was surprised the green and purple one worked so well.

I hope you like them as much as I do!

And now for the Giveaway Rules:

The giveaway is for these four dinner plates. Click any of the Amazon links below and and find a great product to go with these plates on your dinner table. It can be flatware, goblets, linens, a centerpiece, etc.

Search Amazon.com

In the comment section below, leave a description and a link to what you found. You can leave one comment a day from Saturday, March 12 at 6pm EST to Sunday, March 20, 12pm EST. Each comment will equal one entry. We will use a random number generator to select the winning entry. (My doctoral program was in statistics, so I think it's a pretty good system!) The winner will be announced no later than March 21 along with a posted email for you to send us your shipping address.

Have fun and Good Luck! Happy St. Patrick's Day! (My mother, Diane, created a very pretty Irish tablescape for St. Patrick's Day here.)

-Andrea

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