Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Rebecca's Birthday Luncheon

What do you do when it's your dish buddy's birthday and she lives on the other side of the country? Hold a luncheon in blogland, of course! Rebecca, I hope you're ready for a round of parties today, because after our luncheon you're expected at The Little Round Table, Random Musings of a Deco Lady, and Dishing With CaraFaye. We Tablecloth Divas have missed 'scaping with our fellow diva of late, so lots of tabletop fun is flowing today!

Rebecca and I both like tropical and sea 'scapes, so let's start with a Simtex Clambake tablecloth.



Aren't these sea creatures just the cutest?





Now let's add some of Rebecca's favorite contemporary Fiesta color, lemongrass, some accessories, and voila!









These vintage pink fish dishes were imported from France for a line called Peasant Village. They're just perfect for a little shrimp salad.



The Fiesta cake serving set (perched on an inverted hostess bowl) is ready for the birthday cake. These adorable fish napkin rings from Italy were a gift from a Dish Fairy. I had been waiting for a special occassion to use them, and today is just perfect. They hold vintage napkins in case you need a little help with your crumbs!





Happy Birthday, Rebecca! I hope you have a wonderful day, and I'm looking forward to the next luncheon that we share.





Other items on the tabletop include glassware, demitasse cups & saucers (for our Seattle's Best coffee), salt & pepper shakers, prep bowls, serving utensils, and a disk pitcher from the post-86 Fiesta line. The luncheon plates are Fiestaware 2000, and the flatware is Royal Rope by Gibson.

I'm also inviting all the good folks from Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch to the party.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Spring Transformations

Beautiful blooms are enhancing the surfaces in my living and dining rooms while we wait for Spring flowers to arrive outside here in New England. Before we get started with this Spring tour, you can see how these rooms looked at Christmas by visiting this Transformations post from December.

Ready to see the new looks?



I really like the purple blue color against the yellow, and the fragrance is amazing!



Colorware and floral decals are in the built-in shelves.



The matte green pieces on this shelf are a Homer Laughlin line called Wells Art Glaze. The ivory pieces on the next shelf are Century. The demitasse cups and saucers have a lily decal and hand painted accent stripes.




These dishes are the Homer's Oven Serve line. You've been seeing a lot of this early oven-to-table line on the tabletop lately thanks to my dish friend Rebecca, who sent me the hard-to-find yellow salad plates and teacups. Thanks so much, R!



Want a closer look at some of the deco details on the dishes? These Alley Agate Conchita children's dishes remind me of Harlequin.











Let's step through the archway to the dining room.



There's also a riot of Spring on the Hoosier.











The topiary is a souvenir from the Boston Flower Show, situated far away from hungry kitties. The Bakelite napkin rings will be making an appearance on my Easter table in April.









Let's conclude our tour with one last look at the flowers and the ivy, after all it's all about the blooms at this time of year!









I'm sharing this mini home tour for Tabletop Tuesday at A Stroll Through Life.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Sunday Favorite: Here Comes Peter Cottontail...

I'm sharing this Easter favorite from 24 March 2010 for Sunday Favorites at Happy to Design.

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Here comes Peter Cottontail...biking across my tabletop.

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And he's got a basket full of goodies.

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I think he's right at home in this field of sweet peas.

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He's found post86 Fiesta dinnerware in heather, rose and periwinkle topped by a glass Crate & Barrel bunny at each place. The bunnies are filled with jelly beans! And they look great with Pier One Mexican glass in green.

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My great-grandparents' Gorham Buttercup sterling from 1907 rests on contemporary napkins and continues the floral theme for each diner.

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Thanks for visiting my tabletop, Mr. Rabbit!

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Happy Easter!

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In honor of Peter's visit, I'm joining Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps On The Porch for the first time. Do take a look at all the beautiful tables gathered there.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Gone Fishin'

How about a little visit to Wilendur Pond for the new season?





It's a little rainy out, but the fish are biting!





















Need a little rest? Sit back in the Adirondack chair and let me tell you about the dinnerware and accessories.



This tabletop features vintage Chicken of the Sea premium fish plates, tuna bakers and salt & pepper shakers. These pieces are attributed to Hollydale Pottery of California. The colored plates are bit of a rarity. They do not contain the Chicken of the Sea mark, so they may be employee creations. Standard issue fish plates come in a lovely matte ivory glaze, and as luck would have it, Candy is featuring these beauties today on The Little Round Table. Do pull up a chair at Candy's to see the ivory fish and the advertising for the pieces.

Other items on the tabletop include a vintage Wilendur tablecloth, Harlequin candleholder, Riviera handled tumblers, pitcher and vegetable bowl, a Kitchen Kraft pie plate, Bakelite flatware and contemporary napkins and napkin rings.

Want more of the Chicken of the Sea premiums? Check out Two Fish, Four Fish, New Fish, More Fish, Warm Menu, Fish Take Manhattan, Fish Three Ways and Winter Beach.


I'm sharing this Spring field trip for Tabletop Tuesday at A Stroll Through Life and for Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch.

I wonder where else this season will take us?