My First Tablescape

HERE I GO.....

Today I start a new adventure.  I have entered the ranks of "the tablescaper"!  You see, I have discovered there are others, like myself, who can't go to a department store without making a detour through the china department to cruise the stash of new patterns; or lick my lips at the displays that sparkle only a few steps away from the main walkway leading to the rest of the store.  Visions of mixing and matching of Fiesta plates with colorful patterned salad dishes dance through my head.  This complusion follows me through antique malls, thrift stores, estate sales and even seasonal displays in our local grocery stores and pharmacies!  So, please join me as I share the bounty of my "finds", and enjoy the sense of creativity and happiness that fills me every time I explore my magic hutch and try to change an empty table into a work of art.

MY FIRST PUBLISHED TABLESCAPE (the ever popular Blue and White collection)

I start with a cobalt blue tablecloth I found at our County Fair (it resists spills and wrinkles---perfect for my household!)  Polish Pottery is a favorite of mine.  Don't you love the numerous patterns and how well they coordinate?

This salad plate is a different numbered pattern, but still works with the dinner plate!

I have blue glass items from various places, and thought they would work well with my Polish Pottery pieces.  This is a sherbet dish I found "antiquing" (unfortunately, there were only 5!  I'll use a clear glass dish for me, the hostess!)

The flatware is a Mikasa pattern.  I don't know the name, but I thought the beads outlining it would work well with the dots in the plate pattern.

I added red-checkered napkins to match the red accent dots on the pottery.  Napkin rings are an Old World Market purchase

The centerpiece consists of a Polish Pottery pitcher I found at Home Goods (one of my FAVORITE hangouts!)  The red flowers are from Michael's, and I chose the color to add some color and complement the napkins.  The one blue glass vase with the scalloped top came from a gift shop outside the historic village of Jamestown in Williamsburg, VA.  The other vase came from a glass-blowing exhibit outside the old Ponderosa Ranch (anyone remember "Bonanza"?!) in Lake Tahoe.  I used a blue and white placement to add some more texture to the table.

AND HERE IT IS!!

I'm always happy to have the chance to play with some of my favorite dishes!  Thank you for taking a peek at the first tablescape that somebody outside of the family has seen!!!