Miya's Table

I noticed a truck pulling up to the home of my friend and neighbor, and knew that she had been to Colorado to empty out her Mom's home.  Miya, her Mom, had passed away and my friend had been through the difficult process of saying good-bye to family treasures.  I followed her into her garage and she presented me with two boxes.  Her request was for me to develop a tablescape using her Mom's dishes.  I had known Miya from her visits over the years.  She was a lively woman, full of personality and warmth.  Her life stories were fascinating.  She was of Japanese descent and had been relocated with her family to an internment camp during World War II.  We were always riveted by her tales of a time that tested courage, strength of family, and resiliency of the human spirit.  I opened up the boxes of plates, and knew that I wanted to dedicate a table to the memory of Miya, by honoring her dishes.  Here is what I came up with:

Here's How It Was Created:

I started with a cream-colored lace tablecloth.  I felt that the delicate pattern around the plates' borders would be best complemented by a vintage feel to the table.

I started my dish stack with a gold charger from Big Lots.  There is a small band of gold around the plates, and the chargers accent this.

The dinner plate comes next.  See the pretty floral pattern?  And note the bi-color of the plate.  The center is white, but a cream color extends to the edge.  It is labeled Kikusui China, Made in Japan.   My friend told me these plates were used as "everyday" dishes.

Next comes the bread and butter plate. In this setting, I opted to use the small plate as a salad plate, instead of its intended use; hence, its placement in the dish stack instead of at the top of the place setting.

    The soup bowl comes next.

This is the total place setting.  It is completed with gold stainless flatware that was loaned to me by my cousin.  My Mikasa stemware holds a yellow linen napkin that mirrors the yellow flowers in the floral swag of the plates.

My centerpiece consists of a crimson metal-crafted rose sculpture that stands on a marble base.  This was a gift from my husband when we were dating, and I treasure it.  Since this table reflects sentimentality, it seemed fitting to include it.  I also felt that the crimson color of the flower went well with the crimson color in the border of the plates.  I used crystal martini glasses as tealight holders, because I remember that when Miya came to visit her daughter, we would enjoy her company having cocktails together before dinner, and be enchanted by her life stories and sweet laughter.

I added additional crystal accents to the table to achieve a formal feeling to the entire tablescape.


Here are some extra pictures of the table:

I hope that I have honored the memory of this very special lady by highlighting her lovely china that she shared with her family every day.  I'm sure there are many memories associated with these dishes that saw and heard many years of family joys and sorrows as they gathered around the table.  When you think of it, that's why this hobby is such a special one.  We create special havens for our families to come to the table and be a part of a moment in time that is the history and fabric of a family.  Maybe that's why dishes mean so much to us:  they are not just vessels of different shapes and colors to hold food, but palettes that reflect our family gatherings.  And this was Miya's table.


I'll be joining Susan at  www.betweennapsontheporch.net for Tablescape Thursday.  Be sure and stop by to see all the wonderful postings there!

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Blue (and White) Monday

I heard an interesting "Commentary" on a news channel Monday Night.  The reporter was mentioning that the first Monday after New Year's is known as "Blue Monday".  Apparently, studies have shown that because the holiday season is all over; because school and work places are generally back to a normal schedule; because most geographic areas are dreading the impending long, cold stormy winter season; because people have made resolutions they are already having difficulty keeping; because visitors have headed home leaving a void in the house; because houses have lost their holiday finery and look empty by comparison;  because holiday bills start showing up in the mailboxes and financial reality sets in, the phenomenon of "Blue Monday" has been noted.  I decided to ward off this scenario,  personally, by planning a tablescape.  The design process always makes me happy, and is sure to dispel any blues.

Here is my Blue (and White) table for Blue Monday:

Here is how it was created:

    I started with a white placemat from Macy's.

My dish stack began with white scroll chargers I found at Maryland China Co. I ordered three that were labeled as seconds and one that was from the regular inventory, and, honestly, I couldn't tell the difference! (except in the price!)

The blue dishes belong to my cousin who let me borrow them for this tablescape. They are labeled Liberty Blue:  Historic Colonial Scenes Printed on Staffordshire Ironstone.  The dinner plate depicts 
"Independence Hall".

Next comes the salad plates that depict "Monticello".

The stack is topped by a small bowl depicting "Betsy Ross".  I really like the craftsmanship of these plates.  The engraving is well done, the blue color is so pretty (it actually doesn't photograph as pretty as it really is) and the beautiful floral border is just lovely.  They really do honor well the history of our nation.

I'll be planning tea for this meal, so I added the cup and saucer to each place setting.  They depict "The Old North Church".

     I also added a water glass that is Mexican glass and was found at Pier One.

The table setting is complete with navy blue napkins from World Market and porcelain napkin rings that I found while out antiquing.  I used my Mikasa flatware.

My centerpiece is made up of a lace doily topped with candle holders from Hobby Lobby and a wonderful flower pot that was a Christmas gift from a dear friend.  She found it in Montana and it is one of the most unique pieces of pottery I think I have ever seen.  She also included the A "Winter Rose" Poinsettia as part of the gift.

Since I'm planning tea, I'm using a favorite teapot of mine that was a birthday gift.  Its pedestal was bought on our trip to Florence, Italy.



Here are some additional photos of the table:

Do you think this table could keep away those "Blue Monday" blues?  Do you agree this
phenomenon exists?  I hope that everyone's first week after all the holidays is a good one, and filled with anticipation of all the things that a new year promises.


I'll be linking up to www.betweennapsontheporch.net.  Thank you, Susan, for hosting Tablescape Thursday!


I love reading your comments, and will respond to them, but until I learn how to fix it, you have to come back to my site to read the response!  If you'd like to become a follower, just go to the top of my blog and fill in your email address by "Follow by Email", then hit "Submit".

Here We Go Again!

It's hard to believe, but 2013's Holiday Season is about to end.  Tomorrow night at midnight we'll be toasting in a New Year and the chaos of Christmas shopping, decorating and entertaining will be a fading memory.  What won't be so easily forgotten are the good times that were shared during this holiday and the joy that spending time with family and friends can bring.  As a New Year begins, it also becomes a time when we look at the empty slate of the next year, and relish in the thought of new beginnings.  In our family, there will be a new granddaughter in April, a new "niece-in-law" in June, a planned trip to Europe, an exciting political race in a local election for my husband and all the ups and downs in a family's life when there are four daughters, four sons-in-law, five granddaughters and two grandsons!  There will be the ever-present resolutions (more exercise, less calories, more home organization, less "sweating the small stuff"!).  There is something that is comforting about the constancy of this time of year; even in the face of so many unknowns yet to come.  So, this table celebrates our final holiday of 2013.  Out come the silver and crystal to say, "HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!"

Here's the finished product:

Here's How It Was Created:

I started with a silver placemat found at Ross on the clearance table!

I added one of my daughter's new plates she got at Home Goods. It is labeled Gibson Home.

This was topped with salad plates I gave her for Christmas (also from Home Goods) and labeled Grace's Teaware.

To remind us this celebration is about TIME, I borrowed an idea from the website, "Creatively Sam's", posted on 12/17/13.  I copied a clock face from Google and placed it atop the salad dish.  I opted to leave off the hands because I wanted everyone to pick their own special hour about which to reminisce.

I finished the stack with crystal sherbet dishes that were given to us at our wedding.

This is the place setting, accented with my Mikasa flatware and Waterford champagne flutes that my husband has bought me over the years as Christmas gifts.  I wanted some height to the table, so I placed inside the flutes, the white linen napkins that are embroidered in silver and wrapped in a silver napkin sheath (from Pier One).

The centerpiece was inspired by my recent viewing of Walt Disney's "Frozen".  What a GREAT MOVIE; highly recommended for the grandkids, although the Snow Monster was kind of scary for little ones.  But the storyline, music and ending message were terrific.  Anyway, I wanted a look of snow, ice crystals and sparkle.  I started with a silver table runner, Christmas gifted from one of my daughters.  Then added a silver garland of leaves picked up at the clearance table at Ross.  I draped the garland in tulle for an ethereal, cold mist effect.  The trio of crystal candleholders is a long ago gift from a dear friend, and I placed silver-embossed votive candle holders also found on that great Ross clearance table!  I raided my Christmas tree for the snowflakes!

The crystal accents (the tree and nutcracker) were past Christmas gifts from special friends who know how much I appreciate holiday decorations!



Here's the table again with a few additional photos:

Wishing everyone a wonderful New Year full of good health and the making of happy memories!

I'll be linking up to Kathleen at Let's Dish at  www.cuisinekathleen.com and
    Susan's Tablescape Thursday at www.betweennapsontheporch.net


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A New Holiday, A New Mantle

Living in Southern California, we don't see too many changes in the seasons. The first days of fall usually mean high temperatures, sometimes accompanied by howling Santa Ana Winds which can wreak havoc in the mountains and passes and threaten neighborhoods no matter where they are located.  There are some cool days (sometimes children have to wear layers under Halloween costumes!), and November is a mixture of warm days that start out with cool mornings.  December is characterized by downright cold mornings (it was 39 degrees last week!),  brightening to comfortable afternoons. I understand Christmas Day this week will reach 80 degrees by afternoon!  I hope Santa has headed home by then, or that red suit could get mighty uncomfortable!!  I mention all this, because I use my mantle in my living room as the focal point that lets everyone know which season we are in, since the weather is not a predictor of what point we're at on the calendar!!

Here's how we knew it was almost Thanksgiving time, because the mantle looked like this:

Now I've changed the mantle to reflect the Christmas season:

These stocking hangars are from the Jefferson Brass Co. in Virginia and they hold the stockings we need for our growing family which includes my hubby and myself, our 4 daughters, 4 sons-in-law, and 8 grandchildren. (We're gonna need a bigger mantle!)

This Waterford tree topper was a wedding present from a dear friend 25 years ago.  It was a perfect wedding gift because we were married in December!

We used this tree topper for many years until we changed to a large star that now sits atop our tree. However, this topper holds many special memories for myself and my daughters, so I give it a "place of honor" during the Christmas holidays.

This crystal tree and nutcracker were gifted to me by dear friends over the years who
understand how important holiday decorating is to me.

So, there may not be fall leaves turning color and falling to the ground.  There may not be a brisk breeze heralding the change of season from summer to fall.  There may not be swirling snowflakes and icicles hanging on for dear life to the edges of roofs signaling winter and Christmas are approaching, but my mantle lets everyone know what season we are in!

Enjoy your Christmas week, everyone!!

I'll be linking up to Susan's Metamorphosis Monday at www.betweennapsontheporch.net


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