Mama's Castleton

Last weekend my sisters and I visited my parents in Little Rock  When I told them about how much fun I've had viewing all the beautiful tables posted for Tablescape Thursday at Susan's Between Naps on the Porch, they were at first alarmed at my enthusiasm and ready to stage an intervention.  Once I began playing with Mama's dishes, though, they soon became my helpers!  My mother has two Castleton china patterns, Ma Lin and Mayfair.  My father's parents owned a jewelry and gift store in the 1940s and 1950s, so she was able to choose from those they kept in stock when she married.  This week, I'm showing a table set with the Ma Lin pattern.

The table also includes Mama's crystal, Fostoria Navarre, and silver, Reed & Barton French Renaissance. I LOVE this crystal pattern! The shape of the stem is lovely, and the etched pattern is beautiful.

Here's a closer look at the salad plate.

I love this colorful pattern -- so modern looking for one chosen by a bride in 1951!  It will work with napkins and flowers in several different colors.

Here's a "rim shot" showing the gold trim on the edges.

Here's a teacup.  I love patterns that include a design inside the cup.

The centerpiece includes a glass vase of daffodils (three bunches for $5 at Whole Foods!) and yellow candles in Mama's Fostoria double candleholders.

Just for fun, and to add an Easter touch, we added nests of green shredded paper with pastel M&M peanut "eggs." I copied this idea from an earlier Tablescape Thursday post from Marsha at  Marsha's Mpressions.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing Mama's Ma Lin pattern. I'll show her other Castleton pattern in a future post. Be sure to check out the other beautiful tablescapes at Between Naps on the Porch.

Spring Entryway Table Top

For my first Table Top Tuesday (thank you, Marty, for the invitation to participate!), I am showing the table in my entryway. I love blue and yellow, and when my daughter brought me the baby chicks, I knew I wanted to use them for a spring table top. There's some glare in this first photo, but it gives you a glimpse into the dining room, too.

My daughter told me she spotted the chicks at an outlet store and knew I "needed" them.  They won't stand up and look rather tipsy, so perhaps that's why they were at the outlet!

The blue and yellow patterned plate and bowl were from Pier 1 a few years ago, and they're standing on some of my favorite design books, which just happen to be the right color for this table top.

Here is another angle, with less glare from the afternoon sun. I have had the blue glass candlesticks and the small blue footed plate for years.

Be sure to check out the other Table Top Tuesday links at Marty's A Stroll Thru Life.

Grandma Rachel's Wedding China

For my first Tablescape Thursday, I am featuring my paternal grandmother's wedding china, which I inherited along with a list in her handwriting cataloging all the various pieces.  I have a mostly complete service for 24, along with three round and two oval serving bowls, platters in several sizes, sugar and creamer, and my favorite piece, a round covered butter dish.  The pattern is Heinrich H&C Admiral, but I have not been able to find out when it was made.  Grandma Rachel married in 1927.

Today's table is set for four in the dining room, and I'm using the cutwork placemats my daughter brought me from her honeymoon trip to Ireland, as well as some green linen-look napkins.  I don't have any gold-rimmed crystal (yet!), so I'm using my Lenox Moonspun.  The silver is Lunt Belvedere, and the simple centerpiece is a vase of pink tulips.

Here's a closer look at a placesetting.  The pattern includes lots of color, and I've used it with pink napkins and flowers in the spring and gold in the fall.  I had never noticed the little blue flowers on it until I took these closeups!

Even closer...

Here's a look at a teacup with one of two gravy boats in the background.  (Southerners need lots of gravy!)

And here's my favorite, the covered butter dish.  I also have Grandma Rachel's wooden butter mold, but that's perhaps for another post!

And here's my first attempt at a bird's eye view of the table.

I am linking to Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch. Thanks, Susan, for hosting this weekly event that brings us so much pleasure!

Spring Break

We went to Las Vegas for a few days during our Spring Break and had a great time, despite the fact that Charlie was sick. After a long wait to check into Caesar's Palace, we were upgraded to a suite! Here's the living room from the entry area.

Here's the same room from another angle.

The bathroom was huge!

And the bedroom had a nice view.

On our last day there, we had a lovely breakfast at Mon Ami Gabi, in Paris.  The fruit bouquet was good, though not as lavish as the one we'd had on the last trip.

Charlie ordered their famous frites, even though they're not on the breakfast menu.

Spring for the Baker's Rack

I redecorated the baker's rack in the breakfast area for spring last weekend.  New this year are the green polka dot plates from Target.  The oldest items are the little ceramic eggs in the nests, which are 24 years old and have my children's names on them.  I received them at a baby shower for my son just after he was born.

Family Dinner

We enjoyed a family dinner with four generations around the table Friday night.

The tablesetting was simple, using our everyday china (Mikasa Windsor Park) and linens, with a centerpiece of yellow alstroemeria.