Wedding China

I've been looking forward to seeing all the links at Cuisine Kathleen this week, because she challenged us to show our wedding china.  I decided to show you ALL the wedding china chosen or inherited by my grandmothers, mother, mother-in-law, daughter, daughter-in-law -- and, of course, MY wedding china! 

My very first tablescape post four years ago featured my Grandma Rachel's wedding china, Heinrich H&C's Admiral pattern, which I have inherited.  Grandma married in 1927 and was given 24 placesettings of this pretty pattern by her family and friends.  I treasure her handwritten list of all the pieces she owned and keep it in a locked box along with our marriage certificate and birth certificates.  Here's a closeup of the pattern from my recent Touch of Pink post.  I have found this pattern to be very versatile, using it with greens and golds, as well as pink.

My maternal grandmother did not have wedding china, to my knowledge.  She and my grandfather eloped!  I do remember her colorful everyday Fiestaware and wish I had inherited some of it.  I have fond memories of hearty breakfasts served on those dishes at her kitchen table.

My mother, who married in 1951 (and who with my dad will celebrate their 63rd anniversary this month!) has two pretty wedding china patterns, both from Castleton.  I've had fun playing with her dishes when I visit, going so far as to bring table linens with me on the plane!  I think both of her patterns look very fresh and modern.  Here is her Ma Lin pattern:

 And here is her Mayfair pattern:

My mother-in-law chose Haviland's Rosalinde as her wedding china, and now our daughter has inherited it.  We have enjoyed setting modern tables with this beautiful traditional pattern.

I married in 1972, and I chose a "good" china pattern, Lenox Windsong, along with crystal (Lenox Moonspun) and silver (Lunt Belvedere).  I still love this pattern and set my Easter table with it this year.  Below is an earlier table set with my wedding china, crystal, and silver.

I also chose an everyday pattern, Royal Doulton Fireglow.  I still own these dishes, but we no longer use them every day.  I do enjoy pulling them out occasionally, though!

As I mentioned earlier, our daughter inherited her grandmother's Rosalinde, but she chose an everyday pattern when she married in 2000.  I really love her Villeroy and Boch Switch 3 pattern.

Our daughter-in-law, who married our son in 2010, inherited a large collection of Johnson Brothers' Friendly Village from her grandmother.  When I went to help out after our granddaughter's birth, I enjoyed setting a Christmas table with this delightful pattern.

And there you have it -- four generations of wedding china!  It will be fun to see the china patterns my young granddaughters choose when they grow up!

A New Look for Old China

The inspiration for this table came from the March-April issue of Southern Lady magazine.  I had never bought that magazine before, but after browsing through it in the store, I discovered that it included a lot of things that interest me.  Who knew I was a Southern lady?  I mean, I AM Southern -- an Arkansas native who has lived in four other southern states  -- and most of the time I TRY to act like a lady, but my image of myself doesn't exactly match the real Southern ladies I know.

ANYWAY.  The magazine had a feature titled, "A New Look for Old China."  As I read further, I realized that MY wedding china -- selected in 1972 --  is considered old.  All of the featured tablesettings paired patterns from the 60s, 70s, and even 80s (weren't they just a couple of years ago?) with modern elements to update them.  Here's the photo that caught my eye, as it most closely resembles my Lenox pattern.

I really liked the combination of geometric-patterned linens with the "old" china, so I set out to look for some to go with my china.  After failing to find any ready-made placemats in the right colors, I went to Joann's and found some fabric that I liked.  I cut it to size and hemmed the edges of two table runners and four napkins. Here is the table I set with the new linens.

Here's the placesetting with my Lenox Windsong china and Lunt Belvedere silver.

Here's a close-up of the pattern.  The turquoise blues in the fabric are a good match for the center of the flower in the plate borders.

Peach roses in julep cups made a nice contrast for the turquoise blue.  My crystal is "old," too -- Lenox Moonspun, a pattern I share with several of my favorite bloggers who married around the same time.

 I like the reflected pattern in the julep cup!

Another view of the table.

The wonderful candelabra was a surprise gift from my husband, who spotted it in a catalog and thought I needed it.  It adds another modern touch to a table set with old china! 

Thanks, Southern Lady magazine for the inspiration!  I'm over being insulted by learning my china -- and I -- are old.  Mostly.

I will be linking to Cuisine Kathleen's Let's Dish and Between Naps on the Porch, so be sure to stop by to see many pretty tablescapes!

Easter Table

The inspiration for this table was a set of these cute nests my youngest sister sent me last spring.  I used them last year for a casual outdoor table, but I wanted to try them with my wedding china for Easter this year. 

The pale turquoise eggs bring out the turquoise centers of the flowers in the china pattern.  My sister also gave me the brown placemats, which echoed the color and texture of the nests.

 Once I had the places set, I started to think about a centerpiece.  I decided to go with a bright contrasting color, and I found these hot pink carnations at HEB.  Five fit nicely into each julep cup.

Four of the smallest blossoms were placed in the napkin rings, a gift from my daughter.  They hold turquoise napkins.

Here's a view of the tabletop.  Tall cream-colored candleholders and pillar candles add some height.

Here are some more views of the table. 

Here are the details:
China:  Lenox Windsong
Crystal:  Lenox Moonspun
Sterling:  Lunt Belvedere
Placemats, nests, and napkin rings:  Color (Nashville)
Tablecloth:  formerly my mother-in-law's
Napkins and candles:  Pier 1
Julep cups:  Fifth Season (Little Rock)
Candleholders:  gift shop (Salado, TX)

Thank you for visiting my table this week!  I will be linking to Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch, so be sure to visit to see lots of pretty tables!

Easter Sunday Dinner

Are you tired of seeing tables set for Easter? I'm not! I have really enjoyed seeing all kinds of Easter tables -- whimsical, elegant, casual, formal, outdoor, or what-have you! I appreciate the inspiration from so many talented tablescapers and always look forward to Tablescape Thursday at Susan's Between Naps on the Porch.

I've pulled out my "good stuff" for this table -- my wedding china, crystal, and silver chosen almost 40 years ago -- plus some newer finds.  Here's the view from the kitchen doorway. 

A little closer look:

 

The placesetting starts with some new placemats and napkins from Pier 1 in a pale shade of turquoise.  They look almost baby blue in these photos, for some reason.  The china, Lenox Windsong, includes flowers in the same shade.  The crystal is Lenox Moonspun (and is shared by several bloggers who married around the same time we did!), and the silver is Lunt Belvedere. 

Here's a diner's view:

The table is centered with candles and small arrangements of cream-colored roses and alstroemeria in silverplate julep cups. The roses were $7.99 a dozen this week at HEB, and I filled in with the alstroemeria for a "fluffier" look.  The roses opened up after I took these photos -- I was too impatient!

Here's a different angle:

Thank you for visiting my table this week!  I hope you will leave a comment before you leave to visit all the wonderful tablescapes at Susan's Between Naps on the Porch!

 

Christmas 2010

I hope everyone is having a lovely and relaxing day-after-Christmas!  I plan to sit with my feet up all afternoon, if I can get away with it. We had a wonderful couple of days with our family.

Our daughter and her family arrived Christmas Eve morning, and our son flew in that afternoon.  My father-in-law joined us that evening for dinner.  Here are a few photos of the table I set for that meal.

I've had the plaid tablecloth for years.  I really like the emerald green glasses with it -- they first belonged to my husband's grandparents, then his parents, and now they've been passed down to us.  I believe they were originally a grocery store premium, but they have a lovely shape and wonderful color. The pattern is called both Inspiration and Burple, from what I've read about them.

I used my Christmas china, Dansk Winterfest, again for this table.  I have napkins that match the tablecloth, but they get lost in a sea of plaid, so I used some white ones tied with red and green cording. You can also see the tree-shaped placecard holders I featured in an earlier post.  My granddaughter wrote our names on the placecards when she arrived.

The centerpiece is almost the same as the one in my last tablescape, with the addition of some fresh greenery and some glittery green ornaments. 

Here's a view with the candles lit.

My adorable grandchildren posed for the obligatory Christmas pajamas photo before going to bed that night.

The men of the Dull and the Dutiful family opened matching shirts on Christmas Eve, which they wore on Christmas Day. From the left, my father-in-law, my husband, our son, and our son-in-law.

The grandchildren also dressed festively for Christmas Day.

My wonderful daughter gave me some gorgeous placemats and napkin rings for Christmas, so I quickly incorporated them into our table for Christmas dinner..

The centerpiece was simple -- just evergreens with white mums and green hypericum berries in a glass and silver bowl.

The new placemats are sparkly silver with ruffly edges, and the clear acrylic napkin holders have a small opening to hold flowers or other small items. I used more of the white mums and greenery for this table, and I'm looking forward to using these special holders on many tables in 2011!

Here's a look at the placesetting, with my wedding china, silver, and crystal. 

Here's another look at the table.

And here is my family, all waiting for pie after the meal!  We were blessed to have four generations around our table this year.  Clockwise from left are my father-in-law, our daughter, our grandson, our son-in-law, my husband, our granddaughter, and our soon-to-be-married son.  The wedding is now just a few days away!

Thank you for visiting! I hope you'll leave me a comment before you go!

White Christmas

Kathleen of Cuisine Kathleen is hosting a White Christmas/Winter White party this week, so I did my best to set a table with only off-white, silver, and greenery.  If you've visited any of my tablescapes before, you know that I really like a lot of color, but this was a good challenge for me.  Be sure to visit Kathleen this week to see other White Christmas participants' tables!

I started with a textured pale ecru tablecloth and my Lenox Windsong, which has a subtle pattern and a platinum rim, and my silver, Lunt Belvedere.

To complete the setting, I added the matching napkins, tied with a sheer silver ribbon, and my crystal, Lenox Moonspun, a pattern several others in the tablescaping tribe also have.  I know that Debbie of Words on Wheels, Laurie of Bargain Hunting and Chatting with Laurie, and Sue at I Need Mom! all  have Moonspun.  I'd love to know if any others have it!

Each placesetting also includes a sparkly silver tree as a placecard holder.  Here's a closeup of one of them. I also have them in sparkly green.  I think I bought them at Fifth Season in Little Rock a few years ago.

For a simple centerpiece, I started with a pretty silver sandwich tray that belonged to my in-laws and added three cream pillar candles, clippings cut from the bottom of our Christmas tree, and some silver ornaments. Here's a bird's eye view.

The sandwich tray has very unusual claw feet!  I like this shot with the spiral shadow from one of the placecard holders.

Here's a view of the whole table, set for six.  I'll expand the table for Christmas, when we'll have eight family members -- and four generations -- around the table.

In this view, you can see the sideboard, with the blue and silver that I'm using in the dining room this year.  My son is getting married soon after Christmas, on our 38th wedding anniversary, and the wedding colors are blue and silver.  "Presbyterian hymnal blue," to be specific!  That's the color the bridesmaids will be wearing, so they'll coordinate with the hymnals in our church!

For the first time, I was able to capture some "blue hour" photos of the table, with the candles lit and Christmas tree lights glowing.

The slim tree also belonged to my in-laws, and my father-in-law was pleased to see it in our front window this year.  It is also decorated with blue and silver ornaments and ribbon.  Our larger tree is in the living room, but it's fun to have one in the dining room this year.

Finally, here's the host's view by candlelight.

Thank you for visiting my table this week!  I am also linking to Susan's Between Naps on the Porch, so be sure to check out other tablescapes there starting Wednesday night!