Daffodils in the Hall!

"Daffodils" (1804)
By William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

I wander'd lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze ....

So far, there's not a host of golden daffodils. There were only four; I happily picked them to include in this week's Tablescape Thursday post. One of the four was not yet open, but I thought it provided much-needed spring color anyway.

This table for two is set in the entry hall.

I draped and wrapped the octagonal table and side chairs (from the dining room) with yards and yards of sheer, striped fabric. Definitely affordable. It was being removed from a display in a local store when I asked about it, assuming it might be available at a discounted price. "We were going to throw it away. If you want it, you can have it," I was told. And now I've found a use for it!

I used estate sale silverplated trays as chargers.

The silverplated flatware is "Beloved," a 1940 pattern by Rogers/International Silver Company.

I tied a half-bow in the fabric. My goal was to keep the look soft and not too studied.

I've been looking forward to the first daffodils of the season (they're running late this year!). The crocus appeared first, but only by a week or so. The vases can also serve as place card holders. I used them for my Holiday Dinner post back in December. If you missed it, you can see it HERE. They were an estate sale bargain. Fifty cents each on the last day of the sale.

I used three vintage Fostoria patterns this week. The stemmed water/wine glasses are "Lido," (1937-1954). It looks celebratory, doesn't it? Kat of Depression and Elegant Glassware to Share described it HERE as a "milkweed puff or fireworks." I was fortunate to find these (very dusty and in need of a home) in a corner of an antiques/jewelry shop in a small West Tennessee town for only a couple of dollars each.

I included the lemon slices purely for the color. I enjoy a squeeze of lemon in both iced and hot tea. How do you take your tea? With milk as the English often do? I like that as well. They're in an Imperial "Cape Cod" handled dish.

The napkins were a day 2 estate sale bargain. They launder beautifully (no ironing!).

The view from the table ...

It was nice to see the sun shining brightly after so many cloudy days.

If you look closely, you'll see that the chairs are "wearing" my white shirts ... backwards, sleeves tucked in, with fabric tied and held in place by the collars.

Something about the setting ... perhaps the wrought iron on the porch railings gave me an "Old South" feeling ...

Have you seen this book? It provides a nice overview of the Southern states.

The sherbet glasses are Fostoria's "Silver Flutes," 1949-76. They were on sale for 8 for $10 at a local antique mall. I find the stems (flattened with beaded edges) unusual and very attractive.

A closer view ...

The dishes were made by the H&C/Heinrich Company of Selb, Bavaria. They're circa 1930s. Since it was an incomplete set, they were on a table in the garage of an estate sale. It was the last day of the sale, so I was able to buy four place settings and two platters for well under $10.

I cut back the liriope (fancy name for monkey grass) along the front walk. I put the wine in the refrigerator while I was outside ... and unintentionally "frosted" the glasses. I also added a few fresh crocus blooms. The others were "day old" and fading rapidly.

Same subject, slightly different view ...

Another, a more backlit view this time ...

View from the staircase ...

Lights on now, since the sun's getting ready to set ...

Time to light the candles ...


The candleholder's from an estate sale, purchased for half price (around $15) on the second day. It's a nice heavy weight and the plating's in very good condition. I left it unpolished today to give it that "old family silver" look.

Closer view ...

I like the way the blue of the skies reflects on the bricks of the entry hall floor. They're recycled from old buildings (as are the ones on the exterior and used for the front walk).

The interior rooms are beginning to get dark now ...

Twilight ...

The creamer and sugar bowl (in the background) are Fostoria's "Colony." They match the water glasses and candleholders I used for last week's table.

The candles reflected in the glass of windows copied from an old home in Natchez, Mississippi ...

The patterns of light on the dinner plate come from the optic design of the bowl of the sherbet glass.

Almost time for dinner ...

Viewed from above ...

OK ... time to set the table in the kitchen and put the fantasy table to bed. I hope you enjoyed this one. I had fun creating it!

Lady Katherine of Lady Katherine Tea Party graciously invited me to participate in her 1st Tea Time Tuesday (since I have tea cups on the table and talked about tea ... sorry no teapot this week!). If you haven't already done so, I hope you'll go by and visit Lady K and her guests.

Be sure to visit Susan of Between Naps on the Porch for this week's Tablescape Thursday. It's always an exciting day filled with creativity and imagination!

I'm also linking this week to Thrifty Thursday with Leigh of Tales From Bloggaritaville. Check out her popular meme HERE.

Thank you, Susan and Leigh for being such gracious hostesses!