Pink + Yellow = Spring!!!

What a difference a week makes! A few short days ago, I was delighted to find four daffodils blooming in the garden. I shared them in last week's Tablescape Thursday post HERE. Now daffodil season is well underway in West Tennessee, and I love bringing them inside as a reminder that spring is just around the corner.

When I was a child, my mother made it a point to have fresh flowers on the breakfast table as often as possible. Sometimes it would be quite simple: a dainty bunch of wild violets, sweet peas from the garden fence, wild honeysuckle. At the appropriate times, there'd be flowering redbud branches, lilacs, tulips, iris, peonies, zinnias, daisies, roses and chrysanthemums. My favorites were the dizzyingly sweet smelling hyacinths and the golden daffodils, harbingers of spring. She loved arranging the daffodils in a low, heart-shaped bowl with a vintage glass flower frog inside. She'd carefully place them (along with their own foliage) in the container, creating the effect of a blooming clump of daffodils in the center of the table.

I used her favorite glass frog in one of the arrangements today. I also included winter honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima) sometimes called "Sweet Breath of Spring." As I walked along the garden path the other day, I noticed a sweet, lemony smell, turned quickly, and looked down. I half-expected the hyacinths to be blooming. Then I realized it was the winter honeysuckle (my father calls it "Christmas honeysuckle). It's an old-fashioned shrub that earns its place in a garden in many ways, the most significant of which is that it blooms while other plants are dormant. This one bloomed in December, took a break during snowy weather, and has begun again. That wonderful fragrance always takes me back to childhood. Isn't it interesting how scents can evoke such strong memories?


We're back in the dining room on a bright, but cloudy, afternoon.

I set a table for you a few months ago with mis-matched gold-rimmed crystal. See it HERE. This time I used a similar assemblage of platinum-rimmed ones. They were all clearance items from department stores and gift shops, with a sprinkling of thrifted treasures from Goodwill. Most cost only a dollar or two.

No tablecloth or placemats this week. You know I prefer to keep things simple! ;)

The dishes I wanted to use had pink and red-violet floral patterns. How, I thought, can I make those colors harmonize with yellow daffodils? I decided to include hellebores in the centerpiece. If you're not familiar with these winter-blooming plants, you can read about them HERE. They have an interesting, somewhat unsettling, history ... but they're wonderful to have in a garden, providing long lasting blooms and attractive foliage. Common names are "Lenten Rose" or "Christmas Rose." With their downcast attitude and inclination to shed and droop, they're definitely not the best cut flowers for arrangements. But ... I needed their color today, and they're fine for a one-day bouquet.

A closer view ...

I mixed-and-matched two Haviland china patterns today. Today's post was inspired by Jason Murakawa of Simple Masterpiece. Check out his site HERE. He has an amazing collection of Haviland Limoges china! I've used this combination (topped with festive shrimp cocktails in tall, modern martini glasses) for a real-life dinner party, and guests were generous with their compliments. You can see the shrimp cocktails in a post I did last summer. It's HERE.

The tall arrangement on the bombay chest is in a thrifted urn-shaped container. I used a slice of oasis (wet floral foam) in the bottom, then added a glass flower frog. The frog and the oasis serve to stabilize the winter honeysuckle branches which, in turn, help hold the daffodils in place. I've found that daffodils don't care for being inserted in oasis. The stems are too soft, and I'm sure it interferes with water absorption. I used a knife and a plastic cutting board to cut the stems at a 45 degree angle. They should last for at least a week, perhaps longer if the water is changed a few times. By the way, I've read that daffodils contain a mild toxin (the reason deer don't eat them) that can affect other flowers in a mixed arrangement. It's best to condition them in water, changing the water a few times before mixing in other flowers.

A kind neighbor shared her old-fashioned daffodils for today's post. Over time, transplanting bulbs from her family's homeplace, she's filled the woods behind her house with what appear to be hundreds of the bright spots of cheery yellow. I think they're charming in their simplicity. These are arranged in a Lenox vase.

A closer view. One larger hybrid daffodil slipped in to create a subtle focal point. The plate behind the arrangement is a Theodore Haviland chop platter. The pattern is almost identical to the dinner plates on today's table, except that the rims are smooth, rather than scalloped.

The cup and saucer is "Rosalinde" by Theodore Haviland (New York). The same pattern was also manufactured in France after the company moved its operations back to Europe. Theodore Haviland china was manufactured in the US from 1936 until a few years after WWII. Since these dishes are marked "Made in America," they date from that era. I was elated to find 25 pieces of Rosalinde at a local antique mall for only $35. I had friendly chat with the dealer and negotiated the price down to $25. She's a lovely person ... should I go back and offer her more money? I do (almost) feel guilty!

You can read about the history of Haviland china HERE.

The stemware is from companies such as Lenox, Royal Doulton, Oneida, and Mikasa. I think the mis-matched look adds interest to the table. Buying them during clearance sales certainly makes fine glasses affordable!

The flatware is "Eternally Yours" (1941-1973) by 1847 Rogers Brothers. A 1943 ad for this silver pattern featured Hollywood actress, Loretta Young. Her quote from the ad was "A girl can dream, can't she?" It was a natural tie-in since she'd appeared in a 1939 film of the same name. Eternally Yours starred Loretta Young, David Niven and Broderick Crawford with a large supporting cast including Hugh Herbert, Billie Burke, C. Aubrey Smith, Virginia Field, Raymond Walburn, Zasu Pitts and Eve Arden.

To further the pink and yellow (and green) theme, I used three napkins at each place setting. I tucked them into vintage International silverplated napkin rings. I found two boxed sets of four at a recent estate sale. They were still in their original plastic wrappers. If this were for an actual dinner party, I'd only use one napkin per "customer," but since this is fantasy, I thought it might as well look festive!

The pastel sherbet dishes are by Interglass, a family-owned glass manufacturing company in Cerrety Guidi, Italy. It's located in the provence of Florence, in the Tuscany region. Their website is HERE.

These were hand blown, engraved, and then decorated by skilled artisans with 24K gold. This page of the Interglass site describes the process, HERE. The plain glass underplates were 8 for $3 at an estate sale. They're perfect for cocktail parties. Certainly, plastic plates are convenient and can be attractive, but I like the fact that we're being kind to the environment when we buy pre-owned and non-throwaway.

The sherbet dishes were definitely affordable. Free actually! I was admiring them at an estate sale in December. The lady in charge of the sale asked if I liked them. When I replied that I did, she said "Merry Christmas." They weren't actually from the estate. She sometimes brings in extra things to sell, and these were hers. They still had the original Interglass stickers attached.

The salad plates are also Haviland ... Charles Field Haviland, a nephew of the founder of the original Haviland china company. The backstamp reads CFH GDM. GDM stands for Gerard, Dufraisseix, Morel. They date from the 1880's. I think they look fresh and contemporary. They're not in perfect condition, and they weren't the bargain the Rosalinde was ... but I love them. Can you love china? We'll have to ask Shelia of Note Songs about that!

Normally, I wouldn't mix salad plates with a white background with cream colored dishes. But ... having said that ... sometimes, if you know the rules, you can break them! This is art, not science, and sometimes it's fun to ignore the accepted guidelines.

An overview of the table ...

And another ...

From above ...

Backlit as evening approaches ...

Time, of course, to light the candles. The serving piece is a celery dish, purchased at an area antique shop. Not exactly a bargain purchase, but isn't the shape appealing? The creamer and sugar bowl (on the opposite end of the table) were also a separate purchase (on eBay). I was fortunate to be the high bidder at only $15.

Late afternoon with all the candles burning ...

Yes, I WILL remove the stickers when I finally get around to deciding what to serve guests in the Italian dishes. What do you suggest? Gelato, Italian ice, spumoni? Something less obvious?

The boxed set of four votive holders was a Goodwill purchase. They felt so good in the hand (curved sides and weighted bottom), I thought I'd use them as on-the-rocks glasses. One trip through the dishwasher resulted in a chipped rim, so they're candleholders again ...

Another look down the table ...

I love daffodil season!

Ready to blow out the candles?

Goodnight. I hope to see you next week. I think it will be informal ...

With something vintage ... perhaps borrowed ... and blue ....

Thank you to Susan of Between Naps On The Porch for hosting Tablescape Thursday. Be sure to visit Susan and all her talented participants. You'll be very glad you did!