Colors of the Sky -- for Your Table!

I was in a blue mood when I set today's table. Fortunately, these are the blues that make people happy! I've included shades of azure, cobalt, cerulean, and indigo.

A variation of this could be used for a simple mid-day meal -- soup and/or salad, along with a nice sandwich, quiche, or casserole. The glassware is simple, a footed glass for water and a tumbler for iced tea. Coffee, hot tea, or a refreshing punch could be served in the cobalt blue cups.

Do you ever change the artwork in your dining space to suit the colors of your table? This painting, by my friend Yvonne, came to mind when I thought of setting a blue table. It's one of the paintings I rescued from the rising water downstairs a few weeks ago when West Tennessee had torrential rains and extensive flooding. It was sitting on the floor in a room where I store art supplies and paintings that aren't currently being displayed.

I've mixed dark blue glass plates with lighter blue bowls. The "chargers" are large, sturdy plates from Crate & Barrel. Everything else on the table is vintage, from estate sales, antique shops, and thrift stores.

A closer view of a place setting. The darker blue plates have a slight iridescent look. The flatware is South Seas by Oneida (1955-1965).

I like the clean lines of this mid-century flatware.

Since blue and orange are complimentary colors (opposite each other on the color wheel), they make great companions. Brown, of course, is a greyed-down version of orange. I like the effect of using blue dinnerware, linens, and glassware and leaving the table mostly uncovered. So much visual energy would have been lost if I'd used a tablecloth today.

I have a weakness for glass swans, like the little blue one below. The Duncan & Miller company was known for producing beautiful glass swans in a variety of sizes and colors. They're usually used as candy dishes, but they could hold a variety of items in a guest room or bath. Don't use them as soap dishes though! The glass can become cloudy as the soap causes metal ions to leach from the glass, leaving a permanently etched, pitted, cloudy appearance.

A closer view:

Today's flower arrangements consist of mostly hydrangeas from the garden in a variety of colors mixed with Queen Anne's Lace (from the roadside).

I added a pair of roses to the top of each arrangement as an accent.

The free-form art glass vase, below left, is marked "Jozefina, hand made in Krosno, Poland" -- more on that later.

A closer view of the fluted edges. I've floated a white candle in it to light this evening.

There are three of the Jozefina pieces on today's table. All are slightly different in color, but work beautifully as a trio.

The lightest in color is the one below.

It's a beautiful, sunny afternoon.

I used thrifted milk glass urns to hold the flowers. I cut floral oasis to fit the containers. The flowers had been cut the day before, re-cut and conditioned in water overnight, and then cut once again (at a sharp angle) and inserted in the water-soaked oasis.

Everything seems to be blooming vigorously this year, even the weeds! I consider Queen Anne's Lace to be much more than a weed, however. Daucus carota is also known as wild carrot. Its other common names are bird's nest, bishop's nest, and ... Queen Anne's Lace. Akin to parsley, fennel, dill, cumin, and hemlock, it's native to Europe and Asia, and was introduced to the New World in early colonial times.

I layered semi-formal starched white napkins (with cutwork embroidery) over blue casual fringed ones. Wired white ribbons, tied in a simple knot, serve as napkin rings.

The indigo blue placemats were purchased at Goodwill. I like their tailored appearance. They appeared never to have been used, and the set of eight cost only $7.99.

I started to use only blue and white flowers, but decided that adding pink ones would help create a harmonious feeling (taking into consideration the colors of the rug and in the paintings).

Yvonne worked from a photograph she took of one of the famous Veilleuses-theieres, (pronounced vay-uhz tay-air), or Night Light teapots on display in Trenton, Tennessee.

From the Trenton Teapot Collection website:

The idea of the veilleuse was born in the 18th century when ceramists in Europe began producing a device of use in sickrooms and nurseries. The veilleuse started out as a simple, utilitarian warming dish set atop a pedestal containing a shallow dish of oil. When the oil was lighted, the contents of the dish were heated. Artists of the period were quick to notice the flame also shone through the translucent sides of the pedestal producing a soft night-light effect. As the idea caught the public favor, artisans began producing more decorative versions designed as containers for tea and other beverages.

Read more about the collection HERE. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page and view examples from the collection.

A place setting from above:

Late afternoon light floods the room ...

Queen Anne's Lace is so called because the flower resembles lace; the red flower in the center represents a blood droplet where Queen Anne pricked herself with a needle when she was making the lace. The function of the tiny flower, coloured by anthocyanin, is to attract insects.

I couldn't wait any longer to light the floating candles and observe their effect!

Even in daylight, they create a shimmer in the art glass vases.

If I had to pick a favorite of the three, it might be the one below.

Well, this one's beautiful too. I love the way the candles illuminate the shadow side of the flower arrangements, as the vases cast a pattern of light and shadow on the surface of the table.

Maybe this is the prettiest one. What do you think?

I can imagine the vases holding short-stemmed, single color flower arrangements. White, yellow, or peach colored flowers would look beautiful in them, wouldn't they?

An overall view:

Uplighting the flowers creates a dramatic effect, doesn't it?

Someday soon, I'll serve you tea on the the little white wrought iron set nestled among the towering hollies.

Almost time to serve dinner ...

Additional views of the table by candlelight:

Now it's time for a brief commercial announcement:

I've been considering setting up an Etsy shop (as so many others in Blogland have done). I've never attempted to sell anything via Affordable Accoutrements before. For me, blogging, particularly doing tablescapes, has been in the category of "art for art's sake."

Perhaps it's time to re-consider.

To test the waters, I've decided to offer readers of Affordable Accoutrements an opportunity to purchase the Jozefina art glass vases. They were purchased at an estate sale and, while I think they're very beautiful, I hadn't used them and they'd ended up for sale in a local antique mall, priced at $19.99 each. I'd like to sell them as a set of 3, for $50. I should be able to ship them to anywhere in the U.S. via Priority Mail for around $10. So, a total of $60 for the set.

If you're interested, send an e-mail and we can arrange payment by check, money order, or Paypal.

Update goes here -- the vases sold just a few minutes after I posted this. Thank you to the discriminating buyer! I'm thinking an Etsy shop might just be a good idea!

The cobalt blue dishes are now wrapped and ready to go to the antique mall. If you live within driving distance of Jackson, Tennessee, you might want to stop by and take a look. They're priced at only $37.99 for 44 pieces. There are 8 plates, salad plates, cups, and saucers. There are also 6 salad bowls, and 6 dessert bowls (not shown on today's table) included in the price. If you're interested in those, send an e-mail and I'll give you directions to the mall and the location of the case where they'll be displayed.

It seems that I just can't keep EVERYTHING (although I much prefer acquiring to deassessioning!). If you have an Etsy shop, I'd love to hear about it. If you have a dish addiction, I always love hearing from kindred spirits!

Please visit Susan of Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday. It's always fun and inspiring!