The Green and Gold Luncheon

There are two things I know about myself to be true; I love the color green and anything vintage or that has the look of antiquity. This attraction began as a teenager and has remained true all of my life. Having lived in many of states that were once called the colonies may have something to do with it, or it could be that I do just love history. The dishes featured today are a perfect example. They were added to my collection a year or so ago. I was drawn to them because they have the ornate gold filigree pattern I so often associate with fine antique china. Then of course they were green - gotta have 'em.
I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Welcome to -
The Green and Gold Luncheon

With all the snow outside

this tablecloth centerpiece

reminded me of the patterns in snowflakes

Because of the square shape of the tablecloth

I added white placemats to the hosts seating

Here you can see the gold trim and filigree

on the dinner plate that gives this pattern

its' vintage appearance.

Shown here with the companion soup bowl,

the name of the collection is Melissa

 sold under the Vintage Home Essentials

and Beyond brand

The candlestick holder was a

GW find in Annapolis 

The little Victorian lady belonged to my

Great Aunt

On the buffet server

I have a few pieces of

vintage linens

My favorite would have to be

 this lace hankie

resting on the cake plate

One last look back.....

I hope you are safe and warm today and take time

to visit with

The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays

and

Susan at Between Naps on the Porch

Thanks for stopping in!

Country Breakfast at the Junction

Hi there! Cold enough for you?
I can see from the news that everyone is suffering through some of the coldest days we have had in years. Record breaking as they say in some parts of the country, and coupled with the five snow storms we have had here, I don't want to venture of out of the house.
This is a good time to have a big country breakfast with the family and I knew just the tablescape for the occasion!

 Country Breakfast at the Junction -

Anyone who knows me, knows I have a thing for roosters. Today I am setting the breakfast table with one of my tried and true friends.

The red and white colors of this beautiful Rooster

worked well with the new Rooster

dishes I found at TJ Maxx just before Christmas

On the same day, I found this tablecloth.

It's one of the new vinyls from Waverly

perfect for informal family gatherings

and the pattern is just delicious!

Here you can see why I was so excited.

The colors are perfect paired with

my little Longaberger Pottery bowls

and everyday red handle flatware

The best part of it all...

Yes! The Rooster dishes!

I added the white cereal bowl from the

Gourmet Basics Collection

by Mikasa.

Notice how the textured weave of the Mikasa

 matches the transferware basket pattern of the dinner plate?

I love when it comes together like this don't you?

Lastly - the pattern on the dinner plate.

Love it!

I also think nothing is better than a big cup

 of coffee to start my day,

so the Mikasa mug was used in place of glasses.

Although my family needs no map to their seat,

I couldn't resist these little place card

holders from Pottery Barn -

on clearance they are even cuter!

Time for your close up!

Fun little pieces like these make all the difference

Thanks for stopping by today. As always I enjoyed your visit.

I hope you start your day off with a good breakfast!

This week I will be joining others who would like to share with you their beautiful tablescape designs.

Click on the buttons to the right for

Seasonal Sundays with The Tablescaper

and

Between Naps on the Porch with Susan

for Tablescape Thursday

 to see more!

Until next time - be safe and stay warm!

The Blue Willow Luncheon

Welcome!
Today marks a special occasion today for me.
I actually won a wonderful Giveaway drawing in celebration of the 200th Tablescape by The Quintessential Magpie!! I am one of those people who never win anything, so this was such a wonderful surprise. Thank you Sheila! 
I always find her posts to be fun and entertaining in addition to being beautiful - her personality just seems to jump off the screen.
I can't wait to share my prize with you!
And well, like the rest of the country I am also up to my ears in snow. I actually heard that there is snow on a mountain in Hawaii! Is there any better time to hunker down and do a tried and true, traditional tablescape? Is there any pattern more recognizable than Blue Willow? 
I consider this post my blogging rite of passage.
I have seen so many amazing posts featuring this china, so the task of putting together something that was at once original, reverent to the history, but also current and functional was somewhat daunting. However, I felt the need to include this setting in my catalog of tablescape posts.
I hope you like it!


The Blue Willow Luncheon

My collection of Blue Willow began over two decades ago

while I was living in Connecticut

The collection was readily available and was well suited

as a companion to my Colonial decor.

How else would you decorate an old

 center hall colonial home

in Connecticut?

Like any other avid collector,

I bought as much as I could find

One of the serving pieces in the collection

The butter dish -

so much detail on this one little piece

When I purchased this set of 12 settings complete

 I never paired it with anything but

Blue Willow - as you can see here -

I got a little carried away!

Under the Blue Willow cereal bowl

 which I used here instead of the soup bowls,

and the bread plate

is a white Mikasa stoneware called

English Counrtyside.

I thought the pairing was an appropriate one with the

English Staffordshire Blue Willow

The Dinner plate is shown here sitting

atop my favorite Home Essentials

Madison Collection Charger

The entire stack rests upon

 this really huge charger

 I just found this year in

HomeGoods

Edge view of the entire stack

I have to mention the little Pagoda Centerpiece

I just knew when I saw it, that it would be

 the perfect accent to this tablescape

What do you think?

The crystal pineapple was a gift from my first born

and its' symbolism in colonial times meant

'Welcome'

I recall that this was a very

inexpensive find that I just had to have.

Maybe next time I'll include some flowers in the little windows.

I included my Oneida silver plate for a

touch of formality

and a simply folded

napkin sans ring

Here is a better pic of the wine and water glasses

 purchased when I fell in love with

the Blue Willow so long ago

As always I try to include the buffet

in my settings

All ready for coffee and dessert!

The soup tureen featured here is obviously not

part of the Blue Willow Collection

however, it was blue and white and

has a plug in cord that keeps the

soup piping hot!

The little candle was from Bombay Co.

which we all miss dearly!

One last view

Okay, maybe one more -

I loved doing this table!

Thanks for visiting The Junction this week!

I am linking to

The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays

Happy to Design for Sunday Favorites 

and

Susan at Between Naps on the Porch

Please stop by to see other beautiful tablescapes and creative ideas

 by clicking on the links to the right

Have a wonderful day!

The Evesham Luncheon

One of my New Years resolutions this year is to connect on a deeper level with the friendships that matter to me the most. As many a working wife and mother can tell you, sometimes our friendships take a back seat to the demands of everyday life, so this year I have decided to make time, find time and make the most of my time with my friends.
As reported in Better Homes and Gardens this month, many of us think having a quiet dinner at home with a few friends is better then an evening out. However to a tablescaper, dinner in does not mean that it has to be a casual affair on the everyday dishes. Setting the stage for a casual, comforting dinner is what we do best!

Welcome friends to -
The Evesham Dinner

As an homage to friendship,

 I have to tell you that it was a long ago

meeting of a wonderful woman from England

 who one day while having dinner

at a beautifully set table

 shared with me her passion for collecting

 Royal Worcester Evesham dinnerware

I commented on the numerous fruit patterns

 and number of serving pieces

 to which she responded,

 You must collect!

And so it began.

Shown here is the complimenting

 color banded luncheon plate

'Peach and Blackberry'

Sans the Bordallo Pinheiro

green cabbage leaf soup bowl

Here I have suited the Evesham luncheon plate

with the Queens bone china salad plate called

Hookers Fruit

 This set also has several variations

of the fruit pattern

 that mix well with the Royal Worcester and I was happy to discover could be found at many of our favorite haunts

Tonight I decided to go with the Portuguese

cabbage leaf charger

instead of placemats and/or tablecloth

As mentioned before,

 there are many, many serving

pieces covered and open

each having a distinctive pattern 

View of the top of

the small covered casserole

in the Evesham Gold

This little gravy boat and plate was bought

during a trip to London several years ago.

I had to buy several pieces from the source!

The napkins were a Linens and Things purchase

 many years ago 

and are a perfect match

 to the dishes

The silk orchard has been around for a while

as it can move from room to room depending on need

The candlestick holders are new this year from TJ Maxx

Of course after dinner there is coffee, set on the buffet

The small platter is not part of either set

 but if it was a fruit pattern -

 it was going home with me!

Final view

Thanks for joining me today.

 I wish you beautiful friendships in 2011

 and beautiful tables at which to celebrate them

This week I will be joining

The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays

and Susan at

Between Naps on the Porch

Special thanks to you both

Click on their links on the sidebars for more ideas

 from those sharing their creativity this week.