Getting My Thrift On, Tablescape Style. Or, Hey, Doesn't That Belong On The Bed?

I've got my place set at the old round table in the conservatory; there's room for two more, to join me for lunch -- a little wine, a bit of cold soup on a hot day, some crusty bread, and fruit.

Who's in?



It's Thursday, so I'm Tablescaping with Susan of Between Naps On The Porch, and Thrifting and going Vintage with Suzanne of Coloradolady and Holly of Homebody. Click on their Blog names to be transported!

Or, click on their picture links at the bottom of this post.

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My daughter Anne obliged me by standing on a chair to get these from-the-chandelier shots.
I don't do heights. The shrieking, it just gets too much for the neighbors.

Pay no attention to the dog in the corner of the above picture.

We're breaking open a bottle of New Jersey wine, folks.
Now I know you'll want a seat at this table!

Pick a place.
No, not that one. That one is mine.

So, what did I play with today, making this tablescape?

Some very old silverplate flatware, well tarnished.

We'll make believe that's on purpose, for the shabby chic look, deal?

I'll keep your secrets, too.

I like polished flatware, but this stuff's been packed away for 1-1/2 years, and now I can't find the silver cream!

I'm using some of Friday's thrift shop goodies -- those bubbly blown blue-y wine glasses:

I better use them while I can.

Turns out Annie's not crazy about them, but my daughter Alida is. She saw them on my blog (I keep forgetting my kids can read) and now they're going out to California.

Also on Friday, I got this white platter, embossed with grapes and leaves. How fitting!

The plate holding the crusty rolls is a French Limoges piece I got from a moving sale in June. It's gorgeous -- salmon pink, handpainted -- in great condition. It's really a dresser or vanity tray, or pin dish, but it can multi-task.

More old silverplate flatware.
Annie just fell in love with this stuff. I told her, "If you polish it, you can take it!"

The bowls are from Dollar Tree. In early summer I bought blue and aqua matte finish dishes there;
they have been marvelous all summer long!

Under the bowl, to catch drips, is a cocoa-colored bit of old damask. Small luncheon-sized napkins.

The plate is the basket-weave design from Dollar Tree. These dishes are gorgeous,
and can go with anything. Dress 'em up or down, they work.

Underneath it all, the big dinner plate from the matte blue dishes from Dollar Tree.
Underneath the plate, a small quilt from the guest room.
If the Colonials could put rugs on their tables, I can put a quilt.

So, shall we crack open the wine? It's from Four Sisters Winery in Belvedere, New Jersey. Last time we visited, the winery was for sale; I don't know it it has been sold yet. I am a fan of Long Island wines, but I love giving and serving local wines . . . and now New Jersey is local for us!

Oops.. almost forgot. If you want a separate plate for your fruit, we've got the little Wedgwood dishes that belonged to my Mom, with some old plate fruit knives (Ebay, like most of my other silverplate).

There. Lunch. Look good to you?

Ah... wait! I missed something. Or, somethingS.

The doily under the flowers is from my Mother-in-law, crocheted by her mother.
The napkins under the forks are old soft damask -- 2 are green, one is blue.
The container with the flowers is a cachepot from TJ Maxx.

And . . . can you spot what else I forgot?

It's something that used to be commonplace in houses, but now is scarcer and scarcer.
It's something you can pick up for a song in thrift shops, because there's just no longer a demand for it.

Look closely, below.
No, not there. At the top of the picture. Beneath the wine bottle.

It's a crystal ashtray.

It makes a great wine coaster, and you can buy the most gorgeous crystal ashtrays for a buck in a thrift shop. I especially like the crystal ones, as the dents for the cigarettes are not too noticeable. Even so, no one buys them. Heck, it's not their fault that smoking is taboo in so many places. I say buy them, re-purpose them, and give them a second chance! -- Cass