Saturday, December 4, 2010

Of Thanksgiving and Tablescaping . . .

We celebrated Thanksgiving at the home of my brother, Al, and sister-in-law, Kathy.  We had a wonderful time!  And!  As a bonus, I got to enjoy someone else's tablescape!  Kathy sets a beautiful table.  This time she used her cherished china, passed down to her from her great-aunt.  The transferware pattern is called Winchester, and made by Johnson Brothers.  It's one of the “pink” patterns that were produced in the early 20th Century for the American market by English potters.  I love this pattern with its delicate flowers, scrolls, and rope edge.


Kathy was able to pull out the gold color from the plates, and relate it to the gourds on the table.


Each place setting held a decorative paper leave, evocative of the Autumn season . . . Then she alternated her Winchester dishes with the simple, gold-banded dishes that belonged to my mother. There were a lot of memories on that table . . .


I think entertaining should be primarily about welcoming guests with genuine warmth.  Then, if it's possible, sprinkle this with a lovely table and delicious food to make them feel special.  Add some interesting conversation to the mix, and you have all the elements of a perfect dinner party.  Kathy and Al succeeded at every level . . .

4 comments:

Nicki said...

Love the pie-crust edging to the plates and how your sister-in-law pulled in the Autumn colors. Very nice.

Esther said...

Wow, I love the plates she used! They are beautiful! And how creative to use paper leaves as a decorative accent. All her work must have made the dinner super special!

Jill said...

Wow! I never gave a thought to the table scape thing, but that really is gorgeous! Such pretty dishes!

Angela2932 said...

Sigh! I think my frugal streak always rears its ugly little head when it comes to tablescaping; that, and the decided lack of shopping options out here in NoWhere. I don't mind putting out "pretty" that I have, but don't like purchasing extras, or finding "homes" for them. But your tablescape photos are always so inspiring!

Maria, I have to tell you that I don't know that I've ever read a Michael Connelly book before, but from your reaction, I decided to get on the waiting list for the ebook of The Reversal from the library. It'll take awhile, and I could instead buy the book on my ereader in the next 30 seconds, but I think I'll patiently wait for it, and one day be pleasantly surprised when the email shows up telling me I can check it out.