Easy Ways to Style Your China Cabinet for the Seasons

 

Easy Ways

to Style

Your China Cabinet

by Chickadee Home Nest

As I thought about this post it occurred to me, “My blog should really be called “The Lazy Decorator,”” because if there’s an easy way to do something, or a shortcut—I’m there!

And here’s a perfect example: Many of you know that I like to decorate/refresh our china cabinet for the seasons and holidays. I find that if I leave it be for very long it starts to feel lifeless, like it’s there as a shrine, or as a “Hands off: This stuff isn’t meant to be touched and used!” That’s exactly why I took the doors off—I wanted our china cabinet to be approachable and inviting, and to serve as active storage.

Here’s how it looked before, with the doors ~

Then, with the doors removed ~

So much more inviting, don’t you think? It’s as if it’s saying, “Come on over and use the stuff here! Live with it! Enjoy it!” And, as you can see, in each of the two pictures it’s decorated for the season or holiday: Valentines above, Spring below. You can see the whole post here.

My challenge for today’s post was to keep the foundational pieces I’ve had in the china cabinet for almost three months and change only the embellishments, hoping to show you that it doesn’t take a total re-do to bring your china to life and keep it current for the season or the holiday.

Here’s the china cabinet with what turned out to be the foundational pieces that have carried me from post-Christmas until now:

From there, still keeping the foundational pieces—the white pieces—I moved to early Spring~

Notice that I left the snowy little trees, after all, it was only February and we still had LOTS of snow (and lots to come!). I even kept the deer on top, though you can hardly see them in this picture. So I simply added the violet tea cups and the violets as we i-n-c-h-e-d into Spring, because I was sooooo ready for some color and signs of Spring! You can see the full post here.

Here’s a close-up of the early splash of Spring color~

 

Yesterday and this morning we had lots of rain. Welcome, because it got rid of the last bits of snow we had left (which we thought would be around at least until, oh, JUNE!!), so I was inspired to get with the program and do a bit of Spring and Easter decorating. Yea!! AND…sunshine later in the day!

First on the list…you guessed it! The china cabinet! As I’ve mentioned before, our floor plan is very open, so as the china cabinet goes, so goes the mood and the season at our house!

So on with my challenge, and here’s today’s Spring china cabinet~

  Notice the foundational pieces remain exactly the same. I was tempted to switch some pieces out as I rummaged through my Easter and Spring bins, but nope! I stuck to my challenge of using the same white pieces one more time. A few silk flowers tucked in here and there, and the addition of my favorite Nicodemus chubby robin and bunny, and voilà! We have a Spring china cabinet with minimal effort! (I did switch the deer out for a chippy basket painted in Annie Sloan Duck Egg. It was time for them to go hibernate until winter!)

  In the early Spring version this sterling compote held dried roses with touches of preserved cedar. A nestful of eggs and a splash of color from the daffodils, and it says Spring!

These glass “cups” are votives now repurposed as vases, and the silver “vase” is a salt or pepper shaker.

Wow!! I have these “crocuses” in yellow and pink. I wasn’t sure which I was going to prefer, but once I put the pink in the white sugar bowl, I didn’t even try the yellow! Love the splash of happy color!

In its previous rendition this Pfaltzgraff creamer held vintage knives, and the cloche simply had a tiny sprig of baby’s breath. Just one little crocus for a bit of color.

Just some speckled eggs in the Waterford goblet—the colors go well with the robin and bunny.

Forsythia!! Every year I search for the first forsythia bloom…JOY! It means Spring really has arrived! For now, only in the silk version, but it does the trick!

Gotta have chickadees in our china cabinet! Did you notice they’re a salt-and-pepper set?

I absolutely love this darling little spoon, though I don’t know exactly what its intended purpose was—do you? I’ve always thought of it and used it as a jelly spoon, but I’m not sure about that. I’d love to know if you know!

  You’ve seen this darling silver cup before, I’m sure. It was in an auction box lot! What a find! In the previous display it only held the baby’s breath, and liking the white, I simply added a sprig of {faux} stephanotis.

Okay…here’s one change I forgot about! In the former displays I had a darling miniature milk glass sugar bowl where the glass one now sits. I’d had it on Etsy, and when I saw that Beverly, from How Sweet the Sound (here) holds a Blog Shop where you can add the items you have for sale on Etsy, eBay, or your blog, I added my Etsy items. Lo and behold, Beverly herself bought the sweet sugar bowl and another milk glass vase! If you have items for sale, be sure to visit her!

This little silver tray and “bronzy” spoon were already there on the china cabinet. I simply added the “grass” and daffodils. This spoon is perfect for the Spring setting—it always reminds me of a hosta Patriot leaf.

So…have I convinced you about how easy it is to update your china cabinet and enticed you to use yours as a seasonal display? I can’t wait to hear from you!

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Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I’m thrilled to know you stopped by, and I’ll always visit back and comment too. If you like what you see, I invite you to follow me (I promise to follow back), and please—Pin away and follow me on Pinterest too! Thank you!!

NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are in my Etsy shop, but many are not, simply because I haven’t updated my shop. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available for sale, email me at coral5252@gmail.com and let’s talk!

Monday Show and Share at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/

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ModMix Monday at http://modvintagelife.blogspot.com/

Amaze Me Monday at http://www.dwellings-theheartofyourhome.com/

Making Monday at http://gracelangdon.blogspot.com/

Inspire Me Monday at http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/

Karen’s Something to Talk About at http://www.karensuponthehill.com/

Tuesdays at Our Home at http://mariaelenasdecor.blogspot.com/

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Inspire Me Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

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Centerpiece Wednesday at http://thestylesisters.blogspot.com/

DIY Design Wednesdays at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com\

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

Thursdays Share Your Cup with Mrs. Olson at http://jannolson.blogspot.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

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Thursday Your Turn to Shine at http://blesserhouse.blogspot.com/

Share Your Style Thursday at http://www.Commonground-do.com/

Thursday Share Your Style at http://northernnesting.blogspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

Fridays Creative Collection at http://thecardswedrew.com/

Fridays at Feathered Nest: http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Fridays at http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/

Fridays at Home Sweet Home: http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Fresh-Cut Fridays at http://rosevignettes.blogspot.com

Fridays at The Thrifty Groove at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Friday Tatertots and Jello at http://tatertotsandjello.com

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Friday at The Girl Creative at http://www.thegirlcreative.com/

Pink Saturdays at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

Saturday at http://www.craft-o-maniac.com/

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Spotlight Saturdays at http://www.classyclutter.net/

Saturdays at Be Different, Act Normal at http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

Spring China Cabinet and Other High Hopes

This week alone we’ve had temperatures in the 30s and temperatures hitting 70º… “I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain” the James Taylor song goes. “I’ve seen sunny days that I thought would never end…” Nope…scratch the part about seeing so many sunny days that I thought they’d never end…when we have sunny days around here we’re a little skeptical…what’s coming next?! Last Saturday was a perfect example: I woke up to a cloudy day, and later I looked out and it was drizzling! Yuck! I see a weather alert on my phone! A what?! What could be happening?!I Yep, a winter storm watch with rain turning to freezing rain, turning to snow, and at one point later in the day we had almost a complete white out—oh, and high, very high winds. We were thankful for no meaningful accumulation.

But a couple of weeks ago I decided it was TIME…even if the weather wasn’t cooperating completely, it was time for spring, because again, my “gears” where not in sync—the calendar, the sunny days/rainy days, the cold temperatures/the glimpses of hope—not even a crocus out there that I’ve seen!

First thing to do: The china cabinet. Our home is so open that the china cabinet can set the tone for the rest of the house—as the china cabinet goes, so goes our decor (and my mood, one could add).

You might recall I had already de-winterized the china cabinet to this:

The intense colors were starting to bother me, so before I knew it I was taking the reds and purples and teal out and replacing it with a softer, twiggier, birdier design~

Ahhhh…so much better for this time of year!

Our DIL has offered to make bird nest cupcakes for our Easter brunch, so that will be the “theme” of our table—birds and nests and twigs and eggs. Probably not feathers, unless I get some that are natural in color (and not cardinals’! LOL). Anticipating that tablescape, I wanted to bring out the Pottery Barn bird-on-a-branch salad plates, because I will surely use them on our table and I wanted to enjoy them.

Since at the time Easter was a good month away, I didn’t want to go Easter-y; just spring-y, with soft, muted colors.

Some of the details~

The top of the cabinet is always fun to decorate, but the cathedral ceiling presents a bit of a challenge, because there’s an awful lot of space to fill, and you have to make sure the objects there aren’t miniaturized because of the open space. The vintage silver cruet set and birdcage help fill the space.

Would you believe these are the white roses from the Three Kings Celebration (January 6, 2014 – you can see that post here )? They dried so beautifully. They almost look like they’re vintage papers instead. The vessel next to them was an awesome find at GW not too long ago. I know I’ll be using it a lot. And the pinecone roses? Those are new—a new love. You’ll see more of them later (and in many future posts, I’m sure)

You knew our little chickadee had to be here somewhere! This time she’s snuggled in her cage amidst hydrangeas and pinecone roses and moss on top of the china cabinet.

The top shelf in the cabinet is quite simple: A soft blue vase (also a GW find), filled with my dried hydrangeas, and a sweet found nest whose creator did not weave it very well; it’s rather fragile. Those babies must’ve been coming sooner that she thought and they were in a hurry to get that nest done! (I wouldn’t know about that; my chickadees were both late!) A PB bird-on-a-branch salad plate, and three ceramic pitchers that I’ve had for years. So glad I bought them when I did!

I’ve had this frosted pedestal dish with a lovely floral design for many, many years, and I’ve always been able to use it somewhere; it’s a versatile piece.

The second shelf is a “birdie” vignette, complete with a faux nest and faux eggs. The three look-alike birds are actual candle holders from Crate and Barrel, and of course, my chubby Nicodemus robin whom I know you’ve seen—he’s always around, just like the chickadee.

The decorations on the bottom shelf offer the visual foundation for the cabinet, with more of the PB plates and yet another faux nest and faux eggs.

  Three nests down the center of the china cabinet to offer continuity and rhythm.

The serving level holds a Crate and Barrel oblong wood dish filled with more pinecone roses, the Bombay Company chicken-wire cloche filled with hydrangeas, and my husband’s grandparents’ milk glass salt and pepper set, which we use as our everyday shakers because they’re so special.

 

So, “rain and severe storms for the weekend,” the TV just announced. Hmmm, what’s happening in YOUR world? Have you moved into spring in spite of the weather? What have you done? Or are you way ahead of me and into full Easter swing?

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I’m thrilled to know you stopped by, and I’ll always visit back and comment too. If you like what you see, I invite you to follow me (I promise to follow back), and please—Pin away and follow me on Pinterest too! Thank you!!

NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are in my Etsy shop, but many are not, simply because I haven’t updated my shop. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available for sale, email me at coral5252@gmail.com and let’s talk!

Fabulously Creative Fridays at http://www.jenniferrizzo.com/

Design it Friday at http://www.findingfabulousblog.com/

Friday Party Junk at http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/

Friday at Redoux Interiors at http://www.redouxinteriors.com/

Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home Fridays at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Simply Sweet Fridays at http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/

Fridays at Imparting Grace at http://www.impartinggrace.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Saturdays at http://piecedpastimes.blogspot.com/

Spotlight Saturdays at http://www.classyclutter.net/

Saturdays at Be Different, Act Normal at http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/

Sunday Showcase at http://www.bystephanielynn.com/

Sunday at It’s Overflowing at http://www.itsoverflowing.com/

Sunday Creative Home and Garden Hop at http://creativehomeexpressions.blogspot.com/

Sundays at The Tablescaper: http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at  http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Tuesdays at Our Home at http://mariaelenasdecor.blogspot.com/

Tuesdays at The Scoop at http://www.stonegableblog.com

Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Inspire Me Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Cuisine Kathleen at http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

Wednesday DIY by Design Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Thursdays at http://www.impartinggrace.com/

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

Blue and White in the Old/New China Cabinet

I was ready to be done with the Valentine’s red in the china cabinet and go to the more serene and perennial favorite, BLUE AND WHITE.  I’ve also been ready—for a long, long, long time—to make a major change in our china cabinet.  I mean for YEARS.  So after having gone to the Pine Tree Barn for our Valentine dinner, and once again seeing a cabinet/hutch there that I love (see below), I decided that the time had come to take the plunge and give the china cabinet an ALLOVER MAKEOVER.

I’ve been in love with this piece since I saw it last Christmas season.  I love that it’s open, and I love the blue, distressed interior.  It seems like everything displayed in it just pops—even the reds and greens of Christmas.

Lo and behold, when we went to the Pine Tree Barn, the cabinet was still there.  The next day I said (in my sweetest voice), “Sweetheart, could you take a look at the china cabinet to see if we could remove the doors (and the stationary center panel)?”  And before I knew it, I had a new piece of furniture!  Really!  Take a look for yourself and see the incredible difference!  Why, oh why, didn’t I do this years ago like I’ve wanted to?!

So we went from this:

Beautiful, arched doors and stationary center panel, with lovely “domed” glass,

To this:

No doors, no arches, no domed glass.  Ahhhh….so much more open and “approachable.”  I had never been able to “make peace” with the stand-offish feeling of the glass, as if to warn, “LOOK BUT DON’T TOUCH; NOT TO BE USED!  ONLY FOR DISPLAY.” 

What do you think?  A new piece of furniture?  More approachable?

And to the BLUE AND WHITE ~

Like I said, I’m not ready for Easter…I need space/time between holidays.  I guess I could never work in retail.  The jumping into holidays weeks and months before the calendar says they’re here, and jumping from one holiday to the next would wreak havoc with my psyche!  I need a calendar, and I need breaks.

So I was anxious to bring out my BLUE AND WHITE Spode “The Blue Room Collection,” mixed with Bianca Leaf by American Pelier—a fabulous Home Goods find.

A very vintage mustard pot holds my “vintage” hydrangeas from last summer that I love to have out on display.  A bird’s nest brings a hint of spring without stripping my gears as the gray days of Ohio linger and the snow continues to fly.

Hydrangea blooms take the place of soon-to-come robin’s-egg blue eggs.

My beloved Nicodemus chubby robin, and others birdies, are harbingers of {wonderful} things to come—in a few months.

The Bombay Company candleholder (left) once again makes an appearance, along with mini cups (larger than a traditional demitasse), which are a new auction find.

This precious little teapot was a gift from my precious friend Cookie, and the bunny is another Nicodemus piece.  The hydrangeas are real, dried from my SIL’s father’s garden.

And this bunny…well, I guess we’re inching toward spring and Easter—putting a toe out there, in a subdued way, shall we say?  He’s of no particular pedigree—he’s completely unmarked, but I’d fallen in love with him at a local store, Harick’s, and after a particularly fruitful shopping spree there with our friends from out of town, the owner offered him to me for a steal.  I just couldn’t wait any longer to bring him out!

Pears, the color of the hydrangeas, also bring a touch of spring, in the Simplydesignz dish from our son and DIL.

So I need your help.  Now that I’m head over heels with my “new” china cabinet, I’m thinking about painting the inside.  But I’m soooo scared!!!  What do you think?  Yes???  No???

If yes, what color?  White?  Cream? Very light teal (my favorite color, but may be too limiting)?  Blue like Pine Tree Barn’s??

I can’t wait to hear from you and get help from all of you super-talented decorators out there!  :)

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Thanks for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I love them and read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to +1 this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you! I invite you to follow me. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back. 

Here’s where I’m going to party this week:

Thursdays at Tabletop Thursday: http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Thursdays at Home Sweet Home: http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Thursdays at No Minimalist Here: http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

Be Inspired Friday at http://www.Commonground-do.com/

Fridays at Feathered Nest: http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com

Sundays at The Tablescaper: http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Tuesdays at http://www.astrollthrulife.net/

Wednesdays at Let’s Dish: http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

Wednesdays at Wow Us: http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

From my nest to yours, ~Zuni