Showing posts with label Spring table. Show all posts

Sunday, March 15, 2015

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!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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!

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Zuni

Purple Passion Easter Table

Hi, there! How ready are you for Easter? Me: Nope!

Have you bought the Easter-basket goodies? Me: Huh-uh!

Do you have your menu set? No!! I can’t make up my mind with all the Pinterest ideas I keep pinning!! Help!!

Have you made at least one of the Easter decorations or vignettes you’ve pinned? Me: Not a one. :( I think I’m living vicariously through Pinterest. :(

Okay…but have you at least set the time for your gathering and invited guests???? Me: Kind’a….sorta….the guests know we’re doing SOMETHING. Time to be determined.

Do you have a plan for your table yet? Me: Ummmm….no (in a meek voice).

I may not have it all together—at all—

…but I can help YOU!!

Well, with the table at least. :)

I’ve seen several PURPLE EASTER TABLES this year, so I thought I’d bring last year’s PURPLE table out again, seeing as PURPLE might be getting to be a trend. I hope it serves as inspiration and helps you get on track. Happy Easter to all! I hope the Easter bunny stops by your house, and I wish you the true blessings and joy of Easter.

I’d seen a gorgeous purple table on tumblr that served as a huge inspiration, but alas, woe is me…I don’t have the gorgeous amethyst Ajka goblets that ‘scaper (I haven’t been able to identify him/her, though believe me, I’ve tried, because I so wanted close ups of this table!) has. They’re pricey…I don’t think I can justify them for one.table. Oh, I’m sure I’d use them and sooooo thoroughly enjoy having them, but reason must prevail at times, I think someone once said. :(

So this is the Chickadee Home Nest version of a purple table, just in time for Easter, and spring, and flowers.

I’ve used these Limoges dishes for several tablescapes, and I’ve so enjoyed them. They were purchased at a local antique shop on a day when reason {happily} did not prevail. I remember the day well…summer-almost-fall sunny day. I almost ran to my car, clutching them in my arms, sure that they were going to call me back because they’d made a mistake on the price, but happily, they didn’t! The “chargers” are Lenox Eternal dinner plates.

I have eight of these dishes, but three different floral patterns.

Four of these beauties live with us.

And two of these…

And two of these!

And their rims are just as beautiful ~

Hmmmm, lovely, yes? And…

Another one.

It’s funny…I just realized, as I wrote about how beautiful they are,that I do that quite often—I talk about the beauty of items, as from afar; as though they don’t belong to me. And it occurs to me that that might sound like I’m going on and on about “things” I own, but it’s not that at all. I marvel at the mastery in all things beautiful, and I so enjoy others’ talents and vision in creating beautiful things. It’s really about them, and the creative process. I have vivid memories of my sweet grandmother doing that too, like admiring the stitchery in fine linens the same way…as just stating a fact. I’m just happy that these beautiful creations live with me so I can enjoy them!

So how did I partner these lovelies?

With lots of purples, to bring out the purple in them. I wrote about the silver goblets recently (a happy auction find!), and the crystal wines are big favorites of mine. The pattern is Pristine, made by Reizart at the time, which was eventually bought by Gorham. The pattern was discontinued in the early 70s. Unlike Waterford that is so heavy (and I also l-o-v-e), these stems are delicate and paper thin. Of the original set of 12 (waters, wines, and sherbets each) only a couple have small chips! I’m so glad I still have them and still like them!

Were you wondering if I’d forgotten the napkins? :) Nope! They’re here! I decided to do something different with them and stack them on a silver server (not visible in this picture), tied with a shimmery purple ribbon. They will be passed around the table, just like the bread will be, when all my imaginary guests are seated. (The real Easter table this year will involve birds and nests. :) )

Lots of purple.

As I often do, the grandchickadee’s high chair is part of the ensemble, this time with a mix of purple and white flowers. Little does he know that his high chair serves another purpose when he’s not here! :)

The centerpiece was created to give the illusion of a runner, extending the full length of the open center of the table.

Have you noticed the challenge of silverware placement on round placemats? The placemats don’t appear to be too small, but because we lose the valuable real estate of the corners, we have to get a little creative. So I moved the salad forks and teaspoons up a bit and liked it!

Some of the details (you know I love details!).

And now, as they say in Hollywood…

It’s a wrap!

So, do you think I need those purple Ajka goblets? (There’s only one right answer, you know…because I’ll be reporting the results of this unbiased, statistically sound survey to Mr. CHN so he understands my “need.”)

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From my nest to yours~

Zuni

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Easter Table & Vignettes

Has Easter hopped right into this week without your even knowing how that happened? That's what happened at our house--it's here, before I knew it! So this post will cover lots of territory--from outdoor and indoor vignettes to my Easter tablescape.

Sprint has definitely SPRUNG in central Ohio, though we have a danger of frost until mid-May. For now, we're enjoying every bit of it, taking it as a GIFT.

And....guess who's lurking around waiting with his load of eggs to hide?!
(As I was taking pictures in the dining room the other day, some movement outside caught my eye...
yep, that's who it was!! I looked up just in time to see his cotton tail scamper under the bushes!)

A few of the touches of spring around our house...
my favorite Nicodemus piece--this chubby robin with a few eggs in her nest, in my Bombay chicken-wire cloche,
my wrought iron tiered server, chock full of eggs and carrots (close-ups of the carrots to follow),
and our resident duck couple. They are so cute; they're always together. I haven't found their nest yet.

And now for my Easter tablescape...

The centerpiece is a gorgeous Fitz & Floyd bunny cake plate my SIL gave me YEARS ago, so it's the good stuff, not what's out there now, and it is beautiful. I opted for a simple Depression glass sugar bowl (I must look up the pattern!) for the flowers, because I didn't want to hide the beautiful detail on the plate.

Large dinner plate/chargers are new this year (Home Goods) and boy, do I love them! I wanted to use these hobnail frosted salad/ dessert plates and the dinner plates were perfect with them. I wish I had at least four more of these dessert plates...I love them, but they were a gift years ago and was never able to find more.

The napkins are brand, spanking new--Easter clearance at Home Goods--and they were perfect for my Easter tablescape. What a happy find!

The napkin rings were made by my mother years ago.

Perfect for this pastel table!

Here is the yellow plate...I can't decide which color I like best/which place setting I would choose. I'd like to know which one you like best: YELLOW, WHITE, BLUE, or GREEN?

Carrot place card holders, pinned by--what else?

A tiny carrot clothes pin!

The large carrot is from a garland I found this year at Tuesday Morning--I cut them off the garland. And the tiny clothes pins? I've had them for years. They were still in the original package because I hadn't run across a way to use them, but I fell in love with them when I first saw them, and I am sooooo happy to get to finally use them!

What other ideas do you have for how to use them?

The lovely teaspoons? Another gift from my SIL--a hostess gift when I had a shower for her DIL. Lovely.

You just might recognize these darling cordials...I posted about them HERE, when my mother hosted a pre-wedding dinner party for our son and his fiancee.

And now, they have a new home!

She thought they'd be happy here, and I hope they're as happy as I am to have them. Perfect for my Easter table!

Our son and DIL gave me these sweet little bird s&p last year for my birthday--love them!

And my mother gave me the egg years ago...perfect!

I have a confession...of my many dish addictions, sugar and creamers are right up there...so when I saw these on clearance at Home Goods a few days ago, no, they didn't jump in my cart--I GRABBED them and brought them home with me!

Aren't they darling? Now, how could anyone pass them up?!

Do you understand? :)

And last but not least...our baby's high chair, set with what else, but Royal Doulton Bunnykins?

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