Vintage Pinecones

Last summer, I bought these vintage pine cone dishes at a garage sale.  If you have read my blog at all, you've seen pine cones appear again and again.  My very favorite pine cone post is here.  This dinner party was much, much more casual and I put it together in a snap.  We had out of town guests and there was no time to fuss.

Here's a close up of the pattern.  It's very graphic and simple.

 

This is all it has stamped on the back.  I'm guessing that it was made in the 50's.  The serving pieces and cups, which I forgot to photograph, have that space ship feeling which was so popular then.

Here's the way the table came together.  I used a dupioni silk runner from the floral wholesaler.  This runner is so much wider than the ones you see in tabletop stores.  Then I added these quilted placemats from France.  These are actually used on the reverse side.  I'll admit that I added the placemats to protect the runner!  We were having jambalaya and I knew it had the potential to be messy.  And it was....at a certain person's place.

This huge pottery bowl of pine cones usually sits on the coffee table in our second floor tv room.  I about gave myself a hernia carrying it down here and back and then didn't use it.  More on that later.

These handsome candlesticks are back for another dinner!

As are the rattan wine coaster and faux bois s/p shakers.

And you've seen this flatware very frequently.  I never realize how often I use some of my stuff until I post about it!  But it is funny how my favs have changed through the years.

These pine cone embroidered napkins didn't photograph very true to color.  They are really a better match to the runner than they appear.

These pine cone etched wine glasses have been another frequent visitor to the table this year.  I promise that I'm about done with fall/winter tables!

I decided to use these amber glass salad plates for salad.

These pine cone plates have such great texture.  They came from Target last Christmas.  They held our Banana's Foster for dessert.  Wow!  Was this ever a big hit!  And sooooo easy.  I'm putting this recipe on the top of the dessert file, for sure.

Here's a close up.  This was taken before we ate, but I swear the plates were almost this clean after everyone finished their dessert.

Here's the centerpiece I ended up using.  I actually liked the big pottery bowl better, but I remembered that our guests gave us this for Christmas several years ago.  I thought it would reinforce how much I like it if they saw it on the table during dinner.  It usually sits on a chest in front of the sofa in our terrace level family room.  Boy, does it ever look pretty at Christmas time when I fill it half way up with fresh cranberries.  I was going to cover the bottom with some natural colored rock, but I never circled back to do so.  Oh well.....the fellowship of the dinner is the most important, as Sandy at The Reluctant Entertainer tells us so well.  And that was just great!

I'll be posting at the following blog parties:

Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com

Seasonal Sunday

http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com

Tabletop Tuesday

http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com

Wow Us Wednesday

http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com