Cheerful Birdies on a Gloomy Day

Be sure to visit Cuisine Kathleen's linky party featuring birds, nests, and eggs.  It's sure to be filled with inspiration galore!

Listening to the birds chirp the other day, I decided that I needed to do a bird themed table.  This periwinkle blue and white palette came together so easily.  When I started poking around, I couldn't believe how much bird stuff I had.

This Robert Allen fabric was the inspiration.  It seemed to blend traditional and contemporary in its simplicity.  I just hemmed a length for a tablecloth.

I chose the drop-leaf table in the bar for this lunch.  I like to leave it pushed up against the wall and set the ends when we only have four.

Then I replaced the fish plates in the antique French shelves with some old bird plates.  There are no markings on these at all, so I can't share any information other than to say I bought them at an antique show years ago.

 

I love this wicker plant holder for small spring pots.  Today I added a small glass filled with water to each terra cotta pot and then placed a blue hydrangea moppead in each one.  I love the way this watercolor of Cape Cod shares the colors of the flowers.

The double-faced satin ribbon comes from The Paperie at Sam Flax, one of my favorite sources for beautiful papers and ribbons.

Here it is used again as a napkin "ring" on a crisp white napkin from The Palm line of linens at Homegoods.  The little vine nest that I used as a placecard holder is from Michaels and was very inexpensive.  These white bistro plates are some I've had for a very long time.  I think everyone needs to have a simple white set of dishes to play with, and they are available many places at very affordable prices.

I am so fond of the look that a mixture of silverplate flatware gives to a table.  Here I've used it with these mother-of-pearl handled knives that pull the white into the design in another interesting way.

Waterford's Lismore pattern of water and wine stems keeps the look crisp and simple. I think it is the most popular pattern that they make.  I have so many friends that have this pattern.  Great for borrowing!  My mom has gifted me with these pieces for many years.  Thanks, mom!  I love them.

This white faux bois cup held the cream of asparagus soup on a similar faux bois plate.  

 

A larger faux bois plate held a simple salad of arugula, avocado, and fresh apricots dressed with a lemon cream dressing.

My white bread and butter plates were a little large for this table, so I used these little fluted dishes for the rolls with a twig butter spreader.

I almost forgot I had this little French white porcelain butter dish with the bird on top.

This casserole dish has been a favorite of mine for many years.  I am always careful not to bang the bird on the top.  It held a delicious orzo primevera.

This might be one of my very favorite tables I have ever set.

I found this roll basket at the Flower Factory in Chagrin Falls, Ohio last week.  They are closing and everything is drastically reduced.  I think I paid about $3.50 for it.  Great bargain, don't you think?

I used this sweet little dish to serve lemons and dill for garnishing the salmon.

Coffee in these cups with the faux bois design were served at the end of the meal with dessert.  The dessert was a meringue shell (made extra rough to look like a nest) filled with lemon curd and garnished with a whipped cream "egg".  I wish I had taken a picture of it, but I never remember to photograph anything once I start serving. 

One more birdie item held sweetener.

It was a gloomy day, but the friendship was warm and the conversation was light and fun.  We have lots of spring flowers blooming, but the rain has kept me out of the garden.  I did a little clipping a few days ago, but things will have to wait for a sunny day for any more gathering.  I didn't even stick my head out to get a picture of the bird welcome sign on the front door.

The guest bathroom vanity even got a nod to spring and birds.

A metal nest.......

and a cute hand towel round out the theme.

Menu:

Asparagus Soup

with Radish Micro-green Garnish

French Rolls

Arugula, Avocado and Apricot Salad

with Lemon Cream Dressing

Soy-glazed Salmon

Orzo Primavera

Meringue Nests filled with

Lemon Curd and a Whipped Cream Egg

Coffee

Don't forget to visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for her weekly blog party featuring lots and lots of fun tablescapes.  Thank you, Susan for this forum.



A Little Birdie Told Me That Spring is Coming!

After all of the ice and snow that we've had here in Atlanta, I'm ready to think about spring.  I set this table for dinner tonight with that in mind.  Out went the fall colors, out went the reds and greens of Christmas, and in came celedon and pink with cream.

It's a little hard to tell in this photo, but these dinner and salad plates are the prettiest shade of celedon green.  Almost a turquoise, but not quite.  They are marked on the back "Pagnossin" and made in Italy. 

They seemed to go with these cream colored linens.  The placemat is from a set I've had for years.  I think my mom gave them to me.  The doilies are from an antique auction in Ohio.  I have three sizes, so I used them for under the flowerpots, water glasses, and wine tumblers.  I just love antique linens and I use them frequently.  I even find it pleasurable to iron them.  (I know, I know.)

Everything was kept to a pale palate.

These cabbage leaf dishes are majolica reproductions made in Portugal.  They make the perfect bread and butter dishes.

Pale pink linen napkins are fanned in a sea glass colored a resin napkin ring from Boxwoods in Atlanta.

I think these water glasses came from Marshall's quite a few years ago.  I remember going to several stores to get eight of them.  The wine tumblers are from Macy's Martha Stewart line. They are such thin glass that I'm forever afraid of breaking them.  I wish I had bought a few extra just in case!  The proportions are a little off in this shot.  The stem is really much bigger than the tumbler.

I used this French inspired flatware with cream handles and just because the color was so good with this table, I included these zinc knife rests.

;

I found them at Boxwoods.  I'm sure they are reproductions and probably not really made of zinc, but they seem to be washed with it. 

Here's the inspiration for the title of the tablescape.  These velvet birds came from the floral wholesaler.  I placed one at each place setting.  Don't they look like old Victorian pieces?  I may be rushing the Easter look, but I thought that they made the table a little more interesting.  Hopefully, they suggest spring, not Easter just yet.

These candlesticks added a bit more whimsy.  They are metal with glass teardrops.  I can't remember where they came from.

Using the zinc look from the knife rests, I echoed it in the flower pots.  They also came from the flower wholesaler.  I filled them with pink roses, pave style.

After I shot this, I remembered that I have some seeded eucalyptus and I should have added it to the arrangement.  The blue-green color would have been perfect.

For dessert (lemon cheesecake!) I used these very pale turquoise opalescent plates from Homegoods.  They look old, don't they?

Here's an aerial view of the table.  These roses were such a surprise.  They started out very, very pale pink and darkened as they opened. 

Do you feel that spring is a bit closer?  I noticed that the days are getting a wee bit longer.  It's definitely still winter, but I did feel a little hopeful about the coming of spring.  Seed catalogues, anyone?

Look for me to post at Between Naps on the Porch for Susan's Tablescape Thursday blog party.  You'll love the entries there. 

betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com

I'm also posting with Robin's All Things Inspired.  Go see the kinds of things that bloggers are entering at her wonderful blog.  I am always so inspired by Robin herself!