Is Ikat the new Buffalo Check?

Jennifer at The Pink Pagoda writes one of my very favorite blogs, and the best posts of all come on Mondays when she posts Blue and White Mondays.  She's had a great idea to start a Blue and White Linky Party.  I'm offering this post that I did quite some time ago, and it remains my favorite Blue and White post.  Thanks, Jennifer for all of your great posts and for the chance to participate!

On the whole, I'm not crazy about the trend toward global influences in decor.  At least not the multicolored fabrics that look sort of bohemian to me.  But....and it's a big but (no jokes here, please) I love, love, love single colored ikats.  They conduct themselves like a buffalo check.  That is, they give a pattern, but it's one that mixes with lots of other fabrics and patterns.  Add a stripe, a check, a polka dot, a toile, a solid...it all works!

 So, when I saw this good-sized remnant at Old Time Pottery for $5.00 per yard, I snapped it right up.  There's enough here to make a tablecloth and to cover some pillows for our tv room.

I just think this is so interesting.  Except for the photographer's shadow, that is.

With just this new tablecloth, and some inexpensive new dinner plates from Target, I've given these very classic and unremarkable pieces an entirely new look. 

Well, maybe I should apologize to these Portuguese chargers for calling them unremarkable.  I really do like them a lot!

These melamine dinner plates in a similar ikat pattern are next.  See how the ikats mix?  Target has quite a collection of melamine blue and white pieces, but I limited myself to just four of these plates, because I have so much blue and white already.

The salad plate is from Bed, Bath and Beyond and made by Strawberry Lane.  I bought a bunch of this pattern of dishes when Mr. Pressed Pants proceeded me in a corporate move and needed dishes.  They needed to be inexpensive, very durable, and blue and white to match the way I planned to remodel the kitchen in our newly purchased house.  These worked!

These bowls were from this batch of dishes.  I used them for a delicious gazpacho that we bought at the Farmer's Market in Alpharetta.

The flatware is available anywhere.

This urn is from our older daughter's wedding and I filled it with blue hydrangeas.  I think this table would look better with white hydrangeas, but those are done in my yard, and the blue ones are peaking now.

Heavenly!

The little white French butter keeper looked pretty cute.

 Well, what do you think?  Do you like the new look for these old favorites?

Maybe after dinner, we'll do a little fishing.  Or, at least Mr. Pressed Pants, will.  I find fishing a bit boring.  I'll be reading instead.  I just picked up Mary Kay Andrew's new book and I'm ready to start it.

We have some new residents living here.  The babies are just past the yellow fluff stage.  We love that the mom and dad come back each year....together....good moral fiber!