A Little Bit Country (Brown and Red Transferware Tablescape)

ENTER MY CSN $40 GIVEAWAY HERE

Due to inclement weather, my kids are home from school today and I'm home from the shop too.  Between laundry loads and checking emails I quickly put this table together.  The inspiration?  Trevors bed quilt.  I snagged it before he got it back up to his room where it would not have wound up on a neatly made bed.

Honestly, I normally have something in mind for a table setting but today it just didn't happen.  I wasn't sure what to do, what dishes to use, what colors to go with, etc. but when I saw Trev's quilt go into the laundry I thought about something simple that could be put together fairly quick, so here's 'a little bit country'.

I played mix and match with layering the plates, and combining two transferware patterns (four different designs) in two colors, red and chocolate brown.

I used Royal Staffordshire Rural Scenes in red because of its wonderful, bucolic scenes and its border, which is one of my favorites, consisting of various farm and garden implements.

Here, the dinner plate depicts a Mother and her children on a felled log while the men work on chopping down another tree.

The brown transferware plates are by Grindley with various coaching scenes on them in brown.  Here is the dinner plate.

You may have already noticed this, but mid stream I decided to add place mats to the setting.  Then I took them away.  I changed my mind about the napkin rings too.  First I used red cardinal napkin rings, then tied a crocheted, vintage red and cream colored lace around the napkins, then added real twigs to the bird rings.  I can't decide.  

  Speaking of indecision, I also took the remainder of the crochet lace and wrapped a piece around the log shaped candle and loosely draped it around the centerpiece.  Here are the after, and before pics. That's backwards.

I don't have it together today.

 

Speaking of the centerpiece, it was also inspired by laundry or laziness, or both.  When Trevvy brought out the quilt from the laundry room and it clicked in my mind to use this, another click sounded making me think of the antique seed box I keep in the laundry room.  Hmmm, that may make a cute centerpiece filled with a little this, that, etc.  So, here it is.  It's a neat old wooden box with the original label still intact, with instructions for the merchant.  This is something that would have been used as a store display and would hold packs of seeds.  I simply placed one of the checked napkins inside and filled with a candle, berries and a vintage raisin box.  My first choice would have been some antique French seed packs...but I don't know what I did with them and today was not the day to go looking.

Next to the seed box I placed a brown transferware pitcher with a horse scene by Adams, making this part of the centerpiece.  My picture is a little off...think it matches how I'm feeling today. ;-)  Sorry.

It's filled with some winter greens, berries and pheasant feathers.

Back to the seed box for a sec...wanted to show you the dovetailing in the box.  Love it!

 I scattered some itsy bitsy wood slices around the table and called it a day.

Ok, ok...almost a day.  I was just thinking that the title of this post, "A Little Bit Country", begs me to do "A Little Bit Rock 'n' Roll".  I have a small needlepoint rug depicting various musical instruments including an electric guitar ....hmmm...what transferware would go with that? Something to ponder, another day.

I'm joining:

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French Country Cottage 
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CSN Stores $40 Giveaway!

  Anyone interested in a $40 gift certificate?  CSN stores contacted me and offered one of my readers just that.

My oldest son, Michael, moved into his own place last summer. His apartment is upscale and contemporary in style, decorated with  modern furniture.  He has the basics covered but still needs a few pieces here and there.    This leather uphosltered Herman Miller lounge and ottoman  would look so good with his sofa and existing tables...

...or this Eames designed chaise inspired by director Billy Wilder while filming on location in 1955.    Wilder discovered he could take quick naps on a plank held up by sawhorses and told his friends, Charles and Ray Eames that he needed a narrow office couch.  In 1968, the Eameses remembered the conversation and introduced this chaise, gifting the first one to Wilder.  It's been produced by Herman Miller ever since.

It's contemporary and yet paired with French tables for an eclectic look.

 I bet Frasier would be proud to have either of these in his apartment!

 You can find these pieces and hundreds or thousands more at the 200+ CSN stores.

  If you'd like a gift certificate for $40 to use at any CSN store towards anything you want, all you have to do is leave a comment, making sure I am able to contact you if you're the winner.  I'll let this run for one week and announce the winner Wednesday, January 26th.

Good Luck!

My Master Bedroom Tour - Part 1 - Entertainment Center and Purple Transferware Plates

I just cleaned off the top of the armoire in our Master bedroom, and boy was it dusty!  Of course, I accidentally deleted my before pics, so I guess the after pics will have to suffice.   The walls were this color when we moved into the house and not my first choice.  At  least they are a neutral color. 

The armoire is centered on the wall with painted apothecary chests on either side.   This photo looks horrible.  I just cleaned these chests for the pics and it looks like there is some film all over them.  Yikes.

On top of each chest are two miniature, hand painted cabinets turned outward at an angle giving this more of a built in wall unit look.  I chose the two small cabinets for the colors of cognac and shades of green which tie the apothecary chests and armoire together.

On top of the armoire, to add additional height and interest, is an old suitcase and a one of my vintage wooden crates on top.  Staffordshire dogs and antique purple transferware pitchers are on either side of the . 

The grouping of furniture is framed in with a portion of my purple transferware plate collection. Can you tell I like symmetry?  Very OCD.  Very me.  Very much not kidding.

Since I took this picture, I decided to add some antique lace on top of each of the apothecary chests.  All of my furniture and bedding are darker wood in this room so I think the lace softens and lightens it up a bit.

Recognize this dish?  It's just like the one in my header, but purple instead.  I love these opened hands shaped dishes.  This one holds an old skeleton key. 

 

Here are some closeups of the plates on this wall.  First is a circa 1830-40 plate by Thomas Mayer in the pattern called Canova.  The backstamp is shown directly below the plate.

Next is another 1830's plate by Ridgway in the Marmora pattern

This plate is circa 1920-30 by Enoch Woods / Wood and Sons in the Castles pattern.  This border is one of my favorites ever...the flowers around the top seem to be dripping into the scene.

Another plate by Ridgway, Oriental pattern, Circa 1830-40 (Isn't the beehive stamp neat on the back of this one?)

This one is called English Scenery, by Wood and Sons

And here is a plate by Midwinter, circa 1930-50ish in the Rural England pattern

Ok, I won't bore you anymore with plates on my wall...well not this post anyway.  Here's a look at the wall from sitting smack dab in the center of my bed, which faces it.  I'm thinking that a little greenery may look good in the crate at the top of the armoire...what do you think?  Should I add some greenery or dried flowers to the crate or just leave it as is?

And here's another shot taken from the same spot, just before going night night.  Have I ever mentioned that Shawn and I are addicted to Frasier?  We have the entire series on dvd and have watched it through and through, over and over.  When we finish the last season, we then start again with season 1.  

I'll be showing the rest of our bedroom over the next couple of weeks.  You'll see a seating area, the bed, more vignettes and of course, yes, more transferware plate arrangements on the walls!

I'm joinging:

Romantic Home
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