Spode Continental Views Yellow Transferware Table (by Jonah!!!)

Last summer I purchased a rickety picnic table with benches at a yard sale for $10.  Shawn about croaked since he'd have trashed this thing in a heartbeat.  He could not believe I bought such junk, but I couldn't resist the price or the thought of how I'd use it for outdoor tablescapes.   That's the main reason I bought it!  It's so bloggable!   It's warped and wobbly as can be with badly chipped paint (which I happen to like).  Well, before we moved I packed up a box full of things just for this table knowing it would be the first one I'd do at our new house.   Then, when we moved to the new house, as you might have imagined, Shawn 'accidentally on purpose' forgot to load the picnic table and benches.  Needless to say, that didn't work out like he had planned.   Thank goodness for teenage boys that are willing to sneak over to the old house and load it up while Dad is gone, and a Mom most willing to drive the getaway van!  My rickety, rackety, chippy, about to fall to pieces picnic table is in the back yard now and soon will be premiered on my blog.  After that it might be firewood.  We'll see.

 So you are wondering why I'm telling you about the picnic table?  Because all week I've had the box of dishes and items for this table sitting by the door... but alas, I did not get it done in time for Tablescape Thursday, or even begin it.  That seems to be so like me these past few weeks.  I really do have a zillion ideas floating between my ears, but trying to execute them all, or any of them, has not been a strong point for me lately.   So instead, I'm going to share a table that my son Jonah helped put together as a display while we still had the shop.    If you know Jonah, you would know this is so not something he would ever do, but he really did the majority of it.  All I did was tell him what plates to use. 

 The plates are a rare yellow polychrome transferware (yellow is the rarest of all transferware colors) by Spode-Copeland.  The pattern is called Continental Views and was first produced in 1844-45.  These plates date to about the 1930's and have a Gadroon edge.  These are also polychrome, meaning they have hand painted touches of color over the transfer.    I have some for sale in my Etsy shop HERE.

 I love the elaborate detail of the border around the scene, the way the floral garland dips down onto the face of the plate.

Napkins were laid at an angle with one corner hanging over the edge of the table in place of placemats.  Green marbleized flatware by Barenthal was used to pick up the greens from the plate.  Jonah rolled up napkins and placed them in silver filigree rings above the plates at each setting.

I offered Jonah a little guidance along the way, but not much.   The centerpiece full of tulips (I think these are called Parrot tulips), hydrangeas, and apples.  The colors in the arrangement picked up the colors on the face of the plates. 

And, here's my JoJo at his Junior Prom last month:

And here he is when he found out I posted his tablescape for all the world to see.

I'm joining
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch
Beverly for Pink Saturday
Charm of Home hosted by Sherry

Photo Feature Friday  at A Rosy Note

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground