Exotic Birds on a Late Spring Evening, 2017

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to entertain a few dear friends for supper.  I wanted it to be really special because two of them had never sat at one of my tables.  I wanted both of them to feel like the guest of honor.  Actually that's pretty much my goal every time I set a table.  It's why I always go the "extra mile".  Tonight we are seated at the games table in the living room.  Come on in and join us...

The weather is rapidly becoming too hot to dine al fresco, none the less, I wanted my table to remind my guests of a wonderful, cool spring evening.

I made the light teal matelasse tablecloth.  It is one of my favorites when choosing linens.  The Vietri gold rimmed glass charger plate set the mood for a girly but still elegant tablescape.  This charger is still in production and probably available at one of your local shops, should you be interested.

My camera had been giving me fits for some time.  I finally figured out why so many of my shots seemed slightly out of focus.  Please, forgive me for some of the shots in this post.  I think that the problem is solved going forward.  Again, one of my favorite things...the Coalport Exotic Bird dinner plate.  I've been collecting these for about 15 years, and to date I have found 5 dinner plates on eBay.  Normally, I don't start a collection unless I know that I have the ability to complete it.  I like this design so much that I made an exception! 

I've had better fortune with the Exotic Bird luncheon plate.  

The Waterford Simply Pink and the Lost and Found crystal goblet lent plenty of sparkle and shine to our special evening.  Why Lost and Found?  Years ago, a friend  of my sister-in-love's stole half of all of the crystal that she had inherited when my mother-in-love passed away.  One day, I attended an estate sale for a pawn shop that was going out of business.  I turned the corner, and voilà, there they sat!  The friend had pawned them, probably years ago.  My sister-in-love decided that I should keep them, and she would use them whenever she wanted.  And now you have the story of the "Lost and Found Crystal".

Finishing touches were provided by the Reed & Barton Grande Renaissance sterling flatware, my whimsical tiny blown glass salt and peppers, and the linen napkin with teal trim.

  It sings of late spring to me.

When I'm designing a table for four, I often find that a full sized tureen is out of proportion with the rest of the small table.  It makes an already packed table way too crowded, so...

...I usually turn to a covered vegetable dish and elevate it on a stand.  Tonight I used the Minton Cockatrice.  It works beautifully with the Coalport plates.  The hydrangeas are from my garden, except for the blue ones which I bought at the grocery store.  I am not a talented gardener...more of a "seat of the pants" gardener.  I plant something in the ground, pray for a few years, and cheer when I happen to have any success.  I love hydrangeas, and I can't believe that they have actually survived my lack of skills.  Tonight they are placed in the small urns that used to hold Seda France candles.

Candlelight sparkles from my Dollar Tree cut glass votives.  I love Dollar Tree, don't you?

Tonight I served Chicken Tetrazzini, a simple salad, hot garlic bread, and cheese cake for dessert.

We visited long into the evening (Sweet Mister was on a fishing trip in Colorado).

If you're coming my way, I'd love to set a special table for you, too.  Just give me holler and let me know you're on the way.

This week I'm joining:

Tablescape Thursday w/ Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch