photo credit-theholidayzone.com

SPRING is officially here on March 20, 2015

At the end of this post, I have included a recipe for a lighter spring meal, “Spring Frittata with Brie”, from my dear friend Marie Renello, who has the most fantastic website, “Proud Italian Cook”. I have been following Marie’s website for a long time and her recipes, photos and step by step instructions are fantastic. You will want to make everything she posts. Take a look for yourself; just click the link above for a visit to her website.

Never has there been a season more welcomed than Spring 2015.

Let’s put all the shovels, snow blowers, winter coats, freezing temperatures, ice and snow behind us and look forward to budding flowers, singing birds and warmer weather!

Spring to me is all about the color coming back into our lives, the trees blooming, the flowers budding and the birds singing. So the Spring tablescape had to be colorful. I wanted to change it up a bit and prepare a very simple tablescape and a setting for four instead of six.

(Click on photos to enlarge)

I always start my tablescapes by picking out the dinner plate first and see where that leads me. I shop around the house to see what I can add to the table once I get an idea in my head.

This year, I chose a plate that had butterflies, bees and flowers in beautiful shades of green, yellow, coral and blue. What says Spring better than butterflies and flowers? Well, maybe some songbirds but we’ll add that to the centerpiece. 

I thought the dinnerware would look great with a mint green tablecloth with matching cloth napkins to highlight the different shades of green on the plate. I used burlap flower napkin rings to add more flowers to the table setting and still keep it a neutral color that wouldn’t over power the other colors on the table. 

Instead of a charger plate, I used a yellow and white woven placemat. 

Now the yellow, white and mint green colors from the plate are repeated with the table linens.

Now on to glassware. I purchased these green goblets a few years ago in of all places, the Dollar Store. I remember going in for some aluminum trays for the grill and coming out with goblets and being quite surprised that the Dollar Store even had glassware. I use these goblets a lot during Spring season because I just love the color.  It is soft and yet still very cheerful. 

I shopped around the house to add a few more things to the table. First, a crystal honey pot. Since there are bees on the dinnerware, you can’t have bees without honey. And I love the sparkle the crystal brings to the table.

My second choice for the table was a small Lenox votive candle holder; but I topped it with an air freshener instead of using a candle. The scented flowers add the smell of Spring to the table. (You can refresh the scent with a few drops of your favorite scented oil). It would be perfectly fine to use a scented or unscented candle, but I liked the look of more flowers on the table.

Next, a framed photo that I purchased in Hallmark many years ago as a gift for my Mother. The saying reads “You bring sunshine to the lives of those who know you”. That was definitely her. Everyone that knew my Mother, loved her. I loved the saying because my Mother would always sing the song, “You are my Sunshine” and this gift just felt like the right fit for her.

I like to include small sentimental objects on the table to remember the ones we loved who are no longer here to share these occasions with us.

Also, the tulip in the frame matches the tulips on the table.

And last but not least as they say, a floral treasure box. This is a gift that is close to my heart. I received this from my Mother many, many years ago. Inside it reads ” A daughter is a joy forever”. This has always been very special to me and is now the home of a piece of my Mother’s jewelry and sits on my vanity tray.

My Mother and I always exchanged these little gifts to warm the heart.

Sometimes the smallest token can mean the most to us; especially when given with love.

With the addition of my silver & gold flatware to the tablescape, we now move on to the centerpiece.

Spring is about color and life waking up from a gloomy winter so I decided to include some colorful ceramic songbirds birds to the centerpiece that matched the colors in the dinnerware. 

It would be too sparse to just have the birds on their own, so I added a white birdcage with a cute little crystal bird on the top. If you like the birdcage look, but want to change it up a bit, you can either weave a decorative ribbon into the top spokes of the cage or tie a ribbon into a large bow on top of the cage to highlight your dinnerware colors.

(I couldn’t find any ribbon that I liked for this tablescape).

Inside the birdcage I added moss, a nest and some eggs along with a small white ceramic bird. The birdcage needed some sort of platform to stand out, so I placed it on my white ceramic cheese board as the base of the centerpiece. Yes, I said cheese board, think outside the box! 

You have to have fresh flowers as part of a Spring tablescape, so I bought some beautiful tulips and displayed them in simple cylinder vases. The addition of fresh flowers definitely makes it feel more like Spring. For some extra sparkle, I placed the vases on a small mirror coaster and added crystal gems to the vase.

Now the centerpiece is done. I wanted this table to really get you in the mood for Spring.

Tulips are very delicate. To make the tulips last a little bit longer, I add some 7-Up to the water; a trick my mother taught me years ago. Or you could add plant food purchased at the florist, but try the 7-Up first. The 7-Up keeps the water clear and the plant food can make the water appear cloudy. 

Table Setting

Tablescape Details

Tablecloth with matching napkins from Christmas Tree Store

Dinnerware from JC Penney many years ago – (by Coventry fine porcelain – pattern: Secret Garden)

Green Goblets from the Dollar Store

Napkin rings from Bed, Bath and Beyond

Placemats from Homegoods

Birdcage from Michael’s Arts and Crafts

Ceramic birds from Lowe’s Home Improvement

Nest and eggs from Pier I

Vases from Michael’s Arts and Crafts

Mirror coasters and crystal gems from Michael’s Arts and Crafts

White ceramic cheese board from Target

Frame and Keepsake Box from Hallmark

Lenox votive candle holder from Macy’s

Crystal honey pot was a gift

Tulips from KK Floral

It was a pleasure sharing this tablescape with you to welcome Spring into your homes. My wish for you, is that you spend every day of this new season full of happiness and in good health.

Since Palm Sunday is March 29, 2015, this tablescape can easily be used for Palm Sunday as well. Just add some palm to the vases of flowers and a small palm cross to each place setting. (Daffodils, Gerber daisies and Lilacs are also good flower choices as well as the Tulips).

Until my next post, stay well and make every day a celebration!

Diane

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