WOOOOO HOOOOO
Doing the Happy Dance!

Punk, quit that day job now! You have a new one I think.
Very impressive and one of those photos is heading to our Inspiration album. 100 yr old dishes....how very special.
Your DM and her Aunt must be smiling from ear to ear at what you've done with them. Heck I'm smiling ear to ear!
You are a 'natural' at this as far as I'm concerned!

hugs, Karen who's so excited she can hardly type!

Karen,

After reading your post and watching your little purple lady dance, I'm laughing out loud. She is a HOOT and then some. I love her and can't quit laughing. Thank you so much for your wonderful comments but I think I better keep that day job.LOL

I'm sure Gr Aunt and DM are smiling knowing how much the dishes mean to me. I'm sure they are smiling more knowing all of you inspired me to do something with them. For that, I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart.

Punk

Oh, Punk! This is such a pretty setting. The dishes are lovely . The shape is so unique. The pitcher is very classic looking, and I love how it sparkles.

Which glasses? Ummm, hard decision; they are both pretty. If I had to choose, I would probably pick the plainer one on the right. It doesn't distract my eye from those gorgeous dishes.
However, I know things don't always look the same IRL as in a pic.

I'm doing the happy dance along with Karen.

Lee

Punk,

I'm no expert by a long shot, but I know what I like looking at, and I LIKE LOOKING AT THAT!

Just LOVE the idea of the 100 year old dishes; if you have guests using those lovely dishes, I hope you tell the story of the dishes!

P.S. I like the other glasses, but I think the plain ones do compliment the table the best.

Punk...DOUBLE - WOOOO HOOOO - WOOOO HOOO!!
With - Two Thumbs Up!!

I'm NOT surprised you pulled this lovely table off. You're another one, like Karen, who's been hiding those 'extra' talents. You're so darn creative..it was just natural, for you to put it together so wonderfully, and in 10 Minutes!!

These dishes are just so beautiful. I'm so happy you chose them, for their special meaning, to do your first table. You can rest assured, that you've made your DM and Gr Aunt so proud, and are smiling from above!
I know when I first saw your post..I started to smile...when I opened it up and saw this table...my smile became this huge tooth smile!!
I think I like the plain glasses too, and you can use the others for 'another tablesetting' ...lol
I'm so happy you did it..and so successfully...

jane

Waaaaaaaaayyyyyy pretty!!!!
I love your dishes, and am proud to tell you that I have a few pieces of Old Leeds Spray that I bring out at Christmas. I will think of you every time I see them!!! I KNOW your Mom is watching and thinking..."Wow, she really sets a beautiful table!"
Thanks for posting!!

I can't believe this is your first tablescape! You done good, girl!

The dishes are gorgeous. I love it all.

Hi PG,
You are a lucky gal. I have my mother's china (not 100 years old) and it means so much to me, so I can just imagine how you feel. The octagonal (looks like more than 8 edges, but I can't tell.) edging puts it in a class that is out of the ordinary.

I think I'd try putting clear glass compote on top of the place setting. A lot of the gals here layer things and I like layering. Normally, you'd want to feature the floral pattern on your plates, but you have so many pieces that it's not necessary - and the glass really won't obscure it all that much.

I, too, prefer the clear glass for color, but like a longer stem, as I think it adds a little more height to that area. Do you have large stems? And try letting the napkin droop a little, like a flower at the end of its blooming period. I'm not sure it would look good, but try it and see. You'll know right away which looks best.

I like the size of your placemats. Never liked skimpy ones. Do you have any that are yellowish or greenish? I think a bolder color will set off the plates more.

Anyway, those are some ideas. Just ideas, mind you. I find it fun to just play around with dishes, even when I'm not going to use the setting for dinner! Sort of like playing house when your in kindergarten. Just plain fun!

Yikes, if that's your first tablescape, I can only imagine how great #10 will be! You did good, Lady!! I pretty much agree with everything Yachter said and suggested: great plates; the clear glasses look a bit better, but do you have any with stems? The cream placemats look nice but a stronger color would make those gorgeous plates really pop. My only other suggestion would be to take away the red apple in the centerpiece. To my eyes, it looks a bit overly crowded . . .but with such pretty things!
Keep posting your different tablescape pics. You definitely have the knack.
Lynn

You go girl, you did good. The dishes are lovely and very special, how lucky you are. Your chargers are really different and work well. You may have inspired me to give it a try just for fun.
Syble

Yeah,you did it! So glad to see you took the plunge! ;o)

How wonderful and amazing that pretty set of china has been in the family--and survived--so many years! I agree, your Mom and Aunt would be so pleased to know you are enjoying them.

Your table looks very inviting for a nice fall dinner, I really like the basket of fruit and the decorated pumpkin and that pretty fall ribbon too. (However, that gorgeous topiary in the background just keeps catching my eye--love it too!)

These gals are much better qualified to help you "tweak" it than I am, so think about giving some of their suggestions a try just for the fun of it. It's a learning process for all of us and so fun to see the outcome ;o)

Luvs

WOW!!! I have no suggestions but there are a few things that amaze me -

First, that this is the first tablescape you've posted - we sure hope to see more from you, it's wonderful.

Second, your 100 year old dishes are so beautiful and you are lucky to have dishes passed down and so many of them!

Third, that you did it in 10 MINUTES! That would have taken me a few hours and the results would not have been as good!

Thanks for the inspiration and look forward to seeing more pics from you!

YES---YES---YES!!!

You did this in....TEN MINUTES?!?!

I've been working at this for a couple of years now and still struggle with the layering that seems to come so easily for others.

Each tablescape I do is hours of putting on, taking off, moving around, standing back, sleeping on it and coming back the next day to tweek more, maybe shop for a little something else, decide I don't like the centerpiece, switch it out for something else, and on and on it goes and where she stops DH wants to know!

Finally, I'll take pictures while thinking, "There ought to be something else I can put on here. What am I missing?"

Did you say, umm... TEN MINUTES?

I'm sorry... I am so impressed by the ten minute thing that I didn't say how wonderful it is that you have these beautiful dishes from your Mom and Great Aunt to share with us! I love the florals, I love the colors, and I love the shape of them. It really catches the eye. So,so pretty.

You sure hit the mark with this tablesetting. I truly can't believe this is your first. What natural talent. I love the nice full look you've got going on! The last close-up picture really shows how well your tablerunner goes with the colors in your dishes.

I'll scroll back up and see something else I like and want to comment on and laugh at Karen's purple lady on the way back down!

Decisions-Decisions! I can't choose between those glasses! I like them both! One for the height-one for the color!
Do you have enough of each so you could use both?
Put the taller one where the green one is, put the green one to the right of that, and the clear glass compote WOULD look nice on the placesetting for another nice layer like OA suggested, and you could still see the flowers through the clear glass.

Lord, Child. I'm not the one to give advice. I'm the "Queen of Indecision".

Great Job, Girl! Don't stop now. You're too talented!

Betty

It looks great! Your dishes are beautiful!
You don't need any help!

Punk, you done good, girl! This is a great table, like everyone else I'm stunned by your 100 year old dinnerware. I like the green stemware, but the others looked great too. - Gail

Good Evening,

You have me tweaking and tweaking and I don't know when to quit.LOL I read all the posts and started redoing and this is what happened. I couldn't decide what I liked but didn't like several things as OA stated. So I'll show you a few and this weekend when I have more time maybe I can try a few more changes.

OA, I wish I would of had more choices on place mats but just didn' have a yellow or green like you suggested. These were some of DM and they have geraniums on the other side. Bet you are glad I didn't turn them over.

The gold glasses were DM or from my grandparents and so thats why I tried adding them. With alot of help from all of you I will stay and play for sure.

It's been fun and I don't have time for all this playing but wish I did. Now I know why all of you are hooked! Please don't expect me to display to often but please help me when I do.

Thanks for all your sweet comments and I didn't redo in 10 min. tonight. I think I've already lost my speed.

Punk

{{gwi:1446424}}


{{gwi:1446425}}


{{gwi:1446426}}


{{gwi:1446427}}

Wow Punk...
I see you WERE playing!! lol
I think I like the last two arrangements.
I like the little (amber) footed dessert glasses. They pick up the color of your charger trays. If they didn't cover up the center pattern of your pretty dishes, I'd put them in the center of each dish. So where you have them is nice. Also, I love the stemware you chose and they give great balance to your tablesetting.
I'm thinking the last table looks Best...because I'm seeing a nice flow at your table, with your dishes, stemware and centerpiece..everything looks lovely.
Those dishes are just so beautiful and it's amazing what great shape they're in.
I forgot to mention, that Hurricane centerpiece is really nice...I would move your glass pitcher over to one end of the table, so it and your centerpiece are not obstructed.
For your first table... with just a little 'tweeking' your everything looks so lovely.
Having all those lovely things, I spy in your cabinets, you should be able to have fun 'Playing' for a long time to come...lol

jane

Jane, I told her to quit her day job! LOL.
I'm still so amazed she not only did this table in the first place, and FAST, she has already changed it around a few times. WOW. (And I struggled with a tiny tea setting, LOL.) I'm just so proud of Punk, tho I should have known with her artistic ability, she'd have a good eye for doing table settings too.

Luvs, I meant to thank you for bringing her to our Forum!
She is such a wonderful addition to our little 'family' here.

hugs, Karen

Oh how beautiful. And your great aunt's dishes make it sentimental a well. You've made me think of my grandmother, who would have loved those dishes. Fantastic.

When I look at a tablescape, I not only look at color and balance and such, I also like to imagine people sitting there eating and enjoying each other's company (this may be a bit old fashioned). For that reason, I like the glasswear for the last one the best. You will have a dinner with coffee, water and champagne. Yea, I know you can put whatever drink in whatever glass, the different shapes indicate a likelyhood for certain things. Due to my game of imagine-the-party, I'd also like to either see six people at the table, or re-arrange the four to a more conversational arrangement.

And ladies, we have been focusing on the table far too much. Take a look at what she has in the hutches behind it. Lots of good stuff to play with there!

Punk! Loved looking at your beautiful table! And I knew there was a reason we call you Speedy! ha You must just naturally do everything fast. ha Probably from necessity. Glad you took time to do this. Love your china and the glimpses of the fun stuff in your cabinets (love those white pumpkins) and background (like that pumpkin with the floral arrangement). Let me know when you do your Christmas table! ha I wanna come see what else you can accomplish! ~Anj

Hey! I really like the last arrangement. You've got lots of different elements, but it doesn't look too crowded. The stemware is wonderful.
Sometimes (often times) I play "Tablescape Dishes" just for the two of us, and sometimes it's a very unconventional seating arrangement because it's all set up on our bar, so switching around the chairs (or in my case, the bar stools) and placing centerpieces off to the side (Would they be called sidepieces then?) is fairly common practice for me.

I never realized it until Duckie mentioned it, but I play the Image-the-Party Game myself. Keeps my centerpiece from getting too high and keeps me from having to jump up and down from the table to get things (more water, butter, salt for the other end of the table, etc.).

Duckie's right, you've got some real treasures in your hutches!

Nice work. Isn't this fun!

Punk, I think you really nailed it on that last picture. It all just flows so well--lots of pretty pieces but doesn't look cluttered. And I really like the centerpiece you used and the candle holders on each side. Good tweaking!

Luvs

I really like the gold glasses with the dishes, I have those in emerald green. And I like the last centerpiece the best, very pretty. Ok, did I miss something, what are the coins in the bowls for?
Syble

Punk, I'm late to post but am very impressed with your first tablescape! (and all the improvements you've already made) It looks wonderful! I love those dishes, what a unique shape! I really like the way you put the coloured mini-lights around your centerpieces, it must look very nice at night.

DD

You gals are so amazing. I read all your comments and then went back up to look again before posting comments and I'm laughing so darn hard from seeing that I didn' put my glassed in the same order on the table. Is this normal when tweaking?LOL

I do want to thank you all for your wonderful comments and just taking the time to try and help me understand what it takes to make a tablescape right. I will go back and add two more place settings because I couldn't agree more that it wouldn't be the way I would leave it if I was entertaining guests for dinner.

Syble, I take it you haven't been lucky enough to sit at a table with GOLD COINS. Is this right? Well I must admit, I'm Busted! The gold coins are the stickers that came on
the Princess House crystal. So gald you pointed that out because I knew I should go back and remove them and relight the candles but didn't want to take the time.

I should be ebarrassed but I'm laughing so hard, only because all of you are so fun. Did some of you others notice and not say anything? I was going to remove them and forgot.LOL

Punk

Yes, Punk, about the stickers. (-:

That is okay though. Even though I'm not doing mine for anyone to see, it is easy to miss little things when playing dishes.

Now stickers, I usually get those off first thing -- they are a sure sign something is new. lol

Great job.

Lee

LOL...Punk, I spotted the 'little circles' and firgured it
was stickers. No biggie here.
Once, I took a whole slew of pictures, and when I downloaded them, I saw that I left a roll of Masking Tape and Scissors on the table!
'Blind Bat' (me) didn't see them. and
had to redo the whole thing! I guess we ALL get 'Christened' one way or other.

jane

Lee,
I have never used alot of my crystal and have had it from the 70-80's. I left the stickers on so the kids wouldn't throw it out and not realize I had paid alot of money for it. If the stickers come off when I wash it fine and if not thats ok. Maybe I'll get all of them removed if I do enough tables.

Masking tape and scissors sound like you was creating, dear friend. I always post my painted items so I can see what I need to redo. It's like an extra eye.

Punk

Punk, I had to laugh at why you leave the stickers on.

I just love old crystal. I used to pick it up at garage and estate sales. I never ran across entire sets -- just 3-4 pretty glasses. The antique and collectibles shops here usually get all the really good stuff before the sale even opens.

So glad you came to play dishes with us.

Lee

What a gorgeous table! It's hard to believe this is your first tablesetting and in only 10 minutes!

Lee,
My Princess House Crystal is all new that I purchased at parties. But I must admit I left it in the boxes for years and then one day went shopping and bought two new china cabinets and an oak roll top desk. At this time, I had one dark oak china cabinet but it was full so I used the two new ones for my two different kinds of crystal. Now I have my Waterford that I love and wish I wouldn't of bought all the Princess House.LOL

Lee, I'm glad I came to play dishes with all of you too.

DG, is that what you want to be called? Thank you so much for your wonderful comment on my table. I have alot to learn and I think this is a great place for that.

Punk