Olla-Podrida: butterfly dishes

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Early Spring Tablescape

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I don’t know how the weather is where you are, but we are unseasonably (shockingly) cool around here. This is my first spring tablescape and it represents our unseasonable weather in that instead of being soft pastel colors of spring, it still bears some of the darkness of winter.

I treated myself to many things during the pandemic, one of which is this fabulously over the top tulipiere. Tulips are one of my favorite flowers, but I never had a great way to display them until now.

The tablecloth is also new this year from wayfair.com, and I love the boldness of the vase with the tulips at center.

The water hyacinth placemats are versatile and among my favorites. They are topped with Bordallo Pinhiero geranium leaf chargers. On top of them are square black plates that my son and daughter-in-law tired of and passed to me. This is my first time ever owning black plates, and I have to say I like them.

My interest in collage art made these salad plates from Pottery Barn quite appealing. I have yet to see any butterflies this early in the season, but I’m certainly inviting them to my home with all of the flowers I have planted thus far.

The glassware was a gift from a friend. The cappuccino cups are from Amazon.

The flatware is Mackenzie Childs “Courtly Check”, also available, surprisingly enough, from Amazon.

The white butterfly dishes are favorites of mine and I have had them since I was in college. They are designed to be used when serving Chinese food, to hold sweet and sour sauce and mustard sauce. I use them quite often to hold pats of butter and homemade preserves. I thought they made a nice addition here. I wanted unobtrusive salt and pepper shakers, and these house salt and pepper shakers from Magnolia Home filled the bill.

This post is linked to:

Tablescape Thursday

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Summer's Swan Song

While white is not supposed to be appropriate after Labor Day, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to create a final summer tablescape using as much bright white as possible. With temperatures last week and the upcoming week in the upper nineties (What?!) it’s hard to believe that it is actually September and we are just weeks away from fall. So I am calling this table my summer “swan song.”

I was inspired by these sheet music flowers that served as centerpieces on tables at the wedding of my very musical number two son, and his equally musical wife, nearly four years ago.

Set for brunch, I used white ramekins as the perfect holders for spicy bran muffins.

Chinese butterfly dishes, normally used for holding hot mustard and sweet & sour sauces, served to hold pats of butter on one side, and homemade jam on the other.

Mint and cucumber-infused water is especially refreshing on a hot day.

Mismatched silverware is both elegant and casual at the same time.

The edging on these napkins is interesting, I think, making them one of my favorites. This was my first set of napkins, given to me by my mother when I was still in high school back in the seventies.