Grandma's Pink Tea Depression Glass Tablescape

Hubby made the mistake of bringing home some dishes he found at an estate sale for me. It was part of a set for four of Anchor Hocking’s Pink Lace Edge or Old Colony Depression glass that was made between 1935 and 1938. I immediately could see a great tablescape using these dishes and bought the rest of what I needed on Ebay.

These pink glass dishes are difficult to photograph. They look more orange pink than they really are. The tablecloth and napkins are pinker than the photos show as well.

I like the open edge on these dishes.

The salad plate is a good size for a nice salad.

The dinner plate is the same as the salad plate only a larger size.

This is the first time that I have used a cup and saucer on a tablescape. I don’t tend to buy them when I buy dishes. You can see in the background the raised slightly shiny design in the pink tablecloth.

I already had these vintage pink swirl glass goblets that I bought on Ebay several years ago. They matched the dishes perfectly. They were made in France between 1970 and 1980 by Cristal D’Arques-Durand and the pattern was called Rosaline Pink or Swirl Optic.

This photo shows the design in the tablecloth again. The sterling flatware was my mother’s wedding sterling. It was made by Towle starting in 1928 and the design was called Chased Diana. I love the plain design with a simple border. I remember it from my childhood when my mother entertained company.

I bought these tiny place card holders on Ebay several years ago. I wanted something that had the color pink and I remembered these that have a tiny pink flower among the other colors.

The set at the estate sale was sold with the cream and sugar. It’s nice to have matching serving pieces. You can see the tablecloth design here with a stripe and a raised slightly shiny pattern. I already had a pink damask tablecloth but I thought there were matching napkins and I couldn’t find any. I went on Ebay and was lucky enough to find this tablecloth with eight matching napkins. It came in the original box but I think it had been used and cleaned at least once because there was a slight small stain. It is almost impossible to find vintage tablecloths without a stain or two. The box says Imported Damask, combed, hand hemmed, mercerized, and French Hand Hemmed. The style was called Contessa.

I created the centerpiece with two larger serving bowls in the pattern on top of a small serving platter. Then I added pink roses to match the pink dishes and tablecloth.

For added interest I put a couple rose bowls on the table. I found this one at a gift shop several years ago. I love the raised design with birds and pink flowers.

This rose bowl is one of my most cherished possessions. It was my mother’s, I think it was a wedding gift to her in 1938. I can remember it sitting on a shelf while I was growing up. I love the hand-painted flowers. The bottom says, “Made in Czechoslovakia”. I have it tucked away in a china cabinet for safe keeping.

This tablescape is different from my usual bright color designs but it reminds me of my grandmothers and the lives they lived.

To see 200 other tablescapes that I have created please click here. If you are on Facebook, join my Tablescape Ideas group! Just click on the Facebook Search box at the top of the page and type in Tablescape Ideas. Don’t miss my Tablescaping How-To section at the top of this blog post for more tablescaping tips and tricks.

I put a new tablescape on my blog every week so please check back!