A Slalom Supper Winter Tablescape

February 22, 2025 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

With all the winter weather happening right now I think this skiing theme is the perfect subject for a tablescape for this week. This tablescape ski theme idea was a recent one. I first found the dinner plates while I was browsing Ebay last month and I immediately started thinking about a ski theme tablescape. I knew finding a centerpiece might be difficult and I started searching the web for ski ideas and this vintage set of small skis or ski skates for children came up on Etsy. I found the Warm Winter Woolies tablecloth on sale online at Spoonflower. Because their tablecloths are so expensive I didn’t buy it when I first saw it but I couldn’t find anything like it anywhere else so I finally bought it when it went on sale. The color combination of navy blue, burgundy and green created a perfect winter tablescape. My sister-in-law is visiting and she helped with this tablescape, she had some great ideas! It was fun to create it with someone else besides Hubby!

When I find a dinner plate with a great graphic I sometimes don’t cover it with a salad plate. I found these winter theme dinner plates on Ebay and the back just says Home, made in China. I love all the different plaid patterns on the plates.

This charger was made by Mikasa and the pattern was called Color Spectrum in Navy Blue. I love this charger, it is heavy and a great color. I have this charger in several other colors as well. This charger was discontinued but I bought them all a few at a time on Ebay as I saw them over several years.

This flatware set was made by D & D Inox in Italy and the pattern was called Roma. I bought them at Neiman Marcus or Bloomingdales during a major sale many years ago. There are similar frosted patterns available online now. I really like the marbleized design on the handles. I bought this pattern in a few other colors as well. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying flatware sets here.

I bought these Perlli cotton blend navy blue napkins on Amazon last week because I couldn’t find my other navy blue napkins. I need to reorganize my napkins! Those shelves are getting very disorganized. I found the metal and enamel skier napkin rings on Ebay a couple of weeks ago and I couldn’t believe how well they matched the color scheme for this tablescape. They were for sale on two different auctions so I was able to get the total that I needed. They probably will never show up again, I was lucky! The metal was a bit tarnished but I used an all-purpose metal cleaner on them and they shined right up. They don’t have any markings on them so I don’t know who made them but they are a good quality metal. To read about the What, Where, and How of napkin rings please click here.

I found these small wooden Gondola place card holders at West Elm online last month. As soon as I saw them I knew I could use them as place card holders on this tablescape. I set them on a brown wood napkin ring that I had to make them a bit taller. To read about the what, where and how of place card holders, please click here.

I bought these hand-painted pine tree glass goblets at HomeGoods a few months ago because in the winter I have often done mountain themed tablescapes and I knew I would use them. They are perfect for this tablescape. HomeGoods often has inexpensive goblets in lots of different styles. The green acrylic goblet on the right came from our Pier 1 store before it closed several years ago. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying goblets for your tablescaping collection including the colors that I use most often here.

When I bought this vintage set of small skis or ski skates for children on Etsy, they didn’t have the bindings on them. Hubby painted them burgundy for me because they were a bright red and they wouldn’t match the burgundy on this table setting and then he made the leather bindings and added them for me. The original bindings were different but these work for this setting. The skis have a bit of a label left on the back and it says Service Quality Production. The original skis were made by the F. D. Peters Co. in Gloversville, New York, I would guess in the 1940’s or 1950’s.

I found these small Lemax Village Collection snow sport figures on Amazon and added them to the tablescape just for fun.

This is the perfect tablescape for a snowy winter day!

To see over 270 different tablescapes that I have created please click here. If you are on Facebook, join my Table Settings and Tablescape Ideas Facebook group for lots of tablescaping inspiration! Just click on the Facebook Search box at the top of the page and type in Table Settings and Tablescape Ideas or click here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2553689988183392

If you live in Southern California join our Facebook tablescaping group Southern California Tablescapers BTS Group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/440356398581157 . We had a gathering in January 2025 and we plan to have others as well.

Don’t miss the Tablescape How-To tab at the top of my blog for DIY tips and tricks or click here: https://www.whispersoftheheart.com/tablescapehowto

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

A Chefs Delight Tablescape

February 17, 2025 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

This is one of those tablescapes that I didn’t think about for a long time. Once I came up with the idea, I just did it. I was luck enough to find everything that I wanted fairly quickly and easily. I found this black and white buffalo check tablecloth on Amazon several years ago. It is heavy cotton and it is really easy to iron with a steam iron. If you read my blog you have seen this tablecloth before on winter and summer tablescapes. I have the same buffalo print in a larger square pattern and a smaller square pattern as well. I like to use bold tablecloths sometimes.

I found these chef head small accent plates first. I did a Google search for chef plate and five of these popped up on Amazon immediately and then I found the sixth one online at Walmart. I knew the colors for this table would be red, white, and black, and these chef head accent plates were perfect.

I knew that I wanted to use these black and white check salad plates on this tablescape because they would match the tablecloth. I have had them for many years, I also have the matching dinner plates too. These salad plates are a favorite of mine. They were made by Royal Stafford, and the label says Painterly Affects, Chequers. They were made in England. I bought them a few at a time as I found them on Ebay several years ago because I loved their bold design.

This black dinner plate was made by Waechtersbach Germany and it was called Fun Factory. It was one of the first plates that I bought when I started tablescaping and I use it often. Dinner plates in basic colors should be some of your first purchases if you want to start tablescaping. These plates probably came from HomeGoods many years ago. When you are using a busy tablecloth you need to break up the busy pattern with blocks of solid colors on the table so your eyes have a chance to rest when you are looking at the tablescape.

This red stoneware charger plate came from Pottery Barn several years ago. I love this plate, I also have it in other colors as well. The pattern is called Cambria. It is the perfect size to be either a dinner plate or a charger plate, I love plates that have that kind of versatility. I also love the bright red color and I use this charger often during different times of the year.

This Milano Red flatware set pattern is called Ginkgo International LePrix. I have had this flatware set for several years but it is still for sale. Not sure where I bought the set. I have it in other colors as well because I like the simple design. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying flatware here.

I saw these chef napkin rings online in a photo of items that were for sale last month at an estate sale and Hubby went and bought them for me. I couldn’t believe that I would find them just when I was creating a chef tablescape. They were buried in a drawer in the photo and I almost didn’t see them! I bought the red polyester napkins on Amazon. To read about the What, Where, and How of napkin rings please click here.

I just love these chef figures that I am using as place card holders on this tablescape. They are actually ceramic Chef Cooking Club Trinket Boxes. I found them on Ebay and Etsy last month. There are four different designs. To read about the what, where and how of place card holders, please click here.

I love the details on these figures. The facial expressions are just perfect!

I used these red glass goblets on my last two tablescapes, I keep pulling them out! Hubby found these red glass goblets at an estate sale several years ago. I think they are hand blown Iris Ruby Red Bubble Glass Goblets made by Artland. You can find them for sale online from time to time. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying goblets for your tablescaping collection including the colors that I use most often here.

I found this chef figure on Ebay last month. When I saw him I knew that he was exactly what I was looking for for this tablescape. He was absolutely perfect! I set him on a red stand to make him a bit taller.

If you read my blog you know that I often add salt and pepper sets to my tablescapes to match the theme of the table. I found both these chef salt and pepper sets on Amazon last month.

Don’t miss the Tablescape How-To tab at the top of my blog for DIY tips and tricks or click here: https://www.whispersoftheheart.com/tablescapehowto

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

Frost and Fur, a Winter Polar Bear Tablescape

February 10, 2025 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

There’s a story behind this Polar Bear Tablescape. My husband loves polar bears and he collected them for many many years. Even now he usually gets a small one of some kind every Christmas as a gift. He has so many polar bear ornaments that we put a polar bear swag up around the door to his den sometimes at Christmas. This year our daughter gave him a polar bear tracking gift that actually tracks a live polar bear on a map. Right now it is in the middle of the Hudson Bay (the Bay is frozen over), it’s fun to watch it move around. I did a polar bear tablescape five years ago, and another one three years ago, but I changed this one a bit from those. I bought the white polyester tablecloth on Amazon several years ago. I bought the small centerpiece snowflake quilt table topper on Etsy several years ago. I love supporting small businesses on Etsy that sell unique items.

When I saw these melamine polar bear salad plates at Crate and Barrel several years ago I knew I had to add them to my collection of dishes because of Hubby’s love for polar bears. I love the polar bear face design on these plates. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying salad plates here.

This stoneware charger or dinner plate came from Pottery Barn several years ago. I love this plate, I also have it in several other colors. The pattern is called Cambria. It is the perfect size to be either a dinner plate or a charger plate, I love plates that have that kind of versatility. A simple red dinner plate is a great addition to a tablescaping collection, you will use it often. You can read about what you need to think about when you are buying dinner plates here.

This Milano Red flatware set is called Ginkgo International LePrix. I have had this set for several years but it is still for sale. Not sure where I bought it. I now have it in several other colors as well. I like the simple informal design on this flatware set. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying flatware here.

I bought these DII spun red polyester napkins recently on Amazon and I am really happy with them. They are a true red color. I found the wood polar bear napkin rings on Etsy several years ago. To read about the What, Where, and How of napkin rings please click here.

These polar bear place card holders came from Crate and Barrel several years ago. The red place cards are from Amazon. To read about the what, where and how of place card holders, please click here.

If you read my blog you saw these goblets on my Valentine’s Day tablescape last week. Hubby found these red glass goblets at an estate sale several years ago. I think they are hand blown Iris Ruby Red Bubble Glass Goblets made by Artland. You can find them for sale online from time to time. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying goblets for your tablescaping collection including the colors that I use most often here.

I found this ceramic Polar Bear cookie jar several years ago at Cheryl’s Cookies online, a retail cookie site. I just love him with his knitted cap, scarf, and sweater and his hot chocolate mug. It is a bit hidden but there is a seal on the mug. He is the perfect kitchen decoration to sit out all winter long.

To see over 270 different tablescapes that I have created please click here. If you are on Facebook, join my Table Settings and Tablescape Ideas Facebook group (4,000+ members) for lots of tablescaping inspiration! Just click on the Facebook Search box at the top of the page and type in Table Settings and Tablescape Ideas or click here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2553689988183392

If you live in Southern California join our Facebook tablescaping group Southern California Tablescapers BTS Group (270+ members) here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/440356398581157 . We had a gathering in January 2025 and we plan to have others as well.

Don’t miss the Tablescape How-To tab at the top of my blog for DIY tips and tricks or click here: https://www.whispersoftheheart.com/tablescapehowto

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

A Silver Valentine's Day Tablescape

February 03, 2025 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

I have carried this tablescape idea around in my head for several years. I bought the centerpiece years ago and didn’t find the other things that I needed for the table until the past few weeks. This silver and red Valentine hearts tablecloth was designed by Rachel Zoe and I found it on Ebay. I had seen one at HomeGoods but passed it by and then later when I wanted one I had to go to Ebay to find it. Some people are in the business of buying inexpensive things at HomeGoods and then raising the price and selling them on Ebay. I try not to get involved in those buying situations but sometimes I have to because I didn’t buy things when I saw them the first time.

The silver items on this tablescape are difficult to photograph because of all the reflections. This is a prettier small silver dish than the photo shows. These small silver titanium finish heart dishes were made by Pampa Bay and I found them at Berings online recently.

These melamine red heart salad plates came from Crate and Barrel a few years ago.

This gray stoneware charger or dinner plate came from Pottery Barn a few years ago. I love this plate, I also have it in other colors. The pattern is called Cambria. It is the perfect size to be either a dinner plate or a charger plate and I love plates that have that kind of versatility.

I know the rule is don’t put a placemat on top of a tablecloth but I do it sometimes. In this case I wanted more red on the table and a certain color sequence on the place stack so I added red placemats to the table. I bought these placemats in several colors many years ago at our Pier 1 store before it closed.

This Milano Red flatware set is Ginkgo International LePrix. I have had this set for several years but it is still for sale. Not sure where I bought it. I have it in other colors as well. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying flatware here.

I bought these red polyester napkins on Amazon this week because I realized that I didn’t have simple napkins that were this shade of red. The silver aluminum heart napkin rings came from Ebay a few weeks ago. To read about the What, Where, and How of napkin rings please click here.

I bought these silver heart place card holders at Pottery Barn several years ago. To read about the what, where and how of place card holders, please click here.

Hubby found these red glass goblets at an estate sale several years ago. I think they are hand blown Iris Ruby Red Bubble Glass Goblets made by Artland. You can find them for sale online from time to time. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying goblets for your tablescaping collection including the colors that I use most often here.

I found this silver colored heart at HomeGoods several years ago and I knew it would be a good size for a centerpiece. I set it on a red drink dispenser stand from Pottery Barn that I bought several years ago.

I decided to add a Mosser Glass red salt and pepper set to this tablescape. I bought this set online at The Vermont Country Store a few years ago. The Mosser Glass Company was established in 1971 and it is located in Cambridge, Ohio. They sell high quality American made glassware and I love their products. I have a few sets of their goblets and a few cake stands too.

A bit of a change from my usual red and white Valentine’s Day tablescapes but I like it.

Don’t miss the Tablescape How-To tab at the top of my blog for DIY tips and tricks or click here: https://www.whispersoftheheart.com/tablescapehowto

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

This blog post was featured at The Cottage Market, https://thecottagemarket.com/ and Miz Helen’s Country Cottage, https://www.mizhelenscountrycottage.com/ . Please visit these blogs, you will enjoy them!