Well hello everyone! I’m so excited to start the season off with a tablescape, which y’all know is what I originally started blogging, and something I love to create. I’m equally happy to be joining 24 other bloggers on the 25 Christmas Ideas tour that Angie at Postcards from the Ridge has put together including lots of great ideas for your Christmas decorating. There will be links at the end so you can visit everyone.
I love to set a pretty table, and Christmas could not be a more perfect opportunity to get all the pretty things out.
I usually start with a china pattern, and this year is all about J & G Meakin Romantic England. I have loved this pattern for a while, and it inspired everything from the colors to the mood.
Each piece features a different English scene, and I used just the dinner plate and cup and saucer for this setting. We actually use these plates for everyday during Christmas, so I normally have them stacked on my plate rack for easy access.
I chose a Mikasa Italian Countryside dinner plate as a charger because of the larger size, and no placemats or tablecloths so the wormy chestnut table I made is not hidden.
This plate features Haddon Hall, which is an English country house on the River Wye near Bakewell, Derbyshire, one of the seats of the Duke of Rutland. It dates to the 11th Century.
Wallace and Sons 1893 antique sterling flatware, Louvre, is the perfect choice to coordinate with the floral design on the plates.
This cup thoughš It features Anne Hathaway’s cottage, which is the farmhouse where Hathaway, the future Mrs. William Shakespeare, grew up in the village of Shottery, Warwickshire, England.
The crystal is Cristal D’Arques-Durand Longchamp that I have collected since the early 1990s.
I felt like a sugared fruit centerpiece would just be perfect for this table, so I assembled everything on a rustic, antique board.
Magnolia, cedar, white pine, hemlock and spruce provide a bed for oranges stuffed with cloves, pinecones and cinnamon sticks.
I borrowed a clear pedestal cake plate from my mom and added moss, pine cones and sugared fruit. But, I used tree ornaments my mother bought for me about 20 years ago instead of fresh fruit.
The funny thing is I never used these as ornaments, but have found so many other ways to use them.
On each side, I used vintage Fostoria Baroque candle holders and matching pedestals I made from glass candlesticks and plates. I found the glass plates for $3 at my local thrift store along with the candle holders for $1, and used glue specifically for glass to attach the candle holders to the plates.
I added a few votives for ambience and love the dark and moody feeling this table has.
I’m definitely all about the dramaš
I have said for years that I could live happily in a drafty old castle, and this setting really gives me that kind of feeling in a small cottage kind of way, ha. But that’s the art of it all for me — taking things I have and creating a mood that takes me to another place – away from the cold, dark outside world. Like I said, I’m all about the drama, y’all.
Thank you so very much for stopping by here. I sure hope you find something to take away that inspires you this holiday season.
Now it’s time to see all the Christmas ideas from these talented home bloggers.
Here’s the tour lineup for the week.
Be sure to visit everyone for wonderful Christmas ideas for the whole house. The links for each topic are below the images.
Monday – Christmas Mantel Ideas
Postcards from the Ridge // DIY Beautify // Cottage at the Crossroads // Worthing Court // Virginia Sweet Pea
Tuesday – Christmas Tablescape Ideas
Far Above Rubies // Atta Girl Says // 2 Bees in a Pod // Weekend Craft // Twelve on Main (not pictured)
Wednesday – Christmas DIY/Craft Project Ideas
Petticoat Junktion // Hearth and Vine // Girl in the Garage // Just the Woods // Lora Bloomquist
Thursday – Christmas Tree Ideas
Sand Dollar Lane // Chatfield Court // I Should Be Mopping the Floor // The Chelsea Project // Dukes and Duchesses (not pictured)
Friday – Christmas Recipes
Domestically Speaking // Inspiration for Moms // Foodie Chicks Rule // Nourish and Nestle // Jenna Kate at Home (not pictured)
I’ll be joining:
I am swooning over your beautiful table! Your centerpiece is absolutely lovely and I examined every photo carefully to enjoy all of the details. Your china, flatware, and crystal are so pretty and they look wonderful together. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your Christmas decor this holiday season.
Thank you Paula so much!! Please do come back for the Christmas tour!!
Wow, Anita. This is stunning, and definitely fit for a castle! You truly have a gift for creating beautiful tables. I love the dishes and that silver is dreamy. And all of the natural elements are right up my alley. What time is dinner served and I'll be right over, lol. Thanks so much for joining the tour! ~ Angie
Come on over Angie:-) Thank you so much and thanks for including me in this group!!
Stunning! What is the runner?
Thanks Angela! It's one I made from fabric I got at a store that used to sell upholstery and decorating fabric remnants. Wish I could find more of it!
Wow Anita – this tablescape is stunningly beautiful. Your vintage tableware and china are gorgeous and look perfect on your Christmas table. You definitely captured the moody castle vibe in such a lovely way. We wish you a wonderful Christmas season!
Oh thank you so much for that!! Merry Christmas to you as well!!
Wow!! This looks straight out of a magazine. I never knew about oranges stuffed with cloves until I was gifted one this year. They smell divine. I can just imagine the scent wafting through your dining room. Gorgeous!
Thank you!! They really do smell good! I had some start to mold but have not had that issue anymore, and they just smell divine.
Your table is similar to the table I just styled for Thanksgiving; overflowing with sugared fruit! Beautiful dishware and perfect for the dramatic scene; it does look like a castle!
Oh how fun! I'd love to see your table!! Thank you so much:-)
I am an absolute Anglophile and adore all things English. I feel like I am looking at the pictures and home of an English estate breakfast room and I am head over heels in love. We had decided to skip a year in England next year but this makes me want to go back. So, so much inspiration. Just beautiful.
Thanks so much Barb!! Yes, there is something magical about England. I've been a couple times while in the Air Force, and was almost stationed there. What a great tour that would have been:-)
I could look at these beautiful photos all day. The best English eye candy ever. ~~ Susie from The Chelsea Project
Thank you so very much Susie!!
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. And I do love the table you made. I would want to see that glorious wormy wood too!
Thank you Carol! It was a labor of love for sure!
Magnificent!!! Such a gorgeous tablescape!
Thank you so much Holly!!
Oh the name of your blog is perfect for your decorating, I absolutely love your Christmas Table, it is beautiful and inspirational! It makes me think of an English or Irish manor…love everything you do! I will save this blog!
Thank you so much! Yes, please come back and also follow on facebook and instagram:-)
Soooo funny … when you showed the last picture…. I said …"Wow.. it looks like a room that should be in a castle" !! Beautiful !!!! Love those dishes !!!!
Ha, thank you Lisa!! I love those dishes too so very much, and who would have thought my husband and father would like them so much!
From the OK ….. what a beautiful table setting! I always want a pretty table at this time of the year, and yours was beautiful. By the way, you can use limes instead of oranges for the clove studed fruit. They make a different smell of course, but look lovely. Happy holidays to you.
Oh I'd never have thought about limes!! Happy Holidays to you as well!
Todo bello! Como una postal de Navidad!
Cielo
Gracias Cielo!!
Oh wow! I absolutely love that pop of red floral on the plates! Gorgeous!
Thank you so much!!
What a beautiful and elegant table spread for Christmas!
Thank you so much Maryann!!
Wow, just beautiful…looks like something out of a magazine! xo
Thank you very much!!
This is absolutely stunning! I love the fruit and I'm completely smitten with those dishes!
Thank you so much Randi! There is something about the fruit that I just love as well:-)
I'm a huge transferware fan…I have both brown and blue English sets, but red is at the top of my list. Your table is absolutely stunning and that red transferware was the perfect touch. I love your crystal, as well…absolutely gorgeous.
Thank you Kristi! I love it too, and something about the red is so versatile. I do use blue as well and just love it all!
Anita, that dining room truly belongs in a Castle! How exquisite! And I'm swooning over your flatware!
Thanks for the inspiration.
So happy to join you on this fantastic blog tour!
Hugs, Lynn
Thank you so much Lynn!!
Oh my gosh! I'm drooling. I love the glorious colors and…..just wow. Thank you. Your photography is outstanding.
Thank you Kathy so much!!
Just catching up and I love he whole look. Rich,warm cozy and perfectly beautiful.
Thank you so much Carolyn!
You just inspired me to use the faux sugared fruit Iāve shelved for years after a single use!!!! We live in a Colonial-style home, and I should have thought of this myself!!! Thank you for shaking up my brain! Iāve got the perfect epergne for it!
Well you go get it out Alycia!! It would be perfect in your home! So great to see you over here my friend:-)