For the birds: a bird-themed Spring tablescape!

It’s been awhile since I used my Pier 1 “Spring Birds” salad plates in a tablescape, and our weird February weather this year has been playing havoc with my internal seasonal clock. I know it’s too early to actually be Spring, but this whole month (except for Wednesday of this week) has been very mild so I’m anxious to get outside and do garden stuff – even though it’s too early! I’ve settled for maintaining my bird feeders, and of course setting a bird-themed Spring tablescape!

Spring Bird Themed Tablescape

I mentioned these salad plates were originally from Pier 1 – oh how I miss that store! – and they have the sweetest images on each plate. Do you have a favorite?

Spring Bird Themed Tablescape
Spring Bird Themed Tablescape
Spring Bird Themed Tablescape
Spring Bird Themed Tablescape

I used a flat bed sheet featuring pretty blue hydrangeas for the tablecloth. Flat sheets are wonderful for this purpose because they’re inexpensive and plentiful in the thrift stores I frequent. They are a great way to get a large amount of fabric for a small amount of money!

Spring Bird Themed Tablescape

Flatware is one of my favorite patterns for a tablescape with a garden vibe. It is “Napoleon Bee” by Wallace. Does that make this a “birds and bees” tablescape? Why yes, I think it does! 😉 I splurged on four place settings over on Amazon. (This is an affiliate link – if you purchase through my link it costs you nothing extra but I get a small commission to help offset blog hosting fees. Thank you!) You can also see the edge of the plain white dinner plates in the photo below – these were clearance from Home Goods several years ago, and I just love the casual “stitching” border!

Spring bird-themed tablescape

Glassware is my favorite tumbler – I don’t think I’ll ever know for sure if these are “American” by Fostoria or “Whitehall” by Indiana Glass, but let me tell you, they are the perfect tumbler: generously sized, durable, and attractive! These have been thrifted over time.

Spring bird-themed tablescape

Napkins were thrifted, and napkin rings were also clearance from Pier 1 several years ago.

Spring bird-themed tablescape

For the centerpiece, I crafted a sweet little nest-building vignette inside a thrifted lantern, using elements I had on hand plus some supplies from Dollar Tree. Check out the blog post on how I made this!

Spring bird-themed tablescape
Bird-themed centerpiece

Other elements of the centerpiece include thrifted hand-painted glass candlesticks (more hydrangeas!), a handmade rustic-looking pillar stand, and a hand-crafted clay bird figure. The bed of ivy and the taper candles were thrifted; the pillar was clearance from Pier 1.

Spring bird-themed tablescape
Spring bird-themed tablescape
Spring bird-themed tablescape
Spring bird-themed tablescape

Here are a few more views around the table, and the “birdseye view”:

Spring bird-themed tablescape
Spring bird-themed tablescape
Spring bird-themed tablescape
Spring bird-themed tablescape

And here is the put-away shot, with everything gathered up looking pretty while waiting to go back into the cupboards!

Spring bird-themed tablescape

I’ll be sharing my bird-themed Spring tablescape over at Tablescape Thursday on Susan’s blog, Between Naps on the Porch! And, here’s a Pinnable image in case you’d like to save this post for future ideas!

As always, thank you so much for stopping by! For more budget-friendly tablescaping ideas, please come check out my Facebook Group, Thrifty Tablescapers! Our members love sharing photos of their home-grown tablescapes and the stories behind their beloved tablescaping treasures!

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Sweet bird-themed Spring centerpiece

I was putting together a tablescape for a post over on Instagram and really wanted to do a special bird-themed centerpiece. I had found this white metal lantern at Goodwill right after Christmas for $4.99, and thought it might look cute for Spring instead.

Bird-themed centerpiece

I started by removing the Christmas decorations from inside – turns out they were wired in permanently. I had to cut the wires to get the hardware out, so I didn’t keep the lighted balls, but I did keep the sprigs of holiday greenery with the bow.

Bird-themed centerpiece

I had this little pre-assembled twig-and-nest piece that I had also found at Goodwill many years ago. It was from an old wreath, and I had used it before in a couple of previous assemblages. I love it because it reminds me of the artwork of Susan Branch or Marjolein Bastin – two of my favorite illustrator-artists!

Bird-themed centerpiece

I also gathered up a few supplies that I thought I might use/need: some sheet moss, a tiny clay flower pot, silk flowers…

Bird-themed centerpiece

First step was to cover the bottom of the lantern by hot-gluing in pieces of sheet moss. The moss was extremely dry and brittle – I don’t know why I wasn’t expecting that, but then I’ve never worked with it before so “live and learn…” It made a nice bottom layer!

Bird-themed centerpiece

I used a hammer to break apart the flower pot, envisioning a sort of “archeological” element.

Bird-themed centerpiece

I wanted the nest to have a little height, so I found a just-right piece of drift wood in a box in the garage (I knew I kept all those pieces for a reason!), and set that in place. It was perfect for perching the nest. I also snipped some blooms off a couple of Dollar Tree silk flower stems and tucked those in, scattering a few petals on the mossy floor.

Bird-themed centerpiece

I had a few little faux birds in a box of Christmas decorations and snagged one for this project. I hot-glued a piece of the nesting material to his beak so he looks like he’s building the nest, then used a small amount of hot glue to attach him to the nest.

Bird-themed centerpiece

Finally, I found some Spring Green ribbon in my stash and made a cheerful bow for the top of the lantern. That’s really all there was to it!

Bird-themed centerpiece
Bird-themed centerpiece

I’ll be sharing the tablescape next – suffice to say my Spring bird-themed centerpiece was perfect for the table!

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Simple tea time tablescape

A few years ago, I picked up a teacup at a thrift store made by Noritake. It didn’t have a saucer, but for 99 cents I bought it because I liked the pattern and thought, the saucer probably just got separated from the cup and I’ll find it here on my next visit. (Unlikely, perhaps, but it’s happened before so it wasn’t a scenario without precedent.) That Fall I tucked it into an Autumn vignette on top of my barrister bookcase, and it looked divine.

The pattern is called “Harvesting,” and the backstamp included a secondary stamp indicating Ireland. Now I’m not sure if that means Noritake china made in Ireland, if the pattern name is actually “Ireland Harvesting,” or if Noritake has a line of wares called Ireland and “Harvesting” is one of the patterns in that line. At any rate, over time, I have really become enamored with this pattern – like most Noritake I’ve seen, it is just very sumptuous in color and detail, and the little pears are just so lovely.

Sadly, years have gone by and I’ve never found a saucer – indeed, I’ve never seen another piece of Noritake Ireland anything in the wild.

I did, however, recently come upon a couple of faux gilded pears and suddenly I knew two things: they would go beautifully with my Noritake Ireland Harvesting teacup, and I was officially out of patience trying to find a saucer.

Cue Ebay!

This pattern isn’t particularly plentiful, but I did locate a single saucer for a price that I was willing to pay (including the shipping) to finally mark this piece off my long list of Things I’ve Lost Hope of Finding Randomly While Thrifting.” Because of a really wonderful seller who shipped immediately, I had the saucer within just a few days and immediately set a pretty little tea table using my gilded pears and several other gold-themed pieces.

Tea time table

You’ve probably noticed I’m not very good at photographing food, but this did look very bare without any food at all on the riser/cake stand so I ran out and bought some stunt grapes to go with apples and cheese I had on hand. I do fully realize that apples aren’t really very practical for a tea party – but I do think grapes and cheese are perfect!

Tea time table
Tea time table

Here is our lovely Miss Ireland Harvesting with her new friend, along with a silver-plated spoon by 1847 Rogers Brothers called “Flair.”

Tea time table

This gorgeous cup is not marked except for a tiny, under-glaze gold swirl on the bottom. I’m sure there’s a name for this heavily-textured style of embellishment, but I can’t find it. Another thrift store set!

Tea time table

Pretty thrifted linens await.

Tea time table

My ivory-and-gold Sadler teapot, also thrifted, stands ready for you to steep your favorite variety of Twining’s. (Yes, my OCD friends, I should have turned the teapot lid so the gold stripes matched up… I’m trying not to care but it’s driving me nuts too now that I’ve noticed it!)

Tea time table

Gold-rimmed Old Country Roses creamer and sugar bowl are standing by to help you concoct your perfect blend. These were also a Goodwill find – part of a whole tub full of English bone china tea things I found for $20! (OCR in a thrift store? Unheard of!)

And a view from the other direction so you can see a little more of our vintage tablecloth in muted Spring colors – an antique store find many years ago!

Tea time table

Here’s an image to Pin if you’re like me and convinced you’ll forget – but will want to remember – the name of that pretty teacup by Noritake!

I hope you’ve enjoyed our little tablescape in celebration of finding a mate for the Noritake Ireland Harvesting teacup! Do you have a favorite tea blend? A favorite teacup? An item you finally gave up hunting for and finally just went to Ebay? 🙂 I’d love to hear about it!

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Two DIY projects to share that aren’t tutorials

You know I’m pretty good at sharing simple DIY projects that are sort of “hey here’s something I did that you can do too that isn’t really a tutorial,” right? Well I’ve got two more to share! More of those small DIY’s that make a big difference!

Upcycle a thrifted footstool

I recently found this inexpensive footstool at Goodwill. It was new in the box, meaning “some assembly required,” meaning it’s not a vintage piece at all. In fact it looks like it is straight out of the Lilian Vernon catalog. (You know what I mean, right? Those mail-order catalogs that sell everything from electric heating pads and pet beds to rain gauges and housecoats… Lilian Vernon and Fingerhut are two I can recall – my aunt used to call them “cockey-lockey catalogs.”) Anyway, $9.99 brand new and mine for $3.99.

I quickly put it together by screwing on the legs (DIY!). I wasn’t crazy about the fabric, but it did have a sort of old-timey tapestry look to it. And the framing was, to my surprise, solid wood. I had a thought that maybe if I painted it using chalk paint, it would look more aged. Now this is not, as I said, a tutorial, because really it was just a few simple steps: remove the top (storage inside!), paint the wood with chalk paint, distress the edges with a sanding block, finish with a coat of clear wax, and put the lid back on. I think it turned out rather sweet, and I like the fabric just a little bit more because the green paint coordinates well with it. At some point I will probably get a bigger piece of foam and re-cover it, but it’s fine for now. Maybe needs fringe?

So now this is me updating this post just five days later, because a quick after-dinner stop at a consignment store on Friday night yielded the perfect piece to use as a new top for my little footstool. I snagged a memory foam pillow almost the exact size of my footstool lid for $1.15, so Greg cut a new piece of wood for me and I used a bit of beautiful rose-floral drapery from my fabric stash to cover it. It went from being so-so mass-produced footstool to being an absolutely charming custom cottage tuffet!

Cottage footstool

Replace a dated light fixture

My dear little home-sweet-mobile-home was still sporting its original 1970’s dining room light fixture, and I’ve been on the lookout for a new one. I finally found this fabulous shiny gold chandelier – WITH CRYSTAL PINEAPPLE! – on Facebook Marketplace for just $25. This project was even easier for me than the last one, primarily because I let Greg do it. My job was to stand behind him while he was on the stepstool and be prepared to throw myself under him if he fell over backwards. Fortunately that didn’t happen, so installation was uneventful. Within literally 15 minutes, my new pineapple chandelier was gleaming above the dining table!

I am SO delighted with this piece (ha! get it? de-LIGHT-ed… because it’s a chandelier! Oh, I crack me up!)… the only think it might need is crystal baubles dangling from the bobeches, but I will have to actually replace the existing bobeches because these don’t have holes to hang the crystals. I think it would look extra-fabulous though, so I’ll be on the lookout!

Have you made any home updates lately? I seem to be on a roll with the small DIY projects, and I’m hoping to get several more things done before it’s time to start working in the garden.

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Valentine’s Day tablescape for two

A few months ago I found a really amazing table runner at one of my favorite local thrift stores. It had such a gorgeous mix of textures, and an understated elegant vibe… and oh, that fringe! I’ve used it in at least two tablescapes so far, including this Valentine’s Day tablescape, and I’ve also left it on the table even when not set for a bit of Winter warmth.

For this table, the runner is used to delineate the “table for two” space – it creates the boundaries for the tablescape when the boundary isn’t the whole table, and makes it feel just a bit more intimate. This year it’s more about Winter warmth and a variety of textures than it is about over-the-top hearts and flowers. Here’s the Valentine’s day tablescape for two that my sweetie and I will be enjoying – so simple, but quietly lovely!

Valentine's Day table for two

We’ll be enjoying our simple fare using thrifted “Old Britain Castles” by Johnson Brothers of England. This venerable pattern features a different castle on each piece, and comes in several transferware colors including blue, pink, and mulberry. The dinner plate (shown here in pink) features Blarney Castle in Ireland.

Valentine's Day table for two
Valentine's Day table for two

Look at that detailed edge design!

Valentine's Day table for two

Our thrifted napkins are a wonderful faux suede, wrapped in a luxurious beaded ring that looks like pomegranate seeds. I found these at my favorite consignment store. Have you heard the theory that pomegranates – not apples – were the “forbidden fruit” in the Garden of Eden? Some scholars believe this to be true primarily because of the likely geographic location of the garden in the Middle East. A fruit used for temptation is certainly appropriate for a Valentine’s table!

Valentine's Day table for two

Flatware is thrifted “Springtime” stainless – I only have the two dinner forks in this pattern, so they were perfect for this table where there’s no salad. The other side of the plate is a modern utilitarian steak knife by Palm.

Valentine's Day table for two

Our glassware is the sturdy and generously-sized “Duratuff” by Libbey – these are in pink, but I also have them in purple.

Valentines table for two

More of that wonderful runner and its various textures – it’s velvet on the back, and the fringe is beautifully nubby like drapery fringe. I love the heavy weave and the shirred velvet!

Valentine's Day table for two

Here’s a look at the fringe from another tablescape – I only have this “candlelight” shot!

table runner with fringe

The centerpiece for this table so simple… I’ve had these heart Christmas ornaments in tan and pink for several years, but have only ever use them as Valentine’s decor. A friend once told me they “look delicious,” and she’s right – they look like little Valentine macaroons!

Valentines table for two
Valentines table for two

The little soft pink votive/tea light holders were a recent thrift store find, as were the silverplated salt and pepper set and bowl.

Valentines table for two
Valentines table for two
Valentines table for two

After I set and photographed this table, I began to play around with a different idea for the napkin – I did a heart-shaped napkin fold, which I ended up really liking. So now for the actual day, I have to choose between “temptation pomegranate” napkin rings, or a super-suggestive heart-shaped bed napkin fold (bow-chicka-bow-wow)! Here’s the staging shot from my napkin folding video tutorial over on TikTok, where you can find me as @vfcstyle.

For more tablescape inspiration, join me over on Instagram (@vintagefloralcottage) where I’ll be participating in Tables for Soiree (#tablesforsoiree), a weekly hashtag filled with beautiful tables! I’ll also be sharing for Tablescape Thursday at Susan’s blog, Between Naps on the Porch. And of course, be sure to check out my Facebook Group, Thrifty Tablescapers, where we share creative ideas for beautiful tablescapes on a budget!

Here’s an image for Pinterest, too, in case you’d like to save my “textured table for two” for future ideas!

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