This is the first year that my long-time sweetie and I are living together on Valentine’s Day, so I decided to embrace a deep, passionate red on the table. I’ve frequently used pink, and even a very sweet blue in the past, but this year on a recent junking jaunt I happened to find four beautiful red footed tumblers and four beautiful deep red chargers at a couple of local thrift stores. So that pretty much sealed the deal for red, and I love how the table turned out!
Because it’s Valentine’s Day, I of course only set the table for two. I used a pretty square of upholstery fabric, set on a diagonal, to ground the setting, then stacked chargers, dinner plates, and salad plates.
The salad plates are not marked with a pattern name, but they are by Seltmann Weiden.
Dinner plates are the simple and gorgeous “Empress Golden” by Sango. I love the subtle pattern of that outer gold band.
The chargers – don’t let the lighting in my home fool you, they are a deep rich red acrylic with a lot of depth in the finish. They were originally from Pottery Barn, according to a sticker still remaining on the back of one.
The napkins and rings were also thrifted some time ago – again, my camera isn’t capturing the deep red color, and they are a very heavy – almost luxurious – woven damask.
Glassware by Villeroy & Boch – these are a generous size and a similar pattern to vintage Indiana Glass Diamond Point.
Flatware is my inherited “Chandelier” by Oneida – handed down from my great-Aunt and, between the two of us, in daily use since its inception in 1976 – yep this pattern officially turns the big 5-0 this year!
I kept the centerpiece low and simple, to encourage those loving looks across the table 😉 I used an opalescent ruffled hobnail bowl by Fenton to hold dark red silk roses, flanked by two gold-tone candlesticks that carry through the gold rims of the dinner plates. The candles themselves are thick textured tapers, and again are a deeper red than they appear. All of these items were also previously thrifted.
Here’s a birds-eye view – I’m not sure why this shot feels like a must-have for all my tablescape posts, but it does! I guess I feel like I’m not giving it my all if I don’t risk life and limb by climbing up on a step stool and hovering my phone precariously over the breakables on the table.
And of course the put-away shot… I’ll be setting this table again on actual Valentine’s Day later in the week, but in the meantime I need to move it out of the way for our more casual meals. So in this case, this is more of a “put aside” shot. Another favorite type of tablescape picture, because my tables are not always planned thoroughly in advance, this shot always shows whether and how well my impulse decisions came together in the end.
And of course, here is a Pinnable image in case you want to save any ideas here for future inspiration!
I’ll be sharing my Valentine’s table over at Susan’s long-running blog link party, Tablescape Thursday, at Between Naps on the Porch.
Hope you have a lovely Valentine’s Day, whether or however you celebrate!
This research rabbit hole is brought to you by: that time I saw a full cruet set in an antique store and became obsessively curious about them. And by: that time I then found a great deal on one because two of the bottles had been broken by a previous customer in the shop. And by: that still later time I found a full set of bottles in yet another antique shop for yet another great price!
Late in the 17th century, as dining rituals began to coalesce among European aristocrats (each region developing their own rules and standards, of course), the culinary use of oil and vinegar also began to grow in popularity. Along with common seasonings like salt and pepper, this brought about the development of a caddy to corral condiments that would need to be shared around the table. In upper class homes where footmen served the many courses, the caddy – called a cruet or caster set – sat on the sideboard and was carried around the table and offered to each person as needed. In middle-class homes, the caddy would have been placed directly on the table within reach of the diners.
By Victorian times, the cruet set had become a standard piece of tableware both in Europe and the United States. It’ll come as no surprise that the finest homes had sets with a frame made of ornate silver, and the glass bottles were of cut, colored, or etched glass. With the rise of silver-plating in the mid-1800’s, cruet sets became more affordable for middle class homes and also became popular wedding gifts of the era.
The frames held from three to eight bottles, but three and five slots were the most common configurations. Victorian sets included shakers for salt and pepper, and cruet (stopper) bottles for oil and vinegar. But what was in the fifth spot? This, oddly enough, became something of a mystery after cruet sets went out of general use.
Historians in the mid- to late 20th century had quite a time reaching a conclusion, but the general consensus based on primary sources (including period advertisements, catalog listings, and cookery books) seems to be that the fifth bottle (or third, in a three-piece set) held powdered mustard. In the days before refrigeration, which would have been required for pre-mixed cream mustards, each person at the table would use a portion of powdered mustard mixed with water or vinegar to create a custom meat seasoning.
Rather than being a shaker, this bottle often had a hinged lid with an opening into which a very small spoon could be set. Less common theories suggested white pepper, paprika, and cayenne pepper as possible inhabitants of the last bottle, but most evidence supports the use of powdered mustard.
Popular oils on the table would have been olive or sunflower, while vinegars may have been malt (common in Britain), white wine, infused/flavored, or balsamic.
Of course, times and tastes change, and as this happened the need for cruet frames and sets began to wane. By the 1920’s, prepared cream-style mustards such as Grey Poupon (introduced in 1866 and first imported into the U.S. in 1901) could be safely kept and set out on the table as needed in small pots. Oil and vinegar were also used at the table less frequently.
There was a brief phase where a three-slot frame included a toothpick holder in the third spot, but eventually frames were reduced to two slots for salt and pepper. Today, frames have largely been eliminated with the notable exception of salt-and-pepper caddies used in restaurants.
Side note: One of the things I love about researching stuff like this is that you can often discover something else you didn’t know about. In this case, I found a beautiful painting depicting the use of a cruet set! Below is just a small frame of detail – but, do look up “Breakfast Time” by Hanna Hirsch-Pauli (1864-1940). Since the piece was painted in 1887, I would consider it a primary source showing a period form and style of cruet frame. Be sure to click the link in the caption to see the full painting.
Detail from 1887 painting by Hanna Hirsch-Pauli called Breakfast Time. Pauli’s skill at capturing the glimmer of glass is demonstrated here, but it’s also a beautiful period glimpse at a silver cruet set being used on a dining table. Image: Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden. Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain.
Finally, just to show you (as if you needed proof) that I am susceptible to being influenced by my own research rabbit holes, I give you my latest acquisition: a beautiful five-slot cruet frame with gorgeous cranberry glass bottles. I found it on Ebay “for a song,” as they say. It arrived badly tarnished, but cleaned up beautifully!
We haven’t been able to precisely date it, but cranberry glass reached its height of popularity in the mid- to late-1800s, which was also the height of the five-slot cruet caddy. And, the technology of electroplating silver to various base metals was beginning to eclipse previous plating technologies around that same time. Silverplated cruet sets reached a peak as popular wedding gifts in the 1880’s and 90’s. So I think it’s safe to say the set is from the second half of the 19th century, probably around 1890. That’s just a guess, of course, but it’s based on the convergence of several factors. What a beauty!
Last year was probably the best year so far in gardening here at our little mobile home. I’ve been working hard to put in perennials so I have less in-ground work to do each year, and there are finally some areas that have filled in to where they look like the kind of busy, “overstuffed” borders I’ve been dreaming of.
Perennial wild geranium, echinacea, and coreopsis.
I do still have fun with annuals, though, filling a variety of containers each year.
Annual variegated nasturtium, ageratum, lantana, and coleus.
In 2025, the only annuals I did in-ground were the zinnias, Four o’clocks, and sunflowers, which I plant every year from seed. Honestly I don’t think I’ll EVER stop growing these – they’re just too easy, too beautiful, and too much fun!
Zinnia “Cut and Come Again”
Annual Four o’clocks – a classic, old-fashioned summer favorite.
Pretty sure these sunflowers are the “Lemon Queen” variety
One of the reasons I like gardening in Iowa (I’m Zone 5b) is because we have four seasons, and one of those is an “off-season.” That means we get a break from about about November through February, where we’re not actively working in the garden. It’s a nice mental and physical break that always seems to come just as I am losing momentum, motivation, and interest. And then, by the end of February, I’m itching to get started again – somehow it just always seems to work out!
For early Spring color, I’ve found it’s hard to beat pansies and violas. I don’t have the indoor space to start these from seed, but it seems like the garden center at Lowe’s starts carrying them just as I’m itching to get back outside. I loved these pansy combinations from last year, and because they are so long-lasting I was able to move them around to several different containers until well into June:
And, these happy yellow violas are a refreshing pop of early color!
And this year, for EARLY early color, I’m expecting crocus and daffodils for the first time because I did plant some bulbs last Fall. I’m anxious to see them come up!
There will also be Bachelors Buttons – these tend to self-seed, but I also add new seed every year. I’ve also learned that my perennial clematis is an early Spring bloomer.
Cornflower (Bachelors Buttons) Dwarf Blue
Clematis – but a variety I don’t recall.
By May, some of the perennials will be blooming such as the creeping phlox, iris, and peonies.
Creeping phlox
Iris
Peony “Sarah Bernhardt”
There are also several summer favorites, including coreopsis, salvia, echinacea (coneflower), wild geranium, hostas, and garden phlox. I’ll save those for another post, and I’ll also try to do a post about specific plans for what I’m hoping to achieve this year. But for now, suffice to say I’m looking forward to another year of gardening!
How about you – what are your favorite annuals to use in containers, and do you have a favorite perennial that seems to successfully fill in your flower beds each year? Tell me in the comments!
(All text and images copyright Janet Green 2026, unless otherwise noted.)
Have you ever looked closely at a piece of Johnson Brothers Old Britain Castles dinnerware and become curious to learn more about Blarney, Cambridge, or Stafford Castle? If so, then you’ve experienced the hidden super-power of classic transferware!
In the early 19th century, British potteries began producing large quantities of illustrative transferware aimed at a growing American market. The pieces produced by Clews, Ridgway, Enoch Wood, Johnson Brothers (pre-Castles), and others depicted American pastoral landscapes, architectural scenes of New York and other cities, river scenes, and natural wonders such as Niagara Falls.
Harvard College plate by Enoch Wood & Sons, circa 1835.
These dishes were affordable and beautiful, and the designs subtly served as visual history lessons at a time when books were expensive and literacy was not universal. Dinnerware could literally show Americans what their country looked like beyond their front door, and build a sense of national identity through depictions of events, landscapes, and architecture.
In her collector’s volume The Blue China Book, first published in 1916, Ada Walker Camehl states “… this group of English pottery is not only a valuable record of the American country and cities as they appeared a century ago, but is at the same time a surprisingly complete history of the first three centuries of our national life.”
Allegany plate by Thomas Goodfellow, circa 1840.
As it turned out, Americans – who at the time still believed that superior pottery came from England – were eager to snap up these pieces, seamlessly blending history into domestic life. For transferware at this time was not relegated to display cabinets – it was handled, washed, stacked, and used daily. Through repetitive use, the imagery of transferware became part of our collective conversations and knowledge.
Scene of Albany, New York by Enoch Wood & Sons, circa 1830s.
What’s interesting about the images themselves is that, for the most part, they were created by illustrators working from pictures by established, “published” artists. While a few potteries sent their staff artists “across the pond” to make their own sketches, more often they worked from existing paintings, prints, and even sketches from the notebooks of returning English tourists.
For example, the Irish-born artist William Guy Wall is one of the most influential figures for American-view scenic transferware. His successful print series known as the Hudson River Port Folio was eagerly adapted by English potters. These pictures depicted scenes of a naturally beautiful but culturally refined America, where nature coexisted peacefully with civilization. Educated in European artistic traditions, Wall created carefully balanced compositions showing that America had landscapes equal to those in Europe, believing that they deserved to be seen and remembered. Wall wasn’t just painting scenery – he was stylizing, editing, and curating his pictures to depict how America wanted to see itself and how it wanted to be seen by the world. Because of the established popularity of the pictures from the Port Folio, pottery depicting these images was practically guaranteed to be successful on the commercial market. Thus, many Staffordshire plates trace their origins directly to Wall’s compositions.
Detail from William Guy Wall print, Bakers Falls, (1820) from the Hudson River Port Folio (left) and from a brown and white Clews Staffordshire transferware plate. Public domain images from metmuseum.org.
Additionally, although they depicted American subjects, the wares were engraved and produced in England. As a result, early American history was filtered through British artistic conventions and romantic ideals.
These additional filters, or layers of interpretation, explain why American buildings sometimes appeared slightly altered, landscapes were softened or felt grander than reality, and proportions leaned toward the English Picturesque style. These visual choices reveal not only what was depicted, but literally how history was framed for consumption. The dinnerware did not merely reflect culture; it actively participated in shaping it.
Despite the English artistic influence imposed upon American scenes, Camehl nonetheless concludes in her book that “So thoroughly did the early nineteenth-century artists perform their task of securing sketches of American scenery… that it is quite possible by means of the decoration… to enable the student of our early history to make a fairly complete tour of the land, and to look upon it as it appeared a century ago.”
By the early 20th century, as American tastes changed, the educational direction of transferware had also shifted: English potters began introducing American consumers to British history and heritage. One of the most beloved examples is the afore-mentioned Old Britain Castles by Johnson Brothers introduced around 1930 and still widely collected today, almost 100 years later. These scenes of castles, abbeys, and ancient ruins invited American buyers to romanticize Britain’s deep past.
Old Britain Castles dinner plate by Johnson Brothers, Blarney Castle. First introduced in 1930.
Beyond Old Britain Castles, English potteries produced many transferware patterns aimed at American buyers that showcased other British architecture, landmarks, and scenery. Johnson Brothers itself also produced the Old Britain series, featuring cathedrals, manor houses, bridges, and rural landscapes. Their Coaching Scenes series featured historic coaching inns and roadside taverns.
Additionally, potteries such as Enoch Wood, Ridgway, Davenport, Clews and Wedgwood produced designs focused on historic British homes, landscapes, and architecture. These designs traded themes of American patriotism and identity-building for the romance, ancestry, and allure of the Old World – qualities that resonated strongly in U.S. homes from the late 19th century onward. They taught British geography and architectural history through repeated daily use, much as earlier wares had done with American themes.
Another more modern example of transferware that educates – or at least ignites curiosity – would be Royal China’s Currier and Ives. Introduced in 1949, this American-made pattern was beloved by mid-century homemakers and families for over four decades. The scenes depicted on the dinnerware were taken directly from commercially successful prints produced by American lithographers Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives from 1835-1907. These prints, popular and affordable in their time, depicted romanticized scenes of American farm life, historical events, and other subject matter. Prints chosen for the dinnerware line included The Homestead in Winter, The Old Grist Mill, The Rocky Mountains, Maple Sugaring, and others.
American-made Currier & Ives by Royal China of Sebring, Ohio, was introduced in 1949 and distributed as grocery store premiums throughout the mid-century era.
I think it’s probable that English and American potteries did not intentionally set out to educate anyone – I doubt we’ll ever unearth an upper-management memorandum directing the marketing department to find a way to teach history through dinnerware! These companies were, first and foremost, commercial ventures with the end goal of making money. They studied the American market, and produced products they believed would sell. By carefully choosing images that spoke to the American desire to evolve a national identity (and later, to a sense of collective American nostalgia), and by putting these images on something as ubiquitous as dinnerplates, the potteries unwittingly became visual historians. Ultimately, they had an unintentional but very real educational impact.
What collectors hold today, in antique and vintage transferware, is not a photographic record of the past, but a carefully edited artistic vision of it. For tablescapers, this adds another layer of meaning. When you place an American-view transferware plate on the table, you are sharing not just a scene, but an artist’s interpretation of a young nation filtered through British/European (and later, nostalgic American) eyes.
Furthermore, mixing American-themed transferware with British scenic patterns creates a table that reflects a transatlantic conversation about mutually appreciated and interpreted history.
By collecting and using transferware, we are not just preserving beautiful useful objects. We are curating fragments of cultural education that was delivered without books and in the most family-centric way possible: around the dinner table. By bringing these pieces back to the table through present-day tablescaping, we’re allowing history to once again take pride-of-place, and reclaim its seat beside us.
A note about using antique or vintage dinnerware: Many antique and vintage dinnerware pieces were produced before modern food-safety standards were established. As a result, some may contain lead, cadmium, or other materials that can leach into food and beverages, particularly when used with acidic or hot foods. While lead leaching does not cause immediate ill effects, repeated exposure over months or years may cause eventual health issues. Children and pregnant women should not consume food from dinnerware that is not certified as food-safe. Do your own research so you can make informed decisions for yourself, your family, and your guests about whether to actually use older dinnerware.
I’ve wanted to try a lace overlay tablescape for awhile now – they look very elegant to me, and I’ve come across some beautiful examples recently. But I haven’t been able to find a suitable lace tablecloth while thrifting, so I recently decided to purchase something inexpensive on Amazon just to give the look a try. (You can find the one I purchased here – Partisout Vintage Lace Tablecloth (affiliate link) – it was inexpensive enough that I expected to be disappointed, but I was actually quite pleased with it. More about that in a moment!)
The solid-colored tablecloth was a thrifted find several years ago – it is a beautiful, deep cranberry color with a subtle fruit-and-leaf pattern. For this table I needed something that would complement the red band in the dinner and bread/dessert plates. With the cranberry color being diluted by the overlaid lace, I think it worked really well.
Dinner and bread/dessert plates are Aristocrat by Salem Century (Ebay finds), and the salad plates are thirfted Bancroft by Noritake.
Flatware for this lovely table is silverplated Flair by 1847 Rogers Brothers. I received this lovely set from my grandmother, which she had received as a wedding present.
For glassware, I’ve paired Dublin by Godinger (an Amazon purchase you can find here – Dublin water glasses by Godinger – affiliate link) and vintage thrifted King’s Crown with cranberry rim.
Centerpiece elements were all thrifted and include an antique bone china biscuit jar, vintage silverplate candlesticks, and vintage Henley/Oneida salt and pepper set.
Earlier I mentioned that I really ended up liking the lace overlay tablecloth from Amazon. My expectation was that it was going to look and feel cheap, and that the white would be too bright for the table. I was pleasantly surprised at how soft and delicate it was, and also at how much the bright white was toned down once it was laid over the red cloth.
Here are a few shots in candlelight, which was also quite lovely.
Here are the birdseye view and the put-away shot!
Finally, here’s an image to Pin if you would like to save this post for future ideas!
I’ll be sharing this post for Tablescape Thursday over at Between Naps on the Porch, hosted by longtime blogger Susan. Be sure to click through for more tablescape inspiration!
Meanwhile, for even more tablescaping ideas, be sure to check out the Thrifty Tablescapers group over on Facebook, where members share tables created with thrifted and other secondhand finds!
