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It’s election day here in the U.S. and today I’ll go out and do what women have had the right to do for only 100 years: I’ll vote! I hope and trust you will do the same!

My first Election Day place setting consists of a gorgeous Wedgwood & Co. “flow blue” dinner plate in the “Roma” pattern – this plate is older than my right to vote! It was a Goodwill find, only 99 cents due to the chip in the rim.

The flatware is my handed-down Oneida “Chandelier,” and the cross-stitched napkin is one of a set done by my great-grandmother.

The coffee cup and saucer are replicas of the dinnerware used by Mrs. Alva Vanderbilt Belmont during luncheons she held beginning around 1909 for the purpose of converting her New York society friends over to the cause of woman’s suffrage. (Her daughter Consuelo was concurrently fighting for this same cause over in England, where she was at that time Duchess of Marlborough.) You can read a little more about Alva here, and for immersive reading try the book, Consuelo and Alva Vanderbilt: The Story of a Daughter and A Mother in The Gilded Age by Amanda Mackenzie Stuart. It’s an amazing book!

My cup and saucer were a gift from my sweet sister-in-law, who knows I’m fascinated by Mrs. Vanderbilt Belmont’s story and of course smitten with dinnerware!

If you did not vote early this year (and I know many did), be sure to make time to get out and exercise your right!

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” – Albert Camus

After the transitional “Unofficial Fifth Season” of Faded Summer eases us out of the bright colors of the warmest time of year, it’s time to celebrate Autumn in all it’s glory. A woods walk, a leaf-peeping drive, a visit to the pumpkin patch… and of course, a Fall tablescape in the beautiful, bold colors we traditionally associate with this season.

This tablescape started with a centerpiece arranged using silk flowers from Dollar Tree. I was working on a post of Fall centerpiece ideas, and I wanted to do something in the little rustic wooden box that Greg had made for me. When my arrangement was done, I realized it would be a great match for the bold-hued napkins I’d purchased a couple years ago from Pier 1. I staged it with those napkins and my Baum Brothers Formalities dinner plates called Bernadotte, and I knew I’d have to do a full table with these elements.

I paired the Formalities “Bernadotte” with salad plates by Seltmann Weiden (Western Germany). One thing I love about Bernadotte is the tone-on-tone scroll pattern – it’s very subtle, elegant, and absolutely lovely! And the Seltmann Weiden carries through particularly the shades of purple from the centerpiece, the glassware, and the napkins.

Flatware is my gold electroplate “Americana Golden Heritage” by International Silver, and of course the napkins were a Pier 1 clearance find. I think they perfectly capture the bold Fall colors.

Glassware – in a deep purple and a lighter pink, because I really wanted to use the darker purple but I only have two of those – is vintage “Duratuff” by Libbey. Their goblet shape gives them an air of sophistication without being too delicate.

The centerpiece includes a few handmade velvet pumpkins in the deeper colors.

Here are a few more views around the table of this Fall tablescape:

And here is the put-away shot so you can see the elements as kind of an after-the-fact mood board.

Here’s an image to pin for future inspiration:

For more pretty tables set on a budget, join my Facebook group, Thrifty Tablescapers! I’ll be sharing my Fall tablescape for Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch.