Blistering heat and soaring humidity has kept me inside at StoneGable. The inspiration for this calm and icy blue table was the weather!
Done a couple of weeks ago during the height of a heat wave, I wanted a table that would be a break from the heat for our friends... and us too!
The only time I ventured outdoors was to quickly cut these fabulous blue hydrangeas from a bush in the back of our home. Even they needed to come in from the heat, when I first picked them they were languishing.
Each place was set with a mix of blue and white dishes sitting on a cool blue straw placemat.
The blues in the plates, tablescloth and placemats were all a little different. It is fascinating to me to see elements play nicely together. A dark blue and white dessert plate gives the weight this stack of dishes needs for interest.
Delicate vintage sherbet dishes top each setting. I think these sweet sherbets are so winsome! Their little pedestal and wide bowl, make them so visually lovely. They are a new to me treasure, and what a bargain at $2.00 a piece!
Speaking of bargains... and I love a great bargain... the blue glasses were a GW find at 5 for $4.97! Aren't they a beautiful color?
Just a little soapbox note... I enjoy lovely things. And I am blessed to have lovely things. But I also love a bargain! Beautiful things don't have to be expensive, and in my case often aren't. I mix the treasures that were passed down to me with things that cost very little. Style shouldn't equate to dollars. How we elevate, share and hold loosely onto the things we have in our own individual ways~ now that's true style!
And things don't equate to happiness! My mantra is and always has been "people are more important than things". I love home and have a passion for making my home a sanctuary for my family and all who visit. It is the people that fill my life that give it meaning and joy! And so, I am blessed beyond measure! But you all knew that, didn't you!
I'll step down off of my soapbox and back away from the megaphone~ thanks for giving me a minute~ and now back to the table..
Tucked into the blue glasses are crisp white hemstitched napkins.
These sweet cups and saucers came from a flea market, as did the small candle holders. They were in a Styrofoam ice chest filled with blue and white goodies for $4.00! I kept the things I wanted and passed the rest on to friends and GW. One man's trash is definitely this woman's treasure!
A blue and white patterned tablecloth adds depth and again plays nicely with the mix of patterns in the dishes and centerpiece. I am wild about mixing patterns! Talk about instant interest!
The tablecloth was not the proper size to fit the table, but I love the juxtaposition of the table edges and the tablecloth corners! Who said tablecloths have to cover the whole table?
Cobalt blue salt and pepper shakers, a gift from my daughter Jacqueline and her prince charming of a husband, give a pop of intense blue color to the table.
When having a crowd or company I often put a second set of salt and pepper shakers on the table. These are a pretty blue transferware.
If there is room I like to set dessert plates, and sometimes dessert, on the table. Elevated on a white cake stand are plates, dessert napkins (extra washing, but a lovely touch) and dessert forks.
I have a love affair with silver! Most of my silver is silverplate, and collected from antique shops, flea markets and GW. It is all beautiful to me! Especially swoon worthy is a piece of silver with any letter for monogram on it. If you are interested in silver too, you might want to see my post on "Beautiful Things, Silver and it's Care" . Click HERE to view.
The ginger jar centerpiece is filled with take-my-breath-away hydrangeas from my garden. This has been my best hydrangea year ever!!!! They were a little wilty when I first brought them in, but some nice cool water and a pretty container perked them right up!
One more look at (sigh) these blue beauties!
StoneGable's Too Hot Outside To Eat Menu
Ceasar Salad With Crabcakes
Homemade Beer Bread
Fresh Tomatoes
Raspberry Fluff Individual Tarts
Persecco
Iced Tea
Coffee
Yvonne, this is the prettiest thing I have seen in a long time...I tell you what, you have got an eye for beauty! I can't believe where you find things but that eye sees it and knows how to put it together! I love what you said about things and people too :D
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and blue and white is so cooling. I love your attention to detail. I agree with your little soap box statement also! It doesn't take a lot of money to find pretty things but people are the most important. You are the best!
ReplyDeleteYvonne,
ReplyDeleteYou always take my breath away with your lovely tables. This one is magazine worthy--although they all are! I felt like this table was cool, calm and collected. I realize it must be too hot to eat outside, and here I'm posting about alfresco dining! Your menu sounds yummy too. Do you realize how talented you are my friend!? xo Delores
I've always migrated toward anything blue, and this is wonderful. If I hurry, maybe I can still get there for the Caesar Salad with Crabcakes (my favorite). You've created a gorgeous tablescape with wonderful balance and tone. Thank you for sharing your charming design. Cherry Kay
ReplyDeleteToday is a busy, errand-running day for me, so I dont' have alot of time to read blogs until later. But yours is one of my GOTTA GOTTA GOTTA read right now blogs. I am so inspired by you, and I learn so much from you. (Still can't get a handle on the sewing, though!!).
ReplyDeleteThis table is positively exquisite. I SO wish I lived near you. I would LOVE to come over and learn first-hand from you.
I'm really with you on "beautiful doesn't have to mean expensive." I used to think differently. I used to be far to prideful to enter a thrift store, thinking them junky and far beneath me. Enter 25 months of unemployment for my husband (we're a single income family)...out of necessity I began to shop in second hand stores...and I fell in love. Now, with money still very tight, I still love them, and I know I always will, even if the day ever comes that our financial situation drastically improves.
Thanks for always beautifying my day and inspiring me in my home.
Hugs,
Patti (Fill My Cup with Beauty)
It's so beautiful. And refreshing and I'm drooling. You've done it again. I love the menu too. I'm with you, there comes a time when it's too hot to enjoy the outdoors. I love those sherbet cups too. They are the icing on the cake.. Enjoyed my visit immensely
ReplyDeleteYvonne, just the cool serenity I needed on this steamy day. I love the cups and you know I adore pretty linens. Stay cool!
ReplyDeletexoxo Pattie
Beautiful setting! I love your new to you sherbets, I have a weakness for footed bowls/dishes. It's so special to find the beauty in the little things-enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThis setting is just beautiful. I love hydrangeas and they are perfect in your blue and white setting. I enjoy imagining myself as a guest at your table(s). And, no, a tablecloth does not have to fit a table. I have quite a few that I artfully arrange to show them off. We always use cloth napkins. They just scream hospitality even when it's just the two of us.
ReplyDeleteBest,
Bonnie
White and blue and hydrangeas. You can't get a more perfect combination. It's all just beautiful. Can I come for dinner?
ReplyDeleteJust breathtaking! I love these shades of blue with the crisp white. Beautiful layering as always. I so agree with you about mixing expensive treasures with thrifty treasures. I think that's what it's all about. I am also a big fan of monogrammed silver with any monogram. Only one piece I have actually has our monogram, and that was some other lady with a "D" in 1896! Love your table, and we are loving your tea recipe! Even my husband who does not like tea has been drinking it like crazy!
ReplyDeleteGirl, makes my HEART sing!!! It is gorgeous!!!
ReplyDeleteSuzanne
Breathtaking! Beautiful! Blue is my favourite colour too.
ReplyDeleteShel
I love this Yvonne! Those blue and white dishes remind me of my sweet grandmother--she has a similar set herself. This is so classic for summer!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, thank you for the sweet comments you left on our blog--you brighten my day with your encouraging words!
Yvonne,
ReplyDeleteThis table is truly spectacular!!!! You are such a gifted hostess. I am always in awe of your talent.:)
Yvonne- I guess we are all having same too hot weather. Your table is just beautiful and crisp and so perfect for this season.
ReplyDeleteI love blue and white too.
Happy Dining!!
Marie Arden Pink Living
i could sit here forever... leave the light on would ya?
ReplyDeleteWhat a treat this is to sit and just gaze it...so much eye candy and so many lovely ideas. Yum. I just finished arranging some hydrengas in a blue mason jar before I sat down to do some blog surfing...such gorgeous flowers, aren't they? Thanks for the reminder that beauty does not need to equal expensive.
ReplyDeleteSooo, sooo pretty! You have the knack! I don't own any blue dishes (currently) but will be on the look-out for future use. I also love a bargain and love mixing things. Love, love, love your tablescapes!
ReplyDeleteLovely table, great little bowls! Hydrangeas are just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHi Yvonne, I love absolutely every single thing about your tablescape! Reading your blog has inspired me to look more closely at things to use on the table - things that give the table depth and make it interesting as well. I love adding something a little unexpected, but using it in a functional way. Since reading your blog I've spent a lot of my time in the clearance aisles at Home Goods, Marshalls and TJMaxx and have come home with some very colorful, affordable beyond belief and beautiful tableware and accents. I'm hosting a small dinner party tonight and will be setting the table shortly, with your inspiring tablescapes in mind. Thanks so much! Ciao, bella!
ReplyDeleteYvonne,
ReplyDeleteagain a breath taking table. And what for beautiful photos! Great job! I love the oriental patterns on the blue/white china and the tablecloth. Everything is perfect and the Hydrangeas add a dainty charm to it. Love it. And yes, I agree, style is not neccessarily connected with much money.
Greetings, Johanna
Love blue and white...lots of eye candy this week, Yvonne! I agree, the more patterns the more interest. Thanks for sharing your beautiful table.
ReplyDeleteWow what a beautiful table. I love silver too, I just don't have any YET. Also really loving your tablecloth...you've really brought it all to life! Stacey
ReplyDeleteYou have created a beautiful table. Such lovely pieces. My favorites are the sherbet dishes and the blue and white salt and pepper. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteBarb
Hi Yvonne, This is an absolutely gorgeous table. Hydrangeas are beautiful and I love the vase they are in. The plates, tablecloth...everything is lovely.
ReplyDeleteHugs, Sherry
Looks lovely...and cool!
ReplyDeleteAnother beautiful tablescape. I wish that I could find great things at our thrift stores like you do. I just keep on coming up empty handed.
ReplyDeleteI tried your Panzanella salad last night and again it was a hit! I just loved all the fresh tastes in it. I also love that I can just step out the back door and get all the ingredients for it, except for the mozzarella I added. Now if only I could grow that!
Yup, count me in on the beauty of the sherbet cups, they are a treasure. You had the luck of the Irish to find them at such a wonderful price too. We must be thinking alike in this heat. I had a few guests for dinner on Sunday and used a mix of blue and white for my table too. The good news was it was only in the 80's so we could use our porch for dinner.
ReplyDeleteThanks for another great table scape Yvonne.
I love your blue and white table setting, just the thing for this hot, hot day! You have some gorgeous pieces and the hydrangeas are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteDonna
Oh my goodness Yvonne, this is just stunning. I absolutely love it. All of your dishes are just so beautiful and I love all the lovely accessories. What a great idea to stack the desert plates and forks on the cakestand. I really need to borrow that idea for an upcoming event. Everything is just perfect as usual. Hugs, Marty
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely stunning!!! Hydrangeas are my favorite!! Your posts remind me so much of growing up, my Mom always went above and beyond on decorating and place settings and favors. she still does today at our family get togethers. I enjoy it as well, but I am trying to grow a fancier collection of dishes! I have little ones I stay home with so money is tight, but I will get there one day. :-) Thanks for sharing! Love it!
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Jill
Your tables are always exceptional but OH the "Blue&White" in the heat of the summer is to melt our hearts. Will you PLEASE share with me the name of the BOTTOM white plate with the beautiful edging. I LOVE those kind of plates with a hint of "white on white" or "an allusion of lace"... PLEASE if you know the name of the company, would you share it?
ReplyDeleteThank you, Donna
Oh my! I just discovered your blog and fell in love! I adore Blue and White and have much of it around my own home so this is very inspirational about how to actually USE my pieces vs. just displaying them! Thanks so much for the little bit of balm to the soul and I look forward to many return visits!
ReplyDeleteVanessa
http://southerninmyheart.blogspot.com
Wow, so gorgeous tablescape!
ReplyDeleteHugs
Charo
Dear Yvonne, if you invited me over you wouldn't even have to serve food! I would just enjoy every piece of eye candy and be full! Thank you so much for sharing this yummy table. We are so blessed by your gracious way of sharing what you have with us and showing us how to make a pretty, pleasant place for friends and family to gather over a meal. I appreciate that so much! Even though I don't have as many plates as you do, I get ideas on how to use what I do have and how to search out treasures in unexpected places. Sometimes I have to remind my young friends that I've been making home for 38 years now, and that's a long time to collect a lot of pretties! Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteJust stunning but then your tables always are! I think those glasses are so pretty. You have so many creative ways to make even the simplest items look so festive.
ReplyDeleteYvonne, this may be my favorite of all your 'scapes yet, as I love blue and white so much. Those little sherbets are so sweet! I love the way you stack the dishes so artistically, and your starched napkins!!! And, appreciate your thoughts on ownership--I share the same philosophy.
ReplyDeleteBlue and white makes me feel so serene. Your dishes are all so lovely as are your words of wisdom!
ReplyDeleteOh Yvonne, what a GORGEOUS, cool in the heat of the summer, table!!! It is beautiful. I collect blue and white porcelains, and have many pieces but not dishes. I also have about 12 hydrangea bushes in my yard. I am hoping they will be beautifully GREEN in Sept. for my daughters wedding! They are still blue here at my home. YOur tablecloth is beautiful and I LOVE the dessert napkins, what a special touch! Just sitting at one of your tabvles would be enough for me! Thank you for so GRACIOUSLY sharing your beautiful things and your amazing talent. I LOOOOOVE your blog! XO, Pinky
ReplyDeleteThis table is just stunning! I love blue and white and I love hydrangeas. The crisp white is the perfect touch!
ReplyDeleteVery pretty indeed!
Cindy
I love this! Everything look so cool and crisp. The dishes are gorgeous as well as the hydrangeas. You are so creative and talented! It's true ~ it's not about "things" at all. :-)
ReplyDeleteHope you have a blessed week ~
xoxo
Pat
Wow! Gorgeous flowers and i LOVE your china wares!!
ReplyDeleteHi Yvonne! Oh, my goodness - this table is gorgeous! I love the blue and white and your hydrangeas are simply superb! I love those flowers. Your photos look like they just popped out of a magazine! You're so good at this!
ReplyDeleteBe a sweetie,
Shelia ;)
Love all the cool blue and white and love those glasses from GW. What a great buy on those. You set the most gorgeous tables and I just enjoy looking at them so much.
ReplyDeleteYvonne,
ReplyDeleteWhat a stunningly gorgeous table!! Wow blue and white and hydrangeas are among my favorite things in the world! Every detail is so pretty and the layers of dishes are wonderful! I love the textures and the tablecloth is the perfect backdrop to your tablescape! Just simply to die for!!!
Miss Bloomers
P.S. thanks for your sweet visit!
Yvonne, this is so beautiful! I look forward to your post each week! So inspiring! I have reflected on what you said about having "lovely things" and the
ReplyDelete"people being more important than things." God has given you the wonderful gift of hospitality. It is so evident from your blog! I have come to realize that hospitality and making others feel comfortable is not to be taken lightly! For any spiritual gifts, we are to do the very best that we can with that gift...I have struggled with feeling the need to serve here or there, but have found that hospitality is where the Lord can use me the most! I love it and it is not work, but such a joy and super fun! I am sure you feel this way, as well! Your settings are perfection, and I can only imagine how loved and cherished the people feel who get the joy of being entertained in your home! Your gift is making things beautiful and sharing that with others! I just feel lucky to get to see the 'fruit of your labor' in this lovely site! Thanks for sharing your gift with thousands of strangers! "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.
Hebrews 13:2
One more thing! I made your wonderful granola for my sister and her family tonight! I had a difficult time keeping my husband out of it! It is SO yummy! Can I post it and link back to your site for the recipe and credits for the idea? I just love it!
ReplyDeletehttp://threepixielane.blogspot.com/2010/07/crazy-about-porch.html
Yvonne, this is one of those tables that will stay fresh in my mind. All these cool blues with the crisp whites are perfect on a hot summer day. Your style certainly captures ellegance. Love the layers of texture you always feature and the little hydrangea petals on the table is a beautiful touch. This entire tablescape is perfection! ~ Sarah
ReplyDeleteI learn so much from you, ladybug. Finding all these things, putting them together, takes it's own kind of special talent. Loved your comment about family/friends/people
ReplyDeletetruly the most important and the reason we do everything we do. & I love blue & white. Lovely & wonderful, just like you.
Beautiful table...love blue and white (my living, dining and foyer are all decorated in blue and white toile). BTW, what's GW? Also loved your hydrangeas...mine are doing the best ever this summer. I'm thrilled about it.
ReplyDeleteFor Evelyn,
ReplyDeleteGW is Good Will. I used to wonder that too! Now I love to nose around GW~ I get the most delightful goodies there.
Yvonne
Absolutely DIVINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDelete-Brenda-
oh dear Yvonne, you do have a way with tables! Lovely blues and the hydrangeas are so perfect for your setting!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSo gorgeous! I love all the white ware. And hydrangeas look perfect with the setting.
ReplyDeleteGwen:)
I have to say this entire post is take-my-breath-away gorgeous...love the hydrangeas & your layered plates. You are a master~ thanks for a respite of refreshing blue & white, I feel cooler already :-)
ReplyDeleteYou truly do the best tablescapes ever!! Loving the blue and white ~ it just looks cool...
ReplyDeleteYour blues and whites look so cool and refreshing on a hot summer day! Love your beautiful hydrangeas! Lovely.
ReplyDeleteSimply elegant and gorgeous! I love how you layered all the pieces and your new sherbets are just precious. What a great find!
ReplyDeleteYour table is perfectly set! I love the way you layer the plates with the different patterns. Blue and White is my favorite. It's like you crept into my dreams and saw my perfect tablescape dream!
ReplyDeleteYou never cease to amaze me. This is just gorgeous. The blues and whites are fantastic, especially the cute sherbet dishes - and I am not especially in love with blue, but this could make me love it.
ReplyDeleteHow I would love to be able to grow hydrangeas, they are just one of the most amazing flowers.
What a gorgeous table! I love how the patterns are all so different but are unified through color. Really elegant and interesting!
ReplyDeleteThis is the PRETTIEST blue and white I have ever, in my entire looong life, seen. It is just stunning.
ReplyDeleteI adore all the different patterns and am once again amazed at how great all the patterns work together.
You, my sweet friend, are so very good at what you do.
xo bj
Yvonne-
ReplyDeleteYou continue to inspire us all. Your table is stunning-
and as far as your soapbox is concerned?
Well said.
Enjoyed visiting ,
Laura
Yvonne:
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful. I love blue and white and you have handled them massterfully!
I think my favorite are those sherbets. How many were you able to get??? That's always my problem when I find a lovely little treasure - there are never enough of them!
- The Tablescaper
Yvonne, This table is just as beautiful as all your tables. It is also cool and refreshing for this hot summer. I used the same Queen's blue dishes this week for my blueberry tablescape! Yours look more elegant on this table. And your tablecloth is gorgeous too. Did you change the background on your blog? I am thinking of tinkering with mine but being so new I'm a little afraid everything will disappear! Thank you for the beautiful table. I just scroll back and forth and try to take it all in! Linda
ReplyDeleteOh how absolutely lovely! Blue and white are so beautiful together and your table is perfection!
ReplyDeleteI love your hydrangeas and I love your dishes, Yvonne. Beautiful blue and white table!...Christine
ReplyDeleteYvonne~ How have I not known about your beautiful blog!? Oh , how I love it! Thank you for stopping by my blog and leaving a sweet comment! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHave a pretty day!
Kristin
Your table is exquisite. The blue and white china and the silver are a beautiful combination. I love your flowers as well. Great pictures
ReplyDeleteGreetings from Europe
Hi Yvonne~ ~ ~Things are getting back to normal around here. We had a death in the family. Your table is stunning and there is so much that I love about it. Both sets of SandP's are wonderful and the sherbet cups. . .oh yea, the best! Hopefully in the fall we can get together.
ReplyDeleteFondly~ ~
Ahrisha
This table is so lovely. I've taken a break from blogging, but do so enjoy visiting all of my dedicated blogger friends. You are such an inspiration. BTW, we had a zucchini bake-off in our neighborhood last night and I prepared the Cheesy Veggie Casserole that I found through your blog. It originated at Singing with Birds. It was wonderful! I didn't have corn flakes, so I used a cup of Fiber One...worked just fine.
ReplyDeleteThanks ever so much.
Yvonne,
ReplyDeleteYour table is lovely. I collect blue and white transferware, old monogrammed teaspoons, and white milkglass, so this tablescape is very appealing to me. Thanks for sharing your beautiful things, as well as the wonderful recipes.
Hi! BJ sent me over to your blog. She says HI! I'm so-o-o impressed with your blog! Glad I found it - it is WONDERFUL!!!
ReplyDeleteTexas Gal
sigh... This is gorgeous - fresh, restful, soothing and a nice cool break from the heat. Each and every detail is perfect. I love the tablecloth. I am so jealous of the hydrangeas I see all over blogland. Too hot to grow them here. My husband is still raving about the bacon and corn chowder. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteYvonne.. this is simply breathtaking. The colours are just fabulous. You've also used my all time favorite flower! It's all simply stunning!
ReplyDeleteYour table design is fabulous and the photos are just gorgeous! Love the blue and those hydrangeas!
ReplyDeleteblessings,
Debra
Several years ago I saw a florist on TV that used this method to revive or keep hydrangeas from wilting. Fill a large container (tub or cooloer ) with cold water and immerse flower heads to soak for an hour or two. Drain on towel and arraange. I always do this now and it makes them last or two or three days. They are the most beautiful of flowers, aren't they?
ReplyDeleteYour table is beautiful! I love blue and white...so stunning! The hydrangeas are perfect. Thank you so much for sharing. I am so happy that bloggers share their loves with each other!
ReplyDeleteSo, so gorgeous, Yvonne, your talent just blows me away! I love the hydrangeas, and they dry so beautifully! XO!
ReplyDeleteIt is fabulous. Every little touch is perfect! How wonderful to sit at this beautiful table, and have a peach pastry!
ReplyDeleteThe sherbets are so pretty! I see Ms Tablescaper is coveting 12 of them! :)
I agree, the hydrangea were wonderful this year, but mine have grown to be over 6 ft even after being cut back last year!
Yvonne,
ReplyDeleteThis is just BEAUTIFUL! You have such an eye for pattern, texture & style!
Another BEAUTIFUL table my friend! I am a rescuer of old silver/silver plate too. Your dessert forks are lovely. I thought of you the other day when I was at GW. There were several pieces of peach lusterware and I was sooooo excited until I saw how terribly worn it was. I'm still looking :)
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Gail
Lovely combination and designs... I particularly like that w/b tablecloth... I'm glad I stopped by. First time here. Nice meeting you.
ReplyDeleteCielo
I love it. And thanks for adding the part about collecting beautiful things to create a home (and memories) for the people we love and cherish. I agree so many of us have so many blessings and it is more often than not the little things. Thanks for keeping us grounded. BTW, do you starch your linens?
ReplyDeleteThe exquisite tablescape is proof positive that you don't have to spend a lot of money to create a beautiful table!
ReplyDeleteIt is just wonderful, Yvonne but now I'll have to postpone my blue & white planned table for at least a couple of months till this one is only a faint memory in people's minds. *wink*
Having seen peoples homes & a lifetime of treasures totally destroyed by hurricane Charlie in FL, I know full well how foolish it is to put much stock into material things. They can all be gone in an instant. Family & Friends are the real things of value in life, like you said so eloquently. I treasure you as one of them.
your friend,
Rett
I have been collecting blue tableware for years, with the help of my Mom who has an eye for garage sales, thrift stores and the like!! Loved this tablescape with such beautiful things. Just when I had thought that perhaps I should scale down, your blog has proven otherwise! The blue mixes so well with other colors and can look so elegant! Thank you from a new found friend!!
ReplyDeleteSandy F.
Oh my - I love blue and white, this is my dining room. I have the Johnson Brothers Blue and white set in my china cabinet - if you want to see it go to my blog
ReplyDeletehttp://muchloveroseblog.tumblr.com
Just beautiful Yvonne...
Have a wonderful weekend....
Rose
Yvonne, I loved this post! Picture heavy of beautiful things and refreshing writing that was funny to read! Please keep blogging, you're a sweetheart :)
ReplyDelete