Spring "Manly" Tablescape!

I had a bit of a challenge this week because I wanted to do a tablescape for an upcoming birthday dinner for my father and father-in-law. I was hoping for something both springish and not so girlish. Mostly in the spring we see the flowers and bunnies, chicks, etc. Love it all, but not the look I was going for.


This is a placesetting. I have my clear glass charger with a gold rim - next a pewter dinner plate - next a china salad plate with a bird scene. I asked my pocketbook if I could pleeeeeeeze get some of the spode woodlands salad plates with the birds or dogs on them. But my pocketbook said "nooooooo waaaaaaaay". I just hate it when my pocketbook is cranky ... don't you? Anyway, pocketbook said, "You'll just have to be thrifty - and you only have $25 to spend." So off to e-Bay I went and after several days of looking, I found these china bird scene salad plates - eight for $24. These are dated 1940. It give me the look I was hoping for. I also have my pewter goblets again and the restaurant supply flatwear. The napkins are a mint green and each of the plates has just a touch of this green in it.


I found this tan linen tablecloth at "Finders Keepers" in Atlanta last Saturday. It just barely covers the top of my table - so I layered it over a dark green tablecloth. I love the white edgeing - it's not too lacey. I can "see" this for a summer beach look tablescape sometime in the future.


You might remember these two pheasants I got on e-bay a couple of weeks ago for 99 cents! I have them as my centerpiece. First I've got my picture frame with some brown crinkaline. The female is elevated on a small footed plate. These birds hava a wonderful bronze glaze on them that doesn't seem to show up in the photos. The person who sold them said they had been sitting on a bookcase for the past twenty years and just needed a new home. When they're not on the table, they've been on the mantle of our greatroom. This side also shows a large china egg box.


On this side of the birds I've got a small nest of eggs hopefully this helps with the "spring" look.


This is a close-up of the china egg that was given to me several years ago by a special friend at work for Easter. She has since passed away, so it is very special to me. She was a wonderful lady from Scotland who used to teach at the Adult Education Center where I work.


These next pictures show the six plates I'm using. Each has a different bird with a young bird. We're saying that each one is a "Daddy bird" with his young one (Since this is our Dad's birthdays!)








Our last picture is an overview (sideways!) of the table. Sort of plain - but I'm hoping that I've got the look of a man's birthday celebration. Our dad's mean the world to us and we're so glad that we get to celebrate their birthdays again - they both have some medical issues, but are doing pretty well. My dad will be 84 and my father-in-law will be 86. We're so blessed! To see more tablescapes, please go to "Tablescape Thursday" hosted by Susan of Between Naps On The Porch.