A Patriotic Tablescape

Happy Friday everyone and Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian blog buddies!  I hope you have special plans to celebrate your national holiday.

We always look forward to July 4th here at Forest Manor, and I finally got a table set in the dining room.  Whew!  What a crazy, busy year this has been.  I've only done one tablescape since March, when I set a table for St. Patrick's Day (another favorite at our house).  I'm excited to show you these dishes we purchased a few years ago; they really are perfect for celebrating our country's birthday.

This pattern is "Liberty Blue" Staffordshire ironstone. I found some interesting information online regarding the history of these dishes.  The Liberty Blue dishes were originally begun as a promotional campaign by the Benjamin Franklin Federal Savings and Loan Association.  Enoch Wedgwood, in England's historic Staffordshire district, was contracted to create a pattern of blue and white dishes featuring scenes from historic colonial America.  The Benjamin Franklin Savings and Loan launched the promotion in 1975.  When a subscriber made a new deposit of $50, he received a free four-piece place setting, and additional pieces were available to purchase.  The Liberty Blue dinnerware was also offered as a promotional item at grocery stores. You can read more about this dinnerware Here.

I first came across some of these dishes a couple of years ago at a local estate sale.  I purchased eight dinner plates for a dollar a piece.  I used them in a July 4th tablescape Here.

I paired the Liberty Blue dishes with my "Old Britain Castles" dishes by Johnson Brothers.

 Here is a closeup of the dinner plate, featuring Independence Hall, in Philadelphia, PA, and below, the manufacturer's stamp.

After finding those eight dinner plates, I got really interested in these dishes, so I found some pieces on E-bay for a good price.  As I recall, the group included four of the fruit/dessert bowls, featuring Betsy Ross with her American flag,

and four of these bread and butter plates depicting Thomas Jefferson's Virginia home, "Monticello."  I believe there were also some coffee cups and saucers with this group from E-bay.

Then last year my husband called me one day during his lunch hour.  He was calling from our local Habitat Re-store.  He'd gone there on his lunch hour just to look around and had spotted some more of  "those dishes."  ;)  He said they had a big group of the Liberty Blue dishes for --

a great bargain!!  I kept the price tag so I could remember the amount.  Thirty-eight pieces for $110.00.  Included in this group were more dinner plates;

cream soup bowls (above) featuring the Old North Church in Boston; cereal bowls (which I didn't use in this table setting); a bunch of saucers but no cups;

 an oval vegetable bowl, depicting a Minute Man from the Revolutionary War;

a water pitcher with the Old North Church;

  and three coasters.  Two of the coasters feature Independence Hall,

and the third coaster depicts General George Washington at Valley Forge.  All those pieces for $110.00 -- I was thrilled people!!  :-D  Back to the tablescape, I brought in red with the straw placemats and the napkins.  I used brass candlesticks and candle snuffer, along with pewter salt and pepper shaker and napkin rings.  The mint julep cups are an E-bay find, and the sterling flatware belonged to my husband's grandmother.  I thought these pieces gave the table setting an older and somewhat historic feel.

The engraved napkin rings were a wedding gift, and the sterling pattern is State House "Inaugural" which seemed somehow appropriate for a patriotic table.

The pretty blue and cream hydrangeas came from our local grocery store.

For the centerpiece, I chose to use this Jim Shore figurine.  It's actually a nutcracker, and he's supposed to be Patrick Henry.  I just love the colors and details in this piece.  I've had it for years, and I'm so glad I thought to bring him out for this patriotic table.

I've set up a tray on top of the dresser here for coffee or tea after the meal.

These cups depict the ride of Paul Revere and the saucers show the Old North Church.

I forgot to mention earlier that we found this sugar bowl and creamer on E-bay in perfect condition (still in the boxes) so my husband purchased them as a surprise for me.

Sorry for the long post -- I've been looking forward to setting a table with these dishes.  :)

I hope you will all be able to spend time with your family and/or friends this holiday weekend.  At a time when it feels like the whole world has gone crazy is turned upside down, I hope we can remember how and why our nation was founded.

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Have a safe and Happy Fourth and thanks so much for visiting!!

Denise

Linking To:
Tablescape Thursday, Between Naps on the Porch
Thoughts of Home on Thursday, Decor to Adore
Foodie Friday and Everything Else, Rattlebridge Farm
Dishing It & Digging It, Life and Linda