A Thanksgiving Tablescape

I don't think I've ever put together a Thanksgiving table in October -- at least, not in recent years.  I'm always too far behind schedule to do that.  This year, things are a little different.  I've offered committed to having my family's Christmas Day gathering at our house, so I'm going to start decorating for Christmas earlier than ever before.  It will feel strange, but I need to get as much of a head start on things as possible.   Our Thanksgiving tables in previous years have always featured my Johnson Brothers "His Majesty" dishes, and my centerpiece was always a cornucopia overflowing with the bounty of a harvest season.  I enjoyed using these pieces, because the "horn of plenty" has always been a big symbol of Thanksgiving to me.  This year, I was in the mood to do something different.  

      Some years ago, I saw a blogger use blue, white, and orange together for a fall table.  When she first mentioned using these colors together, I remember thinking, "No way!"  Boy, was I wrong.  Orange and blue go together like...peanut butter and chocolate, raspberry sauce and lemon pound cake, salt and caramel.  Who knew, right?  😃    

   The placemats are from The Williamsburg Collection, and the name on the tag is "Brighton Blue."  I purchased them a few years ago at our Bed, Bath and Beyond.  This is the first time I've used them, and I love them!  They're also reversible with a blue and white ticking stripe on the other side.        

   I had actually planned to use our everyday blue and white dishes (seen in the cabinet above) for this table --but they didn't match the placemats.  I was surprised, because I bought the placemats to go with our everyday dishes, Churchill "Finlandia Blue."     

   The dishes on the table are "Liberty Blue" Staffordshire Ironstone.  I think dishes with images of historic America are appropriate for a Thanksgiving table, don't you?   

   The napkins were a gift from my in-laws, purchased on one of their trips to France.  This French blue is one of my favorite shades of blue.  We found the hammered-copper napkin rings in the North Carolina mountains, the town of  Black Mountain I think.  This is the first time I've used them, and they're as pretty as I thought they'd be.  I do love copper.          The water pitcher is spouting a fountain of rich fall colors -- bronze, yellow, red, orange, green, and even purple.  The bouquet of flowers, cut and arranged (for better or worse) by me, came from Trader Joe's.   

   The cloth in the bread basket came from the old City Market in Charleston.  We purchased a Provençal tablecloth, and the vendor tossed in this bread cloth as a bonus.  The bright orange and yellow added another touch of fall color.   

   I found this pretty lead-crystal dish and serving spoon at a local thrift store; it's for serving cranberry sauce.    

     -- Cranberry details on the spoon --   

   The gravy boat came from my mother-in-law -- such pretty details and curves.  You can see a portion of the blue ticking stripe on the placemat in the far left of the picture.   

  

     Candlelight makes everything sparkle.     

   Please ignore the beverage glass sitting out in left field here.  Mr. Forest Manor moved it to get a particular shot and forgot to put it back in its place.  😉   

   

    

  

  

I took a few pictures of the table this morning; I like to have some daylights shots whenever possible.
         

   

You can see other tablescapes with these dishes here and here. 

  On The Table: Placemats -- Bed, Bath and Beyond Napkins -- Gift from my in-laws  Flatware -- Oneida stainless, "Tennyson" Stemware -- Wedding crystal, Gorham "French Cathedral" Dishes -- "Liberty Blue" Staffordshire Ironstone.  Found at estate sale, antique shop, eBay, and Habitat Re-store. White Bread Basket -- Home Goods several years ago Flowers -- Trader Joe's   I'll be joining Tablescape Thursday, hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch.  There's always lots of creative inspiration to be found there.  Thanks so much to each of you who stop by here and visit; I really appreciate that you take time out of your busy schedule for me.  I hope you all have a great week!!