Dark background florals. Yum!

Tracy Porter’s Jardiniere features vibrantly coloured flowers on a deep black background,  I’m not as keen on the rest of the pieces of the pattern, as I find them a bit too busy, but the salad plate, with its softly coloured curvy rim, is a stand out piece.

Oh my. You can pair it with a zillion colours.

I went with a combination of soft sage green linens, vibrant pink and deep purple tulips and amethyst glassware.

Who could resist those tulips?

And of all things, they were at Trader Joe’s late last fall.

My head was into russets, oranges, deep yellows and browns when I walked into the store. Bam! Pink!!! Moral of the story: always be flexible with tableware inspiration.

It was still warm and sunny outside, so I hauled out the black placemats, plain white Queen Anne Pillivuyt dinner plates and set up shop.

Black twig flatware and Fiddlehead napkin rings from World Market reflected the background of the plates. Cactus Green  Wheaton napkins from Pottery Barn picked up the soft green in the plates. 

The little birdhouse and stand salt & pepper were an eBay find. Perfect for “spring in fall”.

The purple glasses were from Laurel Leaf Farms. They had only four of them, which I don’t usually purchase, but the colour was so unusual.

It’s hard to find a deep violet purple, as purple glasses more often have a red undertone.

The purples in the plates are the same deep violet.

Spring, spring, spring is in the air!!! (I keep telling myself this as we dig out from under another eight inches of snow…)

I’m sharing this post with Between Naps on the Porch.