Eau de Nil with Lilacs

by Helen Kain | May 6, 2020 | Antique china, Antique glassware, Blue, Purple, Spring Tablescapes

Hooray for May and Mother’s Day! To celebrate, I thought a dose of soft pastels and fragrant lilacs was in order. Don’t let their lowly name, “common” lilacs, fool you. Their scent is divine.  I paired them with antique Royal Worcester...

A Famille Rose Easter

by Helen Kain | Apr 9, 2020 | Antique china, Antique glassware, Easter, Green, Pink and Red, Spring Tablescapes, Vintage china

It’s a weird kind of Easter this year, as the Easter Bunny observes social distancing. We will need to hop to it and make do with pretty pictures and virtual gatherings. And some non-virtual chocolate. I set this table a few weeks ago, pre-pandemic, in blissful...

There’s Something Fishy Going On

by Helen Kain | Jul 31, 2019 | Antique china, Blue, Green, Pink and Red, Summer Tablescapes, Vintage glassware

Things are pretty crabby around here. Something smells fishy. In fact, some of the inhabitants are downright prickly. But with a little cooperation, it should be smooth sailing. Maybe a little food would help.   Let’s go with a White Bean and Shrimp Salad...

French Delicacies on Faience Plates

by Helen Kain | Jul 4, 2019 | Antique china, Blue, Brown, Green, Grey and Pewter, Summer Tablescapes

Froment-Richard delights us again with his characteristically whimsical depictions of children, and this series has the added fillip of French cuisine. What could be more charming (or delicious)? As you may have guessed from the multiple mollusks, many of the plates...

Ringing in 2019 with a New Year’s Eve Dinner

by Helen Kain | Dec 31, 2018 | Antique china, Antique glassware, Ballgown, Blue, New Year, White

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all enjoyed a festive celebration on New Year’s Eve, whether you were out on the town or quietly at home. We hosted a small dinner party with close friends, and I took the opportunity to pull out some “ballgown”...

Burslem Red Turkey Plates by Enoch Woods

by Helen Kain | Nov 6, 2017 | Antique china, Fall Tablescapes, Pink and Red, Thanksgiving, White

Gobble, gobble!   This set of eight red turkey plates came my way about fifteen years ago, from a junky little store in Toronto. I was out grocery shopping, and the plates were sitting in the window, surrounded with all manner of detritus. A jewel among junk. A...