VFCstyle.com |VFCstyle.com

Christmas tablescape with Lenox Holiday Tartan

Posted on December 18, 2025 by Janet

“I love that other people have bucket list travel destinations, but you have bucket list china patterns!”

That was my daughter’s spot-on reaction to my recent dinnerware splurge: four dinner plates in “Holiday Tartan” by Lenox. This pattern has indeed been on my must-have list for a long time, but generally it is just too expensive for me to justify, especially since I have so many other patterns already in my cupboards. I’ve nonetheless been watching Ebay for a long time (thank you “Saved Searches”!), and within the last few months I actually found a couple of Buy It Now deals that allowed me to feel a whole lot better about the splurge.

I was certainly eager to set a table with these beauties as soon as the second pair arrived, and while I may yet try another combination before actual Christmas, I absolutely love how this table turned out. Lenox is one of those makers (like Noritake) whose patterns look so lush in person – there is just a depth to the appearance of the design under the glaze that isn’t really discernable in photographs.

Let’s take a tour around the table!

For the tablecloth, I decided to use this thrifted shower curtain by Croscill. It has wonderful heavy texture a perfect color palette for the Lenox plates. It’s perfect anytime an “old world” vibe is needed.

I auditioned several chargers before deciding on the brushed gold, acquired from Dollar Tree a few years ago. The Lenox dinner plates are topped by thrifted Noritake Bancroft salad plates and Salem China Artistocrat bread plates.

Napkins and rings were thrifted.

Flatware is my inherited Oneida Chandelier; glassware is a combination of “Dublin” by Godinger (an Amazon splurge) and thrifted wine glasses featuring a deer and snowflake pattern.

The centerpiece is a combination of a thrifted sleigh vessel and textured thrifted silk roses, with jewel-tone thrifted ornaments and gold Christmas picks. The gold-tone candlesticks and red pillar candles were also thrifted and have been in my stash for several years.

I love the way all the jewel tones work together!

Here’s the put-away shot, with everything ready to go back into the cupboards. My tablescapes often come together at the spur of the moment, without a plan, so this shot always serves as kind of a final reminder of the elements I used for each table.

Not sure yet what my plan is for actual Christmas meals. We’ll be celebrating with my daughter and her husband on the 2oth, so I might use Old Country Roses then and the Holiday Tartan for Greg and I.

How about you – is a “Christmas table” part of your celebration? Do you have a pattern you collect for the holiday? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

I’ll be sharing my Holiday Tartan tablescape over at Tablescape Thursday on Susan’s blog, Between Naps on the Porch! And, here’s a Pinnable image in case you’d like to save this post for future ideas!

Posted in Holidays, Tablescapes | 2 Comments

Happy 250th Birthday, Jane Austen!

Posted on December 16, 2025 by Janet

I doubt if author Jane Austen ever imagined that her books would still be delighting readers, inspiring academics, and spawning re-tellings, 250 years after her birth, yet here we are!

This AI image was produced by ChatGPT based on a sketch done by Jane’s sister Cassandra. Cassandra’s picture is the only known front-view image of Jane produced while the author was living. More recently, a life-size statue of Jane was unveiled at Winchester Cathedral in England.

Jane was born December 16, 1775, in Steventon, England, and died July 18, 1817, in Winchester, England. In between those years, she lived a life filled with sharp-witted observation that resulted in the eventual publication of six unique novels that forged the basis for our present-day relationship-based romantic and other fiction.

To honor Jane in her 250th year, I set (and met!) a goal of reading all six of her published novels (including a few re-reads), her preserved teen-age writings, and as much non-fiction about her life and times as I possibly could throughout 2025. It was a great year of entertainment and learning. There is so much I could share about my favorite books and characters, the minutiae of the nuanced world she knew and mirrored in her books, and even the film adaptations and podcasts I indulged in.

We can talk about all of that, perhaps, another time. (For starters, feel free to mention your favorite Austen novel in the comments, or answer the timeless question of who is the best Mr. Darcy!) To celebrate her birthday, I thought I would share a few of the more interesting things I learned about Jane as a person during my year of study.

As a child, Jane was a keen observer of people and situations, and her preserved teen-age writings reveal a girl who seemed to understand the workings of adult society at a very young age. Her early works (snippets, short stories, and novellas) parodied and satirized the types of books she was reading (History of England, anyone?). It appears that from her beginnings as a writer, Jane intended to “call out” all that seemed illogical, inequitable, and hypocritical about a society that gave few rights and little free agency to women.
Jane was not able to take widespread public credit for her own published work during her lifetime. The by-line of her first published work, Sense and Sensibility, simply read, “By a Lady.” Writing novels – especially those sharply observant (if not downright critical) of the society which governed her own existence – was simply not an acceptable pursuit for a woman. That her parents encouraged her to write, and that she was known at all (in very small circles) as a published author, was quite progressive. It was only after her death, when her brother took control of her publishing catalog and announced, with the posthumous publication of Northanger Abbey in 1817, that his sister Jane Austen was the author of that work and other well-loved novels of the previous decade, that her reputation became more widespread.
Her beloved sister Cassandra corresponded prolifically with Jane whenever they were apart throughout their lives, but destroyed most of the letters shortly after Jane died. This was purportedly to protect Jane’s nieces and nephews from reading her often acerbic observations about relatives and neighbors well known to the children. It was likely also about controlling the public’s image of Jane and understanding of her character after her death.
Jane’s posthumous persona was not just shaped by Cassandra burning her letters. In fact, Jane’s family seems to have gone to great lengths to “control the narrative” about who she was, as a person and author, after her death. They made sure to portray her as a kind, gentle, “quiet writer” who only wrote for enjoyment and cared little for financial success. (Very womanly, yes?) But all this is easily contradicted by Jane’s surviving letters and even her finished novels, which are filled with critical observations (and unpleasant characters who closely resembled people Jane actually knew) about society and the limited sphere of influence afforded to women at the time.

Jane’s novels were published in her lifetime as follows: Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1816). Posthumously, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were published in 1817. At the time of her death, the novel Lady Susan was finished but unpublished, and novels Sanditon and The Watsons were unfinished.

In addition to all of the published works, I highly recommend Jane Austen at Home, by Lucy Worsley, Jane Austen Complete Juvenilia edited by Ray Moore, and literally every episode of the immersive podcast The Thing About Austen hosted by Zan Cammack and Diane Neu.

Posted in Thinky Thoughts | Leave a comment

Three things that are always true about my tablescapes

Posted on December 14, 2025 by Janet

Since I don’t do a lot of entertaining, I set a lot of tables just for the fun and creative exercise. And while they’re all a little bit different from each other, there are a few things that are just always the same regardless of the specific table setting. “Universal truths,” as Jane Austen might call them.

I got to thinking about this the other day when I posed the question to our wonderfully creative members of the Thrifty Tablescapers group over on Facebook: What is something that is always true about your tablescapes?” (Be sure to click through and join the group if you haven’t already!)

Here are three things that are always true about my tablescapes, regardless of the theme or occasion:

The majority of elements will be thrifted, inherited, or otherwise secondhand. Ever since my grandmother passed along her Currier and Ives dinnerware and her sister’s Oneida stainless flatware to me back in the early 90’s, I’ve been hooked on finding gently-used elements for my tables in thrift stores, flea markets, antique malls, and consignment stores. I will of course occasionally splurge on brand-new items, but the thrill of the hunt is real and continues to motivate me 30+ years later!
You will be able to converse around the table with unobstructed sight-lines. There are people who do not care about this “rule” (no centerpieces that inhibit conversation among dinner guests), and I often love their gorgeous, over-the-top tablescapes. For myself, I just think that guest fellowship (especially conversation) is more important.
My tables will be set with love and forethought. I’ll audition a variety of plate combinations, centerpiece elements, glassware, flatware, napkins, etc. – all in an effort to give the gift of a delightful table that enhances the dining experience. Because “playing with the dishes” is honestly half the fun!

What are your thoughts – what is always true about your table settings? What is a rule you’re willing to bend?

Posted in Tablescapes | Leave a comment

For the birds: a bird-themed Spring tablescape!

Posted on February 29, 2024 by Janet

It’s been awhile since I used my Pier 1 “Spring Birds” salad plates in a tablescape, and our weird February weather this year has been playing havoc with my internal seasonal clock. I know it’s too early to actually be Spring, but this whole month (except for Wednesday of this week) has been very mild so I’m anxious to get outside and do garden stuff – even though it’s too early! I’ve settled for maintaining my bird feeders, and of course setting a bird-themed Spring tablescape!

I mentioned these salad plates were originally from Pier 1 – oh how I miss that store! – and they have the sweetest images on each plate. Do you have a favorite?

I used a flat bed sheet featuring pretty blue hydrangeas for the tablecloth. Flat sheets are wonderful for this purpose because they’re inexpensive and plentiful in the thrift stores I frequent. They are a great way to get a large amount of fabric for a small amount of money!

Flatware is one of my favorite patterns for a tablescape with a garden vibe. It is “Napoleon Bee” by Wallace. Does that make this a “birds and bees” tablescape? Why yes, I think it does! 😉 I splurged on four place settings over on Amazon. (This is an affiliate link – if you purchase through my link it costs you nothing extra but I get a small commission to help offset blog hosting fees. Thank you!) You can also see the edge of the plain white dinner plates in the photo below – these were clearance from Home Goods several years ago, and I just love the casual “stitching” border!

Glassware is my favorite tumbler – I don’t think I’ll ever know for sure if these are “American” by Fostoria or “Whitehall” by Indiana Glass, but let me tell you, they are the perfect tumbler: generously sized, durable, and attractive! These have been thrifted over time.

Napkins were thrifted, and napkin rings were also clearance from Pier 1 several years ago.

For the centerpiece, I crafted a sweet little nest-building vignette inside a thrifted lantern, using elements I had on hand plus some supplies from Dollar Tree. Check out the blog post on how I made this!

Other elements of the centerpiece include thrifted hand-painted glass candlesticks (more hydrangeas!), a handmade rustic-looking pillar stand, and a hand-crafted clay bird figure. The bed of ivy and the taper candles were thrifted; the pillar was clearance from Pier 1.

Here are a few more views around the table, and the “birdseye view”:

And here is the put-away shot, with everything gathered up looking pretty while waiting to go back into the cupboards!

I’ll be sharing my bird-themed Spring tablescape over at Tablescape Thursday on Susan’s blog, Between Naps on the Porch! And, here’s a Pinnable image in case you’d like to save this post for future ideas!

As always, thank you so much for stopping by! For more budget-friendly tablescaping ideas, please come check out my Facebook Group, Thrifty Tablescapers! Our members love sharing photos of their home-grown tablescapes and the stories behind their beloved tablescaping treasures!

Posted in Tablescapes | 2 Comments

Sweet bird-themed Spring centerpiece

Posted on February 27, 2024 by Janet

I was putting together a tablescape for a post over on Instagram and really wanted to do a special bird-themed centerpiece. I had found this white metal lantern at Goodwill right after Christmas for $4.99, and thought it might look cute for Spring instead.

I started by removing the Christmas decorations from inside – turns out they were wired in permanently. I had to cut the wires to get the hardware out, so I didn’t keep the lighted balls, but I did keep the sprigs of holiday greenery with the bow.

I had this little pre-assembled twig-and-nest piece that I had also found at Goodwill many years ago. It was from an old wreath, and I had used it before in a couple of previous assemblages. I love it because it reminds me of the artwork of Susan Branch or Marjolein Bastin – two of my favorite illustrator-artists!

I also gathered up a few supplies that I thought I might use/need: some sheet moss, a tiny clay flower pot, silk flowers…

First step was to cover the bottom of the lantern by hot-gluing in pieces of sheet moss. The moss was extremely dry and brittle – I don’t know why I wasn’t expecting that, but then I’ve never worked with it before so “live and learn…” It made a nice bottom layer!

I used a hammer to break apart the flower pot, envisioning a sort of “archeological” element.

I wanted the nest to have a little height, so I found a just-right piece of drift wood in a box in the garage (I knew I kept all those pieces for a reason!), and set that in place. It was perfect for perching the nest. I also snipped some blooms off a couple of Dollar Tree silk flower stems and tucked those in, scattering a few petals on the mossy floor.

I had a few little faux birds in a box of Christmas decorations and snagged one for this project. I hot-glued a piece of the nesting material to his beak so he looks like he’s building the nest, then used a small amount of hot glue to attach him to the nest.

Finally, I found some Spring Green ribbon in my stash and made a cheerful bow for the top of the lantern. That’s really all there was to it!