A Table 'Scaped With Thrift -- It's Lunchtime!

You know those nightmares where you just can't seem to get going?

That has been my Thursday -- trying to get some time at the computer to get my Tablescape and Thrifties post up with Howard working from home, at my computer. (Da nerve.) Talk about late. . . .


Finally -- done. I'm hopping on three blog party bandwagons -- Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps On The Porch, Vintage Thingies Thursday over at Coloradolady and Thrifty Thursday at Bloggeritaville. Click on the blog names to visit, and read more. Thanks to our charming hostesses; they must be very organized to be able to do this!

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Ebay, Dollar Tree, T.J.Maxx and some old free stuff have all conspired for this Tablescape, Vintage Thingies, and Thrifty Thursday post.

There will be three of us for lunch, and it's a simple summer menu:
cold tomato soup, crusty bread, and iced tea.

A simple menu calls for a simple table.

Three Dollar Tree dishclothes -- woven cotton in different black & white designs -- are our placemats.

Atop them, the basketweave-bordered plates, also from Dollar Tree.

I love these plates, and since I'll never cough up the cash to buy the similar patterns
in Wedgwood or Aynsley or whoever else has it, I'm very happy with these.

Then, the bowls. T.J. Maxx -- $2.99 each.

I love how the black design climbs over the rim into the interior.

The bread plates are Wedgwood. I found them in the beach house kitchen a few weeks ago;
I have no idea where my Mom got them -- probably a church rummage sale.

I actually bought the Lenox wineglasses retail, years ago from the now defunct and much missed Fortunoff's.

They will be just right for cold iced tea, and I've put coasters underneath to catch condensation; a single layer of cotton toweling won't protect the table well enough from that.

The coasters were a thrift shop find a few months ago -- 8 of them for a couple of bucks.

Napkins. . . I was going to use these old linen lovelies:

But for soup they are just too small. So instead of luncheon sized dainties,
we have great big old linens that can do the job.

For Howard, a huge German damask napkin -- smooth linen, and nearly 30-inches square.

For me, an old huck towel, not so huge, with wide hand faggoting along the border, and a big "C" monogram.

Not officially a napkin, but it will work. (Table linens don't belong to unions;
you can force them to work out of their job descriptions.)

Anne gets another piece of old huck, also monogrammed, and soft from many years of laundering. I think this monogram is a "C" also, but you never can be sure; some of those old monograms are pretty funky.

All the "napkins" are from Ebay; none cost more than a couple of dollars.

The flatware is my trusty old Georgian plate, and amazingly enough most of it even has the right monogram -- "L" -- considering I've collected this flatware piecemeal on Ebay with a wacky variety of monograms.

This pattern was introduced in 1912.

Great big soup spoons and little butter knives -- that's all we need today!

A few daisies and some blossoming hedge branches from the yard (thank you, Howard!) --

. . . and it is time for lunch!



Cold tomato soup -- that's goat cheese plopped in the middle --
slices from a baguette, and iced green tea. Yes, it was good.

On Friday I am blogging about how I hunt on Craigslist, and I'll show you some amazing bargains currently available here in North Jersey; I've got some beauties for you!

Join me on a Craigslist Caravan on Friday, and you will see why I am addicted, and why half my house is decorated in Craigslist bargains.
-- Cass

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PS... a special note to Keetha of Keepie's Eclectic Stuff -- you wanted me to find you someplace to keep dining room china? How does free and gorgeous sound? You just have to come to New Jersey and get it. :-) Check in tomorrow!