Thank you for finding That Old House amidst the chaos of the Internet. We are delighted that you are here.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Country or Cutting Edge? Two Thrifty 'Scapes!


Some new thrifty treasures arrived yesterday at That Old House.

So today I want to play with them!

Don't forget to visit the blogs listed at the end of this post,
for so many more wonderful thrifty discoveries, and beautiful tablescapes!


**********************************************************************


Now for my thrifty finds: in this box . . . a Craigslist find,
but I can't show you the whole contents
on the slim chance that my sister reads my blog.

After Christmas, okay?

A second box held two sweet old silverplate forks, more than a century old,
in the Blenheim pattern I showcased in Tuesday's post.


These are the first Blenheim forks I have found. I just love that pattern, and Ebay.


This last box is a flat-rate post office fellow who was waiting on my front porch when I got home last evening. It is jammed full of old nickel silver flatware, also from Ebay.

Now if you didn't think I needed an intervention before this, you know the awful truth now. In this box are 132 pieces of flatware, pretty evenly divided among knives, forks and lovely great big spoons.


I already have some similar flatware, so I've got service now for more than 50.


These pieces are old. They were never fancy, they were workaday flatware around the turn of the last century, and I think they have great charm and good strong lines. Most are in very good condition; a few have some issues, but that's OK.

I paid less than ten bucks for the whole shebang.

In Princeton yesterday, I picked up these:


This is a stack of just 11 heavy red dinner plates by Oneida, but the rest of them are still out in my car! I bought 51 red plates in all for a total of $20. The hard part was lugging them out to my car and wrapping them for the trip home.

This flatware and dinnerware, after a good cleaning, will get tucked away in the pantry and be ready when duty calls. When we have one of our big parties,
we'll have matching flatware and plates for as many as 50.

And Howard, if you are reading this, sorry I forgot to tell you about the 132 pieces of old flatware.
Oops.
My bad.

***************************************************************

Since it is Tablescape Thursday, and I am so in the mood to play with new toys, I used one of the red plates and some of the flatware in two different settings.

One is sweet, the other more edgy.

Edgy first.


This tablesetting is in honor of my daughter Anne, away at grad school and much missed.
The big black cup is from her school; how perfect for chili on a cold night!


Chili, eaten with one of these massive lovely old spoons.
Anne loves old flatware almost as much as I do.


The ceramic hand was one of Anne's undergraduate projects.

I like having it keep me company.

And I can never say my daughter didn't give me a hand. :-)


The red placemats and napkins were a set: $5 for 4 of each at HomeGoods.

Does it look as though we are having Hand Soup for supper?

Anne likes these old pewter S&Ps that were my Mom's; they have good classic lines.

I love the mercury glass candleholder I bought on a Goodwill
hunting trip with Annie, near her school.
It echoes the lines of the wineglass, a handblown crystal wedding gift.


Now, for something completely different!


Swapping out the edgy for the soft and sweet.

Same big red dinner plate, same linens, same flatware, but a rooster plate from T.J. Maxx (bought on a trip to visit our daughter Alida in California) brings in some other colors.


Turquoise, in a bowl (Dollar Tree) that also can hold our make-believe chili.


Aqua blue wineglass, a summertime thrift shop find, one of 5, blown and bubbly.

I've promised these to Alida, and eventually I'll ship them out.

Two little chickens join us. I think they are looking for a rooster.

The mercury glass light is still with us, and still lit.

A few mums in red and yellow in a very old silver spooner, well tarnished and used.


Do you have a favorite table setting? Do you like the more modern supper setting:

or the cozy country one?


My soapstone kitchen countertop is being installed on Saturday; I am so excited and nervous! Meanwhile, please keep your fingers crossed that by Wednesday, I have a usable sink and cooktop, or it's Happy Meals on paper plates for my Thanksgiving guests!





Join Susan at Between Naps On The Porch for more fun with dishes,
on Tablescape Thursday.













And buzz over to say Hi to Suzanne,
at Coloradolady, for her
Vintage Thingies Thursday blog party!









Tales from Bloggeritaville's
Leigh hosts
Thrifty Thursday. Check it out!




And the hand is waving goodbye. . . .
Happy Thursday! --- Cass

41 comments:

  1. They are both beautiful but I am always country except for my music taste.
    Dinner for 50 huh? What time?

    ReplyDelete
  2. so many new treasures! love them. I love the country one. Oh, the teapot,salt shakers,flatware, and red plates of 50. YOU go girl.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love the bubbly wine glasses. And the hand! AND your humor. 51 plates??? and only 50 setting of silver...don't serve soup that night. **blows kisses** Deb

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dinner for 50, hmmm, you'd never notice a softly spoken, tall, blonde Southern lady who wasn't invited!
    You have been so busy...love those tablesettings...and I like the hand!!! Great tablescapes.

    ReplyDelete
  5. LOL! What mother wouldn't love a hand from her daughter! Despite the sentimentality of the contemporary setting I'd have to go with country too. I can appreciate contemporary but it just doesn't float my boat the way country does.
    Hugs,
    Dawn

    ReplyDelete
  6. You know those distant relatives certainly are nice to think of you after they pass on. ; )
    I ADORE the hand your daughter made. how wonderful to have something like that from her! Hope all is well at the old house. Take care dear friend

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow - you are ready to entertain! Anne did a great job on the hand.

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a cute post!! Dinner for 50 - hugh!- I'm in!!!

    Cheers,

    Jo

    ReplyDelete
  9. I like both, but I'm partial to the country. Great vintage treasures.

    ReplyDelete
  10. 50 red plates??? Score! I am thrilled for your other finds too, but 50 red plates??? I'm envious.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh I love both of the tablesettings. The "edgy" one is so fun and the hand is just so real like. The "Pretty" one is indeed pretty and the different places and glasses are gorgeous. Now I have a service for 32, but thank goodness I still havn't had to use it all yet, but 50, that's definitely over the top. Glad you have all of them. Hugs, Marty

    ReplyDelete
  12. Dinner for 50, when should we come over? lol Such fun, and aren't thrift and eBay finds etc. fun.
    Linda Q

    ReplyDelete
  13. You got some bargains. The table settings are pretty (well one is unique!). And I love the comment about your daughter "giving you a hand", too funny.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh cass! What fun! I LOVE the hand!!
    Such fun new treasures...and both settings are perfect in their own way! Dinner for 50?? I panic when serving to 4!! *laugh*
    I usually perfer country but contemporary can be such fun as your setting is!!
    Love,
    Sue

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dinner for 50 means call a caterer. Happy VTT!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Cass, I am laughing so hard at the visual of you buying 51 red plates and lugging them to the car....not laughing, but green with envy over the 132 pieces of flatware for under $10... Oh, that hand is so lifelike, your daughter did a great job creating it! Your table for one is really stunning. Thanks for sharing and the giggle! Have a very happy Thanksgiving.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Love, love , love the old flatware. Gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Since you have 51 plates, and lots of flatware, I'm assuming that all of us participating in Vintage Thingies are invited for dinner, right?!! I love those big, heavy duty red plates so much! And the flatware is just plain gorgeous! The tablesetting is spectacular!
    Happy VTT!
    Carol

    ReplyDelete
  19. You truly like to feed a crowd...
    And I love the blue in the cozy table setting...my fave color!
    Thanks for sharing!
    Living it up at Lakewood,
    Cindy

    ReplyDelete
  20. I love looking at your table settings! So imaginative. We are so boring!!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Love those red plates! Our kitchen, in this old farm house, is done in retro early 1940's. My counter-tops are red! I collect Fiesta and it fits in prfect!

    Keep forgetting to let you know, Cass, that I sold the Spode!

    Misha

    ReplyDelete
  22. I like the cozy country one the best.
    Love the red!!

    Melinda

    ReplyDelete
  23. Man! you find some good deals! Wish I could go shop with you sometime!
    I think both table scapes are great, but eating with that hand makes me imagine eating with the Aadams family and 'Thing'! And then again, it might be quite 'handy!' ;~D
    Blessings!

    ReplyDelete
  24. THese are wonderful finds, and I really love the red plates, and you can not beat that price....love them!! Have a great VTT and thanks for showing us our beauties this week!

    ReplyDelete
  25. How wonderful to have 50 matching plates and flatware to go with them! Perfect for large gatherings! I like both your 'scapes but prefer the cozy country one - I love anything "cozy"!

    DD

    ReplyDelete
  26. All looking glorious, as you keep on treating us with. An effort to feed 50? - would love to be in on the cooking.

    Have popped an email to you with a simple way to clean all that lovely silver plated flatware etc.....

    Care and huggles from Michelle and Zebbycat over Downunder, xxx and purrrrumbles

    ReplyDelete
  27. Wonderful settings! Hard choice, I think I'm going contemporary. Love the red and black and the hand is great. Did chuckle when you got to the hand soup part. Have a great weekend!
    Valerie

    ReplyDelete
  28. I can tell why Kathleen loves shopping with you! You find such great things!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Lovely, everything is so lovely. I really like your flatware collection! And red plates! woo-hoo what options, what possibilities!

    Jocelyn
    http://justalittlesouthernhospitality.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  30. I'm a country girl at heart but a;so love the fancy tablescapes. I love dishes and have too many. I just bought some on ebay but haven;t received them yet. I hope to put some tablescapes together as soon as I get them. Blessings Deanie

    ReplyDelete
  31. Love the flatware and the dishes! What great bargains!!! :D Jewel

    ReplyDelete
  32. Wow! Dinners for 50? Is that in shifts? I like both tablescapes very much -- very different feels to them (no pun intended).

    ReplyDelete
  33. a gal cannot have too many sets of flatware. i have 3 sets of gold and 3 sets of stainless. no silver...*sigh*

    ReplyDelete
  34. They are both beautiful! 50 red plates, a girl after my own heart.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Oh, Cass! There is so much to comment on. You sure have me enjoying silverware!Excited for your sis!
    Tabelscapes are both so pretty. I have a funny sense of humor so I lOVED the hand! In fact at Halloween I purchased one and I am going to put it in a box (hand out) by the telephone-think THING from Adams family! I like things that make me smile It does!
    Great deals! Thanks for linking up this week to Thrifty Thursday! Have a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving. Thanks for being a Bloggeritaville friend!!!I am thankful for you!
    Hugs!
    Leigh
    Tales from Bloggeritaville
    www.lbratina.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  36. The silverware is gorgeous. There's not much on Craig's list for sale where I live. Maybe that's a good thing. I certainly would not have been able to pass up those beauties.

    ReplyDelete
  37. I always go for the softer country look. Nice wine glasses. Red is may favorite color so you had me at the word red plates. But 50, my girl. Have a lovely Thanksgiving.

    ReplyDelete
  38. so, firstly, yes i am internet lazy so thanks for the link! now you know i actually used it. secondly, annie's hand is great, but a little creepy on the table, lol. thirdly, you do need an intervention - now i know why you moved to that old house, not really because it is so old and really cool, but because it is bigger than the previous one so you can store more stuff!

    ReplyDelete
  39. Ah, Mardi, you know me too well.

    Hey -- we are coming to Florida in January. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  40. Okay where in the world in Princeton did you find 50 red plates for 20 bucks....spill the beans...did someone have them on Craigs list?.....what a deal..and do you really have that many people over at one time to eat?...you deserve some sort of food preparation medal....Happy Thanksgiving!!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting That Old House; it's always exciting to find new comments -- they are treasured! Because of increasing spam, I have reluctantly eliminated "Anonymous" commenting. Legitimate anonymous commenters, please forgive me! You might try using "Open ID" instead. Blogger's spam software worked for a good long time, but, sadly, no longer.