Pheasant Merriment Thanksgiving

Fall is very focused on harvest, saturated color and warm layers, and all of these were part of my vision in preparing my Pheasant Merriment Thanksgiving tablescape I'm sharing with you today.

If you're new to my blog, I welcome you to join me, along with several other bloggers this week, all organized by the ever-gracious Chloe Crabtree from the blog Celebrate and Decorate. We are bringing you ideas just in time for gathering friends and family for Thanksgiving, "Friends"giving, or any fall-themed occasion. A complete list of bloggers participating is conveniently located at the end of this post, which links to their tables featured each day.

I am an antiques dealer who loves using tableware collected over the years, but I also enjoy adding new elements when creating tablescapes. Gathering items throughout my home, a fabric sent to me from my blog friend Patti was definitely my base choice for the table since it was perfectly sized for a tablecloth. I admire it for its duality in appearance: rich and faded, simultaneously, just as fall leaves appear on trees and scattered on the ground. As a landscape gardener, I next gathered remnants of dried hydrangea blooms and magnolia trimmings from my own yard. Cotton boll stems and little lights were mingled together with apples and pears as garnish, and the table centerpiece was complete.

My plate service begins with Lenox "Merriment" temperware from the 1970s, set on dark brown - almost black - chargers with a plank edge. Mixed metals are evident in the bronze twig flatware, while napkin rings are goldtone. Antique butter knives have handles of mother-of-pearl with sterling cuffs. Clear stemware hints at frosty mornings, just beginning to occur in our region this time of year.

Layered onto the Merriment dinner and salad plates are the classic Spode "Woodland" bowls with pheasant design on each. Napkins are also layered - sand and wine red - cotton, with hemstitch edging.

Anytime is a good time to use my vintage and antique transferware, but fall is an especially suitable time to bring out the browns, which is most of what my transferware collection is. The lidded soup tureen below was purchased from a fellow dealer at our antique mall. The ladle within was an estate sale purchase many years ago.

The covered vegetable dish was also purchased at an estate sale.

The table is set for easy conversation over the low profile of the centerpiece. Items both old and new are mixed on the table, a style I embrace fully as an avid collector and antiques dealer. I also enjoy mixing high- and low-end elements - including items scavenged from nature - to bring a homey feel to the table.

Colors on the table, all mixed and varied, are complementary of fall's spectrum, ranging from deep rose to red to rust, creams to sand to browns, gold, bronze and silver, and various shades of green.

The table, while rich in color, glows with the tiny lights. The company and food shared around the table will only make it richer and brighter.

Whether you're hosting Thanksgiving or any other late fall dinners - large or small - I hope you've been inspired with even one idea as a takeaway from my tablescape today. For plenty more inspiration, please see the complete list of bloggers participating in this gathering below, and links to their tables of Thanksgiving. Each day new bloggers are featured. My appreciation goes out to Chloe Crabtree for organizing this event!

Monday

Knock it Off Kim | Home is Where the Boat Is | Everyday Living | Living With Thanksgiving

Tuesday

Panoply | Corner of Plaid and Paisley | Red Cottage Chronicles | Home and Gardening with Liz

Wednesday

Me and My Captain | Bluesky at Home | Life and Linda | Our Crafty Mom

Thursday

The Painted Apron | Debbee's Buzz | Loveland Lodge | Celebrate & Decorate

Friday

The Painted Hinge | Sweet Sensations | Zucchini Sisters | a casa di Bianca | Follow the Yellow Brick Home

Tablescapes are but one subject I love exploring on my blog, and you can find other topics on the main menu at the header of my blog. If you're on a mobile or handheld device, just scroll to the bottom of your page and click on web version to see the menu. You may also search topics with keywords, or by labels, both options located on the sidebar of my web page. 

Pheasant Merriment Source List

Lenox Merriment Temperware, Glassware - Vintage Personal Collections (Merriment available through Replacements, Ltd) 

Spode Woodland Pheasant Bowls - TJ Maxx

Brown Transferware, Silver ladle, Butter knives - Estate and Antique store purchases

Flatware, Chargers, Napkins, Napkin Rings - Pier 1 

Table Fabric (Covington Jaipur Kohl) - gift, Patti of Pandora's Box

Feel free to leave your comments so I'll know you stopped by. Interaction with readers is one of the things I value most in blogging. Thank you for your visit today. Happy Thanksgiving!

Rita C. at Panoply

Sharing: Pieced Pastimes, Best of the Weekend, Amaze Me, DIDI, BNOTP, Inspire Me, Make it Pretty, The Scoop, Celebrate Your Story,SYS, Delightsome Life H&G, Grace at Home, Vintage Charm