Good morning!
I hope everyone has been enjoying a wonderful spring so far. Here in Calgary, and despite being a month into meteorological spring and almost two weeks into astronomical spring, we had a very wintry April and I think we had more snow than we did in January and February combined! Apparently, Mother Nature did not get the memo.
However, come May, I’m happy to report that there has been an about-face, with our temps recently in the low twenties. The gardening centers have opened and this past weekend saw a frenzy of pent-up gardeners – myself included – waiting in line to buy this year’s offerings. It’s all very funny because everyone knows that our last frost date is around May 23rd on average, and the rule of thumb is nothing in the ground before the May long weekend. I guess that’s what happens when you have winter in April and people – again, myself included – are just itching to get out in the garden. Vive le jardin lol!
Concurrently, Mother’s day is fast approaching and I wanted to set a table in honor of my mom. She turned 96 in January and is doing well, all things considered. She developed pneumonia and had a UTI at the same time in early December. The infections responded well to antibiotics but it took 3 – 4 weeks before she was sort of herself again. Sadly, her cognition definitely took a hit, and physically, her energy and stamina are not as good as before. But she’s still happy to go out for lunch and do some shopping (her favorite), so as long as she is game, then I am delighted to go along. Every day with her is a gift.
Mom’s favorite color is blue so that alone decided the color theme for the table. Let me start with the place settings with some pretty blue, green, and white dishware. The pattern is 222 Fifth’s Lyria Teal purchased from HomeSense in 2014 for the sole purpose of being able to set a third table for large gatherings (back in my crazier days when I thought nothing of hosting a sit-down dinner for 20+ people). It features a dinner plate:
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A salad plate:
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And an appetizer plate(s):
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I set the dinner and salad plates on white cut-out chargers that remind me of lace, and added white eyelet napkins to compliment the chargers. The hydrangea napkin rings are a mix of blue, green, white, and a faint touch of purple petals.
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You might be able to better see the hint of purple in this photo:
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Flowered flatware (Empress by International) is a spring favorite.
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Stemware is gold-rimmed blue wine glasses. They have a tinge of purple in them in the right light. This table will almost certainly be for brunch so mugs for coffee or tea are a must as well.
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Speaking of light… this tablescape will be the first one I’ve set in the dining room, primarily because it doesn’t get a lot of natural light. Although the window faces southwest, most of the sunlight is blocked by the house next door. This is the sum total of sunlight in the dining room at it’s brightest time of the day right now. There is a splash of sun on the window sill and drapes and a sliver on the carpet. I don’t think the sunlight will ever make it to the table, but maybe on the longest day of the year? We’ll see.
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For those who favor tea at our brunch, I’ve added a white teapot and a Lyria Teal cream and sugar set to the table.
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The teapot has a pretty embossed design on the outside…
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A bouquet of faux hydrangeas in blues, greens, and purples from my stash takes center stage. A pale green butterfly alights on top of the flowers.
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My mom definitely has a sweet tooth and a table in her honor would not be right unless it included sweet treats! A small cake dish holds mini blueberry muffins, pistachio and raspberry cream macarons, and strawberry and clotted cream farmhouse biscuits. I do hope that these will satisfy and I’ll give her a treat bag to take home with her.
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Resources:
HomeSense: Dishware, flatware, faux hydrangeas, all many years ago. The table runner was a find last year (I saw it again recently) and the teapot was a find this year.
Michaels: White charger plates several years ago.
Anthropologie: Blue wine glasses (waterfall series) are still available.
I think the cream and sugar set was from Replacements, also many years ago.
Pier 1: Napkins and napkin rings, many years ago.
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A final overhead shot of the table – the chandelier hangs a little lower on this table than the one in the kitchen so including both sides of the table wasn’t possible. Solutions to challenges like this are all part of the fun of tablescaping 🌺.
Here’s wishing all the fantastic moms and grandmas out there the happiest Mother’s Day!
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