The Kitchen Window

The Kitchen Window
Antique Milk Bottles with Herbs and Flowers

Welcome!

Welcome to the Frog Hollow Farm blog! I've been blogging since January 2010 and have switched from Blogger to Word Press, but I'm back to Blogger because, for me, it's easier to use. My husband and I live on a little farm in Northwest New Jersey. We have some chickens and a very large vegetable garden with asparagus and raspberries, and rows and rows of sunflowers, snapdragons and zinnias. Traveling, entertaining, gardening, spending time with family, studying Italian, blogging and reading keep us busy and happy. With all of this going on, moving towards a simpler life seems almost impossible but it's definitely a daily goal.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Ladies Luncheon in Pinks and Robin's Egg Blue

For the past 5 and a half months I've been inspired and awed by the beautiful tablescapes in so many of your blogs.  When  "The Tablescaper" posted a few weeks ago and asked 'Where Do You Keep It All', it got me thinking that I need to put out a little effort, like so many of you do each and every week, and try to design a tablescape with dishes and colors from my rather small (but always growing) collection.

After perusing my two shelves and one cupboard full of dishes and glassware, and being inspired by the pinks and blues of spring, I decided to see if I could put a tablescape together using pink and blue (mostly pinks)without it looking like a baby shower. Forgive my photos please, they are not the best - still need to learn about using a digital camera indoors.

This room is the main room of the original stone farmhouse; the windows are deepset and spaced  far apart - therefore the light during the day is rather dim.  To help things out, I placed two small lamps in the middle of my tablescape - it was the only way that I was able to get enough light for the photos.  In real life this would probably not have worked - on second thought maybe I should have designed this for outdoors but it was just so darned muggy this weekend that I opted to stay in the air conditioning. 

The large robin's egg or Tiffany blue stoneware dishes are scalloped around the edges, I think the scallops are an interesting look around the edge of the dish.  These dishes were on the clearance shelf at TJMaxx.

The small white Italian dishes are edged in a very light blue vine, with strawberry leaves and plump red strawberries painted along the sides.   These would make a lovely dessert or salad plate. I picked them up in the Burlington, Vermont Williams Sonoma store for half price several years ago. 

The pretty pink glasses are antique depression glass - I was thinking they'd make a perfect presentation for a crabmeat cocktail with a delicious cocktail sauce dolloped on top.  An antiques dealer in Long Valley sold me a set of 8 glasses for a song during an antique show.

I love the way the light prisms through the glass. 

All of the cut flowers on the table (except for the petunias which need to be planted in a large clay pot) are from our gardens on Frog Hollow Farm.  I salvaged the last of our peonies along with many different pink geraniums.  I love geranium flowers and often use them in my summer bouquets and arrangements.


Two different napkins were used on this tablescape, a light blue damask napkin and a white Irish linen napkin, a birthday gift many years ago from SVV, a fellow foodie and good friend.  The napkin rings are really candle decorations with berries, white slik roses and silk greens.  They wrapped easily around the napkins and added depth and color to the table. 


Here's a somewhat fuzzy photo of the table, can you see what's missing?  (Yikes!)
The silver belonged to my Mom - she had several beautiful sets of silver and many, many mix and match pieces.  I seem to have the mixed set, which I love the most.


I've been wanting to show off these pretty little pieces found in a few antique stores and flea markets over the last few months.  This little candy dish is a Hammersley piece.  The sweet little pitcher with the pink roses isn't labled but it's the perfect size for holding flowers on the table.  The little pink dish below is a marketing piece from the grand opening of the Ivor Furniture Company.  On the bottom of the plate is written (in gold):

 Welcome to our grand opening
Ivor Furniture Company
Phone 249-1
Everything for Your Home

I was buying everything in pink and didn't even know why!!

The glassware is a mix of new and old.  The larger pressed glass dishes are goblets from Williams Sonoma.  They are decorated with knobby grapes and leaves and feel very solid when picked up.  The glasses with the rose-colored edge were picked up in one of those really big antique malls in Pennsylvania over Memorial Day.  They aren't very old but are a nice size for water, wine or whatever. 



For a smile I needed to take a photo of this table with the pink fish dish.  Our very good friend LMP gave this dish to FHFB one year for his birthday.  We all laughed when he opened the box, it's actually a great serving piece and I always remember LMP's face when FHFB opened the gift and held up the dish - he didn't know what to say but in his funny and gracious way he just loved it!  So LMP, we still have the pink fish dish and have made it immortal in my blog!

Thank you all for stopping by!  Check out the other tablescapes at Tablescape Thursday






18 comments:

  1. This is a gorgeous tablescape, I love all the pink roses you have in your dishes. I agree about the mix set of silver, it adds interest and charm. I esp. love your depression glass, I used to have a few pieces, but they were left at home many years ago. I'm going to have to hunt some more up. I'm a new blogger as well, just started May, was delighted by all the wonderful people on these sites.

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  2. Thank you soooo much for your very sweet comments! I'm so happy to have given you a bit of inspiration.

    I love your table. Clearly you know my love of blue and pink and I love seeing your wonderful mix of pieces on your table. The little footed bowl in your last photo with the roses on it is exceptional.

    Keep playing and enjoying yourself. I'm hosting a new meme and would love to have you come and participate. It's called "Summer Sundays" and it's all about what summer means to YOU. Perhaps some beautiful flowers from your garden? Hope you'll come and join us.

    - The Tablescaper

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  3. What a beautiful tablescape! I love all the glasses! And, of course, I love the pink fish! If you would like, stop by my blog to enter a giveaway for a set of 12 "Style Sisters" napkin rings. Joni

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  4. Well you did a wonderful job! I love pink and the robin egg blue is so pretty with it. Glad you jumped on the bandwagon and joined in the fun of tablescaping.

    Hugs,
    Joanne

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  5. A very pretty tablescape -- I love the pink and blue!! And how clever to put real lamps on the table! That is a stroke of genius!

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  6. Absolutely beautiful - one thing, the forks need to go on the left.

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  7. GOOD MORNING FARM GIRL,
    WHAT A LOVELY TABLESCAPE. YOUR SETTINGS ARE PUT TOGETHER SO NICE. I THINK THE LIGHTING SHOWS UP YOUR TABLE QUITE WELL.
    YOU DID A GREAT JOB. VERY TALENTED.....LOVE AUNT RIZ

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  8. Absolutely beautiful table...you did a wonderful job with your first TT, can't wait to see your next one.

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  9. What a pretty table! I especially love your strawberry plates, and the pink Depression glass looks wonderful with them. All the pink flowers are a great addition!

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  10. Hello Anonymous - OMG! you are absolutely right - the silverware is placed incorrectly!!! Yikes - need to pay attention to this stuff before posting. Thanks for the heads up! Ciao, bella!

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  11. Hello, the china and glass is so pretty. What a warm and cosy shine the lamps make. Looks very inviting.
    Greetings, Johanna

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  12. That is lovely! Such pretty colors and the flowers are wonderful!

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  13. Looks very nice. I love the robins egg blue plates, but then again I have been obsessed with that color a lot lately.

    Oh and by the way- Thank you for visiting my blog- I always love seeing when you have stopped in. Hope your day is going well.

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  14. So pretty! I bet you had fun putting this together.

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  15. What a beautiful table! I love your strawberry plates, I just bought a set on ebay and can't wait to receive them. Your pink depression glass really are so pretty and look nice with your plates. Stop by for a visit Saturday where I will be doing a pink post, I think you may enjoy it!
    Hugz,
    Kim

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  16. Love the glassware and the wonderful way you have used a variety of vessels to show off your roses.

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  17. Hi Ann Marie, I was just thinking about you when I got an email with your comment!! Your table looks so beautiful and pink is my favorite color. I have been so busy and not blogging and visiting blogs too much lately. We just got back from a beautiful vacation in Bermuda. I hope to have a few moments to post about it...soon I hope?? I am working on promoting my books now and so busy with the boys that blogging is sadly taking a back seat, I do miss it and all my blogging friends so hopefully I will be able to get going again! I also checked on your green pitcher, the company says late June or very early July, the items are trickling in little by little and it is my goal to have all orders filled and shipped by August..fingers crossed!
    Have a great day
    xoxo
    Bunny

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  18. You must have set this one for me -- I adore pink! I'm just getting back from our trip and having a chance to catch up with everyone -- thanks so much for your sweet visit to my pansy table last week.

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