common ground

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Weekend Cottage Review: A Garden Wheelbarrow Tablescape

Hi friends, with Mother's Day next weekend I thought I'd share a post that I put together about 10 years and two houses ago. I had recently found the magazine "Southern Tables" and was immersed in lovely tablescapes, many in an outdoor setting for Spring.

Many of you host a Mother's Day brunch or luncheon and I thought this would be such a fun theme to recreate. You wouldn't need a mini wheelbarrow; a basket or crate, even a doughbowl would do. When I saw that feature article I fell in love and since I had a mini wooden wheelbarrow about the same size, I used what I had and did a bit of "recreating" the setting.

This designer used real veggies and clearly put a lot of time and thinking into this tablescape, but it was a fun outlet for me using what I had on hand.

"I had a similar whitewashed small wheelbarrow made of reclaimed barnwood,

so I filled it with a variety of faux garden veggies.

(The wheelbarrow has made an appearance before on the deck

for a Back Door Christmas)

But I felt like my rendition needed a little more personality,

so a ceramic rabbit tureen that I made years ago hopped inside.

Gardens and rabbits just go together.

You know you have too much "stuff", when you completely forget about a set of green transferware china! Yes, I totally forgot that I had this great set of Enoch Wedgewood Kent china, that had been stored in the side door of my breakfront.

On one of our recent trips to St. Louis I found three of these wonderful consume/berry bowls and salad plates in "Crown Ducal, Florentine England". They are very old and have a black transfer rural cottage scene on the bowls and plates that read "Little Comberton". A gold rim and raised green fruit design on the border of the plates/saucers had me smitten.

Green Glassware is Martha Stewart

Last week I found the cute little whitewashed Pottery Barn napkin rings that look like flowerpots. Had to have them...and next week I'll show you another fun way I've used them. Woven placemats were from TJ Maxx a couple of years ago, and the linen napkins are just a few of my vintage collection.