One of my favorite things about winter is how stunning the beautiful Cardinal looks against the bare branches, its striking red color draws the eye, and holds me captive. Actually it is one of the few things I like about winter. I am definitely more of a spring and fall girl.
I decided to tie that to this tablescape, I used my dinnerware with the pine and antlers...well because this is the time of year that my honey and I spend in Mexico hunting the elusive Muy Grande, so it was a perfect marriage of my two loves.
Once I had the vision of this tablescape tucked away in my mind, I knew the table cloth I wanted. It needed to be something that looked like an old flannel or wool blanket from days gone by. I was fortunate enough to find material at my local fabric store that fit the bill perfectly. I wish you could feel it, it is so soft and feels like a time worn friend.
I used my red napkins and wrapped it with a napkin ring with a sprig of pine and holly.
Each place setting is on a square Madras mat, topped with a creamy white Italian Countryside platter used as a charger and a little birdhouse with a bright Cardinal sits on each salad plate.
Much to my surprise, I found these great goblets with the pine detail at a local resale shop months before I had the vision of this tablescape. I just loved the frosted wintery feel of them, so yes they came home with me.
My red goblets are from JC Penney 3 years ago on clearance, I have to be honest, I have a hard time walking away from red goblets, much less ones that are on clearance.
I wanted my table to have the feel of winter, to me nothing says that like pine, maybe its because as a little kid, our christmas tree was always one that we would go out in the woods and cut down, and my mom would always put pine here and there to make it smell yummy in the house. So that is what I used with this table. I used a centerpiece of pine with lots of pinecones, as well as a beautiful snow covered birdhouse, and the prettiest pine trees...in my neck of the woods there would be no snow, but in my vision...let there be snow!
I added in lots of beautiful Cardinals all around the house, I can almost hear the little chirp that they give out each evening when they come to the feeders. No one else sounds like the Cardinal, I always stop and look when I hear that first little chirp, they really are a Winter Blessing and here is to wishing you many Winter Blessings.
