Welcome to the 928th Tablescape Thursday! On July 4th, America celebrated our country’s Semiquincentennial birthday, and what an amazing day it was! I hope the celebrations continue all through July, even through to the end of the year, since it’s not often we get to celebrate something so momentous!
Elena created a wonderfully patriotic table setting, and I loved reading how she selected her dinnerware for this charming tablescape! It made me a bit nostalgic because I remember those simpler times she describes, when you could collect a whole new set of beautiful dinnerware from places like grocery stores and even banks when they were running special promotions.
Elena said, “When I was a kid, I was very friendly with a family that lived down the street. I babysat for the boys and took piano lessons from their father for years. He was an officer in the reserves, and because of that, in 1976 we got to spend the bicentennial at West Point. It left quite an impression on me, and I have loved the 4th of July ever since, so I really wanted to do a special tablescape for the Semiquincentennial!”
“Back in those days, one of the Ben Franklin Savings Banks had an English company produce Staffordshire dishes that they called Liberty Blue. They used the dishes as incentives to open accounts and to make deposits for all of 1976.”
“After 1976, the bank no longer wanted to use the dishes as giveaways, and whatever was left over went to the A&P grocery chain. I believe Grand Union also had them. After 1976, you could buy a place setting for 69 cents with your groceries!”
“I missed my blue-and-white china, so I decided to purchase some Liberty Blue and mix it with my red-and-white English Scenery for a patriotic tablescape.”
“Elena said, “The tablecloth is a handmade cross-stitch that I inherited along with a lot of antique and vintage linens. The napkin rings were from Amazon, but there are none listed in red right now. I think I saw them in green.” (Similar napkin rings are available here: Braided Napkin Rings in Red. I have a set of these same red, white, and blue check napkins, and they’re perfect for patriotic tables. Nice quality, too! You’ll find those available here: Red, White, Blue Checked Napkins.)
Elena said, “For glassware, I was looking for cobalt and cranberry goblets but could not find anything just right. On eBay, I came across these Fostoria glasses; the pattern is called George and Martha Washington.”
“Again, from 1976, Fostoria made these for AVON !!!! You could buy these with your blush and lipstick!”
“The silverplate is by Towle, and the pattern is Frank Smith. I thought it looked early American, and although I have had it for years, this is the first time I used it!”
“My family gave me several ideas for the center of the table, including a miniature Mount Rushmore and a miniature cannon, but I already had a few hurricane lamps in red and white, so I went with those. One if by land and two if by sea, I guess!”
“I was going to try Liberty Blue serving pieces in the center of the table, but I liked the way it came out, so I put them on my server instead!”
Did you notice the cute patriotic Santa hanging on the china cabinet in Elena’s dining room? Elena said, “The Lynn West Santa Fairy that is hanging on my China cabinet since someone might wonder what the heck it is since it isn’t clear in the photos of the table! It is signed and numbered, but I cannot make out the year. She made wonderful creations from the 80s through the early 2020s. She has since retired.”
Thanks so much to Elena for sharing this beautiful patriotic table setting she so thoughtfully created for our country’s special Semiquincentennial birthday! It’s perfect in so many ways, including the charming, nostalgic stories she shared about how each of the beautiful dishware patterns came to be collected so many years ago. I yearn for those days again!
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What a beautiful, interesting, patriotic table! Love the stories and long for those days, too!
Wow – what a gorgeous tableclcoth! And so special that it was handmade. That’s a wonderful thing to have. I’ve done some cross stitch, so I know that must have been a whole lot of hard work. Absolutely gorgeous! And I TOTALLY remember the premiums from the bank, grocery stores, and Green Stamps! My mom actually worked at the bank, and got a whole huge set of gold flatware and serving pieces when the marketing department was clearing out their supply. I have it now! It’s finally starting to show its age, but it’s been a fabulous addition to our family’s dinner parties for 50 years! I love this table! Thanks to Elena and you for the inspiration and the trip down memory lane!
Thank you Elena for sharing! This is my favorite 4th of July table scape ever. I am intrigued by the flowers. Would you share what the blue, white and red flowers are? Spectacular bouquets!