Welcome to the 921st Tablescape Thursday! On a recent trip to HomeGoods, I purchased a really pretty vase. It was the inspiration for this week’s tablescape. A few days ago, I noticed the Dharuma hydrangea near my mailbox was in full bloom. Perfect, I thought! This beautiful hydrangea will be my centerpiece for this week’s table setting.
I grabbed my clippers and headed toward the mailbox, but as soon as I moved close, I noticed it was completely covered in bees! They were everywhere! I don’t think a single blossom or stem was without a bee or two! The majority were honeybees, but there were also quite a few happy bumblebees buzzing around and enjoying the nectar, too. I didn’t have the heart to take any clippings; they were all having way too much fun to disturb them. I also noticed that there were still a lot of little buds that hadn’t yet opened.
So, I ended up cutting blossoms from the gardenia shrubs that I have growing around my Savannah Holly. For once, they don’t appear to have been injured during the winter. That has happened several times over the years, but they’ve always managed to survive and bounce back.
The kittens are always so interested in what I’m doing when I start setting a table. They love being smack in the middle of the action. lol
I stayed inside for this week’s table since rain was in the forecast. Unfortunately, it never rained, although Atlanta had flooding from what I saw online. Crazy how they had flooding and we didn’t even get a drop. I hope the rain finds us today.
This was not quite the centerpiece I had planned, but it will have to do for this week since the Dharuma hydrangea is very busy right now. But can you just imagine this vase filled with big, beautiful hydrangea blooms!
I haven’t used this beautiful, vintage Syracuse ‘Orchard’ dinnerware in ages. The information on the back of each piece shows that this pattern was made here in the USA.
Here’s some additional information about this dinnerware from the Erie Canal Museum Facebook page:
For 138 years, world-famous Syracuse China was made right here in Syracuse, NY. From the humble beginnings of heavy wearing butter crocks, whiskey jugs, and stoneware of the Farrar Factory in Geddes, to the flourishing Onondaga Pottery factory along the banks of the Erie Canal seen here, to the top-of-the-line Syracuse China factory that many of us have driven by on Court Street, the ceramics industry has been entwined with the history of Syracuse and the history of the Erie Canal.
The Onondaga Pottery factory in this picture was located on W. Fayette Street, backing up to the Erie Canal. As the chemicals required in the finer china process changed, those materials were brought into the factory on the canal. Each piece of china, once it was packed and ready to go, was loaded onto the canal to be taken to its final destination.
It is impossible to remember the impact of Onondaga Pottery without mentioning James Pass, who became president of the company in 1885. His development of a translucent china was the first in American history and led the company to change its name to reflect their most popular product: Syracuse China. With his company, Pass & Seymour, he also developed ceramic insulators to make the incoming technology of home electricity safer.
The info I found online indicated that in April 2009, after 138 years in business, the Syracuse china factory was shut down and all its production was moved from North America. I would love to see more dinnerware manufacturers open up here in the U.S. I found this beautiful dinnerware while antiquing many years ago. I love its soft pattern so much! The blossoms reminded me of those on the Dharuma hydrangea. If the bees finish before I return to Ohio, I’ll have to cut a bouquet to use in a table setting. I have a feeling it’s going to stay covered up for a while, though, so that may not happen.
I didn’t use the soup bowls, but here’s how they look when included in a place setting. They have the cutest, delicate little handles on each side. When I purchased this set, it included three serving bowls, a gravy boat, and a sugar and creamer. The fact that it included three serving bowls tells me that someone regularly used and cherished this set. I love the gold trim around the edges of each piece. I always gently wash my vintage dinnerware by hand, so it retains its beautiful gold edging.
This seems to be the year of the bunny for me. Seems like every table I’ve set this spring has included a few bunnies. The bunnies are hidden away in the napkins this time. The bunny napkins were from Pottery Barn, a few years back; the green napkins were from Pier 1 back in the day. The charger plates were an online purchase from Horchow back in 2008.
I rarely buy vases since I have quite a few, but this particular vase was so pretty, I couldn’t resist.
It has the cutest little 3-D white flowers all over it. Do you see them sticking out from the vase in various places? I counted 13 raised flowers when I attempted to count them a few days ago. I love the lemon design, it makes me want to search for lemon-patterned dinnerware right now!
Hope you enjoyed this spring table setting! Looking forward to all the beautiful table settings linked for this week’s Tablescape Thursday!
If you are participating in Tablescape Thursday, please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on your post name, then copy and paste the address showing in the address bar, into the “url” box when you link up. You’ll need to include a link in your post back to the party to link up and participate. That’s so visitors to your blog will be able to find the party and the other Tablescape Thursday participants. Requiring a link back also prevents businesses and scammers from linking up to sell their products. Please, don’t add your post name/blog name ALL IN CAPS…it tends to create big spaces between the rows of links. Please do not link up table settings that were just recently shared in the last few weeks for Tablescape Thursday.
Beautiful table! I love that China of yours!
Thanks so much, Ranger!
Oh my, Susan, I LOVE gardenias! Your house must have smelled heavenly with your beautiful vase full of them – and they’re wonderful in your table setting! Love your china too, and the history. It’s so fun to find out about the lovely pieces we own. Thanks for the inspiration, and for hosting! Hope you have a lovely long weekend.
Thanks, Barbara! They do smell so nice! Hope you have a fabulous Memorial Day weekend!
Susan, I love the tablescape. The china is beautiful. I really would like to see the pottery and china industry return to the USA. There were so many beautiful patterns produced here over the years. I imagine your room smells lovely with the cut gardenias in that adorable vase. Have a wonderful weekend! Your fur babies are the sweetest! Clara❤️
I know, so wish that would happen! Thanks, Clara! They are so funny, the stuff they do. 🙂 Have a great weekend!
Susan , you can sneak outside after dusk and grab your cuttings for the vase. The bees will have gone home to the hive for the night. Therefore making it safe for you to clip your bouquet, and not disturb them in their quest for nourishment. The vase you have looks lovely. Will have to try and find a Homegoods in my location that has it for sale.
lol That’s what I need to do…just take a few cuttings but leave plenty for them. Hope your HomeGoods has it…also check your TJ Maxx if you have one near you.
I saw some lemon dishes a couple days ago at home goods
Oh, good to know! Thanks, Moselle!
For a minute, I thought you were back in OH when I saw the chairs, but remembered the second set you bought for the GA had the round table. Cute tablescape, and love the vase. We were flying home from vacation Sunday evening, and got caught up in a storm that popped up over ATL just as we were to descend. We ended up circling in the air for nearly 30 minutes. Of course, connecting flights were delayed about an hour to get home. I love the Delta flights where you can track your flight. I could see the turn before the pilot ever announced it, and my app indicated an hour late for landing, too.
Wow, that’s kinda scary! That’s a long time to circle the airport! That is so cool that you were able to see in advance, Rita!
Pretty hydrangea at your mailbox. Those are one of my favorites. But, I bet your mailman/lady curses you under her breath after each daily mail delivery! LOL!
lol It’s a guy, and fortunately, the bush is only on the backside of the mailbox. It doesn’t reach the front. I usually keep it cut back a bit further, but this year I wasn’t here before it set its buds. I noticed the bees are not aggressive at all. I was pushing the pinestraw back underneath the shrub because it was too far out, and the bees weren’t paying me any attention. They are way more interested in the flowers. So he should be fine.
I forgot about your new table! The setting looks so pretty against the dark wood. I don’t remember ever seeing that Orchard dinnerware in a tablescape before, so that’s a treat. It’s very pretty.
I am also in the market for lemon dinnerware. I love the fresh look of lemons. I have a vague memory of Doris Day having a lemony kitchen in one of her shows or movies. I loved it and still think about having a lemon and lime kitchen. It would be very old fashioned looking, but I don’t care. I’d like it. 🙂
Thanks so much, Pam! I saw some beautiful sets of lemon dinnerware when I was in Italy, so I don’t think of it as being old-fashioned. I also saw some in HomeGoods recently, but the design wasn’t quite what I had in mind. So maybe we are all craving something a bit old-fashioned and the stores know it. I hope you find some you love!
Such soft pretty colors on the dinnerware. And I don’t remember seeing this pattern before either. The kitten lounging nearby on the bins is so cute; I bet they are always checking to see if you are doing anything of interest!
Thanks, Mia! Oh, yeah! They keep tabs on me where I am in the house. They don’t a closed door, either…especially Beatrice. I try to close my office door when I’m working on something, and she will let me know she’s not happy about it. lol
You have a plethora of flowers blooming!! Fresh flowers in your home is a treat indeed! My sis & fam in TN are leaving for Atlanta today…to “catch a baseball game.” Atlanta us on my “Wish List.” ❤️ the dishes…franki
I hope they had a great trip and didn’t run into rain. We went from hardly any rain to rain every day. Atlanta and the surrounding area has so many great places to visit, you could vacation here for a week and still not see it all.
I’ve always envied your lovely gardenias! Gardening in zone 5, I only get to enjoy my favorite jasmine, frangipane & gardenias when we vacation south.
I love watching the bees busy collecting pollen, too—so gratifying. Enjoy the long weekend, Susan.
Thanks, MerriJo! I miss them when I’m in Ohio—can’t grow them there, either. I do love them! It is! I could have stood there and watched them all afternoon. It makes me happy knowing that I have something growing in my yard that the honeybees enjoy.
The china is so pretty. The kittens are really getting to be teens. I was checking out her tail..so bushy and pretty. Last year I found glasses with lemons on them at the dollar store. It brought make some memories of glasses my mom had. This year they had mason jars with imprinted lemons and the rims were white and the seal had lemons so I’m using them to hold lemonade. If I don’t drink it all at once I just pop on the lid and put it back in the fridge! Your yard and flowers are beautiful.
They are, and mischievous teens, testing all the boundaries! lol I may have the same glasses that you have. I found some in Dollar Tree several years back. I almost brought them out for this table, but they didn’t quite work with the Orchard dinnerware. That is so cool about the mason jars with the lids! Love the sound of that! Thanks so much, Kathleen!
Absolutely LOVE your new table and that dinnerware. I am also green with envy over your gardenias…..my favorite flower that I cannot grow to save my life. A beautiful table! Thank you!!!