Woman in Real Life

Although winter stuck around much longer than I would have liked (there was even snow on the porch this morning!), I was determined to add spring touches to the house when the calendar hit April. I may not be able to open my windows to let in a fresh spring breeze, but I can make sure my family sits down to eat at a beautiful spring table. With help from the folks at O.co (also known as Overstock.com), I created a pretty, cheerful table that clearly says, "Spring has sprung."

I adore dishes of all shapes, sizes and colours and I prefer not to use the same set of dishes all the time. Why not change your "everyday" dishes seasonally? Maybe your winter dishes are plain white or darker in colour. Spring is the perfect time to set out dishes in pale purples, pinks, greens and yellows.

I set up my spring table as I would for a book club meeting with my cherished "book club" friends. We like to chat about the book (and plenty of other topics) while eating vegan mini muffins, scrambled tofu, scones, strawberries and tea. When we get together (which doesn't happen often enough) we like to sit down to a lovely table that speaks to the specialness of our time together.


The inspiration for my spring table came from this gorgeous Lenox Chirp Microfiber Tablecloth. I love a good-quality tablecloth and this tablecloth is one of the best I've seen (and felt). Besides being absolutely beautiful, with its watercolor-inspired birds and florals, this tablecloth is made of stain-resistant material that is machine washable and protects your table.


With the Lenox Chirp tablecloth as my background, I decided to add a few special dishes from the Lenox Chirp line as well. One of the best things about spring is hearing the sound of birds chirping once again outside our windows. I love how this Lenox Simply Fine Chirp Small Tray, above, pays tribute to our feathered friends. The 10-inch tray makes a lovely serving dish for scones or sweets and can also be used on an entryway table, dresser or vanity. It's porcelain but also dishwasher safe.

I also added the small Lenox Chirp Fruit Bowl, because we always have strawberries on our book club table. Made of Lenox fine white bone chip-resistant china, the bowl is encircled by a turquoise band just beneath its rim. It's meant to be an individual fruit bowl, but I think it also works well as a serving dish. How pretty is the watercolour-style floral spray design?


And do I even need to comment on this Lenox Chirp Figural Salt and Pepper Set? It's so lovely I want to be the person who designed it! These sweet bird figurines are crafted from fine white porcelain too.


Clearly the Lenox Chirp pieces are something special, but I didn't want my spring table to be too precious. I like to mix fine china with everyday pieces as well. I used the colours of the tablecloth to choose a complementary set of spring dishes. Inspired by the greenish-teal in the birds' wings, I chose this gorgeous Bianca Jade 16-Piece Eearthenware Dinnerware Set. Since I posted sneak-peeks of my spring table on Snapchat and Instagram, I have received a number of compliments about these dishes. (My mom even emailed me to find out more about them.)


The dishwasher-safe earthenware set includes these large soup bowls, above.


And four good-sized mugs for a large cup of coffee or tea. (I like to have a nice, big cup of tea.) Each piece has a beautiful, banded leafy pattern and I love that you can dress this dishware up or down depending on what type of meal you're having. I dressed it up this time, adding vintage crystal wine glasses to hold our sparkly water.


To complete my spring book club table, I added a few decorative touches using items I already owned, like green cloth napkins that fit the colour scheme. On top of each place setting, I added a small plate from one of two different styles of fine china. This plate, above, is Johnson Brothers in a pink floral.


The blue-rimmed plate, above, is Johnson Brothers Old English. I really like to mix old dishes with new. I also used vintage silverplated cutlery for an antique touch.


I like the sense of shared history and celebration that comes from vintage pieces, so I also used vases and bowls from my milk glass collection. The white milk glass bowl contrasts so nicely with the cheerful yellow lemons. Nature provides the best décor, does she not? My recently painted yellow mason jar fit the colour scheme as well and made a suitable country-style vase for inexpensive baby's breath.


In addition to baby's breath, I bought some affordable pale pink tulips to brighten the table.



In order to tell each guest just how special they are to me, I created simple, inexpensive place cards using heavy paper I had left over from other projects. I used a circle template to cut out circles from the paper, wrote names with pink marker, punched a hole in each circle and put a sprig of baby's breath through each hole. Super quick and easy.




I believe I promised to share "5 inexpensive ideas to create your own pretty spring table." Although I scattered them throughout the post, here's a quick summary: