gingham and ruffles for Easter

Who else loves a little gingham? I’m feeling so inspired today with the sights and sounds of spring all around me, and this new gingham tablecloth from Solino Home inspires all kinds of flowers and bunnies to join the fun at this Easter table setting.

 

To add more interest to this lovely lilac gingham pattern, I’ve paired it with a set of Sky Blue Linen Gabrielle Ruffle Napkins to add a whimsical touch to each place setting.

These Gabrielle Ruffle Napkins truly have my heart, and they come in dozens of gorgeous colors!! I think that the Pink Lemonade color and the versatile Light Natural color are next on my wish list!

They're 100% linen, so soft and luxurious and best of all, they're machine washable.

 

Both the linen gingham tablecloth and linen ruffle napkins are part of the new Solino Home Spring Collection, and they have so many pretty choices that would be lovely here in the breakfast room.

 

This is where we eat most of our meals, so I always want to bring in a little bit of a cozy vintage feel to this space. 

Gingham is the epitome of "cozy" and timelessness that can transcend every season and holiday and always puts a big smile on my face!

Are you as excited as I am that spring is finally here?

Aren’t these green egg cups so cute? I recently found them on Amazon and they’re quite affordable. I think they look very vintage… don’t you?

 

This is a classic way to instantly set a beautiful table, and it’s soooo very easy when you start with pretty table linens like this Lilac Gingham Tablecloth and Sky Blue Gabrielle Ruffle Napkins. 

You then simply add your favorite plates, glasses and flatware. A few lovely bouquets of cottage garden flowers always help to brighten the table. 

 

Creating an ambiance is all about paying attention to the little details and making your guests feel welcome and comfortable.

 

Enjoy your spring dining experience!

ciao fabiana

 

 

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the prettiest butterflies for your table

 

Happy spring, friends! In order to celebrate this amazing season with just the right floral flourishes, I’ve set two different tables to emphasize my love for this season.

 

The first thing you will notice are butterflies!! I went all in with these gorgeous Butterfly Collection by Arthur Court. Wait ‘til you see all these goodies!

 

One of the easiest ways to add a favorite accent to a table is with a fun Butterfly Napkin Ring, and so here you have it… 

Pretty in pink gingham napkins presented in the most spring-like fashion I can think of... wrapped in a pretty butterfly!

Of course, I also had to include Butterfly Plates and Seagrass Placemats at each table setting. Check out how beautifully they look together.  

 

Strawberry Tiramisu

But that’s not all! The covered Pyrex casserole dishes from Arthur Court are so pretty and useful, that the butterfly 3-quart baking dish also made it into my collection.

 

I already have the Seashell casserole dish, seen HERE, so I am familiar with the quality and ease of these pieces. Whenever I bring a side dish to a gather, I always get oohs and aahhs about this glass covered casserole.

 

A new favorite recipe for Strawberry Tiramisu gets first place in the yummy and pretty department, especially when displayed in this fun butterfly dish.

 

I’m sharing my Strawberry Tiramisu recipe with you. It’s such an easy, bake-free option that is so perfect for Easter or Mother’s Day.

Did you spot the adorable butterfly coffee mugs? Those have also made their way into my kitchen, and are so perfect for a cup of tea or a cappuccino.

 

Now how about some pretty new tablecloths and napkins for spring? The Primrose Collection from Solino Home epitomizes garden party chic like no other pattern!

 

A wonderful lattice pattern of roses in the prettiest of all colors for the season works wonderfully with the butterfly motif.

 

The dainty Primrose napkins and butterfly napkin rings just put a big smile on my face! Aren’t they the cutest?!

Check out the salad plates above. It's part of my wedding china, Rosedale by Wedgwood.  

 

Now here’s some excellent news…

 

the entire Butterfly Collection from Arthur Court  is

10% off

 

until May 31, 2023 with

 

the promo code:  CIAOFABIANA10OFF

🦋

ciao! fabiana

 

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vintage finds from antiques cottage

 

Don’t you love discovering new little shops right in your own neighborhood? There’s a sweet little antiques shop called Antiques Cottage right here on 17th Street here in Costa Mesa that I never knew about before.

 

I found some really fun little finds last week when I stopped in, and it just so happened that they were having a sale, so the prices were really reasonable. What more could you ask for?!

Just a few little fun things to add to my collection, and some of them make really cute additions to my tablescapes too.

 

I’ll show you some of these fun finds individually… first up is this darling depression glass double-handled sugar bowl in just the most perfect shade of green.

 

This type of glass is also known as Uranium glass because it has minute traces of this element, and it actually glows brightly under a black light. So cool!

It's just the right size for a little impromptu bouquet of flowers from the garden.

 

I also found this amazing zester with vintage green wooden handle. These vintage kitchen utensils still work great, and I’ve gathered a useful little collection over the years.

 

After a thorough scrubbing, this little beauty is set to create beautiful ribbons of citrus peel for a my next yummy recipe or cocktail.

 

Now how about these cute little piggy napkin rings? I found a larger set, and I’m keeping half and selling the second set of 4 on my eBay store. You can check them out here.   

 

These little guys are so charming, they’d be a fabulous addition to any tablescape, from country to farmhouse to grandmother chic.

I paired them with this bright and festive blue and white check napkin for my 4th of July table. They just add such a fun whimsical touch, don't they? 

One of my favorite finds that day was this beautiful embossed antique creamware pitcher. I listed it on eBay last week, and it sold immediately.

 

Pitchers are one of my favorite ways to display flowers. I don’t know what it is, but flowers always looks so good in a pretty pitcher.

 

These soft purple Downton Abbey rose grows like mad in my garden, and I just love it in this creamware pitcher.

 

Here are some other ones, both large and small, that I have listed on the blog shop. 

This McCoy striped mixing bowl is my absolute favorite find of the day. It’s the perfect size for my big salad. This one has bacon, egg, tomato and is topped with a home-made ranch dressing… super yummy!

 

Here are some similar McCoy bowls for you to check out and if you're interested, here’s a link to my ranch dressing recipe. It whips up in minutes and it's dairy-free, paleo, and full of delicious herbs. 

 

The two matching polychrome transferware bowls I found at Antiques Cottage are just the perfect vessels for going out to the garden, picking fresh veggies like these peas and tomatoes, and bringing them right into the kitchen for a fun and tasty display.

 

These beauties went right into our salad for dinner, and now the bowls are ready for more fresh garden produce. 

What I love most about bowls like this is that they can go straight from the garden to the table, and always look beautiful.

Here’s a pretty eye-spy of vintage kitchen utensils. This is the green handled part of my collection. Can you spy my new little zester?

 

These fun and colorful kitchen gadgets are sometimes spotted at garage sales, thrift stores and on eBay, and best of all, they usually work better that their modern versions.

 

So far I've gathered mostly red and green handled ones utensils, with only a few blue ones to be found in the wild. And of course, blue would be my favorite color.

They add such country charm to the kitchen for a timeless nostalgic look. 

 

I’m telling you this zester works better than any I’ve tried, and the citrus peel becomes very fragrant after being sliced so neatly.

 

My husband also loves vintage kitchen gadgets, and since we both love to cook, it’s one of the things we’re always on the lookout for when we go thrifting together.

 

Here’s my little stash of treasures again. The pudding mold in the back will be used during the holidays to make an old-fashioned Christmas pudding full of spices and fruit that we all love.

The wicker coffee cups are just sooo cute, and I got two sets of 4 that are in the original boxes. 

They're from the1970's just as I suspected. (You can just see Mary Richards and Rhoda using these while gossiping at Mary's kitchen table on the Mary Tyler Moore Show.) 

They'll make adorable options for coffee at brunch or they'd even work great for a hot toddy during the winter months, topped off by a fragrant cinnamon stick, and maybe a twist of orange peel from my new little handy-dandy zester. 

All in all, I'm really pleased with these fun little treasures. What are you collecting these days?

ciao! fabiana

 

 

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You can check out some of my favorites here at “Tablescaping Essentials”*. 

 

 

 

 

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hosting a 4th of July brunch

 

July 4th is almost here! Today’s creative combo is Red, White & True Blue featuring two vintage-inspired patterns: Buffalo Check and Capri Stripe!

 

Why be all matchy-matchy, when you can create your own unique look?

Here I combined two classics from for a fun nod to patriotic décor  using coordinating blue stripes and red checks by Solino Home.

The tablecloth in the Capri Stripe pattern, coordinates so well with so many different napkin styles from the Solino Home collection, but especially love it with the bold red check.

Texture is brought in with raffia placemats and my new napkin rings. This pretty bamboo flatware is my “go-to” for so many of my tablescapes. It adds an elegant but casual note to any table.

Yummy croissants and ripe, red strawberries are welcome addition to this table and make it an official "brunch" setting!

Singular Shasta Daisies stand watch over the center of the table in individual vintage glass bottles.

 

What better reason than the 4th of July to go all out with the red, white and blue décor? I get so inspired just by the stars and stripes flying proudly on so many beautiful homes in our neighborhood.

 

Remember to "Making it nice" for Independence Day! It's so fun to pull out the red, white, and navy and set a beautiful table or two for this long holiday weekend.

Shopping info:

Capri Stripe Tablecloth

Red Check Napkins

Raffia Placemats

White Farmhouse Plates

Rattan Napkin Rings

Bamboo Flatware

 

One tip is to start with an inspiration piece and then lay the foundation with a pretty runner or tablecloth. It’s as easy as pie! And speaking of pie, I’m off to make our favorite Apple Crumble pie.

 

ciao! fabiana

 

 

For lots of fun extras, follow me on instagram!

 

 

 

You can check out some of my favorites here at “Tablescaping Essentials”*. 

 

 

 

 

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