a secondhand table for valentine's day

a tour of thrifted tablescapes     

Today’s the day of our fun Valentine’s Day table blog hop! Thanks so much for stopping by. I’m so excited to share my “Secondhand Table” with all of you. 

Best of all, I have four friends who have also styled lovely tables by using only thrifted and heirloom items. 

  

If you're already coming from Cherry Street Blossoms, you’ve already begun our Secondhand Blog Hop, so “Welcome” to Ciao Newport Beach!
  

The inspiration for my table, besides being budget-friendly was that I wanted to go with lots of fun red and pink accents.  

The starting point for setting this this table where these pretty pink Majolica plates by Bordallo Pinheiro. I found a set of these last week at one of my favorite thrift stores, and they’re the perfect shade of pink for Valentine’s Day! 

They also have a pretty embossed hydrangea design on them that I just love! I have a few extras for sale right now on my online vintage flea market collection on ebay. I just don’t have enough storage for a whole set of 12 of these, so I’m parting with a few. 

No vase needed here. The informal garland at the center of the table is started with a foundation of eucalyptus sprays. Just before dining, cut the blooms off your selected flowers and scatter over the leaves. The look you get is reminiscent of a flower crown. 

I love the pop of red of these beaded napkin rings. I’ve been a bit obsessed lately with finding simple but interesting napkin rings. These could cross over to a coastal inspired table too! 

Certain elements bring a table to life and at this table pretty plates, colorful napkin rings and vintage glassware add a pop of traditional Valentine’s Day colors. 

Adding little votives to the center of the table adds that necessary element of candlelight that just brings the table to life, and a little swag of ribbon makes everyone feel special! 

The next stop on our blog hop is 💘Annie from Most Lovely Things.💘 

I just know that she’s set a gorgeous table! Tell her "Hello" from me... 

Look for this graphic this weekend 

as well as the hashtag #thesecondhandtable on instagram. 😀 

ou can check out the other four secondhand tablescapes here:  

Cherry Street Blossoms, Adored House,  

Most Lovely Things, and The Tiny White House. 

ciao! fabiana 

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Info on table accessories:

Pink Plates: Ebay 

Pink Glassware: similar found here

Red Glassware: Ebay 

Napkins: similar found here

Red Napkin Rings: Ebay

Flatware: vintage

Placemats: vintage

Stoneware heart bowls: Similar found here 

Valentine's Day ribbon: similar found here

Flowers: Trader Joe's

the biggest tablescaping holidays

We made it through the first week of November, and now we’re headed for the homestretch… Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year! And, I just realized that Thanksgiving will be here in less than two weeks!

Our trip to Geneva last week was so memorable and the town was just so beautiful. News this morning from our cousin Melinda is that it snowed this morning! Wow… we would have missed the beautiful fall leaves if we didn’t get there when we did.

While in Geneva, one of my must-see destinations was the Kane County Flea Market which runs the first weekend of each month. My primary goal was to gather as much vintage Indiana glassware that I could possibly fit into my luggage!

As you can see from the photo above, I did find some nice pieces, but only the amber one was found at the flea market. My instincts told me to search some of the local thrift stores and that’s where I hit the motherlode.

The set of green glasses were found at the Catchpenny thrift store in Barrington. I walked in, and there they were, waiting for me, at only .97 cents each! But wait… when I got to the register I found out everything at the store was half off! Wow! I don’t find bargains like that everyday.     

I love using this type of vintage glassware to set my holiday tables. In fact, you’ll catch four pages of the ‘Enchanted’ Christmas table I set in the December issue of Romantic Homes magazine. Here’s a little peek at one of the photos that’s an outtake.

My inspiration for this table were my black and white Joyeux Noel salad plates. From there, I incorporated black and white gingham, and just a bit of green to add necessary color to the table. Blush pink roses finish of the look to add a little romance.

Check out the whole story and pics in Romantic homes! I just saw if for sale yesterday at our local grocery store and they also have it available at Barnes & Noble.   

Another table I set exclusively for Romantic Homes also showcases my favorite glassware. This time in amber, this alfresco Thanksgiving table is one of my favorites. I also used roses on this table, but I went with a more natural look with wood accents and natural textures.

Check out the whole look here at Romantic Homes.   

One of my all-time favorite tables is this Thanksgiving table I recently set up with my beautiful tableware from Serena & Lily. I was going for a clean, modern look and just love the simplicity of it. 

The pretty Mayberry napkins add just the right reddish-orange 'papaya' color to the table that's so perfect for fall.  Keep a lookout for the Christmas table I'll be setting in a few weeks with these same Serena & Lily goodies. Check out the whole look of the Thanksgiving table and dining room here.

Also on the radar this month is this yummy recipe for Pumpkin Spice Spritz Cookies. They offer just the right amount of autumn flavor and are so nostalgic to and fun to make! Recipe found here.   

You may remember this silly little ‘Ugly Christmas Sweater’ tablescape I did last year. Well, you can catch it on the pages of Country Sampler’s Christmas Decorating issue along with my gold magnolia wreath that’s also featured.

I’ve been truly blessed this year that some of my projects have been featured in national magazines for the first time. It’s really surreal to see my photos and stories in print!

Happy weekend to you all!

I’m going to try to get out into the garden and plant some roses. I’m so excited to have found a really pretty English rose yesterday called ‘Edith’s Darling’, a Downton Abbey variety! 

ciao! fabiana

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