Mix It Up!

Years ago you may have felt obligated to have a full set of matching dishes to set a nice table.  Luckily, that rule has been eliminated and now anything goes!  I almost always set a table with dishes that mix and match but today I'm taking it one step further.  I am mixing some newer dishes and glasses with older items that were my mother's.  And I'm mixing it up with my table covers too! 

Another beautiful day here in Florida so I set a table for two by the pool. 

My color inspiration came from an Easter card I bought to send to my father back in NJ.  I wish he were here to join me for this Easter breakfast!

My mother had a collection of Milk Glass as far back as I can remember (didn't every one's mother?).  We never ate off it but my mother always displayed it in her Dining Room either on a hutch or a shelf.  The solid white color popped nicely against stained wood.  I can't remember how, but I wound up with several pieces of it and up until today guess what I did with it?  Yup, displayed it in my Dining Rooms in all of our houses because it popped nicely....well , you get the picture!

So today it's being used on a table for possibly the first time ever.  I think it makes for an interesting place setting combined with my more modern plates.

I'm only using 2 of the place settings today but I have pieces to service 4.  After some quick research on the Internet I found that the dishes and cups and saucers are  Colony Pattern Harvest Milk Glass.  I also found that I will never get rich selling Milk Glass on Ebay.  It's VERY affordable!

The cruets are Fenton Hobnail and I have a few more pieces of this pattern including a pitcher that I love to put flowers in.

Everything else is new.  The table cover is a drop cloth from Home Depot topped with a pillow sham from Goodwill.

The place mats are from The Christmas Tree Shop (don't get excited fellow Floridians-I got them when I was in NJ in the Fall-we still don't have that store here!)

The green dishes are from Ross and the polka dot plates are from Marshall's. 

My father always enjoyed the "crack the egg" game every Easter so I included one on each place setting.   I haven't colored eggs yet so please excuse the white!  The cute baskets came in a 6 pack at Dollar Tree.

Space is tight so I placed the napkins (Target) in the glasses (Marshalls).

The flatware is from BJ's Wholesale Club and contrasts nicely with the vintage dishes.

My centerpiece (Ross) looked a little low next to the glasses so I raised it up on a candle stand.

Here are some tips to take away from this table: 

-Even if it's just a table for 2 make it special

-Easter doesn't always have to be purple and yellow

-Think outside the box when it comes to table covers

-Inspiration can come from anywhere including a greeting card

-Think twice before discarding "old" dishes you may have and make them look up to date by mixing them with newer pieces

-Whenever you can, add blue skies, a sunny day and an inviting pool to your tablescapes. They make everything look that much better!

Be sure to see that my sister's been up to this week at Creating Wonderful Spaces!

I will be linking up to the following parties...

Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch

Let's Dish! at Cuisine Kathleen

Centerpiece Wednesday at the Style Sisters