A Redbird Tablescape

Yesterday was the anniversary of my 29th birthday...which anniversary? I'll never tell, but it's probably represented by a precious metal. Oh, well! Beats the alternative, doesn't it?

My regular readers all know that birthdays around our house are pretty special. The guest of honor gets to chose their menu, and I go all out on dinner and the tablescape. You only get one birthday a year, right? I believe it should be special! And my birthday is no different.

This time it was a little different, though. I'd decided on my menu a while back and done most of my shopping ahead of time. Good thing...we got snow this week! Real, honest-to-goodness snow. As you know, we live in the country, and roads up here are still icy. It snowed Tuesday night and many of our county roads weren't clear until Saturday.

I had meant to pick up some last minute things earlier this week on my grocery run. But alas, I could not make a run...not even for bread and milk! But it's OK. I made a couple of last minute adjustments and all was well.

My parents literally live next door, so they were able to make it over for dinner. It was nice to have them to celebrate with us. While I had thought about my menu, I had not planned the tablescape. However, the snow got me to thinking about what I had, and I thought these stunning redbirds would be gorgeous against the setting of snow. Let me walk you through it.

Nine times out of ten, I begin with my white linen tablecloth and this time was no different. It's starting to show it's age a little. I've stain-treated it for years after each party and even though it has a few light yellow stains, it's still fine when I layer it under all sorts of other fabrics and pretties.

But this time, as I ironed it, I noticed a hole! Oh how sad! I love my white linen tablecloth! I was upset for a while, but then I realized it's almost like a badge of honor. It's been loved and used so much...it didn't earn it's wounds by hanging in the closet! I'm not throwing it out yet. It's still great as a first layer, and luckily, since I've removed my table leaf for a while, it fell underneath a charger. 

This old piece of barn wood was given to me by our neighbors. I've used it several times this season. I wanted to have a very organic and natural theme to showcase my redbirds. This was perfect.

And so were these chargers! They're by Better Homes and Gardens and came from Walmart several years ago. They show up quite a bit during the fall and winter. And since we live in the middle of hundreds of pines, they're always just perfect.

Next I layered these red dinner plates. They came from Dollar Tree a while back. Yes...they were just $1 each!

Next I layered these beautiful salad plates, also by Better Homes and Gardens. I got them at Walmart after Christmas one year for 75% off. They were $1.25 each! Aren't they sweet?

You know how I love my stemmed glasses. I literally have dozens and dozens! Sometimes I think the non-stems get a little jealous! These are the everyday glasses we got when we married. They are "Sweet Swirl" tumblers by Noritake in dark green.

I found these beautifully realistic cardinals and redbirds at a new shop in Eclectic called "Bless Your Heart". It is a beautiful store, and Jewell and I love to go in there. They have clips so they can be attached to a Christmas tree. I took a wooden skewer and stuck it in the plant then hung the bird off it. The closeup view is just for you. It wasn't noticed at dinner by my guests.

My holly bushes grow like crazy. I have to cut them back a couple of times a year. I think they must set berries on old wood, because I don't get a lot of berries each year. But I did find a few lower down where it obviously escaped the blade. Pine cones are myriad on our place. I just had Gerald grab me a few. I stuck them in the oven at about 250 degrees for a half an hour to dry them out.

My centerpiece is a pretty Christmas cactus that was given to me by a friend during the holidays.

When I bought my birds back in the fall, I made sure to get three different ones. I like to decorate with odd numbers.

 

Here's a complete view of one of the placesettings. I pulled out the muslin napkins I made several years ago. Again, I was going for a natural look. The flatware is "Margate" by Pfaltzgraff. I've had it since before we married.

This cardinal was keeping his eye on me as I worked!

This tablesetting would have been beautiful at Christmas with it's splashes of traditional red and green, but I think it was also perfect for this cold and snowy evening.

One last look. The red plates really pop now that I have redone my dining room. If you remember, it used to be an antique red. Pretty, but overwhelming. This nice neutral shade allows things to pop. I love it!

Check back soon and see what we had for dinner. It was yummy! Here's a sneak peek...

I'm so glad you stopped by my neck of the woods!

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