I have been hoarding collecting vintage and antique linens for a few years now. A good portion of my collection was acquired while living in Germany. No matter how many napkins and tablecloths I may have, if I see something lovely at an estate sale or flea market it comes home with me. I guess I have an insane desire to rescue cloth. Thankfully I now have an outlet for my passion in the form of Metis Linens.
As you may know I will soon be hosting the High Tea Tablescape linky party on February 23rd. Over the weekend I began rummaging through various closets and chests in search of inspiration for my own tablescape. I was also looking to see which lovely vintage and antique linen pieces could be added to the ever growing prize piles I will be offering at the party. Before to long my house looked something like this:
Ok I’m kidding. I found the above picture by googling “hoarder”. :) But I did find that I had no less than four white tablecloths all the same size. I am not even going to admit to how many sets of white napkins I have. (Mr. Décor reads this blog. :)
I decided that I wanted to create a tablescape in a pink and white theme but found out that I owned not a single piece of pink linen. So I selected the shabbiest, dingiest white tablecloth and napkins and headed to the wash room. First I hand soaked everything in warm water and oxy clean to rid the fabrics of any stains and brighten them up a bit.
I then grabbed a bottle of Rit Petal Pink Dye. I do like the liquid better than the powder. I wanted the tablecloth to have just a hint of pink so I added 1 tablespoon to the hot water bath. The napkins received about 3 tablespoons of dye as I wanted them to be a bit more of an intense pink.
Once the linens were transformed into the wonderful shades of blush and bashful I hung everything out on the line. This is always the preferred choice, versus a dryer, when dealing with vintage and antique linens.
I removed everything from the line while they were still ever so slightly damp to make ironing a breeze. Here is the new pink cloth on the dining room table. I added a cream colored topper so you could better see the contrast.
I then began gathering all of my pretty dishes that feature shades of white, pink and green to use on the table. This dish is one of my favorites. It was a gift from Grandma Jingles and I didn’t even have to “demand” it. ( Smile~ a reference to Saturday’s post.) I just adore how it looks against the pink cloth.
Ok, back to the party. Everyone who links up a tablescape on February 23rd has a chance to win either the highly sought after “Fit For A Queen” or the equally desirable “Royally Scrumptious” winning titles. Of course to have such glorious awards we need a few experts on hand. So I invited two of the best tablescapers in all of blogland. First, we have the beautiful Susan from Between Naps On The Porch. I am sure that she really needs no introduction, but in case you are brand new to blogging, Susan hosts the highly successful linky party “Tablescape Thursday”. Week after week Susan presents such inspired beauty that her images often takes my breath away.
Next, we have my dear friend Yvonne from Stonegable. Now many of you might be familiar with Yvonne’s talent for creating truly unique and original tablescapes. Every time I see one of her designs I think “Love lives in the details.” But I know a little something about Yvonne that perhaps you don’t. Given that the theme of this linky party is High Tea Tablescapes I think it is fitting that our expert Yvonne is well versed in high tea as she grew up in both Scotland and England. ( I try not to covet her fleur de lis utensil holders.)
I am in the midst of rearranging my living room to accommodate such esteemed greatness. I’ve moved in two new chairs. How do like it so far?
So here are a few little sneak peeks of the prizes that await you.
I will leave you with a favorite Valentine that I received from dear Nancy of My Crafty Little Page. The image of the wee lad in lederhosen reminds me of my own Sweet boy who was born in Germany.
Happy Valentine’s Day my friends!
XO
Laura
Button, button who’s got the button?
Labels: Creative decor, Holiday, Royal Wedding
