Friday, June 21, 2013

Navy and White on the Table

lilyfield life blue and white floral table setting

Hi everyone, firstly thanks for linking up your furniture projects to my Paint Parade. It's open until Sunday night so you've still got time to enter your link.  I have found some wonderful new blogs and am really looking forward to showcasing a couple of talented people and their furniture.

I recently made this gorgeous navy and white floral tablecloth for Roberta who won my 400th post give away. She had already bought one of the blue/grey striped tablecloths I sell so I offered to make her a different sort. Before I pack it off to the other side of Australia, I thought I'd snap a few photos of it. It's always nice to set a pretty table. 

lilyfield life blue and white floral table setting
lilyfield life blue and white floral table setting


The dinner setting I've used today is a Wedgwood Countryware setting that my mum won and she just loved it and thought it was so special but never actually used it. Why do we do that? Save our beautiful things for some special day that may not ever come and not use them. Although Mum did have them on display on a dresser so perhaps she just enjoyed looking at them. This is just a setting for four, I am going to try and buy another two settings at least. I'm sure they still make this design. Does anyone know? (I'll google it later, google is my friend!)

lilyfield life blue and white floral table setting
lilyfield life blue and white floral table setting


The cutlery was also Mum's. Beautiful old silver and bone handled cutlery. I adore having these things of my mum's and we use them for family dinners when setting the table nicely. I like that my kids grow up using family treasures. I think these were given to my maternal grandparents as their wedding present.  Although to be honest my boy is pretty tragic using a knife and fork and will still often slip into eating with his fingers.  It drives me nuts but at least he uses a serviette to wipe his fingers on and not our chairs any more.

lilyfield life blue and white floral table setting

I love proper linen serviettes and never begrudge the washing and ironing that comes with using them. I sure my time at boarding school gave me this appreciation. These serviette rings are all family ones and are all engraved - mine from boarding school, my mother's, my maternal grandfather's and the one most special to me is my paternal grandfather's. My grandad, Frank, was in a Captain in the Australian Army in WW2 and was captured by the Japanese and held in Changi Prisoner of War camp. He was allowed to send one thing home and chose to send this serviette ring. Grandad managed to stay alive despite the horrendous conditions at Changi and then at Sandakan in North Borneo. He gave this serviette ring to me one year for my birthday as we share the same initials.  I think he was always very proud that I also joined the military to serve my country. Grandad spent his career in the public service and became the NSW Director of Tourism and held this position until he resigned on his sixtieth birthday, in 1968. At the height of his career, he revolutionised the sleepy department and conceived the Australian Tourism Commission, which has now built up one of our biggest national industries. He was also trustee of several National Parks and fought to establish high conservation priorities in their management. He really was a great man.  I admired and loved him so much. I will post more of his amazing story and his time as a POW some time soon. 



So Roberta I hope you love using this tablecloth!

If you would like to buy one of the striped tablecloths I currently have three available all sized 250cm by 150cm. 

lilyfield life blue and white floral table setting

So I got a bit off track there with reminiscing about my grandad and not so much about dining with blue and white table settings but that's one of the things I love the most about old furniture and vintage treasures - the stories of people who came before us and that these same things on our table now have been in amazing situations and held in other people's hands; and loved and treasured and now that love continues and we are constantly reminded of that. Do you know what I mean? What things do you treasure that were handed down to you?

22 comments:

  1. Hi Fiona,you ask about our treasured possessions. I, like you also have quite a few but in a military veinI have 2 special pieces. The first is a gold locket my grandfather gave to my grandmother. its a gold circle with his photo in uniform, it has 2 circles of acetate protecting the photo. Ithink it was meant to have a photo of grandma back to back but I only ever saw it with his portrait. The other is a brooch my dad sent to his mum . It was his "rising sun" badge from his hat which had been coated in some sort of resin. Both Pop and Dad were proud servicemen but neither of them really talked about their war experiences. Thank you for sharing your memories - its lovely to go down memory lane and remember 2 of the most important men in my early life.
    Lots of Love Brenda
    PS My tablecloth arrived this afternoon. Haven't had a chance to unpack it yet as have been looking after a sick grandchild. She has been a very good patient though.

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    1. glad your tablecloth has arrived! I'm dropping the coffee table to Tom on Monday also for you.
      The locket sounds lovely -what a shame it doesn't have your gran in it also - i wonder where that photo ended up? I know exactly the pin you are talking about of your dad's. I think i was a very question young thing and both my grandads told me a lot about their war experience - Harold from Gallipoli and Frank WW11 Japan. I loved hearing about it even the though parts. they were all so brave. have a lovely weekend
      Fiona

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  2. hi Fiona, these photos (and your tablecloth) are just beautiful and your grandfather must have been a very clever man, what a great story. I have a very special necklace from my mother that i often wear and it's nice to feel close to her, that she wore it around her neck for so many years. I know exactly what you mean. have a lovely weekend
    Beth x

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    1. i also have one if my mum's necklaces and I think the same. thanks for sharing
      Fiona

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  3. Your home is so lovely xx

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  4. everything looks lovely, but of course what makes it all is the sentimental pieces- love those napkin rings, especially!

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    1. thanks Cassie, I was just setting the table nicely for the photos and it made me realise that so much of my nice stuff are family treasures. makes me happy.
      good luck with the Barn today!!

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  5. Your cloth is wonderful...but I was taken with your Grandfathers story. Mic's Pop was a POW as well and we have his trunk, cigarette box and a massive collection of cigarette cards and the wooden box he made by hand in Changi prison.
    Cherish that piece :)
    Ness xx

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    1. thanks Ness, i do cherish it! i would love to see some photos of your grandad's stuff sometime if you can. the box sounds amazing. Grandad had great stories about how they (the POWs) kept themselves amused. I'll have to share some of them sometimes. have a lovely weekend. I've got to get to bed -freezing!!

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  6. Hi Fiona, love the tablecloth! I have a wonderful dinner set that was my mothers.. I think it was a wedding present and she never used it. I am getting it out this weekend and washing it all up and I am going to use it for family dinners..... It is a setting for 6 and even has small coffee cups and saucers - floral and very 50's .... I love having things that were my grandmothers and mothers .... Using them makes me feel they are still with me somehow, don't you think?

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    1. Thanks Jennifer, Hope you enjoyed the weekend and dinner using your mum's setting. I totally agree with you.
      cheers Fiona

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  7. Looks beautiful as always Fiona. Those napkin rings are just gorgeous.

    I have a few things around my home left to me by my Dad, they always make me smile and think of him... and wonder what he would say about everything going on!

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    1. you must miss him very much. I had a morning today with my dad and it was very special. Since losing mum I make sure i appreciate every second with Dad. Nice that you have some of your Dad's things as a reminder around your home.
      Fiona x

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  8. those serviette rings are so neat! beautiful table setting as well.

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    1. thanks so much Mimi, the serviette rings are very special to me.
      Fiona x

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  9. I would love to eat at this table.... so pretty! Thanks for visiting my blog earlier!

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    1. Thanks Elise – I hope my client is very happy with the tablecloth – I usually just paint furniture but every now and then I get out my machine to mix it up a bit
      Cheers Fiona

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  10. So much to love about this post Fiona, I adore your beautiful table pieces with such a rich family history.
    So funny about us saving things for "special"... I try not to do that anymore. I love this ad (hope you don't mind me posting link.. Thought you might appreciate it too {I swear I don't have shares in Twinnings!}. I just love the sentiment, if I ever had to pick a favourite ad, this would be it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl-GGpIj0ac
    Jo xx

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    1. Hi Jo, I have tears in my eyes after watching that – OMG I’m hopeless. But that advert is so true, exactly what I was saying. I don’t even like tea!
      Thanks for sharing it
      Fiona

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  11. Heirlooms are so precious. My father served in WWII and was a rifleman doing a job a bit like a sniper as he was a good shot. Evidently that is extra dangerous as the enemy look for them first. He was injured twice. After the war he won a beautiful sandwich plate and side plates for rifleshooting and I have them still intact and cherish them. I also have a copy of the telegram sent to his mother telling her that he was coming home! I admire him so much for his service, at age 23 onwards!

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  12. Nothing is any fresher then Blue and White. Great setting and I love your napkins rings. Kathy

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Thanks for taking the time to comment! Sorry if you have trouble commenting, you can always email me at lilyfieldlife@bigpond.com