Every January, a member of the I Love Fiesta Facebook group organizes a raffle for a piece of Fiesta ware. To participate, you must set a table incorporating five key elements that he creatively integrates into many of his table settings. These elements are: burlap, galvanized tin/metal, gingham, a farm animal, and a centerpiece that holds special significance for you. The tables this gentleman creates are both beautiful and imaginative, the dishes are always Fiesta or Homer Laughlin China, and his diverse ideas are truly inspiring! We've often said we want to tour his dish storage!
As it happens, I was traveling the weekend before the entries were due. My dear friend Kissy, a fellow Fiesta fanatic, was at our house, so I texted her, saying, "Here's what you need, please set up the table and post!" Kissy and I often collaborate on different tables that I blog about here, but this time she was on her own, and she created an AMAZING table! Here was her post:
What a wonderful and heartfelt explanation for the table! A girls tea or lunch! By using numerous pieces of the Franciscan Desert Rose, she made the table vibrant and colorful! She used the tiered server and added matching macaron cookies on it! How fun! Kissy collects Fiesta as well and I know she did love pulling out all of the colorful dishes and experimenting with each piece. The table reflects her style!
She included all the elements required to enter the contest on the table! The table had a burlap table runner, tin chargers, napkin rings, gingham Sage Fiesta plates, and a Jade Fiesta vase. We can't forget the layered napkins, (what a great fold!) one of which is green gingham.
She used two different farm animals: a cow and a few bunny rabbits. The cow creamer is also special to me; it was given to me by dear hubby's aunt. The bunny rabbits are a part of Easter tables. Not only did she get 148 likes on the "I Love Fiesta" group, I posted in the Franciscan Collectors group I am also a part of and she got another 112 likes, that is a lot of love for this beautiful table!
The centerpiece is in honor of my mother-in-law, Carolyn. She passed away when my husband was a teenager and over time, his sister has given me her Franciscan Desert Rose china, which I love. It's very special to me that we get to have a bit of her in our house. The Franciscan Desert Rose was such a popular pattern, it's been easy to add many pieces when I found them antique and thrift stores. The vision that we would enjoy a cup of coffee or tea using her beautiful dishes is such a wonderful thought.
Dishes connect me to our families. The dishes are a part of my mother-in-law, the creamer, a part of my husband's aunt, and my own grandmother through the dining room set and crocheted lace tablecloth, each piece holding memories. Kissy is family, I enjoyed her creativity as she set such a beautiful table! Thank you!
