Which Fork Do I Use? (Tablescape Thursday)

I knew before I blogged my first post that I would write about table settings. It can be a bit confusing when you are setting a table, or when you go out to eat and don't know why there are two forks. Once I started blogging, I started seeing the "Tablescape Thursday" tables hosted by Susan at Between Naps On The Porch and I wanted to play along. I've always thought I had a lot of dishes and accessories, but the people that do tablescapes around here, really do them well. I can't begin to compete, but I can have fun sharing some tips and also playing with my dishes.

I found a fall tablecloth that I didn't remember I had, for a table that I no longer have. I don't have any charger plates, I've never really liked them. I am noticing how pretty they look on the tables of some of the other bloggers. I don't have them on this table, but they may show up on a future table.

*Mom hint-A charger plate is a large plate that goes under the dinner plate. You do not eat from it, it is simply to "dress up" the table.

I took a picture of the table at dusk. Everything looks better by candlelight. The candle was cinnamon cider, and the house smelled so good.

I had to take a picture of my new sparkly gourd/pumpkin...I'm not sure which it is. I bought it at HomeGoods while we were on our recent trip. It is sort of a bronze mosaic and it simply called my name. The flowers were from my yard, the tiny vase is from Crate and Barrel. The dark green dinner plates are from Walmart, the napkins and pumpkin plates are from HomeGoods. The wine glasses are antiques. The flatware is my everyday pattern.

Now, let's talk about those forks. When in doubt, always start with the silverware on the outside, and move in. This is an informal place setting. One of these days I will set a formal table for you. The fork on the far left is for salad, the fork near the dinner plate is for your main meal. The knife and spoon to the right of the plate are for obvious use, but you might have a second spoon to the right of the one here. It would be for soup. The spoon above the plate is for dessert (it might be a fork, depending on what is being served). When setting a table, the glasses (wine or water) go on the upper right. The napkin can go under the forks, in the center of the plate or in the wine goblet (not my favorite). I took some liberty with where I put the napkin because I wanted the pattern of the salad plate to show, and I wanted to dress up the napkin with a touch of ribbon, therefore it wouldn't fit under the forks. Some tables will have a bread and butter plate placed to the upper left of the dinner plate.

Hopefully, I accomplished my "mom" blogging, and took a baby step into "Tablescape Thursday" all at the same time.