Christmas Table Round up from 2020

Good morning, friends!

We are a week into the new year, and looking back I can say that we had a wonderful Christmas season. We enjoyed so many traditions, and I am thankful we were able to host some special meals. I am rounding up some of the table settings I used for Christmastime 2020. These were previously posted by themselves either on Instagram or blog posts. I am putting them all in one place in case anyone would like to save them to Pinterest to reference later. I’m happy to give sources or links if anyone has questions. You can save this post to Pinterest by scrolling to the bottom of the post and clicking on the Pinterest button, or you can use the Pinterest extension on your chrome bar.

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Victorian Christmas Place Setting

Hello, friends!

Just ten days until Christmas! I’m done shopping, decorating, and baking. But I’m not ready for Christmas to end, so I am savoring these last few weeks of lights, ribbon and bows, evergreen branches, and Christmas music.

Today is Tabletop Tuesday, and I am sharing a place setting we used this past weekend while hosting some guests for brunch. If these plates look familiar to you, that’s because I recently found them on Thrifty Thursday. Thrifty Thursday is something fun I do over on Instagram. Usually I show things I find while thrift shopping, and my followers let me know if they’d purchase it or not, or sometimes they guess the price. (Join us, HERE!)

I picked these plates up at a local thrift store for $1.21 a piece. They are made in England by Johnson Brothers, and the pattern is called “Victorian Christmas.” This pattern was produced in the 1990s, and I used them with a 90s style Christmas tablecloth that I picked up years ago from an estate sale. If you haven’t noticed from the fashion trends, many 90s style decor and clothing items are making a comeback.

This set is circa early 1990s, and it was made in England. This pattern is still produced, however currently in China.

Keeping with the thrifted theme, these crystal Longchamp D’Arques glasses were second hand as well. Even my gold colored flatware set was an estate sale find.

Sometimes people ask me if we really eat off the pretty plates or use the crystal glasses. The cloth napkins surprise some people, too. We really do use them. I’m sure you’ve probably seen this quote by William Morris, “Do not have anything in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” I want to have things in our home that are both beautiful and useful. We don’t have a museum. I would love to pass things on to my kids and grandkids, but I also believe that we should enjoy things and feel special when we use them.

I guess the moral of the story is that you don’t have to pay a lot for nice things, and when you have them – use them. 🙂

I’ve taken all of the hard work out of trying to recreate this look! I’ve link everything you need, including some vintage Victorian Christmas plates (made in England). To find everything you need, head on over to my LIKEtoKNOW.it page HERE, or screenshot the image below and use it in the LIKEtoKNOW.it app.

Merry Christmas!

Abby

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Our Spode Christmas Tradition

There are just over two weeks until Christmas, so today I am sharing one of our Christmas traditions with you for Tabletop Tuesday. One of our Christmas traditions is that every Christmas I give our daughter, Samantha, a Spode Christmas ornament and a Spode Christmas plate. I try to make the ornament relevant to something we did that year together or something big that happened to her. For example, one year our family went to the Atlanta Ballet’s The Nutcracker, so the Spode ornament I gave her was their nutcracker one. Another year Samantha and I did a tea advent calendar together. Each day we sampled a new kind of tea. So the ornament I gave her that year was the Spode teacup ornament. This year’s ornament is just perfect. I don’t want to ruin the surprise for her, so I’ll come back later to edit what it is. (Edit: the Spode ornament I gave Samantha for 2020 is the car ornament. She got her drivers license this year, so this ornament seemed perfect!)

As I said, I also give her a Spode Christmas Tree plate. By the time she gets married she’ll have a set of Christmas plates to use and a set of heirloom ornaments for her very own tree. I went with the Spode Christmas Tree pattern because it has consistently been in production for quite some time. When I started I felt that I would still be able to buy her pieces years from now without worrying that they would stop making it.

Each year I write a little message on the ornament box with Sharpie. Just something like, “2015, the year we went to the Nutcracker. Love, Mom.” Just a little note so she knows why I picked that ornament.

I have my own set of Spode Christmas tree plates that are vintage and made in England. I like to mix and match them at Christmastime with Blue Willow and also with either Johnson Brothers “Old Britain Castles” or Johnson Brothers “T’was the Night.”

Click the photo above to find these exact pieces.

I’ve linked everything pictured here in my LIKEtoKNOW.it. Click HERE to find these everything you need to recreate this look.

Click the photo above to find these exact pieces.

I’m always interested in other people’s traditions. Feel free to share yours with me in the comments below.

Merry Christmas,

Abby

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2020 Round Up Thanksgiving Table Options

If you follow me on Instagram, you have seen several Tabletop Tuesday posts with place settings that I was considering for our Thanksgiving Table. In this blog post I am putting them all in one place.

The place setting above is using a vintage Fire King milk glass swirl plate with a gold rim. Layered on top of it is a Pottery Barn tidbit plate. The napkin is also vintage. The charger is from Home Goods. I only have 4 of the chargers, but would really love to have 4 more!

The plate above is probably my favorite Johnson Brothers pattern, “His Majesty.” My set is vintage, but it is still in production today and can be found easily.

This is another Johnson Brothers pattern, “Historic America, Thanksgiving Frozen Up.” This set is circa 1930 (brown multicolor) and is no longer in production.

You guessed it, another Johnson Brothers pattern, “Hearts and Flowers” which some people mistakenly refer to as “Old Ironstone Granite” because that is also stamped on the back. This is the one set of china that I have the complete service for – everything from gravy boat and butter dish to covered vegetable and coffee service. We didn’t have wedding china that I registered for, so I consider it my wedding china due to the lovely couple on the front. This was produced in the 1970s and 80s and is no longer in production.

Above is another Pottery Barn plate layered on top of vintage Churchill Blue Willow. Churchill still produces Blue Willow.

And last but not least, above is another Churchill pattern from their fox hunt series, this is “Country Life, The Meet.” This is from a reproduction set made in the 1990s and is no longer in production today.

Happy, happy Thanksgiving friends. I am thankful for YOU! Every time you read, like my blog posts, comment on them, follow me on Instagram, or pin one of my images you are helping to support small business in America! Thank you!

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2020 Thanksgiving Table

2020 has been a dark year in some ways, so I wanted to keep our Thanksgiving table on the lighter side with white accents and greenery. I think we can all say that although this has been a tough year, and one that we’ll never forget, it has also made us very aware of the small things we can be thankful for every day. Things that we take for granted like being able to buy whatever groceries we want or see our loved ones whenever we want.

Plate: Johnson Brothers “Historic America: Thanksgiving Frozen Up”, circa 1930. (Yes, we are actually going to eat on them!)

You may have seen me using these hyacinth placemats before, especially if you follow me on Instagram. But they are currently my favorites. I like the natural material and the neutral color. The only new things on our Thanksgiving table are the tablecloth (TJ Maxx, $12.99) and the faux eucalyptus garland (Target, Hearth & Home). Well, obviously the pumpkins are from this year (used them for Halloween on our porch) and the chrysanthemum are also fresh. But I already had everything else, even the giant pinecones, which I have used previously in Christmas decor.

This year I will be cooking our meal as I always do. Our son, Jackson, will be home from college, and it will just be the four of us together that day. We are not promised tomorrow, nor are our parents or grandparents. If you have the opportunity to gather with extended family this Thanksgiving, I hope you do not shy away from doing so.

I am still trying to think of something for our family to do together after our Thanksgiving meal. Our tradition for many years has been to go see a movie in the theater together. The theaters around us are either closed or have gone out of business. I am mourning the loss of that tradition a little bit, but I am just happy that we are all healthy and generally happy. I truly hope that next year I can look back on this post and things will have reopened and returned to normal.

In closing, I am truly thankful for each of you reading this post, saving it to Pinterest, or sharing it elsewhere online. You are helping to support my small business, and I am truly grateful for you. (More photos below.)

Abby

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Black Eyed Pea Picnic Salad

Originally published November 16, 2020. Updated January 2026.

A few years ago, during a guest takeover on Garden & Gun’s Instagram, I caught a glimpse of a simple dish that immediately became a staple in my kitchen. The chef shared a quick reel of his black eyed pea picnic salad, casually listing ingredients without measurements, the kind of recipe you commit to memory rather than write down. I watched it more than once, scribbled notes on a Post-it, and have been making my own version ever since.

If you follow me on Instagram then you know a lot of times in my Meal Plan Monday posts I say that I meal prepped Black Eyed Pea Picnic Salad. This is one of my favorite things to prepare ahead of time to have for lunches and snacks. It is really healthy and actually tastes better after a day or so.

Ingredients You’ll Need

The fresh ingredients that you will need for this recipe are celery, a bell pepper, and parsley. A lot of times people think of parsley as simply a garnish, so they omit it from recipes. The parsley adds a really important flavor to this dish, so be sure not to skip on it! Also, I just want to point out that there is no onion in this recipe. Did you know that a lot of times when people get food poisoning from picnic food, it is actually from the onions? Really!

You’re going to want to do a small dice on the pepper and celery. If you are using the Fullstar food chopper that is all the rage right now, use the smaller dice attachment. And if you don’t have the Fullstar, I recommend getting one. It can be easily washed in the dishwasher.

This recipe calls for canned black eyed peas. Not all canned black eyed peas are created equal. In this case, the recipe called for no-salt, canned black eyed peas, which I have never been able to find. This brand, Hanover, has the lowest sodium content that I can find. I also prefer this brand for this recipe because the liquid in the can is not thick and drains easily. (I use a different brand when not using them in a recipe.) You’re also going to need some Chow-Chow. If you aren’t from the south, Chow-Chow is a relish. Oddly enough, when all of the Covid shortages were happening, Chow-Chow was one of those items that you could not find anywhere. I can still only find it at one local grocery store, and I’m not telling where so that I can get it when I need it. HA!

Save this recipe

Below you will find the complete recipe, which you can print or save to Pinterest for later. I usually double this when meal prepping and keep it in an airtight container. I hope you enjoy it! Please be sure to let me know in the comments if you like it as much as I do.

Abby Smolarsky | Belle Antiquarian

Black Eyed Pea Picnic Salad

A fresh Southern picnic salad made with black eyed peas, crisp vegetables, and a tangy vinegar dressing. Even better after a day in the refrigerator!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 bell pepper small dice
  • 1 celery stalk small dice
  • 1 handful fresh parsley finely chopped
  • 1 15 oz can low-sodium black eyed peas drained and rinsed
  • ÂĽ cup chow-chow relish
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Method
 

  1. Dice the celery and bell pepper into a small, even dice.
  2. Finely chop the parsley.
  3. Drain and rinse the black eyed peas thoroughly.
  4. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and stir gently to mix.
  5. Cover tightly and refrigerate for a least 1 hour; best if chilled overnight before serving.

Notes

This salad tastes best after chilling for several hours or overnight. Double the recipe for easy meal prep and store in an airtight container. 

If you like this recipe, you can find more recipes from Belle Antiquarian by searching for recipes by clicking on the magnifying glass icon on the left side of this screen. Never miss an article by subscribing below. (You can unsubscribe anytime.) Did you make this recipe? Tag Belle Antiquarian on Instagram so that we can see!

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Spiced Cranberry Limeade Cocktail

Normally on Thursdays we have Thrifty Thursday over on Instagram. I post pictures of items I find in thrift stores and ask questions like, “How much is this worth?” or “Would you buy it?” But today I had a last minute change of plans, so instead we’re having THIRSTY Thursday! Hopefully next week THRIFTY Thursday will be back in full swing. (Be sure to follow me on Instagram to join in the fun. @ BelleAntiquarian)

One of the ingredients for this cocktail is sold at Publix Grocery Stores, which I understand is regional and not nationwide. But you can easily swap it out for OceanSpray Cranberry Juice Cocktail with Lime. It won’t be exactly the same because the juice we use from Publix does have a “spiced” flavor. In addition, the Jack Daniels “Winter Jack Tennessee Cider” is seasonal. You can usually find it after Halloween. If you haven’t had the Winter Jack before, the bottle says it’s a seasonal blend of apple liqueur and Tennessee whiskey. The alcohol percentage in the Winter Jack is much lower than original Jack Daniels, and their website suggests drinking it warm. But today, this cocktail uses it cold.

Spiced Cranberry Limeade Cocktail

  • Servings: 1
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

A quick holiday cocktail made with only 3 ingredients.

Credit: BelleAntiquarian.com

Ingredients

  • 1 part Spiced Cranberry Limeade (or replace with OceanSpray Cranberry Juice Cocktail with Lime.)
  • 1.5 parts Winter Jack Tennessee Cider
  • Freshly squeezed lime juice

Directions

  1. Pour the ingredients into a shaker.
  2. Shake well until blended
  3. Pour over ice into a lowball glass.

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Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies – Meal Plan Monday

Hi! I’m starting a new series called Meal Plan Mondays. Health and wellness are important to our family, and I thought I’d share a few ways we make cooking and eating more convenient so that we can be as healthy as possible. On Mondays I hope to share recipes I use to prepare convenience foods ahead of time. I may also share our menu for the week and show which ingredients I will prep ahead of time to make weeknight cooking as easy as possible.

This week I am sharing a recipe that I sometimes make so that we have something quick to grab for breakfast – Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies. I found this recipe a while ago from LeelaLicious. I’m not sure “cookie” is the right word for these, although the shape is reminiscent of one. These cookies have many granola type of ingredients, but they aren’t really crunchy or granola-like either. You’ll just have to try them! After I make them, I will put them in an airtight container. If I make more than one batch, I’ll put the second batch in the fridge. Ken just grabs one to-go, but I like to microwave mine for a few seconds before eating it.

With ingredients like oats, pumpkin seeds, and cranberries, these are delicious, gluten-free, and satisfy hunger all morning!

Tips: When I bake these I like to decrease the amount of pumpkin seeds to 1/3 cup. Also, I found Aldi to be the cheapest place to find gluten free oats, pumpkin seeds, coconut oil, and ground flax seed.

Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies

  • Servings: 12 cookies
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

A healthy seasonal cookie perfect for meal prepping your grab-and-go breakfast.

Credit: https://leelalicious.com/pumpkin-breakfast-cookies/

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 cup rolled old-fashioned oats
  • 1 cup quick cooking oats
  • 2/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 2/3 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
  • 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 eggs, beaten

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325*. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a small bowl, warm the coconut oil to melt it. (Microwave is easiest. It only needs to get hot enough to melt.) Add the honey, whisk together. Add the pumpkin puree, followed by the eggs.
  3. In a large bowl, mix the remaining dry ingredients until combined.
  4. Add the wet mixture from the small bowl into the dry ingredients in the large bowl.
  5. Drop 1/4 cup sized scoops of the mixture onto your cookie sheet and flatten. (These will not spread while baking.)
  6. Bake 15-20 minutes until edges are lightly browned and centers are set.
  7. Let cool completely before moving to an airtight container.

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Memorial Day 2020

There are things I love about every season, but summer is when I’m happiest. Fall and winter have so many fun holidays and traditions, but our schedules are hectic during those times of year. Summer is a lot slower for us.

I think most southerners move a lot slower in the summer, mainly due to the heat. It’s the season of porch sittin’, tea sippin’, and lake fishin’. Yes, we’re going to complain about the heat, but we are born for this.

For our family, summer has traditionally kicked off with the Dacula Memorial Day parade and 5k. The 5k race kicks off the high school cross country season, which means our kids spend the next 6 months running with a great group of students and coaches. It also means our kids have had to be at practice by 7 am, 6 days a week, during the summer. Early, but the friendships made and the character built during those mornings will last a lifetime.

During this pandemic things are looking a lot different. Not only will Memorial Day be different, our whole summer is looking like it will be different, too. No parade or race. No officially running together as a team. It’s leaving a hole. We’ll find something else to do on Monday, Memorial Day, but we hope next year both the parade and 5k race will be back.

Here’s wishing you a safe Memorial Day. We are thankful for those who gave their lives for our country so that we still have freedom to exercise our rights and liberties. May we always appreciate the sacrifices and work to protect what they gave their lives for.

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Christmas Place Setting and Christmas Fun!

I really can’t believe we’re about a week away from the last Christmas of the decade! I’m thankful to be done with work for the year, although I am especially thankful for the work days, too. I set our Christmas table several weeks ago, but haven’t had a chance to blog pictures of it yet, so here are a few:

Click the photo above to find everything you need to recreate this look.

This year I have once again used a mixture of Blue Willow and Spode Christmas tree. If you follow me on Instagram, you may remember that last year I used these same two patterns, but in reverse. I’ll post a picture below to remind you. I am a lover (hoarder?) of all things Blue Willow, so inevitably it shows up in my holiday decor.

Click the photo above to find everything you need to recreate this look.

This year I have come up with some fun things to do with our kids now that they’re older. We obviously aren’t doing things like visiting Santa or writing him letters. But teens can be especially reluctant to spend quality time together, which we joking call, “Forced Family Fun.”

Click the photo above to find everything you need to recreate this look.

I don’t want our holiday time to actually feel forced, though. I want them to be excited. They have worked really hard this semester in school (one in their first official year of college, and one in their first year of high school), so I want them to blow off some steam and enjoy their break. I’m also cognizant of keeping up with Christmas fun for our younger teen who is still living at home. She deserves the same years and experiences as her older brother. I don’t want things to just “drop off” because our family dynamic has changed.

Click the photo above to find everything you need to recreate this look.

Here are a few things we’ve got planned for the coming week:

  • Gingerbread House Contest (with prizes! i.e. motivation to participate and have fun!)
  • Cookie Baking
  • Outdoor Fire-pit Time
  • Shopping and Wrapping Presents for each other
  • Christmas Lights displays
  • A Christmas Puzzle (We do one each year, and this year I found the cutest one. Follow me on Instagram to see it.)
  • Christmas Eve church service, followed by late night Waffle House
  • Christmas Movie time together with snacks.

I’d love to hear how you make the season fun with teens and young adults! Please feel free to share in the comments below. Goodness, I can use all the help in that department that I can get!

Merry, merry Christmastime to you and yours!

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