Countdown to Christmas: Day 23 thoughts on my holiday table: interesting color combination, plus vintage lithopane collections out for the occasion...

 our sugared pink church

It's two days until Christmas -- 

time for me to pull out the antique silver, polish it up, and think about our Christmas dinner and table.

 Today I hope to inspire making a beautiful table for our celebration. I like to use unusual colors, and this year I added pink and cranberry colors to the mix.   

The time is now to pull out your unique collections 
and mix the best china
with the quirky items
you have squired away. 

I say be creative with your holiday table,
and don't be afraid to take it a little over the top --
it's sugarplums and fairies for goodness sakes...

The holidays are a perfect time to bring out my vintage collection of tea pots and cups. I love my Lithopane collection, which are from the World War II era -- with a surprise hologram of a Geisha at the bottom of cup you finish  your last sip with a lovely vision. I like that the cups are small enough for a bit of tea after dinner. I've created quite a collection over the years and curated my sets all over the country from South Dakota to Long Island.

What is a lithopane? 

"A lithophane is an etched or molded artwork in thin very translucent porcelain that can only be seen clearly when back lit with a light source. It is a design or scene in intaglio that appears "en grisaille" (in gray) tones.  The word "lithophane" derives from Greek "litho", which is from "lithos" which means stone or rock, and "phainein" meaning "to cause to appear" or "to cause to appear suddenly"

-Wikepedia

Those are my table thoughts,

and please stop back tomorrow for details on what I'll be serving
Christmas dinner -- 

a slow-cooking roast, homemade stuffed periogi, a green salad and

topping it all off with rich and delicious English Trifle,

thanks to my dear friend Barbara Mangini

over at My Dog Eared Pages --

there will be recipes to boot.