Pink, White, and a Little Bit-O-Green

I've set my kitchen table in anticipation of the first day of Spring and a lovely Spring luncheon/tea that I'm planning for the four of us.  I find such joy in getting things ready ahead of time because it allows me to look at it for a while, fuss with it, change it, you know how it goes...

The vase is one of my favorites, such a lovely shade of green, perfect for Saint Patrick's Day.

These tulips "sing Spring".  I will undoubtedly have to purchase more since these have decided to open so soon, I'm not complaining:-)

(edited)
The cup and saucer is marked Stadfordshire England, Mayfair.  I love the delicate floral pattern.  The pink glasses are from Anthropologie.  The pink candle holders are a find from one of my antiquing weekends.  The table cloth is an April Cornell print that I hesitated for a moment to purchase, I'm so accustomed to choosing solid colours or textures.  I'm glad I purchased it, this might be a new trend for me.

The simplicity of white china; a Home Goods purchase.

My dear friend Patricia, who by the way has an awesome china collection and welcomes every opportunity to use it.  Pat stopped by to add these sweet napkin rings to my setting.  She has such a knack for adding those special touches.

I could not resist adding this little milk glass hen dish to the table.  I have no idea what I'll place in the dish but it looks right at home there doesn't it?

I have a few more days to plan my menu and purchase more tulips but until then, I'll  light the candles...

and enjoy the view.

Thanks for taking the time to visit with me.  I'm joining Tablescape Thursday, and Show and Tell Friday.  I hope you'll take a moment to visit these beautiful blogs.

A Couple of Days...

I am taking a couple of days off from my normal blog posting.  My heart goes out to those affected by the tragedy in Japan. Many prayers for all.

An Accidental Centerpiece

You can probably tell by now that I love flowers.  I do not, however, love the price tag that accompany most professional arrangements that catch my eye.  So what's a girl to do?  Well, this is what I do...Fresh flowers, I buy those that are in season and on sale :-)  There will be lots of tulips,hyacinths, and daffodils around here in the upcoming weeks.  Silk flowers, again, I look for the sales, use the coupons, and don't worry about purchasing a huge amount to make an arrangement on the spot.  I'll buy one stem of something if I like it.  I keep a few baskets around where I literally just drop flowers into them as I collect them (like the one in my header).  I've ended up with some very pretty and inexpensive arrangements by doing this.  Granted they're not in the league of the professional florist's arrangements but they have a sweet quality about them that I love.  This is exactly how I ended up with this one

This little arrangement just sort of happened all on its own, just like with the basket, I put a few stems in the vase as I purchased them and then picked a few from my basket until the vase was full.  I shifted everything around, fluffed them up a bit, and there you have it, instant centerpiece.  This is the sitting area in my bedroom, I think it looks right at home here.

I love this area of our room but quite frankly I don't relax there often.  Lately my days have been filled with spring cleaning, you know the kind where everything is pulled out and you're so busy that you forget to take a break or stop to eat.  Last week I went from room to room and by the time Sunday rolled around I was exhausted.  So, I decided that I would treat myself to a little down time to enjoy this area of our room...

Have a cup of tea, and browse a few magazines, and nope, I didn't feel guilty :-)

Here's a sweet poem for you.

"The stormy March is come at last

With wind, and cloud, and changing skies;

I hear the rushing of the blast

That through the snowy valley flies.

Ah, passing few are they who speak

Wild stormy month in praise of thee;

Yet though thy winds are loud and bleak

Thou art a welcome month to me

For thou, to northern lands again

The glad and glorious sun dost bring

And thou hast joined the gentle train,

And wear'st the gentle name of Spring.

And in thy region of blast and storm

Smiles many a long, bright summer day

When the changed winds are soft and warm

And heaven puts on the blue of May."

                                                             Bryant.

I'm joining in the fun at Show and Tell Friday, there's lots of creativity there.  I hope you'll take a moment to visit.

Thanks for taking time to visit with me, I hope you come again.

Tea in the Parlor

Is it a parlor or is it a living room?  Webster defines parlor  as " a room used primarily for conversation or the reception of guests".  That's primarily what we use this room for, but in reverse.  When a guest arrives, we normally gather in the family room and the kitchen.  When our guests are leaving, we end up in the living room/parlor. Today however, there are no guests, only me, and I'm having tea in my parlor.

Nice sunshine today, perfect moment to take tea and slow things down a bit.  My table setting holds very sweet memories for me.  The lace is part of a set that was given to me by my mother-in-law; she passed away 8 years ago, we miss her.  The cut glass bowl was given to me by my mother-in-law's grandmother, she lived to be 102.  When she gave me the bowl she said to me that it was given to her when she was "young" by the elderly grandmother of a friend.  I can only imagine how old that cut glass bowl really is :-)  I cherish it.  The little silver teapot reminds me of a wonderful summer weekend spent with my sister.  I picked it up a little gift shop during our day of shopping, eating, and laughing at the silliest of things.  So much fun.

I hope the day allows you time to have tea in your parlor.

It's Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday and I'm linking with Wanda Lee., and  A Return to Loveliness
Enjoy your visits to all the wonderful ladies sharing some of their favorite things.

I enjoy your visits and your comments.  Thanks so much.

A Spot of Tea for Krista

Hubby came down with a cold and of course he graciously shared it with me.  I have so many things I wanted to get done this week but they'll have to wait until I'm over the sniffles and lack of energy.  Today is my daughter's 21st birthday and I had planned to do some baking and prepare a nice birthday tea for her.  I am so lucky that she is such a girly girl who still enjoys whimsy, beautiful things, and spending time enjoying a cup of tea.  I didn't have the energy to do everything I'd planned but we were able to share a spot of birthday tea with her before she left for her dinner date with her boyfriend.  Like me, she loves all things pink.

We settled on an ice cream cake and it was very good.  My son questioned the tea with the ice cream cake but quickly realized that it was very delicious and the flavour complimented the cake quite nicely.

Krista is out enjoying the rest of her day at a (new to her) authentic Mexican  restaurant.  She just called to tell me how delicious it is and that she's ordered a Margarita with her meal and assures me that she's having only one...She's 21 today, my son turned 18 last week, where has the time gone?

I think I'll go put the kettle on and curl up with a good book.

When twilight drops her curtain down

And pins it with a star,

Remember that you have a friend

Though she may wander far.

--Lucy Maud Montgomery

Anne of Green Gables

I'm linking with Pink Saturday , Pretty Things Friday , and  The Charm of Home.  Please visit these beautiful blogs.


Thanks for visiting.  Have a great weekend.

Happy Fabric on the Table

I wasn't sure of what I wanted the title of this post to be so I just called it as I see it...Happy fabric on the table...

When fabrics come in the mail I waste no time going right up to  my sewing room, open the box to oooh and ahhh over the contents and start imagining the projects that are yet to be.  Then I put them in a stack for the next laundry day.  This time, when the box arrived, I decided to change things up a bit.  Instead of  passing by the living room I decided to go in, sit in my favorite chair, and open the box in there.  The sun was streaming through the windows and I just couldn't resist the urge to sit and enjoy it.  The only thing missing was a cup of tea.

As I removed the fabric from the box, I began stacking them up on the tea table and noticed how they seemed right at home there.  Seeing all the fabric there made me enjoy them even more and I was glad I broke from my routine.  I don't think I'll make a habit of doing this with every fabric purchase but on this day, the cheeriness of the colours lifted my spirits and brightened my mood...Reminds me that it's the simple things that can sometimes make the biggest impact.

Now just in case you want to add to your own fabric stash :-) Here's a list of what's on my table:

Jelly roll - Westminster French Hatbox

Jelly roll - Blackbird Designs Wild Rose (Moda)

Layer cake - Minick & Simpson Charlevoix (Moda)

Yardage -

Tasha Tudor - A is for Annabelle (RJR)

Lecien - Flower Sugar

RJR - Sweet Pea

Carrie Nelson - Fresh Pallete (Henry Glass)

Thanks for visiting with me and take a moment to break from a routine it just might be the spark to get those creative juices flowing.

Have a fantastic weekend everybody.

Tea-time Table

I hope everyone enjoyed their Valentine's day celebrations.  I have never been one to plan anything ahead to celebrate Valentine's day but this year I decided to prepare an afternoon tea for my husband (it actually ended up being an evening tea).  Would you like to see the table setting?  Take a look.

When I initially set the table we had a bit of sunshine (so welcomed after so many grey, snowy days) I really liked the crystal candle holders on the table for the way the light reflected off of them.  Around 3:30 p.m. the clouds began to take over and so I replaced the crystal with the antique bronze and rose candlesticks.  I love the colour of the bronze against the ecru lace.  Last year I made pink votives and I'd stored them away until I had just the right setting (almost forgot where I hid put them) they made their debut here.  It took a little searching but I'm glad I found them, they're such a nice soft shade of pink.  I have four more that I'm now planning to use when I host my springtime tea.  I made sure that I stored them in an obvious location this time.

My husband enjoyed his special tea so much that we're going to try our best to do this more often; a mini version of this, a chance to take a break from schedules and the normal day to day "to do" lists.  The only thing I'll have to adjust is making sure there's a tea mug for him...He was ok with the pretty china teacups for this time but I think I'll need some alternatives for him in the future :-)

Have a great day today and an even better tomorrow.