Spring Tea Party

I am happy to be a guest blogger for Tea on Tuesday with Pam@Everydayliving and Mary @Homeiswheretheboatis. Tea on Tuesday takes place on the third Tuesday of each month.At the end of this post you will find images and links to their beautiful posts.

"The spirit of the tea beverage is one of peace, comfort, and refinement." Arthur Gray

 My spring garden is bursting with blooms and signs of spring. The air is redolent with the fragrance of Confederate Jasmine and it is a gorgeous spring day. The birdsong is delightful. It is the kind of day you dream of during the dead of winter.Join me for tea, relax and enjoy the beautiful day.

The morning sun is shining on the new growth on the trees and the contrast of shades of green is beautiful. I've gathered some comfortable pillows from my guest room for the chairs.

Join me for tea and some treats from my favorite store, Trader Joe's.

This brass tray borrowed from a friend unifies the tea set and brings out the gold in the china. Lomonosov china is hand decorated and embellished with 22 carat gold. It is made in Russia by the Imperial Lomonosov Porcelain Factory. 

I fell in love with this pattern after my daughter-in-law selected it for her wedding china. My daughter discovered this set at an estate sale recently and I am so glad I have a tea set myself now.

Trader Joe's has a good variety of scones, meringues, macaroons, and cheese straws which are perfect for teatime.

It is so nice to freeze them and pull them out when you need them.

I am passionate about blue and white and I love different patterns and textures. The  Spode Blue Italian Hexagonal vase holding the pink tulips has the iconic Blue Countryside design with an Imari Oriental floral border.  The tablecloth is a toile fabric. The toile fabric is actually a drapery panel I made years ago for my guest room. Sometimes you have to improvise! Toile fabric originated in France and in the late 18th century toile de Jouy was the official choice for clothing and interiors. The pattern depicts a scene usually a landscape that involves figures. 

The chinoiserie ginger jars are from China. Chinoiserie has definitive Chinese patterns like fish, Asian architecture and flowers. I've had these since the 80's. 

Spode's Blue Italian is one of the most important designs in British ceramic history and celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2016.

"APRIL HATH PUT A SPIRIT OF YOUTH IN EVERYTHING."William Shakespeare

It has been fun to share tea from my garden with you.  
Recently, my garden club enjoyed tea together at a local shop called, The Kind Hearted Woman. I thought you would enjoy seeing the delicious food we shared.

Scones with a delicious mock Devonshire Cream and various tea sandwiches were served on tiered trays.

Lemon cakes, cake pops, and pizzelles were delicious! I wish I had all the recipes.

View Mary and Pam's posts below by clicking on the links below the pictures.

Mary ~ Home Is Where the Boat Is

Pam ~ Everyday Living

Thank you, Mary and Pam, for inviting me as a guest blogger today for Tea On Tuesday! I had a great time.

Living Thankfully, ☕️🌸☕️🌸☕️

Celebrating Valentine's Day

Welcome to a  pretend Valentine celebration. It has been a long time since I have posted. There are times you just need a rest and the time to regroup. I've set the table for eight  today to celebrate Valentine's Day. It would make a perfect Galentine table with red and white with gold accents and a little pink. One of these days I am going to have a real Galentine party. The camellias  in my centerpiece all came from my garden and it was a thrill for me to create arrangements from my garden. We had a hard freeze forecast and my bushes were full of blooms and many buds. So I was inspired to cut my blooms and do an arrangement.

I started collecting milk glass  a few years back and it has been fun to collect. My sweet daughter-in-law gave me the compote the large arrangement is in and one of the small vases. Her mother gave me the other one. Would you believe my daughter- in-law was incredibly sweet to bring the pieces she gave me in a suitcase and her mother did the same thing. That was a gift of love!

Mirrored tiles serve as a table runner and assorted hearts are scattered along with votive candleholders on the tiles. 

Candlelight is always a plus that adds ambiance. I'm glad the old etiquette rules about not lighting candles during the daytime has become outdated. I like the reflection the mirrored tile runner adds and it seems I always use it for my Valentine tables.

The pink camellia is named Pink Debutant and the white ones are White by the Gate and  White Alba Plena. The red blooms are Professor Sargent. Fatsia seed pods add an unique texture and was fun to discover in my garden as I cut camellias.  It was very cold when I was cutting and I had to get gloves and bundle up. I don't often get this much energy but knew it would be a shame not to enjoy my flowers indoors too.

The plate stack consists of a gold charger, red dinner plate,cream plates with a wide gold border and lastly a salad plate with a smaller golden border. Ruby red goblets add more festivity with gold flatware and white napkins with a red border. 

The varigated pink and white flower is called La Peppermint. 

"YOU ARE NEVER TOO OLD TO SET ANOTHER GOAL OR DREAM A NEW DREAM." C.S. LEWIS

I was sorry I failed to do a close up of the velvet stuffed heart. There are also two other glass ones with etching that I failed to photograph closely. It seems like I am always fighting the waning light to photograph in a hurry and forget to do close ups of the accessories.

Here is a picture of one of the large hearts used in another Valentine post.

I am looking forward to a real Valentine celebration with my husband next week. I will remove all the plates but two. What are your plans? 

Again, I apologize for my blogging absence. I have had a few health issues.  Wishing you a lovely Valentine's Day. 

Blessings, Bonnie♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

Summertime Tea

Join me in the garden today for tea and macaroons. I am happy to be a guest blogger for Tea on Tuesday with Pam@Everyday Living and Mary@ Homeiswheretheboatis. Pam and Mary share teatimes on the third Tuesday of each month.  
  "If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden." Frances Hodgson Burnett.

It is cool in my shady garden. You can see the overhead canopy of trees reflecting in the mirror tray.
"God Almighty first planted a garden. And indeed, it is the purest of human pleasures." Sir Frances Bacon

The vintage Chintz teapot was a Christmas gift from my kids. It was the neatest surprise.

This small Lenox basket vase holding tulips was a wedding gift, accented by a rose medallion plate, adding many colors.

The teacups were a surprise birthday gift three months later. China dishes make me feel special, and I enjoy using them even for everyday use. I decided I was not saving them for special occasions but would savor tea using them on ordinary days, be thankful for my children's gifts, and remember them.

"Summer afternoon, Summer afternoon; To me, those have always been the two most beautiful words in the 
English language." Henry James

I love how tulips drape naturally, and each flower has so much personality.
 " Friends are like flowers. They fill the world with beauty." Celeste Barnard

Macaroons are always a treat and perfect with a cup of tea savored in the garden. I'm always entertained and amazed by the birds. Sitting in the garden is a beautiful quiet time to reflect and count my blessings. Early mornings are especially pleasant to me.

The riser bought at a local gift shop elevated the teapot, and the gold trim matched the gold accents on the teapot and cups and saucers.

The gold mirrored tray is very versatile. I like it everywhere I use it. It usually resides on my coffee table. I bought it at Home Goods in Dallas, Texas.

The name of the vintage Chintz pattern is called " Summertime." An English Chintz pattern is an all-over, tightly grouped, multi-colored pattern, usually floral. My daughter found the pieces in an Etsy shop. Royal Winton Grimwades is an English brand of ceramics made in Grimwades Limited, a Stoke-on-Trent-based company founded in 1885. 

Take a closer look at the top of the teapot. The top of the lid is shaped like a strawberry. The summertime chintz pattern contains roses, daisies, violets, harebells, and other summer flowers. It was first introduced in 1932 and is still popular today. This teapot was made in the 60s.

The tablecloth is actually a sheet from the 1970s. I wish I had saved more sheets when patterns were so popular.

"Teatime is a chance to slow down, pull back, and appreciate our surroundings."  Letitia Baldridge
I have enjoyed sharing my tea table with you today. Please take the above quote to heart, slow down, and appreciate your surroundings. 🌸 Please join my creative friends below and leave them a comment so they will know you visited. Thank you, Pam and Mary, for inviting me to be your guest blogger today!

Pam~ Everyday Living

Mary~ Home is Where the Boat Is

Happy teatime! I have been deeply saddened by the passing of Phyllis Hoffman DePiano, editor-in-Chief of Hoffman Media which produces, TeaTime magazine, Victoria magazine, and Southern Lady magazine. She was a very talented and inspiring person and will be greatly missed. My thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends.
☕️🌸☕️🌸☕️
Living thankfully,

Summer Blessings

Happy June! Our weather has been glorious, with beautiful spring-like weather. As Southerners, we know the humidity is coming soon, but we will enjoy it for as long as possible.

Today, I am joining blogging friends and fellow table stylists for a summer tablescape blog hop sponsored by Rita @Panoply.  Twenty total bloggers are participating. Thank you, Rita, for organizing these hops.

I've set the table on the patio today using my favorite colors, which are blue and white. I've added a little green color and texture using Bordello Pinheiro chargers.

I chose an Asian planter with a footed saucer for the centerpiece container. 

Hydrangeas are my favorite flower, and cutting them from my garden brings me much joy.

Johnson Brothers Blue willow plates coordinate with the blue and white floral tablecloth and say welcome summer. Officially summer begins June 21, but everyone will agree that summer activities begin when the kids are out of school.

You can see a little of my garden in this photo. I have a few white and pink hydrangeas but mostly blue. The last time I counted, I had over 80 hydrangeas of various kinds.  With the extreme cold at Christmas, I was afraid it would affect the hydrangeas, and grateful I did not lose any.

I do have a story to share about the Blue Willow plates. In the late '80s, we lived in Fairbanks, Alaska. There was no Amazon, or eBay, then. Southern Living magazine offered a mail-order sale on these dishes, and what a great blessing that was for a young army wife who loved dishes and did not have a source. I am still enjoying them. According to Google, The Blue Willow pattern's exact origin is unknown; however, it's believed it was first made in England during the late 1700s. There are conflicting stories about who created the pattern, too-some claim that Josiah Spode invented it. While others say, John Turner did.

There are key motifs in the Blue Willow pattern. These include willow trees, pine trees, the bridge with three men on it, a fence, a boat, a teahouse or pagoda, and two birds in flight.

Bamboo cutlery adds more texture and contrast. Blue goblets from an estate sale complete the tablescape.

This is my favorite napkin fold. It is Carolyn Roehm's signature napkin fold. 

"All which we behold is full of blessings." William Wordsmith

I wish all my followers and table stylist friends a restful and happy summer. I named this post "Summer Blessings" because I am thankful to enjoy a slower pace. What summer activities do you have planned?

Click on the links below to view all the summer tablescapes. Each blogger would love to hear from you.

Panoply - Up, Up and Away With Summer Dining

Home is Where the Boat Is - Hydrangeas and Butterflies

Everyday Living - Welcoming Summer With A Garden Tablescape

Life and Linda - A Boho Alfresco Tablescape

Corner of Plaid and Paisley - Summer Plaid and Polka Dot Picnic

Living With Thanksgiving - Summer Blessings

Debbee's Buzz - Alfresco Bee Theme Table and Florals

The Painted Apron - Boats, Floats and Fish!

The Little Yellow Corner Store - Pucker Up Lemony Tablescape - It is Time to Have a Bee-utiful Day!

The Cat's Whiskerz - A summer picnic tablescape for Canada Day

Pandora's Box - Summer Blues

Me and My Captain - Florida Blue Crab Summer Tablescape

From My Carolina Home - Welcome Summer Tablescapes

The Bookish Dilettante - Summer Tablescape:  Old Glory
My Thrift Store Addiction - Summer Picnic Brunch under the Texas Mountain Laurel

Red Cottage Chronicles - Lemon Tablescape for Summer

Hyacinths for the Soul - Long May She Wave

Celebrating Everyday Life - Create a Chic Seashell Table Setting This Summer

Dinner at Eight - A Summer of Colors

Bluesky at Home - Pretty Table for a Ladies Dinner Party

Wishing you many summer blessings! By the way, the as I close this post, the humidity has arrived!

🌿🌺🌿🌺🌿🌺🌿🌺🌿🌺🌿🌺🌿🌺🌿🌺🌿🌺🌿🌺🌿🌺🌿🌺🌿