A Wonderful Day in the Neighborhood

 

It's not uncommon for someone who enjoys the experience of afternoon tea to have a buddy to share the experience with. I feel so blessed that my friend and neighbor, Karleen, enjoys sharing tea times with me. When she heard that the traveling teapot was at my house awhile back, she invited us to come by for a luncheon tea party. Her invitation said to just "bring yourself and the tea pot". 

Our style is to enjoy the entire process. When the teapot and I arrived, Karleen set me to work arranging a bouquet of flowers. We walked in her garden, selecting blossoms we thought would look pretty on the tea table.

 

 Karleen lives along the river and there's a beautiful view from her living room. So that's where she moved a table and chairs. A quilt, an heirloom from a grandmother, made a pretty tablecloth. Another grandmother's china was set on the table along with some muslin napkins that Karleen had stitched. The floral bouquet and some vintage postcards set the scene for our tea luncheon. 

 

Karleen had prepared a lovely menu of delicious, fresh foods.

 

A cheese and crackers platter was arranged with springs of tarragon, rosemary, lavender, and purple grapes.

 

A colorful "chopped salad" featured toasted pecans and a light vinaigrette. It was delicious!



Deviled eggs were beautifully presented on a tray with a sprig of lavender from the garden.

Fruit kabobs of strawberries, grapes, kiwi, and pineapple were vibrant! Additionally, Karleen served a bowl of cubed watermelon.

Can you see the teapot shaped cheese? Yummy!

Vintage postcards from Karleen's collection added a personal touch to the table.

Everything was so inviting, beautiful, and delicious!

The teapot was set last and took center stage on the beautiful table.

Our tea choice was Buckingham Palace English Afternoon Tea. It was a gift to me from Karleen after her recent trip to London. How fun it was to sip on tea in Karleen's living room that she had purchased at the Queen of England's palace!

Afterwards, dessert was served in the garden.

Thank you, Karleen, for inviting the traveling teapot and me over for a relaxing luncheon tea. Your warm hospitality and friendship is a treasure and a blessing! 

Garden of Thoughts and Dreams

In my garden there is a large place for sentiment.  My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams.  The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful.  Abram L. Urban

The bouquet ~ John F. Kennedy Rose with lavender.

{Please stop by the Traveling Teapot blog. The little plum teapot shares history with Sacajawea today.}

l a v e n d e r * l o v e * k i t t y

The small, cultivator lavenders are in bloom. I love their vivid color and sweet fragrance. It is natural for me to swipe my hands through the plants as I walk by them in the garden. The fragrance clings to my hands and I enjoy the soothing and tranquil smell. Although they do not have stems as long as the Grosso lavender, a good selection could be found, so I decided to cut some stems and create something. A small cluster of lavender in hand was carefully arranged. I secured the cluster with a small rubber band, right below the blossoms. Then, I measure down about 2 inches and marked the stems with my thumbnail. At that mark I folded each stem upwards, leaving a sharp crease but not cutting the stems into pieces. A length of ribbon was used to weave in and out of the stems, creating a "basket" of lavender blossoms. I added a piece of ribbon around the base and at the top of the basket. A bow was tied and added to embellish. It was a fragrant craft! So small and cute! It's drying now, and once dried I will adhere a small magnet to the back. It will become a fridge magnet so that it can be enjoyed for years ahead. Have you ever made a lavender basket?

The rest of the cut lavender was formed into a small bouquet and place into a milk glass vase. This is a 'no water' bouquet for me. The lavender will dry in the arrangement and can add charm to a shelf or sill for weeks to come. More of the striped lavender ribbon was used to tie around the neck of the vase. Old kitty was happy to see me in the garden and came to say hello. Meow!

Can you see kitty peeking past the lavender bouquet?

Lavender is in the mint family, as is cat mint (catnip). I wonder if Old Cat was as interested in me as in the lavender? I like to think he was. He's such a sweet kitty.

Do you grow lavender? Is it blooming yet? June is the month for lavender to bloom around here. The spring flowers of May will now be accented with an abundance of lavender in June. I can hardly wait!