Grandmother’s Flower Garden

 

 

I recently unearthed a quilt that came from my grandmother, that was tucked away and forgotten (translation: I cleaned out a bedroom closet :-)

 The hexagon pattern is known by several names. . . French Bouquet, French Rose Garden, Hexagon Flower Garden, or more commonly, Grandmother’s Flower Garden.

 

The quilter’s identity is uncertain~ but it is thought to have been quilted by neighbor and friend of my grandmother.

 

 

My grandmother, Lottie, was born in 1901. She was one of nine children and raised her three younger brothers after her mother died. She married at the age of 26 (an old maid in 1927!) and attended Elon College (now University) for one year. She passed away in 1993.

 

 

While I’m sharing this table now, I brought my Grandmother’s (x 2 :-) Flower Garden Quilt outdoors to set this table back in May~ in honor of her birthday and to celebrate my reunion with her quilt~

 

 The little hexagons of calico are breathing a deep sigh . . .

 

. . .  enjoying the fresh air and mingling with the other blooms & flower prints on the teacups & china.

 

 

 

 

My Grandmother’s favorite flowers were roses. I can remember her filling vases after cutting them first thing in the morning.

 

 

There are no roses in my garden, but rose-folded napkins are tucked into tea cups along with roses climbing across the china, that once upon a time, belonged to her sister.

 

 

 

A demitasse spoon, disguised as a silver leaf, is tucked into the rose folds of the napkin~

You can find an easy-to-follow & beautiful tutorial for these rosette folded napkins from Yvonne at StoneGable here.

 

 

I piped frosting onto little brownie bites I picked up from Target’s bakery and added some edible (organic!) violas to embellish them for a quick, sweet treat~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 My grandmother confessed she always wanted a tea set growing up but never had one, which prompted her to buy one for my sister and me to use when we visited her.

 

 

We have fond memories of her making our breakfast. . . she would serve our juice and scrambled eggs on our little plates and cups.

 

 

It’s hard to say who enjoyed it more . . . my sister & me eating off of it, or my grandmother playing with it as she prepared our breakfast and served it :-)

 

 

And remarkably, after 40 plus years, it is still intact except for one missing saucer and one plate that was painstakingly glued back together many years ago.

 

  

 Hexagon quilts made in the Grandmother’s Flower Garden pattern, contain a center hexagon~ traditionally yellow~ to represent the flower’s center. The flower center is circled by six colorful printed or solid hexagons with another row of 12 hexagons surrounding the six. This quilt pattern blossomed in popularity in the thirties~ it’s easy to see how the calico prints forming cheery garden flowers would brighten one’s day in a depression-era time.

 

 

 

 

 I was thrilled to have found lilacs sold in bundles at Trader Joe’s back in May when I set this table. . . a surprise as delightful to me as their fragrance . . . and the only way to enjoy them here since our climate is too hot to grow them.

 

 

 

 

I stacked two plates with an inverted tea cup on a pedestal to serve these little flower bites~

 

 

 

 Open Face Cucumber Sandwiches are decorated with more edible violas along with parsley & basil~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Collecting can start with the jog of a childhood memory—perhaps a swirl of rosebuds recalls some long-ago cup in which an adored grandmother offered you a bit of sweet, milky tea scenting with cinnamon.” ~ The Essential Tea Companion

 

 

Flower Garden Table Details:

Dishes~ G. Demartine & Cie

Portmeirion Botanic Garden Flatware~ HomeGoods

Leaf Demitasse Spoons~ Two’s Company~ Tuesday Morning

Assorted Tea Cups & Tea Pots~ HomeGoods

Napkins~ Pier 1

White Plates (as chargers) & Pedestal~ Maxera Cora Blanca~ HomeGoods

Vintage Chintz Pitcher~ Gracie China~ HomeGoods

 

 

Thank you for your visit, I’m joining:

 

•  StoneGable for On the Menu Monday~

• A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday~

• Lady Katherine for Tea Time Tuesday~

•  Rose Chintz Cottage for Tea Time Tuesday~

•  Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday~  

• Jenny Matlock for Alphabe-Thursday~ this week’s letter is T, for Tea

• Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday~

• French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday~

•  Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday~

Oh, Say Can You See. . .

 

A 4^th of July Table with simple white dishes and red & blue accents~ where the food and the party favors are the stars & stripes. . . to celebrate Independence Day~

 

 

On the fourth, there will be 17 of us celebrating family members’ and Uncle Sam’s birthday~ while enjoying food, some boating fun, & fireworks on the lake.

 

 

I found these little vintage greetings-inspired buckets at World Market last summer and thought they would make the perfect pails for party favors.

 

 

A trip to Dollar Tree kept me from liberating all of the cash from my wallet~ where I filled my pails with Red, White, & Blue goodies. . . including a battery operated Fan, Patriotic Tootsie Roll Midgees & Pops, mini Flags and Sparklers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A family favorite~ Our Flag Was Still There Fruit Pizza

 

 

A cookie dough crust using Pillsbury refrigerated cookie dough~ sugar cookie or our preference, chocolate chip~ with a layer of sweetened cream cheese, and the fruit of your choice. Brush apple or apricot preserves over the top of the fruit if desired. Fun to make in a flag formation with blueberries, cream cheese and red grape/raspberry stripes, but we enjoy maximum fruit!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Land of the Free Lemonade~ recipe courtesy Southern Living

 

 

A refreshing combination of pureed watermelon & lemonade~ garnished with some watermelon stars and with the addition of some blueberries~

 

 

Quench your thirst with an adult version, by adding citron vodka~ just sip sloooowly through your straw :-)

 

 

 

 

What So Proudly We Hailed Watermelon Cupcakes

 

 

I had a trial run at these”cupcakes” with my nephews who were visiting this past weekend. The reviews were mixed~ with the adults more impressed than the boys.  Since I pledge allegiance to any frosting~ the best part of a cupcake to me~ watermelon was a surprising & fun frosting-delivery method :-)

 

 

I cut pieces of seedless watermelon with a cookie cutter the approximate size of the cupcake liner~ added pineapple cream cheese frosting and decorated with sprinkles. After punching the watermelon pieces out, I placed them on paper towels to absorb some excess moisture, then put a little piece of wax paper in the bottom of the paper wrapper to prevent the “cupcakes” from weeping through the decorative liners. Next time, I’ll make them & frost ahead and put in the liners at the last minute~

 

 

 

 

 

 Dawn’s Early Light Pretzel Sparklers~ sure to be extinguished quickly :-)

 

 

Pretzel Sparklers, directions courtesy Martha Stewart

 

 

 I found these festive metal pails in the dollar bins at Super Target~

 

 

 

 

Oh, Say Can You See Table details:

Napkins/ Kohl’s

Plates/ Oneida Westerly Basket

Flatware & Placemats/ HomeGoods

Matelasse Coverlet used for tablecloth

Vintage Greetings-Inspired Pails, Hobnail Pitcher & Glasses/ World Market

Metal Patriotic Pails/ SuperTarget

Blue Goblets/ Dollar Tree

 

 

A Star- Spangled Menu

 Banner Yet Wave Burgers

Home of the Brave Hotdogs

Broad Stripes Broccoli Salad

Bright Stars Baked Beans

Rocket’s Red Glare Potato Salad

Proof Through the Night Pasta Salad

Our Flag Was Still There Fruit Pizza

What So Proudly We Hailed Watermelon Cupcakes

Dawn’s Early Light Pretzel Sparklers

Land of the Free Lemonade

 

 

Wishing you a Safe & Happy 4th~ with Liberty & Potato Salad for All!

 

Thank you for your visit, I’m happy to be joining:

•  StoneGable for On the Menu Monday~

•  A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday~

• Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday~

• Jenny Matlock for Alphabe-Thursday~ this week’s letter is K,  for Francis Scott Key’s  Star-Spangled Banner~

• Common Ground for Patriotic Vintage Inspiration Friday~

• Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday~

•  Sweet as Sugar Cookies for Sweet for a Saturday~

• I Savor the Weekend for Patriotic Linky Party~

• The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays~

 

Reliable Seeds

A little table top inspiration provided by my vintage Reliable Seeds box. . .

. . .and a crop of vegetables picked from the market~

 

A shopping trip to Target last year, yielded this pair of decorative gardening gloves ~

 

 

 

 

I harvested veggies from my Reliable Seeds, courtesy of Hello, Cupcake!

 

A cupcake garden, with freshly turned chocolate-wafer earth~ and crowd-pleasing summer vegetables~made from fruit chews~

“Edible Pods” are Tootsie Roll Midgees, rolled flat and shaped to hold green M&M’s, masquerading as “Huge Peas”~

 Space Saving Romaine and Little Gem Lettuce~

 

Colorful Blend Radishes~ created by blending Vanilla Midgees & Cherry Starbursts

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Sugarsnax Carrots, everybunny’s favorite~

Freshly picked table top details:

Tablecloth/ Kohl’s

Plates, Goblets, Cake Pedestal/ HomeGoods

Placemats/ Pottery Barn

Bunny Towels/ Williams Sonoma

Goblets/ HomeGoods

Gardener Bunny/ Hobby Lobby

Thank you for your visit, I’m joining:

•  Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday~

• Susan for Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch~

• Jenny Matlock for Alphabe-Thursday~ this week’s letter is H, for a Harvest of veggies from Hello Cupcake!

•  Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday~

• Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday~

• Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday~

• Sweets for a Saturday at Sweet as Sugar Cookies

• The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays

• Cupcake Apothecary for A Themed Baker’s Sunday

• Everyday Sisters Sharing Sundays

Garden Wisdom

I’m dreaming of gardening again this week. . . My collection of galvanized watering cans are standing by for service, planted on a French seed tray ~

  Small peat pots at each place setting are filled with sweet-faced Violas & wrapped in pieces of burlap, tied with twine~

A decorative bird cage houses pots for planting~

 A layer of landscaping burlap functions a decorative cover for my garden table again this week~

My 1959 edition of The Wise Garden Encyclopedia is nearby:  A complete, practical, and convenient guide to every detail of gardening written for all U.S. climates, soils, seasons, and methods.

 

The jacket reads:

“This encyclopedic volume is not only lavishly illustrated in exquisite natural full colors, but is authoritatively written by E. L. D. Seymour, Editor for the renowned “Garden Encyclopedia,” assisted by a corps of famous flower experts. It is a book as practical as it is beautiful.”

 

“Parading in all their dazzling, natural glory are 800 different flowers, reproduced with such remarkable fidelity that your can almost inhale their fragrance. Every shade and nuance of the most flaming and most subtle colors of these flowers is captured for your delight and instruction.”

From the Foreward:

“The returns—or should we say rewards?—that one gets from a garden are of various kinds. There are the material products—flowers, vegetables, fruits—to be enjoyed through the several senses, or shared with others and thereby doubly enjoyed. There is the physical benefit and enjoyable recreation to be gained from garden work. There is the pride of ownership of something fine and beautiful, and the inspiration of working hand in hand with Nature in creating it.”

While the language is dated, the sentiment is still current~

“Always there is the well merited satisfaction of having accomplished something that enhances the home and benefits the community; of having taken a step and made contribution toward that noble goal, a more beautiful America.”

 

“Watering pots are useful in a small way for wetting soil in seed pans, flats, cold frames, hotbeds and seedling beds and for sprinkling foliage.”

 I love the method described in using these “watering pots”~

“These streams can be made to fall more lightly and in rain-like drops by holding the can higher to increase the distance between the apertures and the points where the water strikes.”

I’m looking forward to a gardener’s reward:

“To lounge in comfort beneath a tree, gazing on smooth green lawn and bed of flowers, is due reward for a gardener on a summer day.”

White Plates~ Oneida Westerly Basket

Jute Runner & Napkin Rings~ Pottery Barn

Napkins~ Home Goods

Flatware & Goblets~ Target

Woven Chargers~ World Market

Thank you for your visit, I’m joining:

Sherry at No Minimalist Here for Open House Party~

  Jenny Matlock for Alphabe-Thursday~ this week’s letter is W~ for Wise Garden Encyclopedia & Watering Pots

•  Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday ~

• Suzanne, The Coloradolady for Vintage Thingie Thursday

• Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday

Tailgating with Pumpkins

A Pumpkin Tailgate reprisal from last Fall~

Cooler temperatures make for perfect tailgate & picnic weather~

My husband got a new/old 1985 jeep that’s been restored. . .

. . . now a Sky Blue color, like Ronald Reagan’s CJ-8 he used on his ranch.

He kept the original tailgate color for comparison~

Of course, my response that his jeep was so “cute” when I first saw it, was NOT the proper adjective. . .

. . . for a 1985  Jeep CJ-8 Scrambler with a crate 350 motor, NV 4500 transmission, Dana transfer case, and Dana front and rear axles. . .

. . .but I still say it’s cute, especially decorated with pumpkins :)

 

My husband failed appreciate my feminine touches & the accessorizing of his Jeep. . .

But I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the pumpkins in contrast to the Warn Winch’s durable 3-stage planetary geartrain and operation series-wound, high-speed motor~ especially when it makes my husband squirm :-)

Disclaimer:

Any views or opinions presented (ie, pumpkins on hood of jeep & girly pillows . . .) are solely those of the author and contradict/go against this Jeep owner’s core beliefs, values and all he holds dear, do not necessarily represent those of the Jeep owner/driver husband :-)

Thank you for your visit, I’m joining:

• Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays~

•  Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday~

•    Jenny Matlock for Alphabe-Thursday~ Anything Autumn~

• Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday~

• The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays~

Summer Whites on the Porch

We spent this past weekend visiting with family from out-of-town, enjoying their company and the water~ trying to escape the heat. While the calendar says the first day of summer is tomorrow, we have had temperatures 10 – 15 degrees higher than normal for a month now. . .

 I’m recycling this post from last summer when I was trying to escape the heat surrounded by cool, summer whites to join the fun at Rhondi’s Porch Party~

  

I dressed my porch in Summer Whites. . . I’m hoping that surrounded by a sea of white (or I should say lake of white :-)  I’ll be cooler and might forget that the heat index is off the charts~

. . .it’s not working. . .

I have some books to read to help take my mind off of the heat ~ with pictures of relaxing, cool porches. . .

This section of the porch does have shade and a little bit of a breeze to enjoy as long as the humidity is not 90% . . .

 I moved a few architectural items from inside to the porch. . . a favorite pair of weathered corbels, that I like to imagine came from a large old house~ in an era where there was no air conditioning. . .and a favorite birdhouse, new made to look old, with its rusted tin roof & finial.

 A trio of chippy spindles~ repurposed as candleholders~

 

And a single corbel with most of its white paint missing~

 

 White tray & carafe~ Target

 Glasses & Napkins~ Pier 1

White Plates~ Lennox Butterfly Meadow Cloud~ HomeGoods

Hope you are staying cool where you are~

Thank you for your visit, I’m joining:

Rhondi’s Porch Party at Rose Colored Glasses~

Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday~

Kathleen at  Faded Charm for White Wednesday~

 Susan at  Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday~

Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday~

Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday~

Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Summer Decks and Porches Party~