The Five O'Clock Tea Club Tablecloth, 4.9.18

 In the 20's, 30's, 40's, and 50's our Nana belonged to The Five O'Clock Tea Club with many of her friends, all of them wives of highly successful leaders in our city.  After decades of wonderful times with the other club ladies, the 60's had rolled around, and Nana was probably one of the last living members.  As a result, I'm guessing that she was the club member left in charge of the Five O'Clock Tea Club tablecloth.  Last week I was blessed to  share a selection of my collection of china, silver, and antique linens with The Oklahoma Art League for their April Guest Day Meeting.  One of those items was the Five O'Clock Tea Club's tablecloth.  Once again, it found its way to the center of a lovely ladies' tea. I'll primarily let you get a look at our tea table and the centerpiece for the group of about 80 ladies.  Come on in and join us...
  

For the third time in less than 30 days, tulips are the flowers of choice.  By now you're familiar with the Accent Decor tulipiere.  The flowers were arranged at my house three days prior to the meeting.  They were in full bloom this day.  I chose the colors for a painterly effect.  I kept thinking of a painter's palette covered with dabs of color.  

 The Herend Queen Victoria tureen was a unanimous choice by the hospitality committee.  It's also making a third appearance this month; it's hard to get tired of this lovely dame.  Teapots here include Wedgwood, Coalport, Royal Albert, Bernardaud Limoges, and a darling pink stoneware teapot.

When I go to estate sales, I frequently add to my collection of oriental wooden stands.  Today some of them combined to charming effect as we elevated each of the elements in our centerpiece. 

Nana's pair of silver pedestal shells were just right for the lemon curd, which accompanied cranberry-orange scones.  You can't have a tea without scones, right?!

It seems rare that anyone takes coffee or tea after a meal anymore, so it was really fun to pull out an assortment of teacups for the ladies to sup their tea.  We served a French Caramel Crème Brûlée tea by Teaoli. Find it if you can.  So delicious!  This is another of Nana's cutwork linen cloths.  Teacups included Lenox Beltane, Castleton Laurel, Royal Copenhagen God Fan. and Coalport Countryware. Replacements were waiting in the kitchen.  Tea was served from a pair of Silver Urns at either end of the table.

 Here's a pretty good look at the tea club's tablecloth.  It's about 100 years old now.  It's over 200" long, and I had to create a pair of folds to reduce the length for today's table.

 Teapots included Russian china, Meissen Blue Onion, Bernadaud Limoges Artois, and a Mad Hatter teapot that KC brought me from one of her trips to Australia.  The empty spots on both sides of the table would soon be filled with silver trays laden with a fresh assortment of tiny tea sandwiches, cucumber sandwiches were mandatory, of course!

 Lace cookies with milk chocolate filling, Macarones, and the Cranberry Orange Scones waited to be uncovered.  The tea party was enjoyed after the group's business meeting and program.

 I pulled several patterns of luncheon plates for the ladies as they selected their goodies.  Here, the Schumann Empress Dresden Flowers reticulated plate.

 Coalport Sèvres Group luncheon plates.

It was indeed a job for our committee to pull, pack, transport, unload, layout each item for our tea, clear, wash and dry, and then repeat the process to return everything home, but it was so worth the time and effort.  The happy faces of our guests, the enthusiastic conversations that permeated the fellowship hall, the pronounced lack of leftovers...all of these were more than enough to make me willing to do it again the next time the occasion presents itself.  The next time you have the opportunity to share your lovely things with one of your organizations, go for it!  You'll be tired, of course, but there will be no denying the contented smile on your face.

This week I'm joining:

Tablescape Thursday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

Inspire Me Tuesday with Marty @ A Stroll Through Life

Life and Linda @ Dishing It and Digging It Blog Party

A Christmas Two - Fer

So...a few days have past (remember I'm still sharing my 2014 Christmas tablescapes) since the Simply Plaid dinner party, and I'm now set up for a small luncheon for a handful of my dearest friends.  We'll be dining in the living room at the games table.  Several more days will pass, and I'll repeat this same tablescape design, with a few changes just for fun, for another small luncheon for some of my dearest friends.  Now you understand why I am calling this post "A Christmas Two Fer..."Two Fer the Price of One".  Come on in and join us.  I'll pull up an extra chair and put an extra place setting on the table.

The tree is trimmed, and the table is decked in a wonderful plaid taffeta tablecloth, an eBay find.

 We'll begin our luncheon with a wonderful Squash Bisque...

 ...served in the Glastonbury-Lotus gold rimmed footed chiller...

 ...seated nicely on one of Nana's antique crystal accent plates with the glorious green trim.


Anchoring the setting is the Anna Weatherly Blue charger plate.

 
Nana's antique damask napkin is held in one of my mama's Christmas basket napkin rings.  The gold tone flatware was a great get at a Dallas estate sale.  The funky little piece placed to keep the dinner plate from shifting around on the charger plate?...While at physical therapy for my knee, I noticed my therapist visiting with an older woman who appeared to be down-trodden.  When I inquired, my therapist told me that she was homeless and lived in a shelter.  She crocheted potholders to try and earn her own way as much as possible.  I was overwhelmed by her determination to make her own way.  I ended up ordering potholders for each of my friends and as stocking stuffers for my family.  Today they were put to good use on my table and then went home with my guests.


The dinner plate is Royal Worcester Regency... 


...Nana's plate will return for dessert.


Beverages were served in the Waterford Simply Red and the AJKA Xenia goblets.


You saw the AJKA Green pedestal bowl used in my post, Renaissance



My guests' Christmas gifts were gathered around the centerpiece.


This made me happy.

Let the party begin.

It's now several days later, and I've tweaked my design in just a couple of ways.  Can you find the differences?

Do you ever play that game at the back of people magazine...the one where they have made maybe 10 slight changes to a photograph, and you're supposed to find them.  I'm a sucker for the game, and I have to admit...I'm not awful at it.

Another party down.  Christmas, 2014 is drawing closer.  I'll try to add another one tomorrow.  Are you ready for New Year's Eve?

This week I'm joining:
Tablescape Thursday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

Spring Inspirations and Spode Peacock

"First things first...We are truly blessed to have the means to set a pretty table and invite our friends to join us for good food and fellowship. I am mindful that many are not so fortunate. My daughter has a passion for the work of the Food Bank. As a singer-songwriter, she has written and recorded a song that is the anthem for the world wide Crop Hunger Walk project. Her song, "Raise Your Voice" is featured in their video. I've included a link in the side margin of my blog.  I hope that it will encourage you to support projects in your community that contribute to the effort to overcome hunger.  
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I love that inspiration can come from so many different directions...sometimes just around the corner...sometimes it's right outside your window!

 When I opened my bedroom window shades yesterday morning, a smile formed on my face.  I grabbed my camera to capture these brand new buds.  Years ago, Sweet Mister planted a pair of ornamental pear trees outside our bedroom windows as a surprise for me.  Every April, they signal that Spring has finally arrived...

 This morning when I opened the shades, all those buds had burst forth in a symphony of delicate white blossoms.  My inspiration for this week's table was not to be denied.


Friends are coming for an easy lunch on Friday...


...Back to the games table in the living room.

I love this mix of colors.

The Luminarc "Zest" cobalt charger was an eBay find.  It was the perfect staging ground for my place setting. 

Also lending a nice foundation was the Royal Worcester Regency dinner plate.  This pattern is available on the secondary market in a number of color choices.  In addition to the ruby, you can also find a lovely cobalt and a great green.


The crown jewel for today's table is the Spode Peacock (my name for it) luncheon plate.  I  found a set of 11 of these on eBay several years ago.  Someday, I'll find the 12th one!


Some of my favorite crystal patterns....Waterford Simply Red, & AJKA Arabella Cobalt...both found in a variety of places including eBay, Replacements, & Tuesday Morning.


Part of the 'crowd scene"..Nana's silver and cobalt salt cellar, red hemstitched napkin (eBay), my mother-in-love's Reed & Barton Francis I flatware, and a cream matelasse tablecloth.


Although I've had the Spode Peacock luncheon plates for a number of years, ...

 ...the pair of Spode Peacock spill vases are a relatively new addition.  I was thrilled when I came across them on eBay.  I filled them with a profusion of the ornamental pear blossoms.  I made the arrangements wild and free...much like they appear on the trees.  Why are they called 'spill vases"?  I've always wondered about that.

 I combined the vases...

 with a pair of the cobalt depression glass candlesticks to flank...

 ...a ruby glass bowl.  Did you notice the "stand" underneath the bowl.  It's the base of one of my silver lidded butter dishes!  Remember...always be willing to think outside the box.

 We'll see if the blossoms last until Friday, and hopefully we won't have one of our raging thunder storms,  which will instantly wreak havoc on the ornamental pear blooms.  We often have them to enjoy for what seems like mere moments.

Ready to enjoy good food, hours of laughter, and blessed fellowship.  If you're passing my way, let me know...I'll set an additional place just for you!

This week I'm joining:
Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop @ Katherine's Corner
Tablescape Thursday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

Royal Crown Derby "Old Imari"...Short and Sweet

"First things first...We are truly blessed to have the means to set a pretty table and invite our friends to join us for good food and fellowship. I am mindful that many are not so fortunate. My daughter has a passion for the work of the Food Bank. As a singer-songwriter, she has written and recorded a song that is the anthem for the world wide Crop Hunger Walk project. Her song, "Raise Your Voice" is featured in their video. I've included a link in the side margin of my blog. I hope that it will encourage you to support projects in your community that contribute to the effort to overcome hunger.

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Running late with my post this week, so I'll keep it short and sweet...well, for me anyway.  Friends will be coming for lunch in a couple of days, so I set a small table for four in the living room at the games table.

 The flip-top tabletop extender has been stored for the evening...

...and I chose to forgo a tablecloth.  I decided that the McGuire glass top table ...

...and the Persian rug were the perfect companions for my tabletop elements.

 The Steelite by Royal Doulton cobalt charger anchored...


...the Royal Crown Derby Old Imari dinner plate.


Minimal stacking tonight...I couldn't bear to cover up this glorious design.

 The Oneida gold tone flatware continued the gold accents.

A sedate Williams Sonoma linen hemstitched napkin was caught in the Waverly beaded napkin ring, a gift from Cuisine Kathleen.  Tip:  A wise interior designer taught me one time that if everything in a room is over the top spectacular, the eye will become confused and end up basically not seeing anything.  It's good to have some relatively quiet support players on hand that won't fight with the focal point in your design.  It's all about achieving a balance that is pleasing to the eye.

The AJKA Arabella cobalt goblet and the Glastonbury-Lotus gold rimmed goblet continued the color story for my design.

Makes me smile.

The centerpiece took me just long enough to look around the living room and say, "Oh, that will work just fine."  The quartet of small Asian design boxes are actually tea canisters that once belonged to my Aunt Ida.  She had lived in Tokyo for some years after WWII, and upon returning home, she was a committed fan of authentic Japanese tea.  After she died, I brought some of the canisters home.  They've been sitting in a cabinet for years, and I love that I'm able to use them for this table.

The Orrefors crystal bowl was a Christmas gift from my friend Joan, many years ago.  It is filled with potpourri...no flowers today.  I elevated it on an Asian stand, and the centerpiece was complete.

 Ready - set - go...

 At this point, I have no idea what the menu will offer...

 ...plenty of time for that later...

If you can make it for lunch, let me know if you have any special requests.  We'll have a great time!

This week I'll be joining:

Let's Dish with Cuisine Kathleen
Tutorials, Tips, & Tidbits with Yvonne @ Stone Gable

Tablescape Thursday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

Seasonal Sundays with The Tablescaper