Getting Ready for a Garden Tea Party! #1 Linens to Gather and Some Sewing

Over the next month I will be preparing for a garden tea party at my home. I already showed you the backyard garden project I have been working on by digging the grass out and creating a diamond shaped English Garden in each corner of my back yard.....Now I have a my next project to do and that is taking 24 old vintage pillow cases and cutting and sewing them into covers for the backs of the folding chairs I plan to use. Also, I will also be cutting up about 5 or 6 large old battenburg (not antique) tablecloths to make seat covers. These were the kind you had to iron and always seem to stay in my ironing basket - so I won't miss them! I used tissue paper to form the patterns for each. I ordered 6 pink sheer tablecloths on which I will put 6 assorted smaller 36" Square tablecloths over the top. I also ordered 24 sheer long bows to tie around the top back of the chairs....I will keep you posted about these projects and YOU MIGHT JUST GET INSPIRED TOO!

Welcome to Colorado! Have you seen the Kissing Camels?

Just a few photos of my drive to work - the Garden of the Gods rock formations are just a mile or two from my store.......

Sunday Celebration

Hebrews 13:2

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.

Blooms and Visitors!

Mr. Squirrel eating leaves from a shasta daisy...yummy!

Bearded tongue..........

Colorado's Wild Rose........

Collecting Teacups and Saying Goodbye to Royal Patrician

Most of my own collection of cups and saucers are either antique or at least old - but I just couldn't resist this one new one!

I am always sad when an American Importer of English China closes! Today I am featuring the "English Country Garden" design that Royal Patrician produced in England. It has hollihocks, foxgloves, lily of the valley and violets with little moths. The original collection featured 6 different cups and saucers with matching dessert plates. Each had different flowers and insects. (Also teapot and cream and sugar)

If anyone is still hoping to finish their collection of English Country Garden we still have some pieces available at Bernideen's at a 20% savings!

Collecting Cups and Saucers

Whew! This is one busy summer! I've gone from posting every day to only several times a week. Here is my solution besides doing tea quotes....

I can show you some of my cup and saucer collection. I apologize for that little slip of the Pendleton's Spiced Rhubarb Cake which has been in my draft folder for weeks waiting for me to bake the cake! It is back in the folder in a holding pattern!

I love the purple violets on this English cup and saucer and dessert plate. This set is almost fully covered with pattern so I think we could agree it is close to a chintz. And yes it is old. If a pattern has a lot of white back ground it is not chintz. This one is pretty close!

The markings on the bottom of this cup.....

Begin your hunt today.....if you are on a budget stop at the yard sales, flea markets and antique malls! Don't be afraid to pair that single cup up with a lovely color complimentary saucer!

Summer Garden Project Progress

New stepping stones on the left corner of my back yard lead to a restful respite! I have also planted new herbs to replace those that were annuals and those that didn't make it last winter....

Whose tail is that going into the lilies?

My neighbor's momma cat "Bella" watches her kitten below............ This morning early in the garden..... This is my new right side as I look out from the house....almost done..I might do a little more digging to the left. I had moved the large clump of lavender from the side of the house. It should smell delightful here when it blooms......... These are the clumps of grass waiting for their turn in the composter - Martha Stewart addressed this very thing in her magazine this month! She tells the ways to dig out a garden - I prefer this method: Dig under the grass and get rid of it all - put in new enriched dirt! The horrible roots you see are from the infamous cottonwood trees growing in the greenbelt behind our house and running all under our lawn...booo!

I am getting ready for my garden tea party in three weeks...will keep you posted......lots more to do to get ready!

Another Special Lady

Today I want to add this last minute additional post....this lovely lady in the center of the photo is 98 1/2 years old. She just visited my store with her family. In the center, Martha Ryan (Grandma) was taken out shopping by family members Marsha Linsley (left) and Lyndell McEntyre (right).

Please see my regular Pink Saturday post below!

Pink Saturday with Ramona Roger's Gladiolas

Today I have a story to tell- a true story! Back in 1987 I began my business with my first tiny gift shop next to Reed's Barbecue outside Old Town Spring, Texas. It was a cute little building we painted country blue with a white picket fence around it. From seeds I grew huge bluebonnets and daisies everywhere! One day the barbecue began to build a large facility and construction made for a mess. I knew my little shop was in trouble and I was very discouraged. A few weeks later a lady came in and introduced herself as Ramona Rogers from Roger's Drapery Business. She asked me if I would like to rent her building in Old Town Spring. She and Charles became my wonderful landlords. Several years ago I received a small box from her with gladiola bulbs and a note from Ramona saying that these bulbs had been passed down in her family for generations. She knew I would love them! You see Ramona and I had shared a common bond in our love of flowers! A year passed by and one night we came home finding that Charles Rogers had left a message on our phone saying that Ramona had passed away. I noticed outside that the gladiolas were blooming for the first time. I felt it was a significant sign that she was with the Lord in peace. I will always think of Ramona when I look at her Texas gladiolas blooming here in Colorado in her memory and honor!

find more Pink Saturday participants at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

The Wildflowers of Colorado

For those who love blue......

The wildflowers are beginning to bloom here in Colorado......

Remembering Tasha Tudor Today!

It was a year ago today, June 18, 2008 that the beloved artist and author, Tasha Tudor passed away....enjoy this photo gallery in her honor.

Her precious kitties and corgi dogs will always be a part of our memory....

Remembering Tasha Tudor This Week!

Just a photo gallery "Reflections of Tasha" today to honor her memory this week..........

My personal collection of articles I starting cutting out many years ago about Tasha........