Sunday, May 8, 2022

Mother's Day 2022


Mother's Day 2022


I set this table in 2020 as a tribute to my mother 
and pulled it from the archives to share again today.

My sweet mom lived a long full life,
and as an avid gardener, most of her days
involved working in her garden.

 She, herself, was raised by an avid gardener!
One of my fondest memories of my grandmother
is being hand-in-hand with her, among garden flowers, 
snipping my favorite sweet peas to make a petite bouquet.

Are you familiar with these old fashioned blooms?
            In Victorian Times, when flowers were used as a language 
of sorts, the sweet pea bloom meant "lasting pleasure".

For me, gardens create lasting pleasure.
They provide a sense of being one with nature, time spent
digging in dirt, observing the miracle of things sprouting, 
blooming, and then fading as the cycle is completed, while 
something new opens to take its turn on the garden stage. 

I don't have a good sunny spot for sweet peas, so you can imagine
my delight when our  local Grassdale Flower Farm delivered
sweet pea bouquets for curbside pickup at a nearby flower market.

These hand painted floral plates were a street market find in Italy, and though the simple stylized blooms are not sweet peas, the colors are a perfect fit for the bouquet from Grassdale.

I carried home two salad plates and two dinner plates for a table of two with these rather flat plates and a gently scalloped border.
Not heavy like most ceramics, they made a perfect trip souvenir.

 I paried them with Ambiance Vintage Garden 
chargers and Hester and Cook's gorgeous Woodland Nest placemats, the whimsical art work of Vicki Sawyer.

A small Nature Table bee plate from Anthropologie was added 
as a green accent between layers, along with a linen napkin, the handwork of my husband's grandmother in the early 1900s.
The Napoleon Bee flatware is by Wallace.

 I think it makes a lovely statement to all gardeners!

With a garden full of birds this time of year, 
an added treat should any want to fly in and join us.

 So there you have it, a tribute
to my mom, the gardener!

 Thank you for joining me today.
I hope you'll leave me a comment and tell me
a little something about your mom.

Happy Mother's Day ~ 2022
Joining
Sarah
Sarah

The summer we married, my husband was in graduate school, and I was employed as a teacher. We took a portion of our savings that summer and purchased a sailboat. We christened our Catalina 22, “Hyacinths For The Soul” after Saadi’s poem. Our "Hyacinths" provided years of pleasure.

18 comments:

  1. I can't decide what I like best but I think it is the sweet peas! Gorgeous! Love this post!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful, Sarah! From the tiny Limoges watering cans to the souvenir plates and those exquisite linens by someone close, this is a perfect tribute to your mother or any gardener. The sweet peas bring all the nostalgia of family history together. I love it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sarah, this is a beautifully detailed table that you have set as a tribute to your mother, the gardener. The sweet peas are so lovely and yes, “sweet”! The plates from Italy hold warm thoughts, I am sure and are perfect for your table for two. I know the memories you hold dear of your mom and grandmother made Mother’s Day so special. Wishing you a lovely week ♥️

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a serendipitous bouquet! I love them so:) I hope Sadie spoiled you:)

    ReplyDelete
  5. So so pretty Sarah! I love the garden memories of your mother and grandmother, you certainly have inherited their green thumbs! I love the hand painted plates you found in Italy and Vicki Sawyer is one of my favorites, her creations always make me smile. I lost my mom 25 years ago, but was lucky enough to spend the weekend with my daughter and granddaughter, and my son planted flowers in all our pots! Have a lovely week~
    Jenna

    ReplyDelete
  6. Very sweet! My grandmother and great-grandmother had a 'thing' for pansies...and I'm blessed with many dishes and artwork with Pansies...so I surely enjoyed your post with the violas and pansies! Loved it, Sandi

    ReplyDelete
  7. Gorgeous post. How special both your mother and grandmother loved working in the garden. The sweet peas are so pretty. Love the hand painted plates you found in Italy. A lovely wat to honor and celebrate you mother.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sarah, this is so beautiful! I love the flatware, a gorgeous pattern and the purple is terrific. Love it dearly! I hope your day was very happy.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Sarah, I love hearing about you mom and memories of your grandmother. You brought to mind a sweet memory of my own grandmother and her gardens. She always had flowers growing alongside her vegetable garden and we would go out and water with an old galvanized "sprinkler". Your garden inspired tablesetting is beautiful. The tablecloth is my favorite color of green. Lovely dishes and flowers!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sarah, I have enjoyed reading every detail in this blog. I’m so touched by it. My mom also loved gardening and growing flowers. I can remember her having the largest blooms by feeding them natural fertilizer. It was the 60’s and not much for consumers to buy back then.

    ReplyDelete
  11. So charming and creative, Sarah! The linen napkin embroidered by your husband's grandmother is lovely. Of course, I love all your MKC pieces and the flowers. You have an endearing style and way with words to describe your vignette.
    Your mother and grandmother sound so wonderful.
    My grandmother and aunt who lived together both had rather large cutting gardens at their country home. I wish I had a picture. They were both unique and they took great pride in their flowers. My aunt had arrangements in every room.
    My mother loved flowers also. I remember a special spot where wild violets grew. It was a yearly tradition to go there near my grandparents home and pick them. It was special to find ones with velvet leaves.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sarah, this post was such a lovely tribute to your mom. You definitely know where your green thumb comes from with your mom and grandmother both gardeners. I enjoyed seeing all these sweet treasures you collect and I love the vignettes you create. How fortunate your flower market offered sweet peas for curbside pick-up, I'm sure you were thrilled. The lovely souvenir plates are the perfect match to use with your sweet peas. It's always fun to bring back posts from the archives. This one most definitely.........

    ReplyDelete
  13. Lovely table setting as always..Love the combination..Wonderful collection of pitchers..Have a good week..

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thank you so much for sharing with us at the Thursday Favorite Things party! I'm featuring you this week over on Shoestring Elegance! Congratulations and thanks again!
    Theresa

    ReplyDelete
  15. So Beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing with us at the Thursday Favorite Things party! I'm featuring you this week over on Shoestring Elegance! Congratulations and thanks again!
    Theresa

    ReplyDelete
  16. What lovely sweet peas! I'm growing them for the first time in my garden and greatly anticipate their success. Hopefully I'll grow enough for cut flowers. :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. What a sweet and thoughtful post, Sarah. I also love the sweet shades of purple, too!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thank you so much for sharing with us at the Thursday Favorite Things party! I’m featuring you this week over on Shoestring Elegance! Congratulations and thanks again!
    Theresa

    ReplyDelete

Thank you to each of you who take the time to leave a comment. I read and appreciate each and every one and will respond to any questions. Your notes are the only way I know who has stopped in for a visit.