HYACINTHS FOR THE SOUL: April Cornell

Showing posts with label April Cornell. Show all posts

Thursday, May 4, 2017

Alfresco May Day Lunch

alfresco dining

It has been a glorious spring here in Texas.

The cool, sunny days this time of year

remind me of why I love living in Austin.

May 1st is known as May Day around the world.

In many places, it is a day filled with marches and protests,

but for me, May Day is about flowers and

sharing a sweet bouquet with family and friends.

I fondly remember the tradition of May Pole dances

in the early years of my elementary school days.

We made May Baskets and left them as gifts for others.

When a cousin phoned to say she wanted

to spend some time together on Monday,

I decided it was the perfect opportunity to set an

alfresco lunch out on our terrace.

Everyone knows I love an excuse to set a pretty table,

so the impromptu visit had me gathering up

my favorite MacKenzie-Childs

dishes to set our table.

A gift bouquet of tulips were added to

another small bouquet of mixed flowers to fill my sweet

Rose Cottage vase from MacKenzie-Childs' Taylor Ceramics.

Each setting began with a Courtly Check charger.

Fluted edged dinner plate in King Ferry

was paired with a mini compote in Dublin Hill.

This setting is a dinner plate in Madison

paired with a mini compote in Glen Park.

Plaid and floral napkins by April Cornell

and golden bee napkin rings were a nod to the

whimsey of MacKenzie-Childs.

Refreshing iced tea . . .

With a slice of lemon hit the

spot as we sat down to enjoy lunch.

Chicken salad in avocado boats and

a side of fruit was served with a choice of soup.

I had a delicious

Canadian Cheese Soup.

Karyn enjoyed a

cup of tasty lentil soup.

Terra Beauregard Sweet Potato chips

added something crunchy.

Dessert waited under this hand-painted

glassware cloche in the Tulip pattern.

Chocolate covered coconut macaroons

along side cranberry and orange coconut macaroons

were picked up from Whole Foods.

What a treat to have my

sweet cousin stop by for a visit.

Click here to read another post that features

Karyn's 50th Birthday Luncheon.

Thanks for joining me today.

Happy Month of May!

For more information about these beautiful

MacKenzie-Childs dishes,

pop back over to my previous post here.

You can order these retired patterns through May 14th

@ MacKenzie-Childs.com.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Let's Dish ~ Easter Dinner Details

April Cornell

Let's Dish

about the details of

Easter Dinner

on the terrace.

First off the theme was

Hen and Chicks

The exquisite arrangement above was created

by the talented Bonni from Posey.

I love the way she paired orchids with succulents

and this clever touch of yellow detail to fit into

the theme of Hen and Chicks.

I added some colorful

little hens to nest below.

And a silver compote filled with

tillandsia (air plants) and a tiny Beswick chick.

With ten dinner guests, I set two tables.

This was the centerpiece on the larger table.

I filled a silver basket with mixed

hen and chick plants and trailing sedum.

Hens and Chicks

are succulents that form in clusters of rosettes.

Babies or "chicks" form from

shoots off the mother or "hen".

They can be red or green.

Some of the "hens" were flowering.

The handles of the silver basket

have a sweet tassel detail.

And a wonderfully fluted base.

Little yellow chicks

added a touch of whimsy.

I also tossed some

chocolate carrots around the tables.

It's spring,

so the tables were set with our colorful

and whimsical MacKenzie Childs plates.

You might recall that they

were the topic of last week's Let's Dish.

You can read that post here.

Flatware is Italian by Showroom,

napkins are by April Cornell,

and vintage napkin rings with silver initials

were a find at Round Top last year.

The smaller table was set with pastel plaid

with a nesting hen for the centerpiece.

This sweet hen on nest is unmarked,

but definitely vintage.

I think she has the sweetest face.

Vintage yellow linen napkins were

found at a neighborhood estate sale.

Pewter napkin rings were used at this table.

I added other touches of yellow with annuals.

And filled this terracotta hen

with yellow kalanchoe and more trailing sedum.

The Quimper hen on nest was filled with cornbread.

Served with sweet cream butter.

MacKenzie Childs bowls in the

Flower Market pattern held a variety of salads.

Printable recipe for

Wild Rice Salad w/ Dried Sour Cherries here.

We also add brussel sprouts to the mix.

Main course was leg of lamb.

Party Favors

~ English Soaps ~

Hope the Easter Bunny

left you a basket full of goodies.

Joining

Let's Dish @ Cuisine Kathleen

Tablescape Thursday @ BNOTP

Home & Garden Thursday @ Delightsome Life

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm

Say G'Day Saturday @ Natasha in Oz

Seasonal Sunday @ The Tablescaper

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Will You Be My Valentine?

Ambiance Vintage Garden

Valentine's Day

is just around the corner.

So today's table

is set for two.

My valentine likes

simplicity and loves chocolate.

So the table is set with layers of bold

bands of gold and brown upon white.

Square red placemats anchor the Ambiance Vintage Garden chargers, while gold ruffled edge glass plates hold Kate Spade Cordell Place Chocolate salad plates by Lenox. The wide, chocolate brown border is a nice compliment to the petite berry bowls in our wedding china, Palermo Brown by Richard Ginori.

Brown enamel flatware by Christophe

continues the chocolate brown theme.

As do the

crystal stems by Denby.

To add some fluff and a feminine touch to the layers of chocolate, I tucked in colorful napkins by April Cornell. The rosy plaid sprinkled with the bright blooms offered the perfect touch of pink.