At the Table With the Traveling Totes

Summertime and the livin' is easy .

The Traveling Tote team decided to challenge "our girls"

to a little help on the tabletop this summer.

As you can see, Miss Merri Mac and Miz Checkers

happily obliged the request.

Happy Birthday, America!

~ July 4th ~ 

American Independence Day!

Americans all across this beautiful country

are out celebrating today.

Neighborhood parades are a tradition in US communities

large and small, and as with every year, 
I started my day as a spectator at the annual Tarrytown Parade.
I never miss the neighborhood 4th of July Parade!

Shhh . . . Can You Keep a Secret?

Shhh . . .

Can you keep a secret?

Mother's Day Surprise

out on the terrace in a favorite spot.

I'm going to pamper my mom with 

delicious tea time goodies.

Big, beautiful magnolia blooms

will fill the air with their sweet fragrance.

There will be fresh biscuits 

with dad's yummy kumquat marmalade .   .   .

You can find the recipe here.

And a cup of my mom's 

new favorite tea.

It's a blend of green jasmine tea with

hibiscus, sweet rose, and soothing cornflowers

made especially for Williams Sonoma.

My mom says it's delicious!

She likes to sweeten her tea with a

drizzle of Tupelo honey.

Maybe she'll share some goodies with me.

I love to eat!

Happy Mother's Day!

What are you going to do to pamper 

your mom on Mother's Day?

MacKenzie-Childs ~ Courtly Check Enamel Ware

MacKenzie-Childs ~ Taylor Ceramics

Grace's Teaware ~ Cup and Saucer

Susan Branch ~ Mother's Day Tiara

Williams Sonoma ~ Fortnum and Mason Mother's Day Blend

Joining

Pink Saturday @ How Sweet the Sound

Sundays At Home @ Love Of Home

Dishing It and Digging It @ Life and Linda

Mosaic Monday @ Normandy Life
Make It Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House

Monday Social @ Botanic Bleu

Amaze Me Monday @ Dwellings

Monday Inspiration @ All Things Heart and Home

The Scoop @ Cedar Hill Ranch

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

Show and Share @ Coastal Charm

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern 

StyleInspiration Gallery @ Zevy Joy

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop @ Peonies and Orange Blossoms

Share Your Cup Thursday @ Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olsen

Home and Garden Thursday @ Delightsome Life

Share Your Style @ Vintage Nest
Vintage Charm @ Blue Willow House

Foodie Friday and Everything Else @ Rattlebridge Farm

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

Alfresco May Day Lunch

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.

Have You Heard? Taylor Ceramics Are Back!

Images from MacKenzie-Childs, Used With Permission

Have you heard the news?

MacKenzie-Childs is bringing back the

retired patterns in the Taylor series.

I fell in love with MacKenzie-Childs dishes

when I first discovered them in the 1980s.

These dishes were how MacKenzie-Childs got their start,

and they were the start of my own personal MacK-C collection.

When Spring arrives, here at HFTS, 

that means bringing out the MacKenzie-Childs dishes 

in the Taylor Series and dining alfresco out on the terrace. 

MacKenzie-Childs' web site notes 

that these dishes "mix and match in playful harmony." 

 It was exactly that characteristic which drew me 

to these fanciful dishes in the 1980s.

Stack of Salad Plates in Wallcourt Collection Await Dessert

~ Pastel Colors ~ Fanciful Patterns ~ Ruffled Edges ~ 

~ Flat Edges ~ Polka Dots ~ Checks ~ 

The Taylor Series and the Wallcourt Collection 

mix it all up for delightful springtime dining.

Austin's spring weather is perfect for alfresco dining.  

Pull up a chair and join me for a light meal and an

evening of conversation outdoors.

Pastel plaid tablecloth, Ambiance Vintage Garden white chargers, 

and vintage flatware are all that is needed 

to set the stage for the mix of patterns on the table.

Bearded Iris pattern "pays tribute to the bright, colorful, beards in our artists' drawings of flowers from our gardens."

Richard and Victoria MacKenzie-Childs 

founded the company in 1983. 

MacKenzie-Childs was purchased by Pleasant Rowland in 2001, 

and has since been sold to Twin Lakes Capital.

Aalsmeer pattern is named for the place "where

Victoria's sister and family lived in the Netherlands."

It represents the Dutch colors and boxes of tulips.

The Taylor Series was the original 

dinnerware collection of MacKenzie-Childs. 

 It was "designed to be mixed at random 

like a happy ceramic bouquet."

King Ferry pattern "is a grid of fields and flowers

and sky neighboring the village of Aurora. "

These contemporary Majolica plates 

come in this ruffled edge or with a flat rim. 

Each is hand formed from red clay and painted by artisans in 

Aurora, NY, using fanciful designs of the same color palette.

Myrtle pattern is named for a "Belfast lass who

wears a floral apron just like Milly Molly Mandy's aunt."

I liked the idea of mixing it up with different patterns, 

so when I first saw them in a local store in the 1980s, 

I decided to purchase a plate or two at a time, 

each in a different pattern.

Madison pattern for the "Indiana, smokestack,

riverboat, 4H, farm town on the Mason-Dixon line 
where Victoria finished growing up with 
Southern belles and pet pigs."

As indicated above, some of the patterns are now retired, 

but MacKenzie-Childs continues to add new patterns, 

and on occasion, like the current offer, 

they will bring a pattern out of retirement.

Monet pattern "honors Giverny's dining room beyond
the trellised gardens, decked out delphinium blue and yellow."

Over the years I've limited my Taylor selections

 to mostly dinner plates, mugs, mini compotes, 
special serving pieces, and a vase or two. 

 I appreciate that they are each hand crafted 

and made by artisans in Aurora, NY. 

 There is no doubt that I will ever tire of the 

charming designs and beautiful colors of these ceramics.

I used a potted spring annual in a whimsical  
carrot tin container as a simple centerpiece.

Hand painted napkins in pinks and greens

are tucked into the handles of petite bunny creamers.

My friend Mary @ Home is Where the Boat Is 

was the inspiration for this idea. 

 I had planned to use the bunny creamers 

filled with flowers at each place setting, 

but when I saw Mary's idea of using a mug 

filled with flowers as a napkin ring, 

I knew these would serve the same purpose.

To visit Mary's gorgeous Tulip d'Or table click here.

Each little creamer can go home 
with a guest for the evening's party favor.

A yellow Kalanchoe plant offered the

perfect petite bouquet with which to fill each creamer.

A simple light salad of fresh cucumbers and tomatoes 

is served in an Odd Fellows footed compote. 

 The Odd Fellows pattern is "a 

medley of patterns patched together."

Heather pattern is named after founders' Victoria and Richard's daughter "who always reminded them to appreciate the purity, grace, and playful perfection of the child in us all."
Parmesan crisp are served in a Heather pattern

fluted bowl to offer a little crunch to the meal.

Aalsmeer pattern is named for "Aalsmeer in North Holland which is known as the flower capital of the world.  A beautiful spot to visit, tulips in vivid colors and varieties are precious commodities packed in boxes and carried home as gifts. 

Napa Rolls offer a rabbit friendly 

light entree for our spring evening and are served

 on a large platter in the Aalsmeer pattern.

The Napa rolls are filled with Napa cabbage, 
chicken, julienned carrots, and 
a blend of mint, basil, cilantro, and scallions. 

Sauces of spicy peanut and hot sriracha,

served on a small oval platter in the Odd Fellows pattern,

give the Napa rolls an added tasty kick.

For dessert ~ carrot cake cupcakes, of course!

The cute carrot cupcake toppers

were purchased from World Market.

Keukenhof pattern is named for "gardens that fill the space beyond the spiral paths, with dots of Dutch flowers everywhere."
Iced pretzels, served in a Keukenhof  bowl, 
offer a sweet/salty taste.

 Images from MacKenzie-Childs, Used With Permission

My MacKenzie-Childs Spring Catalog 

arrived over Easter weekend.

The cover announced the Special Event.

~ ORDER EVERY TAYLOR CERAMICS PATTERN ~

Limited Time Only

Images from MacKenzie-Childs, Used With Permission

Inside the catalog is a special insert 

with a brief history of the Taylor Ceramics 

along with all twenty patterns shown and explained.

Image from MacKenzie-Childs, Used With Permission

For one month, April 17 - May 14, 2017,

MacKenzie-Childs collectors can pick a pattern and 

select a silhouette of their choice from the catalog

and order pieces of this famed and beloved series of ceramics

specially created using your favorites of the retired patterns.

According to the web site,
 "each piece will be custom made and shipped in about 60 days."

There is a small window of time,

so you'll need to place your order soon.

Please, help yourself to a scoop of citrus jelly beans and

head over to view the special offer here @ MacKenzie-Childs.

SaveSave