L is for Lavender and Lounging with Tea & Scones

L is for Lavender

Provencal Lavender Fields, original oil on board by Karen Tual

If you've ever seen fields of lavender in bloom, then you know the beauty of this remarkable plant. Lavender has been used in cultures for over 2500 years and first came to this continent with the Pilgrims in the 1600s.

Lavender is a delightful addition to a sunny garden spot. It grows in clumps and likes a sandy, well drained soil.

Spring and summer yields the joy of delicate lavender blooms.

A soothing bath with lavender salts is the perfect ending to a long day. It's a wonderful way to relax, rejuvenate, and revitalize.

Lavender baths are healing. The delicious sent of lavender is the perfect aromatherapy.

After my shower I like to soothe my skin with Pandora Balthazar's lavender foot cream and body butter.

Lavender is also a wonderful fragrance to use around the home. Not only does it make everything smell fresh, it also helps get rid of bugs.

Long ago lavender wands were often given to young women to protect trousseaus and use to perfume linens stored in closets or drawers. Today, many of us like to use lavender sachets in our drawers and closets.

Lavender sprinkled about a closet is a good way to keep one's clothes smelling fresh.

Lavender flowers, stems, and leaves have long been used for culinary purposes.

Lavender tea is a perfect morning pick-me-up or a late afternoon treat. Fresh lavender leaves are best used as an herb for savory dishes. Lavender flowers, both fresh or dried, offer beautiful color and flavor to a variety of dishes. Use only lavender that is clean, pesticide free, and grown for culinary purposes.

Today I've made lavender scones for you . . .

and brewed you a pot of lavender tea.

The teapot is old Sheffield plate. It was a find from a vendor at the Round Top Antique shows several years ago.

The vintage silver-plate cream and sugar are from my mother. She gave these to me for my playhouse when I was a young child. They are marked "Made in Japan". Most of the silver is now worn off, and the copper is showing through in some places. They are very sentimental pieces for me, but I also like the sweet shapes, the pebble texture, and the floral details.

I've set it all out on a tea tray so you can enjoy your lavender treats out on the sun porch.

I've filled a petite Quimper cornet with lavender sprigs and a few fresh flowers from the garden. It is unmarked, but most likely produced by Adolphe and Arthur Porquier, 1875-1903. The croisillé of this piece is one of my favorites. This decor was very time intensive and expensive to produce, so it was not often used in production after WW II.

A pair of sweet vintage linen napkin were a recent gift from Mary @ Across the Pond. You can read about this and the other delights she sent me here. I was the fortunate winner of her celebration of her 800th post give away. Thank you again, Mary! I'm definitely enjoying my gifts.

Your cup of tea and lavender scone are served on pieces of Quimper from my collection. The larger wand of lavender was purchased in Santa Fe last summer. A street vendor would make these on the spot and embellish them with a fresh rose bud and other flowers. The lavender is now dried, but I add fresh blooms now and again to perk it up.

The cups and saucers are early HB Quimper. They were a purchase during my first visit to Quimper, France. They have the softest blue glaze, and the painting on the cups is unusually detailed and fine.

The saucers are deep and painted with a simple border of floral sprays. The petite plate holding the scone is unmarked. It repeats the delicate croisillé decor of the AP cornet.

Since I'm serving tea and sharing about lavender today, I thought it appropriate to include this pair of hand appliquéd and embroidered tea towels. The little lady on the left is dressed in her lavender best.

The tea towels are the skillful handwork of my mother many years ago, and they've now been handed down to me.

So happy you stopped by today. I'm linking this post to Mrs. Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday for "Letter L" today, but I've also linked up to some other weekly memes this week. Click the links below to visit these great blogs for lots of interesting posts.

Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday

Colorado Lady's Vintage Thingie Thursday

Laurie's A Few of My Favorite Things Saturday

Gypsy Fish Journal - Silver Sunday

Rhondi @ Rose Colored Glasses - Tea Party Tuesday

Lady Katherine's Tea Parlor - Tea Time Tuesday

Sharing Easter Favorites

We were to head off to France early next week, so I didn't plan to put my Easter things out this year. Then Life interfered, caused the trip to be postponed, and now I find us in town with the bunnies still hibernating in boxes. I wanted to post about some of my favorite Easter things, so I reached into the photo album to see if there was something I might share. The above mosaic is a table setting from last year. It was my turn to host our group of long time girlfriends for our Easter dinner. We've been sharing special times together for over 25 years. I posted about our Christmas dinner evening here.

The table was set with MacKenzie-Childs plates from the Taylor Series. Each plate has a fluted edge and a different design, but all are finished with pastel glazes. MacKenzie-Childs still produces items in the Taylor Series, though not all the patterns are still being made.

I used Sir Christopher silver and monogramed white linen napkins held with antique French napkin rings.

Individual leaping rabbits created by Debbee Thibault were used as place card holders. They were the party favors I sent home with each of my friends. I had luckily stumbled upon these in the clearance bin at Neiman Marcus Last Call months before. I scooped them up knowing they would be perfect for just such an occasion.

The center piece was a vintage rectangular silver tray (on loan from a friend) filled with some of my hand-painted eggs that I shared here in a mosaic last Saturday. Paper pulp rabbits by Two's Company and a covered bunny box by Nicol Sayre gave the nest of eggs a bit of dimension and interest. A chain of vintage glass bead garland imported by Bethany Lowe Designs entwined gracefully in and around the rabbits and eggs.

Dinner was served buffet style from the sideboard. A vase from MacKenzie-Childs held pussy willow branches on which I hung hand stitched felt Easter figures, a few other Easter ornaments, and some speckled bird eggs.

This sweet bunny made by ESC Trading Company, Inc. in 2002 demurely stood beside the vase of pussy willows.

Dessert of lemon meringue pie baked in MacKenzie-Childs Piccadilly pie dishes and served on dessert plates from MacKenzie-Childs was enjoyed on the sun porch so we could take in the lovely spring evening. A bouquet of white snapdragons from a friend's garden filled the Kaldun & Bogle pitcher which is in the whimsical form of a bunch of carrots.

These hand painted and embroidered linen towels were thoughtful gifts from friends who know I have a fondness for special tea towels.

Since I don't have my Easter things out to share today, I decided to give you a peek at my friend Susan's Easter things. You may remember her home at Halloween spotlighted here.

Susan's foyer includes a bench that 

is the perfect spot for holiday pillows.

This little bunny couple happily 

greets guests from the entry table.

Susan's mantel is ever changing with the seasons. 

 This year she added the glittered Happy Easter sign . . .

and a small egg tree at the other 

end among her treasured Staffordshire pieces.

The butler's table holds a 

crystal basket of fresh flowers, Limoges bunny boxes, 

and a majolica dish filled with eggs.

A handsome chocolate bunny watches 

over a grouping of antique dresser jars with silver lids.

Hand painted eggs and more collectable treasures 

share space with a vase of pink tulips 

and white agapanthus blooms.

The window seat holds more 

of Susan's collection of blue and white 

and offers a colorful backdrop to a 

silver tray filled with decorated eggs.

A vignette of antique boxes 

and majolica mix with . . .

a box filled with more special eggs.

Susan's collection of needlepointed 

Easter bunnies and eggs gathers 

together on another table in her living room.

Thank you for stopping by today and allowing me to share a few favorite things. Click on the links below to visit these beautiful blogs and see a list of participants for their fun weekly memes.

Beverly @ How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday

Laurie @ Bargain Hunting and Chatting with Laurie for A Few of My Favorite Things on Saturdays

Mary @ Little Red House for Mosaic Monday

Tam @ Gypsy Corner for Three or More Tuesday

Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday

Cindy @ My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday

Happy Springtime to each of you, dear friends!

K is for Knitting

is for

Knitting is one of those things I've always been intrigued with, and though I've never accomplished this skill myself, I greatly admire those who do knit. If I lived in a cooler climate, one would find me happily wearing sweaters year round. Hand-knit sweaters in particular have long been one of my wardrobe weaknesses. I appreciate the time and talent that goes into creating these garments.

In the late 70s and on into the 80s, the clothing company, BEREK, created hand knitted sweaters that were the fashion rage. Many were theme related such as Dog is Man's Best Friend, Sailor's Delight or Halley's Comet, in honor of the appearance of Halley's Comet in 1986. Other designers followed the same trend, and it was common to find hand knitted sweaters. Even though I no longer wear many of my sweaters, I've not been inclined to part with these little works of art. I've carefully stored them with the thought that someday I might transform some of these into throw pillows.

Even though I don't knit myself, I'm fortunately at times the recipient of others' talents in this area. This past Christmas my friend, Kay, knitted this wonderfully warm and cuddly scarf for me. It's knitted in Mano's luxurious blend of merino wool and silk.

Mano yarns are hand dyed to create a marbleized, subtly striated effect. These yarns are the product of Manos del Uruguay, the Hands of Uruguay, which is a nonprofit organization that assembles over 400 artisans in cooperatives throughout the countryside of Uruguay in an effort to bring economic and social opportunities to rural women. You can read more about this organization here. It goes without saying that I treasure this thoughtful gift specifically made just for me, but my appreciation only increased once I read the story of the yarn that Kay selected to use for this scarf.

And such was the case when I recently discovered another wardrobe item of the knitted variety, Sarah Oliver Handbags. A local boutique had received their first shipment of Sarah Oliver Handbags on the day I just happened to stop in. I was immediately smitten. The clutches in the Laurel Collection are knit from imported highland Peruvian wool.

Though available in a choice of colors, 

I selected classic black . . .

with a beautiful brooch 

in the shape of a starfish.

Sarah Oliver Handbags from alakim on Vimeo.

Not only was the clutch a perfect accessory for an upcoming evening wedding I would attend, it was the wonderful heartwarming story of Sarah Oliver Handbags that made this purchase a must. Sarah Oliver, the artistic genius behind these unique handbags, has knitted since she was a child. She first began knitting whimsical handbags as gifts for friends and family. Her unique bags received so much attention that Sarah started selling her bags. As demand grew, she could no longer knit them by herself. When she decided to grow her business of stylish hand knitted bags, Sarah turned to residents of The Redwoods Senior Retirement Community to help produce her bags. She recruited a group of "ageless knitters"! Click on the video above to hear this amazing story of how Sarah Oliver has given new purpose to a group of retirees.

The Purlettes

The Purlettes are a group of ladies who are the backbone of Sarah's company. All residents of The Redwoods Senior Retirement Community, these "nimble-fingered" octogenarians and beyond meet weekly to knit for Sarah Oliver Handbags. They are a group of talented knitters who help produce the high quality bags that Sarah personally designs and finishes.

I'm not associated with Sarah Oliver Handbags other than as an admirer and very satisfied customer, but I am extremely impressed with the business model of Sarah Oliver Handbags. Not only do I appreciate the beautiful designs, the high quality, and the hand crafted aspect of these bags, it is the fact that Sarah has provided respect and opportunity to a group of ladies in her community who otherwise would not have the opportunity to use their talents as productive business partners. Kudos to Sarah Oliver for her vision of a uniquely creative way to grow her business right here in the United States. It's exactly the type of business I want to support!

You can find a list of stores and boutiques that carry Sarah Oliver Handbags or @ http://www.saraholiverhandbags.com

 With a Sarah Oliver Handbag you'll own a unique accessory and give support to a small business that offers a uniquely "Made in America" product. Thank you to Sarah Oliver for permission to use photos and the video.

And don't forget to head on over to Mrs. Matlock's where you'll find a class full of Letter K assignments for your reading pleasure. Thank you, Mrs. Matlock for this fun filled weekly meme. I'm also linking this post to Show and Tell Friday with Cindy @ My Romantic Home. Check in with Cindy on Friday to see what others in Blogville have to share that day.