Let's Dish ~ Easter Dinner Details

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

Let's Dish ~ Springtime Plaids, Checks,Dots & Stripes

First off I want to thank all the plaid and tartan 

fans that joined us for the Tartan Parade.  

If you missed the fun you can 

find the parade line up here.

National Tartan Day falls on Good Friday this year.  Several parade participants shared springtime plaids, so I thought I'd share my springtime plaids this week for .   .   . 

Cuisine Kathleen's weekly Let's Dish.

Spring has arrived and 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 the 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 

Pastel colors, fanciful patterns, ruffled edges, flat edges, polka dots, plaids, stripes, checks ~ The Taylor Series and the Wallcourt Collection mix it all up for delightful springtime dining.

The ruffled dinner plates from MacKenzie-Childs' Taylor Series are each so full of pattern and color, that I keep added details to a minimum.

Pastel plaid tablecloth, Ambiance Vintage Garden white chargers, and vintage flatware were all that was needed to set the stage for the mix of patterns on the table.

Bearded Iris pattern "remembers the bright yellow

beards in botanical drawings of Richard's iris garden."

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 and homestead to the MacKenzie-Childs family life."

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 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 these pieces 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, farmtown on the Mason-Dixon line where Victoria

finished growing up with Southern belles and pet pigs."

Some of the patterns are now retired, but MacKenzie-Childs continues to add new patterns and on occasion will bring a pattern out of retirement.

Monet pattern "honors Giverny's dining room dressed

in delphinium blue and yellow beyond the trellised gardens."

Over the years I've limited my selections to dinner plates and special serving pieces. 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.

For a simple centerpiece I used potted spring annuals popped in a whimsical tin vase encircled with carrots.

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.  If you missed seeing Mary's gorgeous 

Tulip d'Or table click here.

The flower filled bunny creamers 


make a thoughtful gift to send home with each guest. 

A yellow Kalanchoe plant offered the

perfect little bouquets with which to fill each creamer.

A special thank you to Jenn @ MacKenzie-Childs

direct service for help with specific descriptions for the pattern names.

Current patterns can be viewed here @ MacKenzie-Childs

Please help yourself to a scoop of citrus jelly beans

before heading off to visit others at the following parties this week.

Let's Dish @ Cuisine Kathleen


Tablescape Thursday @ BNOTP


Home & Garden Thursday @ Delightsome Life


Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage


Show & Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home


Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home


Pink Saturday @ How Sweet the Sound


Say G'Day Saturday @ Natasha In Oz


Seasonal Sunday @ The Tablescaper


Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life


Cowgirl Up @ Cedar Hill Ranch

Tartan Parade 2012

Tartan Parade

One Party ~ Four Blogs

Hyacinths for the Soul with Sarah

Upstairs Downstairs with Babs

Vignette Design with Delores

Polohouse with Alison

Time for Favorites on the First

and all things Scottish

in honor of National Tartan Day.

Lads and Lassies

Songs and Poems

of Robert Burns

Kilts and Tartans

Pipers

And . . .

Scottie Dogs

Scottish Terriers,

also known as Aberdeen Terriers

are originally from

the Highlands of Scotland.

Affectionally called Scotties,

these courageous, independent,

and self-reliant dogs

were bred to hunt

and kill predators

of the Highland livestock.

We don't have a Scottie,

but this cutie above has

recently joined our family.

Meet Sadie Mercedes.

Sadie suggested we round up a

group of jaunty Scotties

for the Tartan Parade.

Looks like these guys are lining up.

It's sunny today, but with recent rainy days

I pulled out the umbrella just in case.

Surely it won't rain on our parade!

We've got TARTAN!

A freshly brewed pot of Scottish tea

steeping in its own tartan cozy, a gift from

Mary @ A Breath of Fresh Air

Scottie Shortbread Cookies

Walker's Pure Butter Shortbread

I added a touch of icing for color.

Scottie Soap

from Gianna Rose Atelier

Scottie Napkins Trimmed in Tartan

Here's how the tartan stacks up.

Arita Tartan Charger

Lauren Ralph Lauren Skyler

Target Holiday 2010 Classic Tidings

Global Design Connection by Kate Williams

Home Beautiful Stoneware in Royal Stewart

Each plate is white and bordered in a tartan

with the exception of the Kate Williams' pieces.

They feature this jaunty little fellow.

A coordinating butter dish

makes a perfect little serving tray.

LIFE'S LITTLE INSTRUCTION BOOK

was a gift from a student in 1991.

It was written by a father as words

of counsel to his son heading off to collage.

It's simply a list of things one should do.

Page 1, #2 :

Have a dog.

Happy Tartan Day!

Bluebonnet Tartan

Like others across the globe, many Texans will no doubt celebrate National Tartan Day on April 6, 2012. The official State Tartan, Texas Bluebonnet Tartan, was designed by June Prescott McRoberts in 1986 and adopted by the state of Texas in 1989. You can read more details about the Texas Bluebonnet Tartan here.

To see last year's Tartan Tea click here.

Scotland Shop

If you need some tartan for your closet click the link above.

A special thank you to my friends JoElla and Susan

for letting me share photos of their Staffordshire pieces.