Friday, June 1, 2018

Tales of Traveling Tote # 15


Welcome back to Tales of the Traveling Tote #15.
Miz Checkers, aka The MKC Town Tote, is my go to bag for 
buzzing about town, but this gal has been "roaring" 
to hop in the car and take a little day trip.

In April, I slipped on my comfy Napoleonic Bee flats, 
grabbed Miz Checkers, and and the two of us joined
my group of CAMEO friends to head south to San Antonio.

Taken from the Argly's Website, Used With Permision
It was a beautiful spring day, and our first stop was the Argyle.
This historic property was built in 1854 and served as the headquarters of the Charles Anderson horse ranch which stretched
over thirty miles from San Antonio into the Texas hill country.
The structure features beautiful verandas with white columns.

Our group was welcomed into this beautiful private dining club
now owend by Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research.
Seated in a private room, we enjoyed a glass of champagne
while learning a bit of the history of this fascinating property.
A delicious and beautifully presented lunch followed.
If you wish to know more about this property visit their website.

 Then we were off to another historical property, The Vila Finale.
First begun in 1876, the home took on several transformations to become the Italianate structure that stands today in the 
King William Historic District of San Antonio, TX.
Meticulously restored in the late 1960s by preservationist, 
Walter Mathis, Villa Finale today serves as a National Trust Property and home to Mr. Mathis' prodigious collections.

 Most notably is Mr. Mathis' extensive and remarkable 
collection of Napoleonic Memorabillia.  
One finds an amazing assortment of things related to 
Napoleon Bonaparte, for whom Mr. Mathis had a life long fascination, first beginning when Mr. Mathis was eleven years old.
With these artifacts in almost every room of the mansion,
I was in Napoleonic Euphoria.  As some of you may know,
I, too, have collected Napoleonic memorabillia through the years.
You can find a previous post on my modest collection here.

 Mr. Mathis' collecting habit extended beyond his interest in Napoleon, with extrodinary collections of European furniture, religious art, and the decorative arts, as well as Texas art and
furniture, and Texas Campaign ceramics.

Miz Checkers also enjoyed a few special outings here
in Austin, making new friends along the way.

 Look who came to town ~ The Beekman Boys!
In Austin to promote their new book, 
I didn't want to miss the opportunity to say "Hi, Neighbors!"
With Miz Checkers in tow, off we went downtown on a chilly day.
These guys are just as warm and friendly as they appear on TV. 
What fun to connect with these two talented and engaging guys.
A SEAT AT THE TABLE, available on Beekman 1802.  

Do you remember Miss Merri Mac's adventure to 
Austin's Stickworks Sculpture here?
My sister was in town to help with these two cuties while 
they were on their school spring break.
It was the perfect opportunity for us to picnic in the park, 
introduce the girls to the Stickworks Sculpture,
and make a return visit to my see my friend's donkeys.
The girls had fun chasing each other in and out among the stick rooms and exploring the creek, but it was no surprise that the donkey visit was the favorite of the day.

Meet, Pamela, a new friend and MacKenzie-Childs enthusiast.
 Patti, our Traveling Tote organizer, introduced me to this lovely 
lady, who happens to live right here in Austin.

It's fun to have a local friend who shares a passion for MKC, 
and as friends often do, the two of us have combied our MKC stash to help each other out. Pamela loaned me a couple of 
her Flower Market trays to augment my own Flower Market
pieces used for a recent Garden Club lunch, and some of my Courtly Check enamel ware was used for a special engagement party to honor Pamela's son and his fiancee.  Combined forces!!!

Pamela used a Courtly Check theme for her table,
and incorporated some darling mugs she found to fill with flowers.
The proposal and engagement party was a surprise for the 
bride-to-be, but note her choice of dress.
This girl rocks black and white!
Congratulations, Eric and Krystal!

Come along and travel with:
Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths
Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch
Jackie with Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home
Jenna with Miss Coquille @The Painted Apron
Katie with Miss Daisy @ Preppy Empty Nester
Lia with Miss Scarlett @ Cici's Corner
Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda
Patti with Miss Kenzie and Miss Taylor @ Pandora's Box
Ricki Jill with Countess de Monet @ The Sketchy Reader
Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply 
The June Giveaway is this beautiful Flower Market Globe Vase.
Be sure to stop by Preppy Empty Nester and leave a comment
to be included in the drawing for this gift.

Stacey @ Poofing the Pillows 
hosts a Home Tour on the First Friday of the Month.
She selected Hyacinths for the Soul for June's feature.

You can find the post here.

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Friday, May 25, 2018

Iris, the Perfect Pass Along Plant


My friends are hosting their monthly Garden Party.
This post is a reprise from one shared in 2015.
Do you grow iris in your garden.
I'd love to know your favorite varieties.


I 
is for Iris

In Greek mythology, Iris is the goddess 
of the rainbow and messenger of the gods.

In classical legends she traveled the rainbow down to
earth to deliver messages from the gods.

There is a tradition in Greece to plant purple iris
on the graves of women to summon the goddess to
guide the soul of the deceased individual to her heavenly home.

Irises, popular garden flowers,
take their name from this Greek goddess
because of the variety of colors
found within the species.

In Victorian times, an Iris meant
"I have a message for you."

The fleur-de-lys, modeled in the shape of an iris,
 and used by the kings of France as their royal emblem,
has been a symbol of France for centuries.

Digital Image courtesy of the Getty's Open Content Program

Irises, by Van Gogh, was painted in
1889 while at the asylum in Saint-Rémy, France.
One of the first paintings Van Gogh painted
while a patient there, his brother, Theo, immediately 
recognized its quality and submitted it to the
Salon des Indépendants in September 1889.
Today this painting is in the permanent collection of the 
J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, CA.

Iris are perennials
that grow from rhizomes.

My iris are mostly "pass along plants" from friends.
I grew up in a family of gardeners,
and it was common practice with my mother
and aunts and their mother before them to divide plants
growing in their gardens and share them with friends
and family who then planted them in their own gardens.

I rather like the tradition!


Beautiful as they are, 
cut iris only last a couple of days.
I usually just enjoy 
them blooming in my garden.

One of my readers, 
wrote to tell me that 
she has these wonderful "pass along" iris 
from her grandmother's garden.
How special is that?
Thanks, Gina, for sharing this beautiful heirloom with us.

Thanks to our garden hosts.  Stop by to visit their links below.
Home and Gardening with Liz ~ Life and Linda  
Poofing the Pillows




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Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Tablescape Thursday Celebrates 500th Post


This post celebrates Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch.
Congratulations on her 500th Tablescape Thursday!
I realize I'm a week late in sharing, but I definitely
want to celebrate this milestone with Susan.


When Susan celebrated her 500th Tablescape Thursday last week,
she asked her participants to share 5-10 of their favorite tables
created through the years that were shared at Tablescape Thursday.
If you missed last week, click here to view all the posts shared.

Susan's charming porch, is perfect for relaxing or dining.
Tablescape Thursday is the primary reason I started 
HYACINTHS FOR THE SOUL. 
Thursdays suddenly became my favorite day of the week! 
I wanted to play at the dish table too!
When I took a look at my blog stats, they indicated
that I've shared 146 times at Tablescape Thursday.

At the Table With the Traveling Totes
My love of dishes, setting a pretty table, and sharing with
others was my incentive to jump in and create my first posts.
 Let's take a look back at a few of those 146 tables I've shared.
I invite you to revisit each post in full.  
Just click each title to view the complete post.

Entertaining in our home is always a joy for me. 
I'm forever daydreaming about table settings 
and how I can make gatherings special. 
My MacKenzie-Childs ceramics often 
provide the seed of inspiration. 
Alfresco May Day Lunch
This table was for an impromptu lunch when my cousin
stopped by for a visit on a beautiful day in May last spring.
It features an assortment of favorite MacKenzie-Childs pieces.
Still In Love
Still In Love ~ 38 Years and I'd Do It Again isn't a single tablescape, but rather snippets of various ways I've used our
Richard Ginori wedding china through the years.  
This post was created in 2013, so today the title should read,
Still in Love ~ 43 Years and I'd Do It Again.
The elegant simplicity of white bone china rimmed in 
bands of chocolate brown and gold, lends itself to a
variety of looks when paired with various other patterns.
It can easily be dressed up or down, a staple in the dish category.
Celebrate!
Another favorite china here at Hyacinths for the Soul is 
Sacred Bird and Butterfly by Mottahedeh.
I was gifted a set of twelve of these beautiful plates by my
friend, Cherry Kay @ Entertaining Women and was thrilled
to use them as the star of this table set for a special luncheon
to celebrate my cousin, Karyn's 50th birthday.
Same plates were used for our Thanksgiving dinner in 2016,
paired with a collection of antique bread boards used as chargers.
Thank you, Cherry Kay, for the gift that keeps on giving!
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
I'm also a long time collector of Quimper and other French faience. On occasion, I like to feature pieces of our French pottery. 
This table was set with our whimsical Quimper fish plates when a fellow Quimper Collector was visiting for the day.
         Two Guys Named George                    Snowy Smiles
The tables above are tables for two, set out on the sunporch.
They are favorites because of the charming Mary Engelbreit Cherry dishes and the Snowy Smiles dishes that honor snowpeople.
Summer Blooms at Lazy Day Farms
I much appreciate the creativity of other tablescapers, so I'm always snapping photos when I see a table that inspires me.
This charmer was created by Marsha Smith of Cottonseed Trading out of Jacksonville, AL for a spring show @ Marburger Farm.
Circle of Friends
I'm also guilty of reaching into the cupboards to play with dishes when visiting friends.  Circle of Friends is one of those tables while at a friend's home in Santa Fe, NM.  It was fun to mix the variety of pottery found in the cupboards, especially the unique hand painted Mexican dishes with a different scene on each plate. 
I thought it especially appropriate to include this table because I created it to recognize all the friendships made through 
Tablescape Thursday.  
It was originally posted on July 20, 2010,
in honor of Susan's 100th Tablescape Thursday, and here we
are now celebrating her 500th Tablescape Thursday!

Don't forget to stop by 
where you'll find many wonderful posts 
celebrating the art of the table.

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