Lovely Gifts

Yay! I won a blog giveaway for the first time ever. The always wonderful Kay Ellen of Kay Ellen Design chose my name as the recipient of a copy of Somerset Life, a bird's nest and egg and a treasure from Kay Ellen's recent weekend trip. I thought I would look at this fabulous magazine with a cup of tea.



Oh yes, aren't you observant? That is a new tea strainer for me. My first gold one but that's for another post.

.

Kay Ellen's nesting tablescape was featured in the magazine. I thought I would try to recreate it using the nest from Kay Ellen and my own things. Her photo in the magazine is on the left and my results are on the right. Kay Ellen has such a talent for creating beautiful and innovative tablescapes. She is an inspiration to me.



Here's a close up of my tablescape.



The third item in the box was a surprise treasure from Kay Ellen's weekend trip to Manhattan Beach. It was a beautiful seashell bracelet. I decided to use it as a napkin holder here. I changed up the tablescape to portray more colors of the ocean and the beach to go with my new bracelet.

I do plan to pack the bracelet for my trip to Martha's Vineyard later in the month.



It is the weekend so I broke out the Weekend Waterford!




I just love these cups. I used them for my illumination night tea years ago and I only have this stack left.



Oops, I almost forgot! The seashell bracelet came in an ice blue organza bag. That's it wrapped around the Pellegrino bottle.

If you look at Kay Ellen's blog, you will see gorgeous photos of her husband and children, her pets, her trips, her design work and her fabulous tablescapes. I must confess I've stolen an idea or two from her. Her blog is a must read, so go check it out!

And enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Quote of the Day

The Summer night is like a perfection of thought- Wallace Stevens

Mosaic Monday- Rockport, Massachusetts

I made these mosaics last year after a daytrip to Rockport. It's one of my favorite places to visit, especially in Summer. First, a stop for coffee at the Bean and Leaf Cafe before venturing out to see the sights.



Some photo opportunities presented themselves even in the cloudy weather.



A few hours later, the flowers perk up in the sunlight.

A wonderful place to visit, Rockport.

Please visit other Mosaic Monday participants by clicking here

Saturday Breakfast

Saturday breakfast at Aroma Cafe in Reading. Sometimes my sister joins me and sometimes friends but sometimes I even go there by myself. I love the place.
It's fun to chat with Lynda, my favorite server. She's quirky and fun and she adds a lot of personality to the place.

Yesterday, I had eggs benedict with spinach. Yum! It comes with lacy potatoes too.

This looks like a face or two eyes and a mustache. A very full mustache.

<="">


The hollandaise sauce was perfection. I really hate the kind that's too yellow or
too thick. This sauce wasn't too thin or watered down, it was just the right consistency.


I just had to smoosh one of the eggs and it made for a better photo too! It had the precise amount of runnyness. (Is that a word?)



Doesn't that look delicious? Nice and fluffy.


And on to my favorite potatoes.

Aroma Cafe, 607 Main Street, Reading, Massachusetts. Check it out if you're in the area.

Just give me coffee in an IV

Doctors orders, avoid caffeine. He said what? Avoid caffeine? My life will end as I know it. Doesn't he know my world revolves around caffeine? Wait, does that include chocolate too? Just shoot me now!

I guess I will just have to live vicariously through the Gilmore Girls... and switch to decaf! But I'm not giving up chocolate!

(To get the full Gilmore Girl effect, shut off the music at the bottom of the page).

Recent Finds

Back in April, my sister and I were dining at Tanner Tavern and our server Angela overheard us speaking about something, antiques, tea, I can't remember. Anyway, Angela mentioned that she had teacups and lots of antique plates that she wanted to get rid of since she wasn't using them. I told her I might be interested. I gave her my blog card and I put my cell phone number on it.

Well, about a week ago Angela called me on my cell and said is this Cafe Chatelaine? I thought it must be a blog reader but how did they get my number? Then she said she was Angela from Tanner Tavern and she wanted to come over and have me look at the items she didn't want anymore.

Here's what I chose. I did pay her but I got a good deal.



I chose this because the pattern was pretty and the teapot was a good size. Most of my teapots are on the small size.




I really liked the green accents and gold trim on these plates. I also got the matching soup tureen. It was slightly damaged.





This teacup was so pretty and the blue was a gorgeous shade.



This little bowl will be perfect for holding jam or curd at tea parties.



Likewise with this one.



Who can't use another silver tray? This one is small and could even be displayed on the wall when not in use.



Another small bowl, perfect for guest soaps.




This platter was a good size. I don't have many platters and they certainly aren't this pretty.




This plate was adorable. I loved the edging on it.



Here's a closeup of the floral pattern.



So I met Angela last weekend and this weekend I went to an estate sale in Winchester. When I entered the home I almost turned around and walked out. The smell of mothballs was overwhelming. I mentioned before I have a bloodhound sense of smell so the odor was actually stinging my nose and gave me an instant headache.

I grabbed this little plate and browsed the rest of the stuff quickly.




I bought six of these hydrangea napkins. They will go with my hydrangea glasses and teapot that I already own.




The last item I bought at the estate sale was this table cover. I put it in the common area of the condo just to spruce it up. My total cost for the estate sale items? $4.00. Not bad, huh?



Another view of the table cover.



And one more view. I didn't have time to wash it so I just sprayed it with my favorite sheet/clothing spray, Beach Days. Now the common area is not only attractive but it smells great!



I added a sunflower to the bistro set too. My sister calls this area, Van Gogh's Cafe.



After shooting all the items, my sister called to tell me there was a rainbow outside. I saw it as it was disappearing but I did manage one shot of the dramatic sky. Love those pink clouds.

I think I scored big in the past two weekends, but, perhaps I need to cool it on the estate sales for a while.

My next project is kitchen curtains. I found the perfect pair and now I just have to order them and have my friend Don put them up. Of course, you all will be the first to see them.

Perfect Timing

In less than a month, my sister and I will be chilling on Martha's Vineyard or as we call it, the Vineyard. It will be our second annual Sister's mini vacation.

And phew! Talk about perfect timing, I just found out that the Obama's will be arriving on the Vineyard on the 19th which is the very same day we will be leaving the island to head home. I have nothing against the Obamas vacationing on the Vineyard, however, I can do without the crowds, media attention and the entourage that ensues. After all, vacation is supposed to be relaxing right?

Perhaps our ferries will pass in the night.