A New Teacup & Dainty Vintage Napkins

A spin through a local second hand shop that I've never visited before yielded this beautiful rose teacup and saucer. I was thrilled to find another Paragon design with roses.

So naturally it needs to be enjoyed near the only live roses on the premises. A miniature pot from the grocery store having a second bloom. (Don't ask me how I managed that!)

I came across some dainty worked linen napkins to go with it.  They belong to a matching tea cloth also done in applique, but I wanted this one with the soft pink bands today. The last day of April!

The cup and saucer were found together, but I'm thinking they may not be a pair because of the marks. What do you think?

The cup mark.

The saucer mark. Maybe you can see a very pale wash of pink on the saucer.

 

I'm doing a mix and match with napkins too. I found these three small embroidered napkins too darling to resist. So sweet. It all makes for a cheery patio tea!

It was 85 degrees in Albuquerque today! Makes it hard to get any serious work done. All I wanted to do was play. I'm thinking a lot about picnics. . . .

A sweet goodbye to April until next year.

We're all ready for May!

Jacqueline

Savvy Southern Style~WOW US Wednesday

Between Naps on the Porch~Tablescape Thursday

Common Ground~Be Inspired

The Charm of Home~Home Sweet Home

French Country Cottage~Feathered Nest Friday

My Romantic Home~Show & Tell

Welcome Rituals

How long we have waited for this moment! For the return of the ritual opening of the doors and pausing at the start of day to survey the happenings on the patio.

Such a small thing. But how it colors the whole day.

The air is always so still, no matter what the rest of the day brings. And there's always so much ahead to do.

A little bird song. A bit of fresh air. Green. And a small bloom. The perfect recipe for a perfect spring day. . . .

 Happy weekend!

Jacqueline

P.S. Here's a nice recipe post for Hummingbird Cake that I saw on FB! Doesn't that sound perfect for spring?

P.P.S. Have you heard about Carolyn Aiken's new book? She's having a giveaway!

The link is here.

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Rosegarden in Malevik~Saturday Show Off

How Sweet the Sound~Pink Saturday

The Tablescaper~Seasonal Sundays

Between Naps on the Porch~Metamorphosis Monday

Pretty Plates & Platters

I found another of these blue topped mason jars this afternoon. So perfect for spring. We're seeing them filled with flowers everywhere these days, but mine is perched on top of them today.

I always enjoy pretty platters and plates, but this combination brings out the farm girl in me.

A bench out under the cherry trees is almost as farmy as it gets around here, but I have a large imagination. A few minutes of dreaming in the fresh spring air makes for a nice pause in the day.

Sometimes you just have to stop and smell the roses

 (so to speak). . . .

It's a long time before our roses bloom, but it's been wonderful to begin seeing a few beautiful rose garden posts from your warmer climes around Blogland.

 But now it's back to tackling the clutter!

Happy days!

Jacqueline

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The Charm of Home~Home Sweet Home

French Country Cottage~Feathered Nest Friday

My Romantic Home~Show & Tell

Tatting, Tidbits & Teacups

I've been turning over teacups and tea cloths lately. . . . This delicate spring vine china pattern will also look lovely at Christmas. (It's not too early to be thinking about that is it?) I found two sets.

I brought my recent vintage finds out into the bright and fresh spring air to show you. The week ahead promises to be warm and windless and sunny. What more can we ask for?

Hints of notions, and my new ironstone bowl. This stuff really doesn't turn up here much, so when it does I squirrel it away. We use it everyday. Wears like iron, and just as heavy. Love this embossed style.

I pick up linens and laces usually just one item at a time. I'm always thrilled when a pristine snippet of tatting comes along. Since I have never learned the art, I find tatted lace the most fascinating of all. You can see the technique here on the left versus the crochet in ecru on the right.

I turned up a set of four beautiful French plates this week too. Perfect for spring!

One of my thrills of the hunt came in a little plastic bag with a spool of silk taffeta ribbon tucked inside, accompanied by some old and tiny envelopes of hooks and eyes. A booklet on tatting was also included. There were small embroidery hoops (one of them wooden) that I'm not showing here. Don't you love the old graphics? I don't think I would be more thrilled if I was panning for gold!

I found the tatted piece a few days later. It's a smallish Irish linen table runner in the exquisite condition you see here. Already clean and ironed. One dollar. Some days the junking muses smile on us. Yes?

The crochet runner underneath it all has a smooth linen panel in the center and a substantial worked hem. You see it folded in half here as it drapes off the table. Also nice and heavy.

The cross-stitched underskirt is a thrift find too from years past. Its hem is in shreds as I found it. But it still cheers me up to no end every time I bring it out. It seems just perfect in spring.

I hope you have some little lovelies waiting ahead for you too this week! I'll make a wish for that with all the dandelions popping up on the lawn!

Jacqueline

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Savvy Southern Style~WOW Us Wednesday