A Tea for May

When I think of May I think of all the flowers and trees finally being in bloom.  I think of certain flowers associated with May and Lily of the Valley is one of them.

I have this tea cup and saucer that has Lily of the Valley on it.  I only have the one but, it is so pretty I wanted to set it in a little tea by itself.  Possibly for Mom for Mother's Day or just for yourself to curl up with a new magazine and read.  

A little closer look at the cup and saucer.

It has Adderley made in England on the bottom.

This is from Ebay.

I also made a plate of strawberry bread, a recipe from my Aunt.

The plate also has Lily of the Valley on it.

The plate is marked Royal China the pattern is called Golden Valley.

I also found this on Ebay.

I love it when my ferns have come up in spring they are so green and lush.

The tea pot has a great shape it was marked Hotel Balfour Ceramic.

I got it at TJMaxx.

Thank you for joining me for a little tea.  

I will be linking to:

Tabletop Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life.

Tea Time Tuesday at Lady Katherine's Tea Parlor

Tea Party Tuesday at Rose Colored Glasses

2nd Time Around at A Picture is Worth a 1,000 Words.
Sunday Favorites at Happy To Design. 

Simple Pleasure...

There's just something about the wind blowing your curtains when the windows are open. Now that the warm weather's here, we have our windows open as much as possible and I'm loving the breezes & seeing our living room curtains gently blowing.  (They're simple white unlined linen and perfect for being wind-whipped... Not that I planned this, but I'm very happy with the results.) 

There are so many little things to love about each & every day and as Spring really comes to bloom, I find myself taking even more notice.  What simple pleasures did you indulge this weekend?

xoxo,
lauren

*image from source4interiors.com

Botanical Print Makeover

 My little boy; who was three at the time, had collected some fall leaves and we pressed them.  I had them in a frame in my living room.  He is really crazy about trees so we have done more than a few projects involving trees.  The teenagers (his brothers) have unintentionally knocked the frame off the wall several times.  So, the frame finally broke.  It can be repaired but,  I decided to try something new on that wall.  I had a plan to again use Vintage Printable and print out some botanical prints for a grouping on my wall.

Taking a tip from Mary Carol Garrity; famous for her store Nell Hills in Atchison, KS, I used pieces of paper taped on the wall to space my pictures out.  

I have always wanted framed botanical prints in a grouping but, I have never found a way to spend money on art.  This was a affordable solution.  I had the frames from a sale at Hobby Lobby, they were 40% off (around $4 each). 

Now if the teenagers will try not to knock them off the wall they should be alright.  I will give the pressed leaves a new home in my littlest one's bedroom.

I am linking this post to:

Metamorphosis Moday at Between Naps on the Porch.

Show Off Your Cottage Monday at The House in the Roses. 

Three or More Tuesday at The Gypsy's Corner. 

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at Coastal Charm. 

 Please visit these ladies and see what other wonderful ideas bloggers are contributing. 

                                                       

ReVAMP!!!

I'm so excited because Pure Style Home is getting a makeover!!  The new blog header is really special to me I can't wait for you to see it next week!! 

{image from here}

But for now, have an awesome weekend & take in all the little beautiful things around you.

xoxo,
lauren

Dining Al Fresco

I will be joining Laurie at her site Bargain Hunting and Chatting with Laurie for My Favorite Things.  With the weather having turned beautiful early this year I found myself imagining all the possibilities of dining outside. There is really no end to the ways it could be done.

Image from caribbeanvilla.com

 Is it the location that makes it fantastic?

Image from coastalliving.com

 We probably do dine outside the most on vacation.

Image from scoutmagazine.ca

Or possibly for a reception for one thing or another.

 Image from potterybarn.com

But, you can take yourself away to a place with the table setting.

Image from me.com by Tricia Foley

You could pop a tent and take yourself away on safari.

Image from thundafunda.com

You could pretend you were in Venice, Italy.

Image from Marthastewart.com

Maybe you are somewhere that looks like Nappa.

Image from telegraph.co.uk

There really are no limits to what you can do.

Image from coastalliving.com

 Maybe the food makes it delightful.

 Or the drama added by the lighting.

Image from Marthastewart.com

For whatever reason I love dining outside in the summer.

Thank you Laurie for hosting.

Foodie Friday: Chicken Enchiladas

Cinco de Mayo is coming up soon.  It is time to go a little southwest in my recipe selections.  This is a popular dish with the teenagers.  I make it several times a month.  Recipe source was Southern Living magazine.
Ingredients:
2 T.  butter
2  lg. onion, thinly sliced
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 (3 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, cubed
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 (4.5 oz.) can diced green chiles
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can chicken broth
1/2 cup salsa
10 (7-inch) flour tortillas
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded cheddar

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat; stir often; add onion and cook until caramelized. Reduce heat to low and add chopped chicken,  cream cheese, salt, and pepper.  Pulse chiles, small onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, and sugar in a blender or food processor until combined.  Bring chile mixture and chicken broth to a broil in a saucepan over high heat; cook 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in salsa.  Spread 1/3 chile mixture evenly on bottom of greased 13x9-inch baking dish.  Spoon chicken mixture evenly down center of each tortilla; roll up and place, seam side down, in prepared baking dish.  Top with remaining chile mixture; sprinkle with cheese.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

I am linking up to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.   Please go over and view all the great recipes there.

Tablescape Thursday

As, I told in the post on Saturday I set this table up in 45 minutes or less. It was a whim inspired by the blooming Korean Spice Viburnum in my backyard. My severely pruned Korean Spice Viburnum; just in case some of you gardening bloggers don't recognize the shrub when you see it. It would be because my five year old has been pruning it.

This table was really all about the lighting. I used two lighting ideas from Pottery Barn, which I discuss also in Saturday's post.

My first inspiration was to hang these PB style mason jar lights in my shabby shrub.

My next idea was to create a votive table runner. But, instead of making it I used an antique cigar mold and gave the illusion of the votive holder. Again, it is described in further detail in Saturday's post.

The dinner plate is by Domestications.

The salad plate is from Kohls.

The goblets are Waterford Crystal.

The pattern is Marquis. I found them at T.J. Maxx a box of 4/$24.99.

The best feature of the table though is the lighting.

You get a lot of drama with these little votives.

You may also view this tablescape in movie format.