Saturday, March 24, 2012

Baby Shower - Boy or Girl?

My mother hosted a baby shower for our DIL. Baby #3--we don't know the gender--is scheduled to be in our arms in about 4 weeks!

Hydrangeas for the primary flowers, and pink and blue for the color scheme, so this was the invitation ~
Pink and blue hydrangeas.
You can read about how I changed the original to pink and blue, HERE


Welcome!  This arrangement was part of the decorations on the front porch
to welcome her guests.


The flowers in front--forget-me-nots (isn't that PERFECT?!) and tulips--
were hostess gifts from our DIL
for my mother and me (because I helped, she said :)  )


She used my favorite tablecloth--she calls it "sun and shade" because
of the alternating pieces of solid and sheer.
All hand-embroidered and lovely.
And the best part?  It came home with me!  I guess I had lusted after it long enough,
so she gave it to me!


PINK and BLUE hydrangeas, white tulips, and of course,
baby's breath--lots of it.
The ribbons in the centerpiece?  A surprise to be revealed later.


Punch was served in her crystal dispenser, on the buffet.


The first course was Italian wedding soup,
served to our guests as they mingled.
Intended as an appe-teaser, it was served in footed vintage punch cups on
lovely vintage dessert plates.
Napkins, hand-embroidered and lovely, are vintage as well, from my mother's extensive collection.



We used two of my mother's tole trays, and the blue one (bottom right),
 made with butterfly wings, to serve the soup.


This vignette, at the dessert station, has the angel I used for a Valentine's post HERE
and our son (baby's daddy) silver baby cup.
The gorgeous, taaaalllll footed cake plate was given
to my mother by my SIL.
The idea for the flower pot desserts came thanks to Susan, at Between Naps on the Porch,
but instead of cheesecake my mother made TRES LECHES,
and we topped it with crushed Oreos.
Have you ever had tres leches (translation: Three Milks)?
It's a wonderful Cuban dessert~~
the recipe will come another day.
(If you're going to use real, unglazed flower pots,
be sure to line them with foil, as I did.)



The main course was an adaptation of an open-faced turkey sandwich from The Morgan House,
a favorite shop and restaurant near our homes.
Ours was sliced, smoked turkey breast served with rounds of
fresh baguette, mixed salad greens with bleu cheese,
walnuts, and Craisins, and garnished with cranberry sauce
and a homemade cream cheese compote I made. 


Vintage bisque Kewpie doll and baby added a "sweet" touch
to the desserts.


The silver epergne in the living room, where we enjoyed dessert as
the mommy-to-be (again) opened
our gifts to their family.


And the ribbons in the centerpiece?  For an adult PINATA!
In Cuba, our pinatas aren't hit with a stick;
they have strings on the bottom.
Each child takes a ribbon and on the count of 3 they all pull--
and DIVE for the goodies that have fallen out!
So my mother, who has made pinatas for many of
 our children's and grandchildren's birthdays,
decided to do an adult version of a pinata for the shower
instead of the usual games.
On the count of 3 we pulled our strings
(which were lightly taped to the rim of the vase), and
those with knots on the
end won a prize.
(There were lots of knots, so no one went home empty-handed).
Isn't that a clever idea?!

Thanks for stopping by.  Please leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them!  They encourage me and inspire me.  And if you like what you see a lot J, maybe you’d like to +1 this post too!  Thank you!

I hope you will follow me.  If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back.

I will be joining these fun parties; please stop by to see all the great things there!

Sunday Showcase Party at http://www.bystephanielynn.com/
Show Off Your Cottage Monday at http://houseinroses.blogspot.com
Cozy Home Scenes Tuesdays at http://cozyhomescenes.blogspot.com/
Winter Blues Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/
Voila! French Inspiration on Thursdays at http://frenchcupboard.blogspot.com/
Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/
Open House Party Thursday http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com
Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/
Home Sweet Home Fridays at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/
Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com
Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/
Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
Home Sweet Home Friday at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/


from my Chickadee Nest to yours~
    Zuni

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day at the Table


St. Patrick's Day
The mere words connote FUN--from parades to the foods (green beer and bagels anyone?),
it's time to CELEBRATE!


Green is not in great abundance at our house, but  you can read about how I acquired enough green to set a St. Patty's table HERE.


The starting point (and saving grace for my table) were the green, hand-appliqued placemats my grandmother gave me years and years ago.  I may have used them once before, but I kept them because they were a gift from her.


I love the tiny, even stitches...
the skill and patience!



Green, of course, but also gold...as in the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.


Fiji mums add the splash of green needed at the place setting.
The napkins are {Irish??} linen, hand-embroidered, with a slip of green tissue paper
under the sheer design to highlight the artistry and add color.





 
A St. Patrick's Day table must have some shamrocks...
mine are coins, like the ones scattered 'round the table,
and held in place with Tacky.
(Do you use Tacky as much as I do?!  What a wonderful problem-solver!)






A Fiji mum and fresh tulips.
As I look at the pictures, the tulips almost don't look real.
Tulips are one of my favorite flowers.



The green beads look a little like shamrocks, don't they?




 
How will you be celebrating ST. PATRICK'S DAY?  Will you set a fun table and have traditional foods?  Or will you go to a nearby pub?  I'd love to hear about your St. Patrick's Day traditions.  I hope it's a happy one!


Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you will follow me; I promise to work hard to make it worth your while.  And if you let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back.

Please leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them!  They encourage me and inspire me.  And if you like what you see a lot J, maybe you’d like to +1 or PinIt too!

I'll be joining lots of fun parties this week, including Cuisine Kathleen's


and... 
Sunday Showcase Party at http://www.bystephanielynn.com/
Show Off Your Cottage Monday at http://houseinroses.blogspot.com
Cozy Home Scenes Tuesdays at http://cozyhomescenes.blogspot.com/
Winter Blues Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/
Voila! French Inspiration on Thursdays at http://frenchcupboard.blogspot.com/
Open House Party Thursday http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com
Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/
Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com
Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/
Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
Home Sweet Home Friday at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/
Weekend Wrap-up Party at http://tatertotsandjello.com/

Wishing you a happy St. Patrick’s Day,
from my Chickadee Nest to yours~
    Zuni

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Baby Shower Invitation Re-do

My mother is hosting a baby shower for our DDIL, and I offered to take care of the invitations.  Now it's 'round the corner, and due to unforeseen circumstances the invitations were not ordered.  

Creativity to the rescue!
(I think the guys refer to it as 
time to punt, or something like that.)

{And since we don't know the baby's gender, this post, and the shower, will be all about
PINK and BLUE.}

I went to several stores, looking for something refined and appropriate, though not necessarily baby, and I 
found this pretty starting point:
by Gartner Studios.
But where's the PINK?  I NEED PINK!
Well, I'll just hand-color one of the hydrangea heads!

Using my trusty watercolor pencils, I went to work.
(But first print them out with the invitation wording, so nothing that you do to embellish the invitation prevents it from going through the printer.)

The wonderful thing about these pencils is that you don't have to be real specific--it's not like coloring in our coloring books where we had to stay in the lines.  I'm no painter, so I followed the artist's shadings and loosely filled in the petals.
Then using the teeniest, tiniest bit of water on an old, {clean} lipstick brush, I dabbed the pencil markings, making sure to not over-work it to not lose the detail and highlights.
Next, I used a Martha Stewart punch to make a lacy, filigree design across the top.


And now here they are...the finished product, fit for BABY BOYor  BABY GIRL.
(You might be able to see that as I final touch I added a tiny pearl to each head.)

Oh, and the best part??  When I chose this invitation I had completely forgotten that my mother
is planning on using hydrangeas for the centerpiece.
Pure, happy, coincidence!

Have you bought ready-made invitation "blanks" as a shortcut?  How did you embellish them?  Have you ever used watercolors?  And lastly, what do you think?  Do they fill the bill?


Thanks for stopping by.  Please leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them!  They encourage me and inspire me.  And if you like what you see a lot J, maybe you’d like to +1 this post too!  Thank you!

I will be joining these fun parties; please stop by to see all the great things there!

Sunday Showcase Party at http://www.bystephanielynn.com/
Mop It Up Mondays at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/ (thru Feb.)
Show Off Your Cottage Monday at http://houseinroses.blogspot.com
Newbie Party on Monday at http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com/  MARCH 12 IS COPY CAT
Before and After Monday (1st Monday of the mo.) at http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/ 
Winter Blues Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/
Voila! French Inspiration on Thursdays at http://frenchcupboard.blogspot.com/
Open House Party Thursday http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com
Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/
Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com
Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/
Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
Home Sweet Home Friday at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/
Weekend Wrap-up Party at http://tatertotsandjello.com/

Wishing you a happy St. Patrick’s Day,
from my Chickadee Nest to yours~
    Zuni


Monday, March 5, 2012

St. Patrick’s China Cabinet

My husband is isn’t Irish…he just thought he was, until a year or two ago when a bearded, jolly-looking fellow knocked on our door, saying he was a distant relative who’d been researching the family tree.  In the course of conversation he said their heritage is English, not Irish.

Aha!!!  I KNEW there was a reason why I wasn’t inclined to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at our house—there’s no Irish living under our roof!

So while my husband’s {supposed} Irish-ness generated little participation on my part, blogging has changed that--Imagine.  :)    All I had to do was shop the house basement for green, which would've been impossible two months ago.  Every. Single. Piece of green in my china cabinet was a recent auction find, and most of them were in box lots not bought for the green pieces!

Now that St. Patrick’s Day’s is upon us, you might say we, for the first time, are ready for a

St. Patrick's Day celebration!

You won't see shamrocks and pots of gold, but you'll see plenty of green, and white, and gold, and linen.  So Irish...
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This is my interpretation of the pot o’ gold, with a fine linen napkin that may or many not be Irish (kind’a like my husband, you might say!)





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…and Waterford, of course.   

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For purists, this crystal is not Waterford or of Irish lineage, but it’s crystal, and that filled the bill.

Continuing the green, white, crystal, and gold theme:
 DSCN5293

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The ivy candlesticks are Lenox.  The others…??? Green.

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These sweet footed dessert bowls are Heisey…a happy find at GW.  There were only 2, but they were green, and thinking like a blogger, I brought them home.  Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day decorating!

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White and gold Bavarian china.  Though not our monogram, it’s lovely, and white, and gold. Some of the pieces are hand-dated, saying Dec. 25, 1926. 

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And fine embroidery, also a representation of Ireland.

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Bordallo Pinheiro cabbage leaf plate…

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Bordallo Pinheiro maple leaf bowl…

2012.3.4 - St. Pat Collage 1

2012.3.4 - St. Pat Collage 2
So, what do you think?  How did I do for my first
ST. PATRICK’S DAY celebration?

Thanks for stopping by. Please leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them! They encourage me and inspire me. And if you like what you see a lot , maybe you’d like to +1 this post too! Thank you!

I will be joining these fun parties; please stop by to see all the great things there!

Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com
Sunday Showcase Party at http://www.bystephanielynn.com/
Show Off Your Cottage Monday at http://houseinroses.blogspot.com
Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/
Newbie Party on Monday at http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com/
Before and After Monday (1st Monday of the mo.) at http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/
Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com
Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/
Tabletop Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/
Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/
Winter Blues Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/
What's It Wednesday at http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/
Voila! French Inspiration on Thursdays at http://frenchcupboard.blogspot.com/
Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/
Open House Party Thursday http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com
Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/
Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/
Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/
Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com
Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/
Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/
Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
Home Sweet Home Friday at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/
Saturday Nite Special at http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/
Weekend Wrap-up Party at http://tatertotsandjello.com/


Wishing you a happy St. Patrick’s Day,
from my Chickadee Nest to yours~
Zuni

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