It's Time For Tea

Well it's Tablescape Thursday again at Between Naps on the Porch by the wonderful Susan, a fellow dish lover.



Yummy scones with plenty of sugar! This table reminds me of the Great Gatsby and the beautiful tea they serve in the movie.



I am still unpacking and creating my pantry, so it's a challenge right now to find everything, but I am very motivated. It's so much fun to participate and everyone's tables are so beautiful.

My Japanese Snowball is in bloom!



Another chance to use my vintage flatware!



I decided to do a tea service this week, cause once it gets too hot here, we won't drink too much tea.

It's time to go have a scone, and look at my favorite silver tray! ahh



Liz

Outdoor Wednesday

I'm posting some photos I took yesterday in my neighborhood of the "out-of-doors" around here. I was trying to join OUTDOOR WEDNESDAY, but I posted too late. I hope you enjoy them!

After all that walking I decided to make Salad Nicoise with for dinner cause I'm trying to diet.

Thanks for stopping by!

Liz

Store Bargains

I worked for a department store (the Broadway/May Co) while I was going to school back in the day, in the china and housewares department. I spent 3 years there, and I learned how to set a table and also not to pay full-retail. Anything you see in my posts has definitely been purchased at clearance prices or at a thrift store, garage sale, etc.

I got this little silver pitcher at the Goodwill...for 2.99 and the spoon actually has my initial on it.

I used to love Kirkland's because on Wednesdays the scratch and dent section was 1/2 price. Due to the economy, like many other places they have closed the stores here. I got this miniature chair there for 8.00. I wish they were still in town.

I always use my 40% off coupon at Michael's and I always visit the mark-down isle at Hobby Lobby.

We have some great church thrift stores and of course the Goodwill. I really find my best deals there like this cut pink tray...

Oh my gosh, I may not be spending a lot of money but I have got so much stuff. I think I might need a bargain psychiatrist...where is Lucy when you need her!

Liz

Working In the Garden

This weekend I divided my succulent ground cover into several smaller pots because I am going to try to make a lawn out of them.


I started this pot from a "4 inch" pot I bought last summer. This is a ground cover that spreads, does not require much water, is a beautiful shade of green and does not need mowing. Is is a perennial, so it comes back every year and it tolerates our high altitude and heat. I start out with the right potting soil for our climate.

I have a neighbor who has 40 feet of this in her front yard and when it looks best I'll take a picture. Here's what my transplant pot looks like.




I think this is great for pots too...because they don't require a huge amount of water.

I was going to pull out my pansies and do my annuals because pansies won't last in the heat here...but I couldn't, I'll do it next week...the color is so beautiful!



Oh I can't wait for the roses...they are almost blooming. Here in the Rockies they bloom for Mother's Day.

Liz

Depression Glass

Years ago, when I started working, I began to finish a collection of Green Rose Cameo glasses that belonged to my Grandmother. I started out with 1 sherbet ...

...and one tumbler. These were all that remained from the set she collected as a young bride in 1930 from J J Newberry, a five and dime store that was popular at the time.

Someone I worked with noticed that I was always at the antique stores on my lunch hour, and invited me to an estate sale. She had a booth at a local antique mall and was always hunting, and taught me a lot about collecting. She once convinced me against my better "thrifty" judgment to spend 40.o0 dollars on a complete set of Haviland china from the early 50s. Today, Replacements charges about 850.00 for the same set. She really knew her stuff and I am so grateful to have known her.

The things she helped me collect appear in all my table settings, and I can't help but think of her every time I set my table.

What I remember most about her collection, was that she had an amazing set of American pressed glass from the 1800's that filled a whole china cabinet, and lots of vintage Pickard hand painted china.

Pickard is hard to find in Albuquerque, but I have managed to gather and salt and pepper and a creamer and sugar. As soon as I unpack them, I will post them here!

Hope you enjoyed pieces from collection...til next time.

Liz

Historic Albuquerque Homes

Albuquerque is famous for it's mix of architecture. My favorite are the historic homes in our "Old Town" district. They were built long before it became fashionable here to copy the Taos Pueblo historic look.

This is our most famous house with an acre of lawn and tons of tulips out front. I'm sure they have a gardener.

You see a lot of Mediterranean style architecture from the turn of the century...the tile roof is very common.

This house has grass...the city here actually pays you to get rid of it to save water. It's $700 so a lot of people do it.

Isn't this a cute little cottage. I know how I'd decorate that one! Bring on the white paint.

I've always loved this house because it was so different, and recently they renovated it. I think it was the most deserving little house.

Here is another little cottage...it actually has white wicker furniture on the porch!

And this brick beauty was built in 1880...doesn't it still look good! This photo does not do it justice.

Just for reference most modern pueblo houses here look like this...

No Lawn...no color...It is something I got used to and appreciated it's beauty.

See ya next time

Liz

It's Finally Warm Again

I've decided to start working on my garden and patio. I can't wait for my seeds to be transplanted...but in the mean time I'm having some lemonade in my Italian glass server.

I still have lots of strawberries, so I added some of those...

I hung a garden planter and am heading to the garden center to fill it with some colorful trailing plants.

I purchased a set of 2 of these at an estate sale for $25...I'm going to paint these white. I'll probably paint the wall hanger too. It looks like it is the same color as the cinder-block wall...doesn't it?

This is my white inspiration planter...hopefully it will look like this when it's DONE!

Everyone thinks I have a green thumb...but here's the secret for container gardening...revealed for the first time. I add water absorbing crystals to the soil to help with the sun's dehydration at this high altitude. I can't garden without it, and it's why my pots look healthy.

They absorbe a huge amount of water and release it when needed. These are sold around the rest of the country as a way to water when you are on vacation and can't water. I've tried that too, and it works really well.

Well...I'm off to finish the lemonade, and paint the urns...I'll post the pictures when I'm done!

Liz

My Everyday Table

Here are my every day dishes. They are in a grape pattern from Luminarc, the French Glass Company, and they came from Tuesday Morning.

The white shabby chic candle holder came from Kirkland's and I love to use it everyday, especially if I don't have flowers for the table.

I put the table on Craigs List and it sold within an a couple of hours. I am SOOOO excited to get a new table! This is my farewell table setting as I'm used to seeing it on daily basis. Bye Bye too long table!

The roosters came from my Aunt Ruth, who made them herself years ago...she was the the original ETSY girl! She's gone now, so I enjoy using them when I can.

This is my Imperial Glass cake plate from the 40's with my mother of pearl silver plate. I was given the cake plate by the original owner, and it looked like it had never been used.

I guess a new table needs new dishes right...and a new tablecloth and of course new glassware. Wait, that's exactly how it starts...

Take a trip to see Susan's other entries....they are all beautiful and so creative... at Between Naps on the Porch!

Liz