Birthday Gift - Blue and white dinnerware

 My niece and god-daughter is celebrating a birthday and I will be able to see this year!

There is a large box of wonderful stuff ready for her.  

She already knows what is inside so it's okay that it has been identified.

She has just moved into a new house and is working on getting the kids back to school and unpacking and setting up the house.  

I have had this Blue Nordic by Johnson Brothers dinnerware for several years but was not using it to it's full potential.  I want to downsize and when I found out she would love it, it was an easy choice.

I'm not sure she has the piece of furniture in the dining room yet. These good dishes will likely be in their place for Christmas dinner.

I am sure she will enjoy it!

The set includes enough of the pieces for 6 place settings.  The pieces are dinner plates, salad/dessert plates, cereal bowls, soup bowls, and teacup and saucer. They are a family of four so there is enough for one set of grandparents.

The extra pieces include the teapot, cream and sugar and a large serving platter.

I am super happy to have this set going to a good home.

I bought most of it at a thrift store.  I collected tea cups and saucers along the way.  I found the platter at a second hand store. 

I wanted her to have a surprise as well so I made her a linen tea towel and a pale green linen fabric.

My sister and I had a conversation about using linen for bath towels the other day and I managed to find her some linen/cotton fabric she will be trying out. I do have a couple linen tea towels.

This is a perfect color for my niece.  I had a piece just the right size.  Finished size 18 x 27 inches.  I added a hanging loop in one corner and made mitered corners.  On hindsight, maybe the loop should have gone in the middle.

During my visit this summer, she expressed wanting a special silver spoon for a lovely container.

She had a small spoon from Air Canada in the other dish and wanted another.  (Remember when airlines actually used real cultery with their in flight meals?) How things have changed but I digress.

I'm not sure what the chances are of finding another Air Canada spoon but this one is quite similar and can work as a stand in until the better one shows up.

Tied it onto the tea towel with the same twill tape.

Photo Blogging - Six

I have been chasing large plastic poker chips.

My niece is planning a girl guide project in June and put the call out for poker chips to be used as tokens in the camp.

I have found quite a few stashes of these for good prices.  My sister is also on the hunt.

We need 1500 chips and we are over 1000 so we certainly get what she needs before the deadline.

This traditional game pieces are being dumped as people go to digital entertainment.




Spring has arrived.

I have 6 new leaves on my African Violet plant as the light outside becomes brighter and longer

I love the contrast of the green against the red stems.

The leaves have not developed their fuzzy surfaces yet.

I see little flower buds in the back there so maybe I will soon have purple flowers on this plant.

I found some silicone muffin liners for this very old pan I inherited from my Mom.  I had not used it because I was sure what I would put into the cups would stick.

It is a mini muffin tin with 16 cups.

Love the colors in this set of liners.  I think they were a Halloween collection.

Now I could make some mini muffins which will certainly come out easily.

I found a cobalt blue tea bag holder to join my collection which now makes it at 6.

Unfortunately, they will not all sit in the holder.

It will certainly work very well with my Blue Nordic dishes.

Here are six props I bought in recent days for my macro photography.

I love the small elephant with a great red oriental bead.
Three filigree metal work beads.
A blown glass heart which was a drink marker.
The turquoise star was an earring.  The plastic circle is a cabinet door knob.
The gold Japanese fan is a jewellery piece as well.  It actually opens and closes.

I am joining the Photo Blogging Challenge - March 2019 - Six hosted by Lil HooHaa.

Hot Tea Month 2018

January is Hot Tea Month

 As many of us know a cup of tea is a pleasure, a healthy habit and provides a time to relax, unwind, and take a much needed breath in our lives.  There are many types of tea so one of every situation we experience.  Some have caffeine and will provide a boost in the morning and some contain no caffeine which are great for an evening hot drink.

“Tea is a very versatile drink. Each variety – black, green, oolong, herbal – has a unique taste, so Canadians can try different flavours, finding the ones they like best,” says Louise Roberge, President of the Tea and Herbal Association of Canada. There’s a tea for every palate and a time for every tea, with research showing that Canadians predominantly drink black and green from early to mid-day and turning to herbal and decaffeinated in the evening. Check out this link for more details. Tea and Herbal Association of Canada

Masala Chai is my favorite and the one I am enjoying this morning.  A bit of honey and some cream and it is a perfect cup of tea for me.  I recently discovered a Saigon Chai which is quite nice as well.  For less caffeine I enjoy Jade Citrus Mint and Chamomile is my first choice for a late evening hot drink.

Take time today to celebrate and enjoy a hot cup or mug of tea.

Sharing with Tuesday Cuppa Tea hosted by Ruth   

Friends Sharing Tea hosted by Bernideen.

Share Your Cup - Recent Pics

When I bought my cute glass lemon a while back, my aunt the other two that were being offered.  I lent me her two so I could take some interesting photos. 

I placed them onto a navy blue blue plate.  I was not fussy of the shiny navy empty space on the corners so I sprinkled some cornmeal to reduce the glare.

I added some direct light onto the front one with a small flashlight.

I'm happy with this photo.





I hosted Welcome to my Kitchen this morning.  This is our fellowship group where we take turns hosting. 

With my new kitchen I was excited to host but with 16 expected I was concerned about having space for everyone to be comfortable.  I am very happy with the layout created with my dining room table and my craft table.  I chose yellow table cloths as it was the only color I have one big enough to cover the large table.

With 10 able to sit at the tables I set up TV tables along the sofa.  There was a table in the far corner with a stool.  The large chair in the foreground had a space of plate and cup on the trunk next to it.  I also had a small stool to serve as a table along with cushions on my wooden bench. 

As it turned out we were 12 and it was very comfortable.  As you can see the sun was shining!

Isn't Tupperware the best!  Tupperware parties were the rage when I graduated from high school. I have attended 100s of parties and spent a good dollar in my 20s stocking my kitchen. Money back guarantee!  I think the younger generation is not appreciating this product. Many pieces are between 30-40 years old. No,  I am not a demonstrator or have any vested interest.  I just love their product.

I put together a cheese and cracker tray which was served on a large yellow platter.  I served Camembert, mozzarella and marble sheet with great whole grain crackers.

I prepared a veggie tray with dill dip served in the Tupperware Large Serving Center.  I put in carrot sticks, pepper slices, cauliflower, and cherry tomatoes.

A fruit tray served in the Tupperware Red Six Section Snack Tray.  Green grapes, oranges slices, and strawberries.

I made some Carrot Bran Muffins which features pineapple.  The other baking was Scottish Oat Scones.  Served on my plate stand with French Cobalt blue glass plates.

Here's my plate on a TV tray.

A friend helped me with the coffee making in a coffee maker I won as a prize at one of those famous Tupperware parties years ago. It gets used 1-2 times a year. I bought Nabob 1896 Tradition grounds which was a good choice I am told.   As most of you know, tea is my drink of choice.  I used my IKEA Cobalt Blue tea pot and made Red Rose black tea.  Both was well enjoyed.

I am working on my cobalt blue pieces in hopes of putting together a still life photo sometime next year.



The tall glass bottle is a recent purchase.  There was a different style at the same store so I going to get that one as well.

My inspiration is this painting by Mickie Acierno. 

During the update to my place mostly in the kitchen I put new art for the bathroom on the shop list. Ihave not found anything so far.  As you may remember I lightened the bathroom with a white shower curtain. This wee,  I combined 2 items I have owned for years.  I had an empty white wooden frame in 16x20 and the print in my bathroom was the same size.  I thought these should work.  They do!

Sharing with

Jann at Daily Cup with Mrs. Olson who hosts  Share Your Cup #268.

Mersad who hosts Through My Lens #116 every week.

Kitchen Reno - Reveal

I have been working on an update to my kitchen since I purchased these 2 cabinets in April 2017.  I love IKEA and these are IVAR cabinets.  This was a challenge and provided many learning curves.

There have been several challenges:

• I added IKEA EKET under frame which includes a frame and legs in clear lacquered birch.
• The freezer needs space above for ventilation so I have decided not to install a counter.  The cabinets also have tops so it is not necessary.
• Since the cabinets are not standard kitchen cabinets I needed a spacer behind to bring them forward to the edge of the wall on the right.  Two by fours with brackets then topped with pretty knotty pine boards did the trick. I had to cut some of the 2x4 with a hand saw but I did my carpenter Dad proud.  Thank goodness for an electric drill he gave me years ago. 
• I added identical wooden shelves on either side for open shelving for dishes.  
• I installed the large metal sunflower my niece gave me for Christmas as the art in the center above the freezer.  I love it!
• Finding trays for the inside to store what used to be in there led to a journey with several options.  

New appliances rose to the top of the priority list when I was headed to Mom and Dad`s in August when I discovered that a bracket that supported the bottom of the freezer was broken.  I supported the base as best I could had headed out.  When I returned I headed out shopping for new ones.  A refrigerator, a dishwasher, a stove and a microwave were on the list.  The ones I was replacing were over 30 years old.  This is the first time I bought kitchen appliances in my life. I did my research and visited a couple of showrooms.
The new appliances were delivered September 11th. This photo shows the new appliances. I bought very basic appliances in white as the kitchen is not a place where I spend a lot of time.  The next day the dishwasher was hooked up. I have not had a working dishwasher for about 5 years so it is taking a bit to get used to how I do things. The counters are staying tidy. It took till September 28th to get all the issues addressed but I finally have the fridge door opening the right way, the fridge is no longer freezer my food and the damage on the front door repaired.

The photo above also shows the painting of the cupboards. I posted in summer that I had put paper in the centers of the doors to see how much of an effect it would make to the room.  It was dramatic and brighten up the room a lot considering there is no windows.  I lived with paper until this week.  I will post later the process.  I am very happy with the change.

I bought a new rug at the sink in white and navy.  I don`t think it is the final solution but it will do for now.  Easily washed and good colors.

The tea cupboard is still in it`s place.  I moved the pot holders to the range hood since that is where I need them.  Navy sunflowers are there pattern.  One of the reasons I bought these appliances because of the handles. I like to hang towels on the stove and fridge.

I found a small glass lemon to compliment the other two in my blue cut glass bowl.  A day with my aunts on Tuesday found us visiting a high end second hand store.  I have been looking for a while. There it was and the price was great.

The bowl lives on top of the microwave sitting on a yellow crocheted doily.  I added a microwave splatter cover.  The microwave has a rotating glass plate.  The old one did not which tells you how old it was.  It has been sent to the eco station.

Super happy with this presentation. 

I recently found a silver tin which is exactly the same as the blue ones I have been using in the tea cupboard.  The price was $2 so it came home with me.  I have been looking for 2 years for a matching tin.

I printed some labels for each of them. Earl Grey, Herbal, Chamomile and Green tea.

I recently found a blue spray bottle for the mixture water and bleach that I use all the time in the kitchen.  Works great on stained teapots and tea cups.

I have chosen to store my dishes on wooden open shelves.

On the right, I have my yellow and true blue set of dishes. A few white plates are also on this side.  The yellow and the stainless steel teapots live on the top shelf.  I have managed to find a sugar and creamer and a covered condiment dish to match my stainless steel teapot.

On the left, I store my blue nd white dishes. The Blue Nordic dishware received a boost the other day.  I now have four White Regency teacups and saucers and 6 Blue Nordic.  I have the clear glass plates, red plates, and the Cobalt blue glass plates.  The top shelf holds the IKEA Cobalt Blue teapot and the Blue Nordic coffee set as well as the large white porcelain teapot.

You will see that sunflowers are the flower of choice in my kitchen.  On the left is a painting from Italy, a very large metal sunflower art in the center, on the right a framed tile from Mexico, and a watercolor print.

I love the plate stand, another recent purchase, as it will hold any of my plates which allows me to customize it to the dishware I am using on my table. My brother in law is working on supports for a black wire rack which will hold my plates vertically instead of horizontally on shelves. 

Further updates:
The original plan was to place some open shelving higher up on the wall.  After some discussion with a friend I am holding off for a while.  I have stored my Tupperware elsewhere for now.

The wood shelves, the spacer boards need to be oiled but I will wait till the plate rack is ready and do it all at once. 

I want to make fabric runners to be placed under the shelves on both sides. 

Sharing with
Jann at Daily Cup with Mrs. Olson Share Your Cup #267
Maggie at Normandy Life who hosts Mosaic Monday 55
Mersad who hosts Through my Lens 114

Fruit, Harvest, and Thrifting

I spent a day and a half at my sister's processing the apples we had picked from Mom's trees on the weekend. 

Food processors are wonderful inventions and my sister had recently acquired a good machine for a song. 

We managed 13 four cups bags in just over an hour with prep and clean up.  We washed, quartered, cored, sliced and bagged. She will use hers for pie and crisp and I will use mine for fruit crisps.

We picked chokecherries on Tuesday night in quite cold temperatures.  I had gloves on except when picking.

The berries were plentiful and ripe so picking went very well.  We came home with 2 full ice cream pails and bit. After clearning, that yielded several bags of frozen berries.

I will eat them unthawed during the winter as a snack.  They can be made into jelly or syrup anything during the winter.  Mom will get a couple of bags as well as my sister. 

We also processed the high bush cranberries (pembina in french) which she picked on Friday.  Again, the picking went well and she froze them until I could come to help with the making of pancake syrup. 

We ended up with thicker syrup than the last couple of years and it may be due to starting with frozen rather than fresh berries.  We processed mostly 1.5 cups jars which makes the process quicker than dealing with tiny jars.  We did make a few small jars for giving away. 





We learn a few lessons every year. 

I am grateful that she has all the tools to make the process work well.  I provide the support help.

It will taste absolutely wonderful on pancakes during the winter months.  Like a bit of summer.





I got a tip from my aunt that there was a thrift store near my sister`s house that had some Blue Nordic dishes in the window.  I should check it out next time I am visiting.  I called ahead and indicated I was on my way and should be there in 1.5 hours.  The weather did not cooperate so I arrive 10 minutes before the store closed.  I quickly checked the pieces over and made my purchase.  I unpacked the boxes today.  I have brought my total teacups to 10 with saucers so that was a good score.  The coffee pot, cream and sugar set was another great addition.  Adding 6 bowls brings my total to 10 as well.   Very good.

I look forward to having tea with friends and family in wonderful dishes that I love.  I believe there will be sufficient space is the kitchen for all of it.

Sharing with 
Share Your Cup #265 hosted by Jan at Daily Cup with Mrs. Olson

Tuesday Cuppa Tea hosted by Ruth at Antiques and Tea Cups

Tea in the Garden hosted by Bernideen at Tea Time

Pink Saturday hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound

Recent Snapshots

I am working on images for Christmas cards already.  I thought this one would make a nice photo card with a greeting in the top left hand corner.

This one is Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) – The cute little (non-edible) white berries on this bush are a delicacy to birds. During the winter when the leaves are gone, the berries look like little white ornaments hung on delicate branches.

I thought this plant was pretty in its pink finery.  This one is growing wild in the river valley.

I have no idea what it is called and with some research I was not able to find a name. I'll keep trying.

This was the sun the other morning.

Absolutely red due to the forest fires raging in the western provinces.  I waited until a few clouds drifted by to take this shot.

It makes for an eerie type morning walk when there is this tint to the world.







I found a bed of cosmos flowers the other morning.  I have included three of them in my mosaic this morning.

Changes are taking place in the kitchen.   I will post when they are all done.

I have been looking for a blue cut glass bowl for a long while since I saw one in a friend's blue and yellow kitchen.  I found the glass lemons in the last six months or so and then this bowl showed up last week.

It will sit in my kitchen on this yellow star doily a top a new white microwave.  Having had to clean out cupboards I am motivated not to return all the "stuff".   I want to simplify my decor as well.

I was gifted this set of Johnson Brothers Blue Nordic dishes by my aunt.  She did give a lot away before she moved but she did not keep any saucers for the tea cups.

It been a slow process to get what I needed.  I found one at a thrift store in June, a couple showed up at a garage sale 2 weeks ago.  And I purchased a  couple of tea cups and saucers at a thrift store the other day.  It gives me 6 cups and 5 saucers.

I have a full set of dishes for 4 now.  With a few extra pieces for good measure. My thrift store shopping list has been adjusted.




This was breakfast this morning.   Chocolate bran muffins, banana on plain yogurt and a good cup of Earl Grey tea.  A bit of cranberry syrup to add a bit of sweet.

We are getting ready to pick this year's crop so this current supply has to be eaten.



Sharing with

Through Your Lens#111 hosted by Mersad

Easter Tea

I lit a tea light candle in this wonderful rabbit glass tea light holder.  I don't have a lot of seasonal decor so on my trip to the library yesterday I stopped to see what was up at the local thrift store. 

After a bit of research it was sold by Hallmark in the early 70s.  It is quite heavy and very smooth. Some on-line are refering to it as crystal. Maybe, certainly has that feel.

He won't take a lot of space and he can come each Easter.

I am quite happy to have scored 4 of these tea cups yesterday at the thrift store. I love the blue and white classic design set on a navy table cloth and a white placemat.

I now only need 3 saucers to have a table setting of four of Blue Nordic by Johnson Brothers.  Dinner plates, dessert/salad plates, saucers and tea cups.  I have a platter as well.

Today, I am having Spicy Chai tea with some honey and cream. 

I set the table with a vase of pink roses.  They are held in a small crackle glass vase with a few glass marbles in the bottom to hide the end of the stems.  I placed the vase on a small round Batternburg lace doily.

I should have had tulips!!  Why did I not think of that?  I will have to put those on my shopping list. 










I used my large white porcelain tea pot today.  It will serve me about three servings of tea.  The brand of this one is a department store brand - PC. I am amazed how much lighter porcelain is to stoneware.  I have a couple of each and gravitate to the lighter one usually. 

I Battenburg lace napkin in a crystal napkin holder. 

This is the full view of tea this afternoon.  It included a few sweets.  A bit of chocolate cookie, an oatmeal and a citrus cranberry cookie. Wishing you a Happy Easter.

Sharing with the following:

Ruth at Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Bernideeen at Tea with Friends

Tea Prize and Stuff

I won! This is a yellow and blue tea towel with a teapot on it!  It was part of the blog give away from Margie at Tea in the Valley for her 2 year blog anniversary.  She was so generous and I will include items over the next few weeks.  Blue and yellow are my kitchen colors so it will fit right in.


This is the first page of my Tea Time Photo Calendar.  The bright green cup is my sister's and she picked the peony while I did a photo shoot at her house. 






I bought myself a small crystal bowl to be filled with wonderful things.  My inspiration is a bowl I saw at my friend's house. 

I checked out the local craft store for small fake lemons but the price was ridiculous so for now I have blue and white balls.  I will keep an eye out for glass lemons.  Check out the small bird with a very long tail.  Christmas clearance is great!  The bowl is sitting on the platter from the Blue Nordic dishes I received a couple weeks ago.  It is in new condition which means it was not likely used a lot.  Mine is bound to be photographed more than serving food.  Who knows!


This orange is a gorgeous color and it was very delicious.  I cut it into sections and added a chocolate bran muffin for breakfast. 

 I continue to make tea cup coasters.  I have several made so I included one on my table this morning. 
The rock was a gift from a friend and is a good remind to live life grateful. 











Sharing with
Bernideen's Tea Time

Ruth at Antiques and Teacups

Blue Nordic - Tea Biscuits

On the table I used a white lace tablecloth which I discovered when I was cleaning up Christmas items last week.  I placed a navy textured table runner across the table.

I set up my place setting this morning with some new to me blue & white dinnerware my aunt gave me last week. These few plates, bowls and a small platter will be a nice supplement to my collection of blue and white dishes.

There was a variety of vintages in the pieces I received which included Classic White Blue Nordic by J&G Meakin and Nordic by Johnson Brothers.  A few quite a bit older that the others.

I placed the Blue Nordic plate onto an Off White Swirl Pattern dinner plate by Myott Meakin which features the same swirl design.

I served Earl Grey tea with honey and cream.

The mug is 365+ Cobalt Blue by IKEA which goes well with the plates.

I put a dessert plate of the Blue Nordic under the white porcelain tea pot. 

The blue marker on the tea pot handle tells me that this is the first brew of the tea.

Cheese Tea Biscuits made with whole wheat flour and old cheddar cheese tastes great.  I made half a recipe which produced 12 small biscuits.

I added some navel orange slices which provides a punch of color and some of the precious Vitamin C during this time of the year.

 

I placed  a bit of butter and some orange marmalade on a small porcelain rectangular dish.  The marmalade is the healthiest possible by Smuckers with no sugar added.

This was a great breakfast. I enjoyed three cups of tea over a few hours this morning. 


Sharing with the following link parties:

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Bernideen's Tea Time