Were You Invited?

                                                                  

The Royal Wedding

     Strange that just a couple of days ago I was once again in Richmond for the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. (No the wedding was not in Richmond. I was in Richmond!) Thirty years ago when Prince Charles married Diana I awoke at three in the morning to watch that wedding from Virginia. We lived in Fredericksburg then.

     I remember discussing the details of the wedding with my hair dresser who was from London. It was fun to hear his thoughts on the event since to me he was an "insider." The moral of this story is the years pass quickly so enjoy every minute to the hilt!

    Here is my tea party to celebrate our British cousin's big day. It's an almost proper, almost High Tea!

     Growing up in Nashville, teas were my favorite event. My mother gave many and attended even more. I loved the tiny sandwiches and the sweet Russian tea in beautiful china cups. Sometimes there were tiny biscuits the size of a quarter stuffed with ham and butter. Yes, these teas were the Southern version of High Tea but they did not take a back seat to whatever they  were doing in England.

For my Royal Wedding Tea I made Cranberry Scones, Chicken Salad finger Sandwiches, Cucumber Crescents, Tomato Sandwiches and Red Velvet Mini Cupcakes.

Brown Stuff

Floral Park

Noritake

Camilia

China

More Coffee Fun

      Here's another variation on the Coffee Tray. This one is for yummy French Press coffee, my daughter's method of choice. These little demitasse cups are part of my vast collection of white ware. You know how I love the white!

     The French Press coffee maker was invented in France in the late 19th century. Over the years it was refined and was finally patented by Felieno Bondanini, an Italitan, in 1958.
     You should use a coarse grind of coffee because finer grinds will seep through the filter. I find French Press coffee to be a bit oily. This is because these essential oils in coffee beans become trapped in paper filters. The French Press has a wire or nylon mesh filter, allowing more flavor and these oils to escape to your coffee cup.
     The press is smaller and easier to store than traditional coffee makers and you may adjust the strength of your coffee. They are great for making a small amount of really fresh coffee.
     You should not let French Press coffee stand because it will become bitter rather quickly. Actually this is a taste the French find apealing. You can make tea using loose tea with the French Press but it should be consummed quickly because of the same bitterness will likely occure.

Home Vignettes




The Coffee Bar

  How many times do you grab a latte or some other overpriced coffee drink when you are out shopping? For a while I got so in the habit, I purchased a Starbucks card just so I could get the coffee quicker! Well, I set up this little Coffee Bar for what a few of those cups of black gold cost and I can have my cappuccino or latte anytime I wish.Here's how I stocked The Coffee Bar. Should I bring my espresso machine out from California or buy a new one? It seemed easier to just buy a new one. I did not buy an expensive machine. Remember we are doing this rather than buying expensive coffee out.

This brings to mind a story I must share with you. A few years ago I decided to accept a job at a major fun venue in Southern California. Names will not be mentioned here but use your imagination. The salary might have been good for the company but not too good for my taste in clothes. Before my first day at work, my husband and I went out to buy a few suits I would be needing.

After selecting a few suits and trying them on, I decided on three suits. I showed my husband and asked what he thought. He replied in true form, "Yes, Lisa. I think spending four figures on clothes to wear on a job that pays two figures an hour makes perfect sense".  So you see, we cannot buy a four hundred dollar espresso machine because we are not buying a five dollar cup of coffee!

You will also need cups. I love those huge heavy cups for my latte and I found these black ones at Pier One. They hold the heat and give you plenty of room for making those heart shaped designs with the foam. Those two little espresso cups came from Ikea and only cost a few dollars.

In the tray I have a couple of canisters with screw lids. One holds the ground coffee and the other packets of artificial sweeteners. Once again, since we are keeping this reasonable, I opted for ground espresso. In the future I may bring my coffee bean grinder to Virginia but for now I am using pre-ground. We use it quickly so the taste is still good. There's a bottle of my favorite flavor syrup, hazelnut.



Coffee making supplies



Here are the tools you need for the perfect coffee drink. A measuring spoon. Most measures that come with coffee machines are a one tablespoon size. I have a silver one that is a two tablespoon size which is good if you are making a whole pot of coffee. Beside the measuring spoon is a tamper. This is used to compact the coffee grounds in the basket. Next I have a battery operated frother. Sometimes you need a little extra help with the steamed milk and this little gadget works really well. A note on these frothers. Since I was buying all this stuff in Richmond where I am still learning my way around, the only one I found was at a popular bath-kitchen store. The price was twenty dollars which seemed very expensive. I knew mind at home came from Ikea and cost much less. On my next trip to my favorite Scandinavian store, I got this one for two dollars. Worth the wait!

Salt Cellars

When I began posting all the pictures of flatware, I went to little cabinet that holds my collection of salt cellars to look at the tiny salt spoons. The salt cellar collection was given to me in total about fifteen years ago. The following Christmas my husband gave me a beautiful little mahogany and glass wall cabinet to house the collection. There it has hung in my dining room ever since. As I mentioned in the flatware posts, we do use the salts for holiday dinners but I just realized I have never really learned about the salts I own.

Last weekend at the Rose Bowl a customer was thrilled to tell me she had just learned of the use of salt cellars. It occurred to me, maybe you would all enjoy seeing my collection. As I mentioned, the collection was a gift but I was given the pleasure of selecting every piece.

The beautiful sterling salt pictured above is my favorite. It is a footed rectangular bowl with two tiny birds perched on either end. I have spent the day researching it and so far I have no information to share. I imagine it is quite old but I dare not date it. Perhaps it is a hundred years old or even older. It is shown here with one of my Chantilly salt spoons.

In my family, these tiny works of art have always been simply referred to as "salts". I have learned today that the terms "standing salt" and "open salt" are also used. They are used at each individual place at a dinner table and filled with table salt. Their use seems to date back almost to the beginning of time.

When salt was considered a coveted commodity it deserved a grand presentation. In the 1950's salts became a popular collectors item and somewhat fell out of practical use. Today they are having a bit of a comeback due to the use of coarse salt and specialty salts.

This group of clear glass salts shown on the right includes pressed glass, cut glass and crystal.  The larger bowl in the middle is a master salt and would be used for the entire table.

As with the clear glass group above, this colorful picture has pressed glass, hobnail, etched and a lovely cobalt blue lined sterling salt. The etched pale yellow salt is a pedestal and quite delicate. The amber colored double bowl salt is used for salt and pepper.

 Here is a close-up of the cobalt blue liner which fits inside the sterling basket. This style seems to be very popular and dates throughout the era of salts. I have a set of four pepper shakers in cobalt and sterling that coordinate quite well with this piece. I love the tiny salt spoon shown with this salt cellar. It is one of the smallest in my collection and the bowl of the spoon is in the shape of a scallop shell.

 Hand painting is rather common in the decorating of salt cellars. This beautiful group dates from the 1800's forward. The pink flower salt on the lower left dates from the 1920's - 1930's. It is English and so pretty. The pink rose painted on the bowl in the middle is quite detailed. This is a Dresden piece from Germany. the oblong dish at the bottom of the picture is marked "Nippon."

 This interesting salt may not be my favorite based on appearance but it is one of the more fascinating in the collection and perhaps the oldest. It is two shades of brown In the Harvestware pattern. There is a sterling silver rim which shows a hallmark. It is marked Doulton Lambeth, England and probably dates to the 1890's.

Here on the right, is a selection of luster ware salts. Once again there is a master salt in the middle. Sometimes people call these larger salts nut bowls but they are intended for serving salt. The blue bowl on the left and the lavender bowl on the right are both three footed salts. The blue one is German and the lavender is from Japan. The square dish at the bottom is Noritake and hand painted. It shows the M on the bottom for Morimura Brothers.  The oval salt at the top is also a hand painted Noritake of the same era. This mark goes back to 1918 although these two pieces may not be that old.

 Here is another master salt from Japan. The blue and yellow rimmed salt on the left is one I have added to the collection. It belonged to my favorite aunt and she displayed it on a tiny wooden pedestal. It is marked "Made in Japan". The small gold rimmed white salt is another that is old. It is a three footed bowl that is Imperial Nippon and also hand painted.

 This is part of a large set I purchased at an estate sale here in Orange County several years ago. I held onto this set of six gold salt cellars. They are small, a little over an inch across and quite lovely.

To the left are three Belleek salts and one mother-of-pearl bowl. The mother-of-pearl at the top of the picture is very small and beautifully carved. The handle of the matching spoon had been broken over the years but little girls think it is just their size!

The Belleek shell on the left is perhaps the most beautiful in the collection. The underside of the shell is quite detailed and the salt cellar is sitting on three tiny china shells. The inside of the bowl is yellow.

Belleek Pottery dates back to 1857 in County Fermanagh, Ireland. The company has gone through many changes and Belleek is still made today. My pieces are not terribly old but they are very pretty. Being Irish myself, I have a special place in my heart for these salts and love using them.

The chicken has to be the most whimsical in the collection. This design is extremely popular not only for salt cellars but many other pieces of tableware. My chicken is Jadeite and still has her painted eyes and most of the red comb on her head. She is sitting in a Jadeite basket was one of my daughter's favorites. The small Jadeite salt at the bottom has a star design in the bottom.

These clear glass salts complete my collection. There are several cut glass salts here and on the middle right is a delicate salt cellar on a little pedestal. There is a grape leaf at the upper left and a beautiful cut glass bowl in the middle.

Collecting salt cellars is a fun and rather inexpensive hobby. True the sterling silver salts can run over one hundred dollars there are plenty of salts available for under ten dollars. They can be beautiful in their simplicity or very elaborately painted. They do not take up a lot of room so it is the perfect collection for an apartment dweller and you can actually use  your collection. Your dinner guests will be delighted!           

Happy Valentine's Day to All

Happy love day! It's the day we celebrate our love for those who we cherish. It seems this year there is a lot of talk of "I don't do Valentine's Day". Well, I do. Since we have a special day for every other reason under the shinning sun, why not LOVE?

Because of our crazy life right now, my love, my husband is working from home today so we get to spend heart day together. Of course, if I go into his office and interrupt him one more time, that love may diminish temporarily!

Enjoy your day of love and remember those who make your life better.  If you forgot to send a card then give them a call. They will feel loved and you will blessed with a peaceful day! Oh, and my love to all of you.

Home Vignettes

 The Bar Tray
 I found this rolling tray and stand at my favorite junque store in Richmond and it was just what we needed in our apartment there. My goal is to find a wonderful large silver tray to hold everything. Until then I am using this footed silver tray which is lovely. It just needs to be a bit larger.

We are not really very big drinkers but I love this look. And the fun of the apartment is, I can do anything with it. There are rules to follow in decorating your home  but this little place is a bonus residence and what fun it is!

OK, The Bar Tray is a  cute and handy way to keep your party supplies out and and ad some simple sophistication to a room. I have stocked ours with a carafe of wine, some good Tennessee whiskey, vodka for an occasional Cosmo and Sapphire gin because it is pretty. There is also some good Virginia bottled water just in case someone really wants a drink!

There is a small size cocktail shaker for that occasional Cosmo. The drink stirrers, aka swizzle sticks, I brought from home and are part of my collection. These are mostly roosters to go with the French Country motif I have loosely used in the kitchen.

I could not find a pretty small ice bucket. Bar ware is pretty popular now but all I found was an ice bucket trimmed in leather. For now, this is a candle holder. I stuck some  1930 vintage tongs in it and I'm calling it an ice bucket. The pretty little cordial glasses I found at an estate sale. They don't serve much purpose for serious drinking but they look pretty. Monogrammed cocktail napkins complete the tray.

Bergdorfs

After a stop at The Plaza, my husband and our daughter walked next door to see the Christmas windows at Bergdorf Goodman. Usually referred to as just, Bergdorf's, this landmark luxury store has been in it's present location since 1928. The store itself is a  piece of art but the displays in the windows at Christmas time are stunning. This years theme is "Wish You Were Here."

The doorway is amazing. The white tree seem to sprout from the light above the magnificent doors.

You may think at first glance that you are having a flashback from something you did in the 60's but the detail of these windows is amazing. There is so much to take in I had to divide each scene in to sections and ponder what my eyes were transmitting to my brain. There are so many elements of each "chapter" you need pictures to further enjoy each window after you return home.

A shopper gazes in on Stellatum Antiquum.

Could these two be an under sea Tweedledee and Tweedledum? Who knows? They have no breathing apparatus but do they need such?

The Cheshire Cat?

The grand "frame" around this window made me look around to see if I had missed something. The beauty of this window is breathtaking.

New York City Christmas

Serving Pieces

There are more spoons that any other piece of flatware. The spoon is versatile and has many uses. The top spoon here is a Berry Spoon. It should be used for blackberries, blue berries, raspberries or strawberries. There is a Strawberry Fork but you certainly can use a Berry Spoon for this popular fruit. This piece can also double as a serving spoon for most any dish. The bottom spoon is a Bonbon or Nut Spoon. When candies are seven on a plate on in a silver pedestal candy dish this spoon is used. It is also used for nuts served in a bowl.  The Berry Spoon is large, nine or ten inches in length. The Bonbon spoon is six to seven inches long and also comes in a pierced version.

     

Here is a large Serving or Table Spoon, a Cold Meat Fork and a Pickle Fork.

This is a set of four Fruit Knives. They are quite old and are monogrammed. Fruit knives are six to seven inches long and are used along with fruit spoons. They are used for cutting and peeling fruits served at the dinner table.

Here we have a large serving spoon or table spoon. The smaller spoon is a sugar spoon.

These four ladles are different sizes and have a variety of uses. The first from the left is a large gravy ladle. This is the most common of ladles. Large gravy ladles are six to eight inches in size. The next ladle to the right is a smaller gravy ladle. The size of the gravy ladle should be determined by the size of bowl or gravy boat you use for gravy. The third from the left ladle is a cream sauce ladle. Sauces like Bearnaise or Hollandaise call for this size. The last piece is a mustard ladle. This is a very old piece of flatware and not used so much today. This is a particularly attractive piece and there is a closer view in the next photograph.

This cute little spoon is a jelly server. They are six to seven inches long and are used for scooping and serving jelly and jam. Sometimes they come with a jelly bowl sitting in a rack. The jelly spoon hangs in the rack above the bowl.

This odd looking knife is a cheese pick. The blade is used for cutting through smaller blocks of cheese while the teeth at the end are used to pick up the small slices of cheese. The cheese pick is longer than a butter knife measuring eight to nine inches.

This is a Pierced Bonbon Spoon from the 1930's. The bonbon spoon is pretty easy to figure out....it is used for serving bonbons. The term "bonbon" dates back to 17th century France. It refers to candies that were used as centerpieces and eaten. "Bon" in French means "good". There are pierced bonbon spoons and solid bonbon spoons. They have the same use. Many examples are quite decorative as is this spoon.

This is a sterling Candle Snuffer. It is used for snuffing out burning candles. This one belonged to my mother and has seen many years of use.

These Iced Beverage Spoons have the look of vermeil. Vermeil is made by applying mercury and gold. This is done today by an electrolytic process. I received this set of spoons from my father one Christmas for my hope chest.

 Here is another Bonbon Spoon. This is the solid variety. I use this one for sauces since it is seldom that I serve bonbon's other that from the Godiva box they come in. It is a lovely spoon and was a wedding gift.

These are the largest of the spoons in my Salt Spoon collection. I was given an entire collection of Salt Cellars and a couple of Salt Spoons. Over the years, I have added to the spoons. These three are about four to four and a half inches in length, which is on the longer side for salt spoons.  These are sterling.

On the other end of the spectrum, these are some of the smallest salt spoons I own. The two spoons with shell shaped bowls are not more than two inches long. The first on the left is a modern 1960's pattern and the two on the right end date back to the turn of the 20th century. These five spoons are also sterling.

And finally these three Salt Spoons are to my sterling pattern. They have gold bowls and are about three and a half inches in length. I use Salt Cellars with Salt Spoons at most dinners I serve in my dining room. It is something my mother did and as a child I loved little bowls and the tiny spoons. My daughter was the same way growing up and it is still her job to go to the display cabinet where the "Salts" are kept and select one for each person at the table. I use tiny silver or crystal pepper shakers beside the Salt Cellar.

This is a Baby Fork and Baby Spoon. The fork dates to the 1940'd and the spoon to the 1930's. They are both sterling and well used.

This is another Baby Fork and Spoon set. It is sterling and they measure four to five inches. This set dates from the 1940's.

This is a sterling baby fork in the Chantilly pattern by Gorham.