Lemonade on the Porch

Come and sit down on the porch...

it's time to cool down with some lemonade

and to chat about some

 Vintage Inspired Entertaining ideas....

We've used a vintage silver tray

that we just picked up from and Estate sale this month....

We prefer this silver tray @ $6

 to any plastic thing that comes from the store these days!

We've put these sliced lemons

in a little vintage sherbet glass

We've placed this adorable flow blue bone dish

 (that we got this spring at the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market)

on the tray so that your guests will have something

to put their lemons on when they are finished with them

We've put a sweet little embroidered vintage tea towel

on the tray for color, but also to catch any drips that might occur....

A pretty cut glass vintage pitcher that we inherited into our collection

holds some delicious cold lemonade

Now it is time for a

History Lesson:

These....

these pretty glasses we found at an estate sale this spring as well

they are called "Oak Harbor Glass"

Oak Harbor

 is a town not far away that these glasses came from.

During the war

{not sure if it was I or II}

A gentleman set up the

Oak Harbor Glass Company

and taught women how to etch glass....

and that is where these glasses came from!

 **************

And now we come to the

Entertaining Tip:

Last year on vacation we picked these pretty hankies up

in Lexington Michigan

Take assorted colors of pretty hankies

and tie them around your glasses

Bigger hankies for larger glasses

Smaller hankies for the petite glasses....

Isn't this the cutest??

Not only will the hankies help the glasses from sweating

but

they will help your guests know

 which glass is theirs!

We LOVE this...

and have been dying all week to show you all!!

Sip some Lemonade with us as we visit

Debra from Common Ground

for some fantastic vintage inspired ideas for

Vintage Inspiration Friday!

Clever Little Pumpkins

An adorable idea we had to share...

We took some mini pumkins (the real thing!)

& took a nail and made a little hole through the top

Pushed a bamboo skewer into the hole

Made a cute sign and made punch holes at the top & bottom, then put the sign on the skewer

Then we attached a glittered crow ornament at the bottom of the sign.

These work great in the store as signage...

but think how fabulous for:

A fall or Halloween buffet

Put these pumpkin signs beside the food to let your guests know what everything is!

Picture holders

Instead of signs, put pictures on the skewer

Decorations....

forget the sign & add an ornament of your choice.

Clever pumpkins indeed!

Cora's Party

Nothing fancy...Nothing too frilly....but fashionably fun

Our friends daughter was having her graduation party this weekend & we helped decorate with some easy, simple and inexpensive ideas.  First we picked lots of cone flowers from our flower garden.

Then, you know how we just love quotes...
Cora is going into Fashion Design, so, we took quotes from famous fashion designers and printed them out.

We then pasted them on scrapbook card stock and stuck them on flower card picks and put them in the vases with the flowers.

Then we just took some of our galvanized buckets from the store and put some sand in the bottom, and votive in it.  We added some grosgrain ribbon on the bucket's handles.

Sweet, Simple, and it makes a Statement

who says you have to go to a big expense when decorating?

Hello Hostas!

Karrie grows loads of Hostas in her garden ....

Green looks good, doesn't it?!!


This year she planted some Hostas in her planters for something different. (There is a bonus in planting perennials in your planter....plant them in the fall & they'll come up for you next year!)

Now....have you ever done this with Hostas?

For our garden party last week, Karrie touched on entertaining outdoors. She took hosta leaves and tied them around glass hurricanes....


So simple and fresh looking....everyone loved it!

How about hostas wrapped around a floral vase?

This was my favorite - in fact, I made sure that we took it into the store for the week. The lavender and the green hosta leaves look like they were made to be paired together!

How will you greet your hosta today?

Easy Entertaining

Love it!

How easy is this great idea from Southern Living Magazine?

Chalkboard Paint & Glasses

Doesn't get any simpler - or cuter for that matter!

(Put this one in the idea file for sure!)

It's Friday....and We're In Love!

It's Friday, and we're in love with

A Wintry-night

Luminaries lighting the way

Guest's walking up to the house, anticipating the Christmas Tea for the Alzheimer unit at Bethesda Care Center in Fremont.

Welcome!

This is the third year that we have hosted the Christmas Tea



It is held inside of the Victorian Home in front of our shop.
{of course, we call it Home...for we grew up here!}

The reason for a benefit for the Bethesda Alzheimer Unit?

Both of our grandmothers were diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

So...in remembrance of Grandma Norma

and in honor of Grandma Betty

we decided to host this tea.

Our guests meet in the store for a Party Cheesball and Spiced Christmas Tea

Then we escort them into the house

This year we started out with Creamed Sweet Potato Soup and and Pesto-Cheese Pastries

Smoked Salmon Cheese Cups

Mini Beef Wellingtons

Bacon-Wrapped Figs

Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms

Were all served next

After the Buttermilk Scones we had a lovely piece of Aunt Millie's Cheesecake with Lemon Caramel Sauce.

mmmmmm....can you blame us for being in Love?

It's Friday....what are you in love with today?

Trash 2 Treasure

Today is the big day...

Kari & Kijsa have invited everyone to show their creativity in making ordinary, discarded things into beautiful & desirable things.

We love this...and thought we'd show some fun things to do for your Easter table {it will be here before we know it!}

We've decided to invite the girls over for a tea party at Karrie's house {we are known for our tea parties you know.....} and we'd like to discuss a new tea flavor with our dear sisters.....it would taste like diet coke {now you see how we would get those poor girls to come see us!}

Amongst the hand-me-down china from grandma, we have vintage plates that we have been collecting. Things that have been discarded and marked down so low....even at the junk stores....we just had to save them!


Well....on those darling plates that will hold our tea cakes....we have a party favor for our guests......let's see what they are....

Hobnail votive cups....pick them up in any junk store, flea market, or garage sale - not just for holding candles anymore! Take some ribbon and tie it around your votive cup. Embellish with buttons or rhinestone pins {also found objects from your favorite hunting spot...could even be in your own jewelry box!} Stick some Easter grass in them and top with an egg - voila! An Instant favor for your table!

Our last treasure that we want to share today is the name plate holder....

That's right...just some old window pulls - we just strung some ribbon through the screw's holes and made the cutest spot for the place cards to sit!

Oh....how much fun we've had - do stop by and visit Kari & Kijsa today and see all of the great Trash 2 Treasure ideas there! Thanks for popping in today....now ahhhahmm....back to figuring out this diet coke tea....