{White Gladiolus in Cylinder Vase}

This year we were lucky for having a bouquet of our own, white gladiolus!

This was on May 31.

Looking just lovely and I have to admit that for me white is my favorite!

The light changes these flowers all the time...

Too bad we were leaving within two days so we could not fully enjoy them!

Related link:
{Gladiolus in Cylinder Vase with Beach Pebbles} | previous post by me

{Hydrangeas & Mother-in-law's Tablecloth}

On May 29, we happened to have some gorgeous blue hydrangeas from our garden. So I did team them up with the hand embroidered blue tablecloth from my late Mother-in-law.

Don't you just love such blue color?

This draw work embroidery tablecloth I've had now for over three decades and it still looks like new.

A wider view into our garden...

Photo is taken from the patio in front of our Rose Suite.

This is the view from the patio, towards our gazebo and the newly placed rose arbor.

Guests do have their own private entrance here...

There are rose stepping stones towards the path to the gazebo.

Guests also can enjoy the perfume of the gardenias that bloom right outside of the entrance door.

These are the regular sized gardenias, not the large ones that I showed a couple of days ago.

May/June sure is a happy time of the year with so many flowers to enjoy!

Do you have hydrangeas as well?

Related link:

{Our Hydrangea Trio and Tea in 1930s Blue Transfer Ware} | Previous post by me

{Gardenia Passion}

On May 28, I had that many Gardenias from the garden that I could fill up my Centerpiece Cream Color on Cream Color by Wedgwood

It was again like a dream...
No wonder that Annick Goutal in 1989 created the eau de perfume: Gardénia Passion!

How much I do love those greenish buds before they fully open up!

The entire length is 12.5" or 32 cm—quite a beautiful vase!

Knowing its total length also gives you a feeling of the large size of these gardenias.

Here the scorched grass is not visible; the green looks far better as backdrop.

If we are lucky, we might see some gardenias again in November...

But for now, let's enjoy them!

Again, loved to share them with my readers... 

Centerpiece Cream Color on Cream Color (Plain Edge) by Wedgwood | link to Replacements Ltd.

{Won-Ton Wrapper Shells + Strawberry Rose Petal Cream Recipe}

Home grown fragrant roses are perfect for using in this favorite dessert!
Important is that you got pesticide free rose petals!

Won-Ton Wrapper Shells + Strawberry Rose Petal Cream (Recipe below post)...
In this photo I did use Perfume Delight Rose petals.
~
Our Chrysler Imperial Rose below is such a large size red beauty and perfect with strawberries!

We had two blossoms to place on this little Baccarat vase (actually a perfume bottle without stopper!).

In comparison with my hand.

Again this is the very fine hand crocheted table topper from blogger friend Susan from: Ava Grace's Closet

Fully opened up...

Such highly fragrant rose petals are perfect for use in the above Won-ton-wrappers with rose petal strawberry cream.

RECIPE:

Romantic Rose Petals and Strawberry slices in home baked shells.
 Using won-ton-wrappers and brushing them with melted butter; than dusting with a mixture of (Coconut Palm) sugar and cinnamon, then place the wrappers, sugared side up, into a muffin pan.
Only about 5 min. in the oven on 200°C or 400°F and voilà.
Take out of the oven and let completely cool.

Next you whip up some whipped cream with a few drops of Rose Water (Eau de Rose) and add carefully the pesticide free Rose Petals and sliced Strawberries... Dust with powdered sugar.

Instead of Whipped Cream, you may want to use Coconut Cream instead.
Place a can of Coconut Cream in the fridge, overnight.
Carefully open up and scoop out the hardened top layer and all creamy substance, leaving the liquid for other uses like in smoothies. Just whip it with the Rose Water drops and proceed like above.

Oh, from the same won-ton-wrappers I did cut out hearts for decoration...

Using a Muffineer or a Sugar Sifter Spoon to dust off with powdered sugar! See in link below.

Related link:

{Antique French 19th Century 950/1000 Silver & Crystal Muffineer, Sugar Shaker, Caster Sifter} | previous post by me

{Gardenia Dream}

On May 26, I did have quite a lot of perfect large sized blooming Gardenias so I ended up with some vases filled with romantic Gardenia Dream photos...

These are from our own stock, husband Pieter managed to grow several from cuttings.

It is a large variety of Gardenia Jasminoides, the 'Aimee Yoshioka'.

This is also quite a story about Friendship and Gift from a Blogger Friend...

The very fine hand crocheted table topper you see here, I got from dear Susan from the blog: Ava Grace's Closet. Her Mama made it!

The oak table is another story.

Dear friend Elly, from the blog: Elly's kleine Idylle had her late husband Martin pick it up for us in The Netherlands... Such sweet people; our family of Blogger Friends! We did bring it back to the USA, inside our suitcase, returning from The Netherlands last year.

A bit more detail of the beautiful hand crocheted lace work!

LOVE those still greenish looking Gardenia buds!

WISH I could also share their heavenly fragrance with you!

Anyhow, this is the very best I can do in order to share them with you...

Related links:

{Heavenly Gardenia Jasminoides 'Aimee Yoshioka'} | previous post by me

{Batik Gift from Foster Daughter Anita}

It is very special if a parcel from Indonesia arrives in the mail... from our sweet daughter Anita!
She wanted to surprise her Papa & Mama with some unique Indonesian Batik outfits...

And for Mama also a matching purse!
Thank you once again sweet daughter; you made Mama very happy.

It fits nicely with my Escada skirt!
Standing next to our new Rose Arbor with baby climbing roses...

Papa (Daddy) loves his Batik shirt as well!
He wears it here on his black jeans.
Together with the bracelet that he received from daughter Liz, while together on vacation in Curaçao.

Our Spicy-girl always nearby...

Thank you dear daughter! 
We LOVE you very much.

Related link:

{New Rose Arbor on High Heels} | previous post by me

{Not so elegant poses for fashion photos}

When looking at fashion photos on line or in catalogs, I often wonder what happened...

Neiman Marcus April 2015 catalog

Not very elegant, placing your feet like that...

Escada1 

The above pose looks rather elegant in comparison with the present day look!

Escada2 

Leg position looks so much more stylish and elegant!

Maybe it has to do with the fact that I'm an old-school fashion student from the mid to late 60s but when looking at Strike A Pose: The 50 Most Influential Models it is quite obvious that so many great women left a mark!

What do you think of those changes?

{Fragrant Chrysler Imperial Rose}

Several years ago, we lost all our roses due to drought...
Finally we have found our highly fragrant Chrysler Imperial Rose back!
It is such a lovely Hybrid Tea Rose.

Chrysler Imperial was a 1953 AARS winner. (All American Rose Society)
A dream in a tiny Baccarat crystal vase.

It is a stunning and also a rather large rose...

My Rheinpfalz Hartporzellan cake plates from Germany also have red roses... They still are from my original trousseau. Yes, I did start quite young with gathering some nice pieces; several of which I still possess!

My home baked Amaretti cookies are on the cake plate...

Guess I always have loved roses.
That's also why we do have our {New Rose Arbor on High Heels} and it is visible from our bay window area as you can see here.

The teacups and teapot are by Seltmann Weiden Bavaria in then W. Germany in the Mirabell pattern.

The tablecloth is hand crocheted and was a gift from my dear friend Ellie.
Does any of you have this highly fragrant Chrysler Imperial Rose?

{Angel Candle Snuffer Gift}

My dear friend Mariëlle, from The Netherlands, did stay with us from May 2 till May 9. A brief vacation for her, but she had to be back at her Kandinsky College Malderburchtstraat for dealing with the exam week, before the summer vacation would start. 

Mariëlle also lost her dear Mom, on January 3, and I lost my Mom on January 27...

So it is obvious that both of us had Angels on our minds.

Mariëlle actually did create one for me!

A very unique Angel Candle Snuffer...
Angel's head and handle are made out of wood. The body, halo and extension to wooden handle are made out of Alpaca, or nickle silver, and spray coated with a heat resistant paint in matte silver.

LOVE the ergonomics of it, as it feels so perfect inside my hand.

Super cute Angel!

The hand crocheted table cloth is a gift from my Dutch friend Ellie...

Candle and Chrysler Imperial fragrant rose are in Baccarat crystal.

More up close... 

Candle is from Point A La Ligne France, the Rolls Royce of candles.

Don't you love Mariëlle's sweet Angel design?

Related link:

{Point A La Ligne the Rolls Royce of Candles} | previous post by me

{Roses and Tea}

We did have some lovely looking roses in our garden. With the emphasis on 'looking' because for handling them they were not lovely! Very sharp thorns and thus rather prickly for arranging them inside this crystal Baccarat vase.

Looks lovely though; or not?

A healthy living snack... home baked almond cookies; my version of Amaretti cookies.

Tea and some fresh fruit.

You can see the many thorns on those stems!

Grapes are seedless...

Husband Pieter LOVES my home baked Amaretti cookies!

Sad thing is that Trader Joe's discontinued the Organic Coconut Sugar... Whole Foods Market does have it too, but they're far more expensive!

Are you also using the low glycemic index Coconut Sugar?

Related link:

{Coconut Palm Sugar with Glycemic Index 35} | previous post by me
{Antique French Gilt Metal & Glass Biscuit Box with Handle} | previous post by me

{Verbena in White for Fiberglass Window Boxes}

We've changed plants inside our bay window Fiberglass Window Boxes. 

Here they are: White Verbenas

We used to have pink verbenas but we lost them while being for 2 weeks in Europe, for attending a wedding... It was hay when we got back home.

Pink no longer works well with our Benjamin Moore Golden Mist color for the exterior...

Photos are from May 19...

Looking promising! Even though the above is not a pure white in my opinion but a silver...

This is perfect and very healthy.

They got all sold as being Aztec White Verbena

Related link:
{Our Fiberglass Window Boxes & Double Cascade Pink Petunias} | previous post by me
 Flower Framers of Cincinnati | Source for Fiberglass Window Boxes