{Dinner for Friends using Nito Place Mats}

On Saturday, June 29, I did not like to use a linen table cloth or place mats for dinner with friends. After just having ironed lots of linens, I opted for the use of our woven Philippine Nito place mats instead. A gift from a dear friend who is like a sister to me. They are really elegant looking and also very easy to wipe clean, if needed. 

Hydrangeas in the Wedgwood vase are in a very special color and were given to us by one of the dinner guests.

Not as a cut flower but years ago as a starter to grow into a bush!

As a starter, we had mussels from Costco, served as amuse bouche, in little porcelain mini sauce pans and spoons.

To the left are two courser rattan place mats, same size.

My china is from the 70s my Seltmann Weiden Mirabell in white.

Crystal is Baccarat, Piccadilly.

Flatware is my Gero Zilmeta 528 Menuet and silver Alvin Bridal Rose gumbo soup and dessert spoons. Silber-und-Rosen-Shop; yes Johanna, you will LOVE this Rose silverware... Johanna is a dear friend from Germany who wrote a book about Silver Rose Flatware; 'Rosen-Bestecke' and also loves anything with roses, just like me!

A closeup of my octagonal china by Seltmann Weiden, Mirabell pattern in white and made in Germany.

The porcelain amuse bouche spoons we bought in Yogjakarta, Indonesia while working and living there.

The mini sauce pan amuse bouche servers I bought at a whole sale store in The Netherlands, with my best friend.

Silver napkin rings are custom made for us in Indonesia.

Napkins are from Horchow.

Overview of the table setting.

Yes, the month of June did yield some pretty Gardenias for gracing the dinner table.

Do you also opt for using place mats out of convenience?

The heat of summer is not that inviting for ironing table linens...

We are looking forward to coming Saturday when one of the dinner guests will be hosting at her place.

Always fun for not having to do all the work yourself! 

{GARDENIA PASSION}

On June 12, I did manage to cut our last Gardenia blossoms. They lived a miserable life with all the heavy rain, turning brown on their edges. But they were gorgeous and they tried so hard to be beautiful; regardless the environment. So I did use them for two of our dinners as table decoration. Let me share these gorgeous blossoms with you; too bad I cannot recreate their heavenly fragrance for you to enjoy...

Such a spiraling bliss with heavenly fragrance...

These still look fine; not all got browned from the rain, depending where they were on the shrub.

For our dining room table I used this large oval Wedgwood  Cream Color on Cream Color vase.

Here you see more of the browning from the rain.

The square Wedgwood Cream Color on Cream Color vase I used for the round kitchen table.

Our Gardenias consist of different varieties and here you see our Aimee Yoshioka; the largest one.

Full of yummy pollen for the bees.

Showing this Aimee Yoshioka next to my hand, close to the kitchen bay window for more light on a rainy day.

This is really a LARGE BLOOM!

Together with these wax candles (battery operated) they make a perfect centerpiece...

Just setting the table near our kitchen bay window,  for you to see.

When I did host the dinner for 12, I might have had better gardenias but NO time on hand for making any photos... 

Old vintage linen damask tablecloth with roses and new French napkins from Le Jacquard Français with roses.

French Baccarat Piccadilly stemware

Gero Zilmeta 528 Menuet flatware

Silver napkin ring holder from Kotagede, Indonesia

Plates are French Pillivuyt Sancerre

from GeorgiaWeather Rainfall Calculator

From April 19 (when we left for our Curaçao vacation) till July 9, we had 37 Rainy Days with a total Precipitation of 17.15 inch or 43.6 cm.

No wonder that Gardenias do show brown edges...

By the way, IKEA is selling Gardenia jasminoides as potting plants! In the US, The Netherlands and in Germany and probably other  countries as well. It's the small variety but still the same fragrance!

Related links:

{Gardenia by Royal Albert and our Garden Gardenias} | previous post by me

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

{May 22 Gardenia by Royal Albert and blooming Gardenias in Baccarat vase} | previous post by me

{Difference Between Coffee & Tea Cups}

Yesterday I did mention in my post that those chevrons, pointed at the particular cups in the end of my TV Interview's video, were wrong. So here I like to point out to you the visible differences between Coffee & Tea Cups. 

Sorry for the poor photos, because of the camera focusing in on the windows... I placed each time two cups on an oak tray, placed on a ceramic pedestal. LEFT you see a Coffee Cup and to the RIGHT is a Tea Cup!

• Coffee cups are more narrow and mostly straight up. Teacups are lower and wider and often tapered down. 
• The reason that teacups are wider at the top and more shallow is because a good tea is set with BOILING water. 
• The bigger surface lets your tea cool down faster, to a consumable temperature.

To the left I also placed a smaller spoon than to the right. These cups are German Seltmann Weiden Mirabel in white.  Spoons are Gero Zilmeta 528 Menuet.

Frontal view of Coffee Cup to the left and Tea Cup to the right.

Europeans brew their coffee a lot stronger than people here in the USA and or Canada.

We do use a dark French roast, that also makes the coffee darker but always mild and never bitter.

Nowadays the famous Dutch JACOBS DOUWE EGBERTS coffee, since 1753, is widely available in the USA as well.

These I do use as Coffee Cups; demitasse and regular size Coffee Cups. What is your guess? These are more tapered down.

This is WEDGWOOD CREAM COLOR ON CREAM COLOR (PLAIN EDGE). Even Replacements Ltd. does not specify the difference. It names the one to the left footed demitasse and the other footed cup & saucer.

Frontal view of the two cups & saucers.

This again is easier to judge. To the left is a demitasse for coffee and to the right a demitasse for tea. The French word Demi Tasse means Half Cup. This is ROSENTHAL SANSSOUCI ROSE-IVORY (GOLD TRIM).

Frontal view of the demitasse Coffee Cup to the left and demitasse Tea Cup to the right. For both I used the demitasse spoons from Gero Zilmeta 528 Menuet.

Again an easy to judge set. To the left is a demitasse Coffee Cup and a regular Coffee Cup and to the right is a regular Tea Cup in MASON'S MANDALAY-CHARTREUSE.

Frontal view of the demitasse Coffee Cup to the left, regular Coffee Cup center and regular Tea Cup to the right. I used a demitasse Gero Zilmeta 528 Menuet spoon for the demi and regular spoons in gold plate for the coffee and tea cups.

Christie's Mandalay by Masons

This one is again easy to judge. A demitasse Coffee Cup to the left and a demitasse Tea Cup to the right with regular spoons in gold plate. When I mean regular, it is NOT a regular American size spoon but a much smaller European size teaspoon. This is ROYAL ALBERT THE GARDENIA.

Frontal view of demitasse Coffee Cup to the left and demitasse Tea Cup to the right.

Again easy to guess: to the left a regular size Coffee Cup and to the right a regular size Tea Cup. Both with gold plated teaspoons. This is ROYAL ALBERT PRINCESS ANNE (BRUSHED GOLD EDGE).

Frontal view of regular size Coffee Cup to the left and regular size Tea Cup to the right.

Again somewhat difficult to analyze... The one to the left is called an After Dinner Cup and the one in the center a Coffee / Tea cup. The one to the right is named a Breakfast Cup...  Guess we can either pour coffee or tea in them! This is French GIEN ROSE.

Frontal view of those three cups... Here I used two demitasse spoons from ALVIN BRIDAL ROSE and to the right a five o'clock spoon.

Frontal stacked view and clear view of size difference.

Though these are not tapered down I presume that the one to the left is a Coffee Cup and to the right a Tea Cup. This is from POTTERIE DE DRIEHOEK in Huizen, The Netherlands. Spoons are demitasse and teaspoon by Gero Zilmeta 528 Menuet.

Frontal view of this Coffee Cup and Tea Cup.

Here we are facing our final set of in my opinion again a demitasse Coffee Cup to the left and a regular Coffee Cup to the right. I used Alvin Bridal Rose demitasse spoons for both. This is ROYAL DOULTON ENGLISH ROSE.

One last frontal view of a demitasse Coffee Cup to the left and a regular Coffee Cup to the right...

Now you also know what I am using when hosting a High Tea. We have quite a choice on china. Will show you photos from such a High Tea later. My idea is that more people are using Tea Cups than Coffee Cups. What is your take on that? You might be able to reflect on your own stock or maybe heirloom pieces that you got handed down.

Worldwide, it seems that numerous people look for the 'right' cup... 

A total of 92,643 views so far.

Related links:
{My Etiquette Training Interview with WGXA.TV (FOX24/ABC16)} | yesterday's post (from WGXA.TV) by me referring to the cup differences in video
So, What's This About Coffee "Cans," Reggie? | previous post from Blogger Reggie Darling with interesting facts
{Our last Datura Angel's Trumpets and TEA with a Twist} | previous post by me, showing also Japanese tea
Learn from Mariette | Classes used to being offered by Mariette's Back to Basics
The World in your Teacup | book by Lisa Boalt Richardson

{Easter Table Setting}

• For Easter I have done a special Table Setting for you to see...

• Using photos from previous years, because we don't have any daffodils or narcissus blooming and only very few for 2013...
• Picture frame vase with daffodil and rosemary.
• Easter lamb holding the place cards.
• Easter Bunny Dad with Bunny Infant...
• Baccarat Piccadilly Crystal stemware and Villeroy & Boch porcelain egg vases...

My sister Diny did find them for me in The Netherlands after I'd seen them in a Dutch magazine!

Do you ever get something you find in a magazine? 

• Le Jacquard Français tablecloth and napkins.
• Gero Zilmeta 528 Menuet flatware.
• Wedgwood cream color on cream color china.

• Heavenly fragrant Obdam  Narcissus in Wedgwood pitcher...
• Porcelain egg vases inside large Wedgwood Gardenia Bowl.

• Closeup of the porcelain Villeroy & Boch egg vases inside the Wedgwood Gardenia Bowl.
• Don't you LOVE these orchid narcissus?

• Cute porcelain egg vases with Thalia orchid narcissus!

Related link:

{Easter Season} | previous post by me

{Table Setting for Friends}

Saturday evening, we had a dinner for six friends at our home. Just like to share with you my table setting. From husband Pieter, I had a dozen white roses and in our garden we just found enough Fragrant double Obdam narcissus for putting in the individual Delft white picture frames, as a place setting. We had heavy rain on Saturday but inside it was cozy.

• Real Wax Carved Rose tea lights (battery operated Flameless Candles) in white, when lit they look yellowish.
• White ceramic roses as center piece, together with the Baccarat Harcourt pitcher with real white roses.
• You can see this Baccarat Harcourt pitcher in a previous post, see link below.

• Gumbo Soup spoon is Bridal Rose by Alvin and other flatware is my Gero Zilmeta 528 Menuet.
• Baccarat Piccadilly stemware.
• French Pillivuyt charger...
• Le Jacquard Français tablecloth. 

• Table got set for 8 of us.
• Before I placed a fork to the left of this plate, I took the photo... 
• Don't you like to have cozy dinners with friends when the weather is cold, windy and rainy?

Related link:

{Fragrant Double Narcissus Obdam} | previous post by me

{Lady Alexander Rose by Queen Anne & Obdam Narcissus} | previous post by me
{Delft White Picture Frame Vase} | previous post by me
{6 Gorgeous Bridal Gown Peonies in Baccarat Harcourt Pitcher} | previous post by me
{Our Royal Bonica Rose} | previous post by me

{Gardenias in November!}

This was such a lovely gift on our 28th wedding anniversary... a vase full of gardenias from our garden! While Pieter was working on a plastic addition to our greenhouse, I did make a round through the wood garden, taking some photos from all the maple trees in their best yellow coat. Just near the bridge I spotted several gardenia blossoms. I had to be quite acrobatic for getting them off, at that height, but I managed to pull the branches towards me by stepping inside the bush. It is huge. Amazing that when the leaves are falling, this fragrant gardenia is still blooming! But look at the presentation that I made with those flowers. Come, have a peak at it...

What do you say? Such a beauty of a Gardenia on November 10 and the Sugar Maple in the back ground, all yellow...

Not a pretty sight actually. Dead branches from the azalea shrub in the foreground and big fallen leaves hanging all over the gardenia shrub. But I did spot its gorgeous and highly fragrant blooms. I can easily make them look better...

Here is the newly enlarged and tiled patio. Pieter just finished it this week! He built the wall higher and let it gradually taper down. It is impossible to keep it free from leaves now as it is right under the huge live oak tree. But that adds only to the fall feeling.

The Folding Bistro Set in black all-weather woven resin wicker comes from Costco.

Photo taken from the entrance to the Rose Suite. Very nice view of the garden and the pond.

I am so proud of my husband Pieter for being able to do all this again after his open heart surgery last year in September!

God has truly blessed us.

Fig cake that I had saved in the freezer, from my bake in August before we went to Europe, just read {Enjoy some Fig Cake with Tea Jelly!}. Served on the Gardenia by Royal Albert China on a solid silver tray that we had made for us in Indonesia. Are those Gardenias not a dream?!

I put them in the milk jug and used the square pastry plates with the demitasse cups and saucers for some hot chocolate. The flatware is my Dutch Gero Zilmeta Menuet 528.

Below this post there are links that give more info about the china.

Even if some Gardenias already are turning yellowish, I found it so special for having them on November 10...

It had rained the day before and that is also bruising those petals...

A view across the lawn into the wood garden. You just can see our bridge across the creek, to the right of the top Gardenia leaf.

Our maple trees in their best color setting, in the back ground...

Glorious GARDENIA...

Related links:

{Gardenia by Royal Albert and our Garden Gardenias} | previous post by me

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

{May 22 Gardenia by Royal Albert and blooming Gardenias in Baccarat vase} | previous post by me