Our NATIVITY and Angels from Italy

Christmas Once again...

So let me show you our hand carved wooden nativity scene with angels from South Tyrol, Italy. The birth of Jesus is the reason for the season... Our Saviour, who came into this world because of LOVE.

The wood carving is so meticulously done by the Italian craftsmen!

Love the angel holding a HEART; the universal symbol of Love...

At present we do have some Paperwhites blooming again. 

As well as fragrant Chimonanthus praecox (Calycanthus p.) (C. fragrans) which you see in the center of this Mandalay Chartreuse vase by Mason, together with Ilex decidua 'Finches Golden' a yellow berried Ilex. 

Last year we only had the yellow Ilex (holly berries) but this year there are plenty of red Ilex.

Do you have a special nativity scene in your home?

Wishing you a Merry Christmas with all your loved ones!

Related link:
{Our Garden's Winter Blooms for Christmas} my previous post about this Wintersweet flower...
Christie's Mandalay by Masons showing you the Mandalay by Mason, as is my vase above...

May your 4th Advent Week lead towards a REAL CHRISTMAS

Yes, the year is getting thinner and we all are preparing for Christmas 2022.

May this 4th Advent week lead us towards a REAL CHRISTMAS

Far away from the commercial holiday it has become...

 The green cotton Zweigart Aida tablecloth now with a Mason's Mandalay Chartreuse plate for the brass spiral candle holders.

May the Enchantment fill our hearts.

~

If we do not live, speak and think in the language of enchantment, including naming angels and recognizing spirits... then the soul will go out of our lives and communities, and we will wonder why nothing seems to hold together and nothing seems to have value anymore. ~Thomas Moore

 

In the back is a group of angels looking on, all from South Tyrol, Italy.

The one on the left is a ceramic one and was a gift from Italian friend Maria from Ristorante da Maria and the others are all wooden angels from Italy.

Now two sterling silver candle holders with fluted bobèches have joined the Royal Selangor pewter ones that we bought in Singapore.

Royal Selangor is established in 1885 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The silver crocheted doily has been hand made by a former Turkish neighbor in The Netherlands.

Incredible work, I would not be able to copy that!

The silver tray was handmade for us in Kotagede, near Yogyakarta in Indonesia.

Two Mason's Mandalay Chartreuse ←(click it) candle holders and two silver plated tall ones with tapers and bobèches.

Each of them also holds a Hugger Candle Snugger.

Candles are Dutch Gouda. Yes, Gouda is a city that produces fine cheeses and candles!

Roast Beef Canapés

 For our Christmas Party with the Chancel Choir I prepared these: 

The finished ROSES of Roast Beef Canapés...

Did not have any marygold flowers for garnishing as in the magazines photo below.

Roast Beef Canapés - Victoria Magazine September 2021 recipe in comment click on link to my Pinterest board ROSES as FOOD

On a sheet of parchment I put the baguette slices and brushed them with olive oil.

Into the oven for 15 minutes on 370℉

While they cooled down, I made the rosettes.

From the thin sliced ¼ pound of roast beef I started cutting each slice in half.

That was NOT mentioned in the recipe however but I figured this out by looking at the roast beef 'roses'.

Next each half needs to be folded over and then rolled into a roast beef rosette...

With a small butter knife I spread the mayonaise mixture on each crostino.

Fanning out three pieces of arugula on mixture, before placing the roast beef rosettes.

Using the Mason's Patent Ironstone Mandalay tray...

It was fun creating these edible roses!

One of our Mason's Patent Ironstone Mandalay vases... with a placemat from Le Jacquard Français.

Wishing you Peace during this time of the year!

Related link:

{Wishing YOU a Happy 4th Advent 2013!} | previous post by me with info Mason's Mandalay at Christie's

Green Tea in Mandalay Chartreuse by Mason's

By now you know my love for fine china, tea and fragrant flowers...

All the ingredients come together for some BLISS in winter time!

Green Tea in Mandalay Chartreuse by Mason's just click the link to see items in this pattern at Replacements Ltd.

Presented on a hand crochted DMC thread table topper, a gift from a dear friend.

The Daffodils are the 1939 Sweetness, an heirloom variety that is highly fragrant.

Do you enjoy a daily tea ritual?

Related links:
{Daffodils in a Vase on a Dark Day...} | previous post by me showing Mandalay Chartreuse by Mason's
{USEFUL TIP: Peppermint Tea for Anti Bloating} | previous post by me showing Mandalay Chartreuse china
{TIP New Purpose for Cigarette Holder} | previous post by me showing Mandalay Chartreuse items
{Fragrant Paperwhite Narcissus flowers in early December} | previous post with Manday Chartreuse vase

Christie's Mandalay by Masons

{Fourth Week of Advent 2014}

Our fourth and final week of Advent for 2014!

Wishing you all a meaningful time of the final days before CHRISTMAS!

Our hand carved wooden Cherub Angels from Italy are all lined up...

The singing angel to the left is a ceramic one from Italy, gift from a dear friend!

Also French Porcelain Lampe Berger Angelot Cherub Cameo is lined up.

Click above link, to my on line Boutique; only ONE  still available.

Little golden candles with spriral brass candle holders on a Mason Mandalay Chartreuse plate.

Wishing you all a very Happy 4th Advent!

{Second Week of Advent 2014}

Time is slipping through our fingers during December... or is it just us?!

Wishing all readers from whatever country, a very warm and meaningful 2nd Advent Week!

Fragrant star candle and French Point A La Ligne candle.

Ribbon fabric is French and has roses on it...

China is Mason's Mandalay Chartreuse

Angel clinging onto a candle with bobèche in a Royal Selangor candle holder.

Related link: Christie's Mandalay by Masons

Anyone having problems with Word Verification showing up; change your Settings for Comments to: Embedded instead of Popup Window...

{Daffodils in a Vase on a Dark Day...}

On March 5, it was very dark and dreary looking... Not a good day for taking photos but I had to, as our lovely Daffodils already started drying up in their Mason's Patent Ironstone Mandalay Vase... I did wait for a better opportunity but it did not happen this year and the daffodils are almost gone by now. So this is what I can show you here:

Using our Mason's Patent Ironstone Mandalay Chartreuse Vase.

Placemat is French Le Jacquard Français

Tiggy-Tiger is a sad cat-girl on this dreary and dark day... They love sunshine as much as I do!

Her sister (by adoption) Spicy, is outside next to the tree.

Daffodils in fact are paper-thin flowers and they do dry out rather easy when the air-conditioning is running for heating the home.

Our Heirloom Daffodils we all selected because of their fragrance...

At least our garden did yield some lovely fragrant daffodils this year!

Do you have any at your place and could you fill up a vase?

Related link:

MASON'S PATENT IRONSTONE 'MANDALAY' 20th CENTURY | Christie's

{Fragrant Paperwhite Narcissus flowers in early December} | previous post by me with MASON'S

{Our Garden's Winter Blooms for Christmas} | previous post by me with MASON'S

{Enjoy some Fig Cake with Tea Jelly!} | previous post by me with MASON'S 

{TIP New Purpose for Cigarette Holder} | previous post by me with MASON'S 

{Wishing YOU a Happy 4th Advent 2012!} | previous post by me with MASON'S

{Our Nativity & Angels from Italy} | previous post by me with MASON'S 

{USEFUL TIP: Peppermint Tea for Anti Bloating} | previous post by me with MASON'S
{Fragrant Double Narcissus Obdam} | previous post by me showing MASON'S

{Wishing YOU a Happy 4th Advent 2013!}

However short, we can light candle #4 for a couple of days before we reach our Christmas day...

Wishing YOU a Happy 4th Advent 2013!

Wishing you all a meaningful time leading up to Christmas 2013!

Christie's Mandalay by Masons | 

{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 94,813 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