More French Blue for Show and Tell

No, I haven’t been watching Korean Dramas all week. This is just one of the many things that have been in the works. This is the same blue paint as last weeks show-and-tell chair. This time it has just been dry brushed over the original finish of a vintage wooden folding chair. The fabric is waverly again. This time we have a sweet toile canvas with little boys playing.

This definitely isn’t a leave outside chair. But they are so light weight and compact that they are easily brought indoors.

A French Blue Cottage Chair

Show and Tell Monday
This is the blue that is so easily found in Provence.  It is literally everywhere…on the shutters, the boats, the enamelware… The seat is Waverly Symphony. This chair was finished just in time for the April in Paris Tea earlier in the month.

Coffee Prince and Korean Drama = Very little Ironing

Oh my friends…you may remember that last August I shared a photo of eight feet of accumulated ironing. I’m really hoping it doesn’t reach that point again, but I have unfortunately developed an addiction to Korean Drama.  The addiction is really the result of ironing.  For many years I have ironed in the evenings while watching the TV, mainly movies.  Nine out of ten times they have been chick flicks, no apologies offered here on that account either. It is entertainment.

One evening while my iron was heating, I was struggling and really searching through channels and not finding anything that I hadn’t already watched ten times.  I came across Coffee Prince, a serial drama/comedy.  Have you ever been hooked on something in two minutes? Literally that is what happened to me.  The only problem was that it is Korean with English subtitles.  You can’t iron much and read subtitles at the same time. I ended up ironing during the commercials. So you know how much ironing was done.

Naturally, that wasn’t episode one that I saw. Maybe it was the third or fourth. So when it was over I went online to see if I could at least find an episode guide for what I had missed.  This is where my slippery slide into addiction really kicked in.  I found episode guides.  But I found the episodes being STREAMED! I found www.mysoju.com with dozens of dramas being streamed with English subtitles.

At this point I am feeling a little guilty that I am sharing this. I don’t want to be responsible for how much time some of you might spend watching these. But like so many addicts, I can’t help myself.

Start with the Coffee Prince. The lead actress just won the Korean equivalent of the Oscar this past week for her acting in this.  If you want to learn more about Korean drama please check out www.dramabeans.com. This writer really has done an incredible job on this site.  Because there are so many of these dramas, some as naturally very bad…just like U.S. television fair. But this site has a page called “My Drama Ratings.”

As for my ironing….I am trying to do some more in the shop here and there. So I will be adding some to the site soon.

Asparagus for Mother’s Day

It is Recipe Day for the Make Mine Pink Mother’s Day Garden Party. A Garden Party is perfect for including some savory dishes that are full of the wholesomeness of spring.

My mother used to say that her favorite vegetable was asparagus. Sadly, today she no longer knows that. It makes me sad. But at least I do still remember that. It was always a curious fact to me. She has never really been an adventuresome eater. And all the asparagus she ever served came out of a can which is a little revolting to even contemplate.

For many years I would have Mother’s Day dinner at my house. I always served asparagus in her honer even though I knew that at least half the people there wouldn’t touch it. Usually I am very careful to plan a menu that will be acceptable to nearly everyone. This has always been my one exception.

Here is our favorite way to prepare it:

Grilled Asparagus

Wash and snap off the woody ends.

Place in a baking pan so that the asparagus is in a single layer.

Drizzle with olive oil and roll asparagus to completely but lightly coat.

Salt and pepper.

Place on hot grill.

Asparagus only takes about five to ten minutes to cook, depending on the thickness of the stalks and on the temperature of the grill. So don’t walk off and leave it for too long, (especially if you are even slightly ADD).

Remove to a serving platter. A light sprinkling of grated parmesan cheese is a delicious touch.

Enjoy and please visit the other Make Mine Pink Blogs for more tasty recipes.

Spring…time to dust the sweet figural planters

It is time to get out into the conservatory and dust off all the planters. My favorites are the little figural ones from the 30’s through the 50’s. Many were from the Shawnee pottery. But I don’t look for any from particular potteries. Whatever little “baby” catches my eye can end up on display.

The Conservatory on the web needed to be dusted off a little too.  So I’ve been working there as well.

Yesterday the Garden Party began at Make mine pink. This is a little like an online scavenger hunt. Get the details by clicking on the shopping bag. Have fun and good luck.

Eclectic Cottage from Plastic Earrings to Victorian Lace

I know why people love to decorate more than one home. But most of us have to do the best we can with just one to satisfy our wild and wondering imaginations. A couple of days ago I added these earrings to my website. They really make me smile and I think of them as cottagey in my mind. Can earrings be cottagey? They are soft plastic with rhinestones from the 1950’s.

Yesterday I ironed this Victorian lace pinafore. It fits in the cottage of my mind too. It is photographed hanging on the door of an old cupboard. But I can see the plastic earrings displayed on a vanity nearby. They are from such different times. They say that if you are true to yourself when you decorate, your taste will unify, and pull things together for you. I’ve seen cases where I don’t think that works. But, thankfully, sometimes does.

The pinafore I listed on Ebay and not on my site.
I started to make myself nuts trying to establish a price for it.
That is usually a sign that I am having a hard time parting with something.
It is best to find it a home fast.

April in Paris Update

Thank you to everyone who attended the April in Paris Tea this past weekend. Unfortunately, I got so caught up in it that I only got two pictures taken. The first is of the Opera Cake. I used the recipe from Paris Sweets by Dorie Greenspan. I changed the configuration though so that I would have a rectangle instead of a square cake.

The second picture is of part of the food table. Originally I had hoped to track down one of those sweet tablecloths with the Parisian scene running around the border. It is hard to believe I don’t already own that one. But the idea of using a good tablecloth for so many people serving themselves coffee, tea , cake with chocolate and raspberry curd in a buffet style seemed ill advised. Thus, you can see a large sized tea towel with the Eiffel Tower going across the table in a diagonal. Since that was a little busy, I found paper plates in French blue that matched the blue in the tea towel. Then I located some napkins with almost the same color with a leafy design that looks very springy. Altogether, it wasn’t what I had originally envisioned, it all seemed to work. The end result was a more relaxed bistro feel that a formal tearoom look.

I usually put fresh flowers on the table for these events. But that morning when I went out to get them fresh, I was very disappointed in what was available. But I found a potted plant that would work. It ended up in an aluminum Ice bucket. I never tire of singing the praises of aluminum.

But the best part, of course, was all the marvelous people who showed up. Thanks again.

April in Paris Tea - Coming up Fast

It is April! It is a relief. And the tea party is just days away now. Preparations have fallen only slightly behind. But these invitations were mailed yesterday and that is the most important detail…no party without guests. My ingredients should have been gathered yesterday. The menu was decided on more than a month ago so I have no excuses. I’m taking a minute out here to at least share the menu with you.

Tea- Harney and Sons Paris Blend
Coffee- Paris Pastry (chocolate, nuts, cream and a hint of cinnamon)

Savories
Spinach Quiche
(a spring choice and we already have spinach in the cold frame)
Croissants with Goat Cheese and Herb Spread or
Raspberry Curd
Sweets

Korova Cookies
(a chocolate sable)
Madeleines
(a plainer cookie for the less adventuresome)

And the Piece de resistance!
A Paris Opera Cake

In the past for teas I have had more choices than this. From serving the Opera cake in my home I know that this is always the attention getter. So let them eat cake!

A Collection of Master Butter Knives

This is part of a collection of about twenty-five master butter knives. Most of them date to before 1900. Most of them have the twisted handle as opposed to a flat joint where the handle meets the blade end. There were only about three that have any damage beyond the signs of normal use. Many have the weight and feel of a very good quality utensil. As I polished them yesterday, my mind drifted to the collector. It would take a bit of hunting to get that many different ones in such wonderful condition. And I wondered if they were displayed and how.
My thoughts on them were that they would make excellent spreaders for for some things. It can be so annoying to use those tiny spreaders that end up in so covered in spread that you are trying to figure out how to keep your fingers out of the food. Too bad butter on the table has become almost politically incorrect. But I hope there are some of my customers who will find them as fascinating as I do.

Recent Addition - Metal Chair with Damask Seat

With our April in Paris Tea less than two weeks away, I am finishing up a couple of chairs in time to be free to clean and work on my displays. This metal chair just needed a to be well scrubbed and have a new seat redo. The damask pattern seemed a nice compliment to the leaves and vines. When I considered some more cottage style fabrics they seemed to cause me not to know where to look, as opposed to having the chair look integrated. Yet the informality of the chair itself and the contrast of the more formal fabric is interesting.