Tea for Three

The porch is all spruced up for the Porch and Patio Party, and the tea set has been repaired.  It’s time for tea.  Ben and Claire will be arriving tomorrow night and bringing my mother, so our girls’ Tea for Two has turned into Tea for Three.

Since this tea set that I found on eBay was the inspiration for my Tea Party, I decided that a vintage theme would be appropriate.  I used an old tablecloth that I picked up in an antique store somewhere years ago, and the tulips were still in good shape from the Porch Party, which is a good thing because I don’t have much blooming in my yard right now.

I have a pretty good collection of plates, cups and saucers that I’ve found on eBay, but not enough to do “matchy-matchy,” so I just went with “mix and match.”  They all have similar colors, so I think it works.

I’ll be using Winchester by Johnson Brothers.  I have several of these plates and cups that I mix with other Johnson Brothers china in similar colors whenever I have a coffee or tea at my house.

 

Claire’s place is set with Johnson Brothers Old Britain Castles.  These are actually my “everyday” dishes.  LBeau thinks they are too old fashioned looking, but I love them.  This is an old pattern that Johnson Brothers has begun making again. 

I’ll let Mother use the Ridgway’s Devon-Ware that matches the tea set.  My original two Devon-Ware plates came from a set that Mother has.  I think they were handed down from my paternal grandmother.

 

The butter spreaders and teaspoons are from some old silver that was given to me by my Aunt Sissy.  They originally belonged to my Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Don Blanchard.  I am certain that the “B” monogram is what got them passed down to me.  The napkins are from April Cornell.  I always use cloth napkins for meals, so these been washed so many times that they go perfectly with the vintage tablecloth.

Today we’re having biscuits with butter and orange marmalade that I uncovered when I was cleaning out the refrigerator yesterday.  Note:  Come back on Metamorphosis Monday for a peek inside my fridge.

For more beautiful tablescape ideas, be sure to visit Between Naps on the Porch, where your sure to find something wonderful that Susan dreamed up while she was napping.  She’ll also have links to all of the other tablescapes.