5th Cupcake Sunday

Hello Everyone!

It's Cupcake Sunday

This post is a Birthday Wish to my son. He was born on March 16th 1964.

And his name is Patrick.

I love to decorate cupcakes.  Baking with a wonderful cake mix and fabulous frosting made by Duncan Hines is a real time saver.

A 1/2 cup butter is added to this mix and it really makes a big difference in the flavor of the cake.

Look at that spoon of frosting . It looks just so yummy!!!!

Some soft linens and a pale green tablecloth remind  me of wonderful vintage Irish linens made so long ago.

The Bradford Flowering Pear has been blooming in the garden for two weeks now.  I clipped a few blossoming branches and brought them inside and I think I brought some spring inside too.  

The Birthday party is getting ready to start.

Something about nature~It's so amazing

A few green sprinkles in a little clover glass dish.  St. Paddy's Day will be here very soon.

Can't have St. Patrick's Day without a few green clovers.

I packed up the cupcakes in a safe container for the ride to the Birthday party.

I just need to put the lid on and I'm ready to go.

A beautiful spring day and some decorated cupcakes.

Life is darn good!!!!!

I hope you have Happy St. Patrick's Day

Thank you for joining me for Cupcake Sunday

If you are participating in Cupcake Sunday: Please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on your post name, then copy and paste the address that shows up in the address bar at the top, into the "url" box for the picture linky.

Please include a link to your Cupcake Sunday post back to the host blog. Cupcake Sunday.  Why is this important?  When you include a link back to Cupcake Sunday, it ensures your regular readers/visitors will fine the other awesome "Cupcakes" linked for this Cupcake Sunday.  Please do not add your link below, until your CS post is actually published to your blog.

I'm joining Little Red House for Mosaic Monday

Have a great rest of the weekend.

xo

Betty



Tablescape # 22

High Tea with a French Flair

I'm so happy to be joining
Decor to Adore
for
High Tea Tablescapes

I'm so blessed to have been given a beautiful bouquet of flowers for Valentine's Day that are still quite lovely.  I found this wonderful flower container at a yard sale and combining the Valentine flowers with the amazing Pink Camellias from my Camellia tree I created a wonderful centerpiece for High Tea with a French Flair.

I have had this Camellia tree for over 35 years.  The color and blossoms are so fantastic.

I have a jet-black tablecloth on the table and the geometric patterned napkins are gathered up with shiny silver rings. To add a French flair to my traditional tablescape.

My vintage China 'Rhythm' and 'First Love' which is a traditional pattern of silverware and champagne glasses give High Tea a French Flair. The five piece silver tea service is a recent find at a thrift shop. It is Wilcox 'American Rose' pattern. And I have wanted a tea set for 50 years.

A silver tea set is usually on the table or tea cart when serving traditional High Tea and the tea cups are waiting to have the tea poured.

Cream anyone?

Sugar anyone?

Menu  

High Tea
My Cozy Corner Chicken Salad
Pineapple Pecan Quick Bread
Pumpkin Muffins filled with Fresh Cranberries
My Cozy Corner Deviled Eggs
A Slice of Tomato and Endive
Dessert
Individual servings of Tiramisu in the living room with another cup of tea.

  I hope you have enjoyed

High Tea with a French Flair

and

Please join me while I link to 

Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday

My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday

At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday

How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday

Bargain Hunting with Laurie for A Few of My Favorite Things 

and 

The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday

Thank you for joining me at My Cozy Corner.

Don't forget Cupcake Sunday

Here

February 27, 2011

xo

Betty

More Snow

Hello Everyone!

Last week we were looking at Violets and Pansies and

this week we're looking at Snow.

The Snow fell on

Thursday~February 17th 2011

I took these photos every few hours.  You can see how the snow is building up in the garden.  On February 18th 2011 I woke up and the snow had completely melted away.

I've never seen blooms and snow on a tree at the same time.

Angel is just praying for the snow to stop and spring to arrive.

The gazing ball is covered like a snow capped mountain

Poor little pansies in a pot

OK. We don't need the sun dial today!!!

The rose bushes have new growth.  I hope they don't get damaged by the cold weather.



I hope you have enjoyed More Snow.  The winter in this area of California can be 78 degrees one day and then 32 degrees the next day. In the summer it can be 115 degrees one day and 65 degrees the next day.

Oh Well!! It keeps life interesting

Thank you for visiting My Cozy Corner

I'm joining

The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday

and

Little Red House for Mosaic Monday

xo

Betty

Cupcake Sunday
Next Week
February 27, 2011
Bake some cupcakes and join the party.

Old English Tea Pot

Hello Everyone!

I'm so excited today. I have so many things to Show and Tell you.

Some fabulous Pink.

and

A few of My Favorite Things that Inspire Me.

My Sweetheart gave me this beautiful book about London as a Valentine gift.

We went to B & N to buy a book for a friend and he saw this book and another  book about Scotland.  He wanted me to have them to read before I went on my trip this summer.  I was so delighted and proud of him because he wanted me to be informed about the places I would visit and photograph.      

As I sat by the window with my cup of tea  (and my brownies.) I was thinking about how my Great-Grandmother, Great-Grandfather and five children crossed the Atlantic Ocean on the ship Olympic leaving Southampton England and landing at Ellis Island on March 25, 1914.  They only had a big trunk to carry their most precious belongings from their home land.

This Old English Tea Pot is one of those treasures that made the trip to America in 1914.

There is a wonderful website ellisisland.org. where I found the passenger record of my Grandmother's family arriving at Ellis Island.

My Grandmother was 11 years old in 1914 and by the grace of God my Grandfather departed Liverpool on the ship Carmania and arrived on May 31, 1914.  He was 23 years old.  My Grandmother and Grandfather met in California and were married in 1920.  

This trip is very important to me. And I will be able to see for myself  where my ancestors came from and how they lived.

The ladies I'm traveling with asked me "Is there anything I want to see or do in London?" I said " Yes, I would love to have tea."  "Oh! we have tea every afternoon somewhere to rest our feet."  Oh happy day!!!!! I can't believe I'm going to have tea every day in LONDON.

How about some 'British Breakfast'? 

 Something Pink.  Camellia japonica.    

The silver plated spoon was another treasure from England and the cup and saucer and the little flower vase are Anfora pottery from Mexico.

My world is expanding and I am so grateful for the opportunity to visit such an amazing place.

Thank you so much for visiting My Cozy Corner.

I'm joining

My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday

At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday

How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday

and

Bargain Hunting with Laurie for A Few of My Favorite Things Saturday

xo

Betty

Blooming Violets

Hi Everyone!

Here in Northern California the weather has been unseasonably warm.
  Last fall, I planted some pale blue pansies under my yellow 'Graham Thomas' and the wild violets are popping up behind the rose bush.  The violets have been blooming in the same area of my garden since 1968.

Violets

 In the language of flowers, purple violets signify "You occupy my thoughts," and violets with their lavender blossoms, mean "Let me love you."

Violets are also known by what may be the longest plant name in the English language~I know!! The violets in my yard just pop up every year.

This three-tiered Lefton China stacking teapot from the 1940's or '50s would be perfect for a Tea in February.  It has a covered sugar dish on top, a milk pitcher in the middle, and a teapot on the bottom; the heat of the tea helps to gently warm the milk.  Delicate wood violets with green leaves are hand painted on a sponged gilt background, and a gold trim outlines the handles and spouts. To top things off, the lid features a finial in the shape of a violet.  George Zoltan Lefton, a Hungarian sportswear manufacturer, came to the U.S. in 1939.  His passion for collecting fine porcelain led him to import giftware from Japan and he founded his own midrange ceramic business in 1941.

"The eyes of spring, so azure

Are peeping from the ground;

They are the darling violets,

That I in nosegays bound."

Henrich Heine, "New Spring," Book of Songs, 1827

Thank you for visiting My Cozy Corner
and

I'm joining

A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday

All Things Heart and Home for All Things Inspired

xo

Betty

Tea Infusers

Hello Everyone!

Since I'm going to be traveling to England and Scotland this summer, I thought I would study up on "Things to Know about Tea."  I'm so excited to about the wonderful world of Infusers and some of the history about the use of a Tea Infuser and the evolution of steeping.

A tea infuser is a device in which loose tea leaves are placed for steeping, usually in a cup; it is often called a tea ball or tea maker, and sometimes a tea egg. The tea infuser gained popularity in the first half of the 19th century. By the time of Queen Victoria no respectable British household would be without one.

Tea infusers enable one to easily steep tea from fannings and broken leaf teas. 

I have collected various kinds of tea infusers including the disposable tea bag.

My favorite is my grandmother's silver infuser with a hinged top to open and close.  The tea caddy in the box of loose tea was my great-grandmother's and her initials are engraved on the back of the spoon.  In England during the late 1800's most silverware had the family initials engraved on the handle.



Some Vintage Lace is a Lovely Legacy.
I made the black tray and added a piece of vintage Battenburg fabric.
The vintage white lace apron I found at an estate sale.

The real beauty of lace is that it can be used in a variety of ways.

While not common, a French press may be used as a tea infuser.  However, most teas are only infused for a limited time and then removed from the water so that the drink does not become bitter.

Thank you for visiting My Cozy Corner

and

please join me as I visit

A Delightsome Life for Return to Loveliness

A Stroll thru Life for Table Top Tuesday

Rose Chintz Cottage for Tea Time Tuesday

The Plumed Pen for Tuesday Tea for Two

Lady Katherine Tea Parlor for Tea Time Tuesday

Martha's Favorites for Tea Cup Tuesday

Artful Affirmations for Tea Cup Tuesday

and

Silken Purse for Tea Pot and Tea Things Tuesday

xo

Betty

Inspiration:

courtesy to Tea Time/Jan-Feb 2011

courtesy to Bliss Victoria Jan-Feb 2010