Spirea
is an old fashioned plant
that reminds me of
Victorian houses
Victorian houses
and
garden parties.
Welcome to
The Scoop On ...
Spring Tablescapes
Enjoy the Spirea Garden Party,
à la French style,
en plein air.
I am excited to be part of
Top This Top That
Setting for Four
Botanic Bleu
Hymns and Verses
Unexpected Elegance
for the first day of the 3-day tour.
What better way to spend a warm Spring day
than having a glass of fresh mint tea
with a walnut and apple garden salad
next to the spirea plant in full bloom?
Folding wooden chairs with worn blue paint
are perfect for outdoor dining.
Gracie is hanging out under the table
hoping for a little treat.
After the long harsh winter, the spirea bush
is filled with the most blooms ever on long
graceful fronds that sway in the wind.
Pots of ivy and lobelia on the table add
to the garden party.
Tall clay pots without the usual wide rim at the top
are popping up in garden centers and stores.
Made in Italy in unfired red clay...
A little Navy #4 Valspar sample paint quickly
transformed the little pot into a blue one.
Stainless flatware with a fleur de lis design adds a French touch.
Standing in a small blue flower pot, the flatware is easy to reach.
Fresh iced mint tea quickly forms
condensation on the blue fleur de lis glass.
A warm 86° tied the high temperature for the date.
These warm days with fresh green grass, leafy trees, and flowers
are among the best weather days during the year.
A strong breeze keeps the weather pleasant,
but means that some weights are needed
to keep the linens from blowing away and
small things from blowing over.
A vintage brass watering ring anchors the silverware-laden blue pot.
A brass sprinkler head in the shape of a watering can
is hefty enough to hold linens in place.
Blue and white garden dishes with a new toile design are
extra special with their contrasting borders
and extra design details.
Each piece has fluted edges.
Square (really eight-sided) dinner plates,
salad plates, and bread plates
with a floral pattern accented by
a bird with outstretched wings
are reminiscent of antique French designs.
Only we know that these did not come from a
French flea market.
HomeGoods is our little secret.
HomeGoods is our little secret.
Round soup/cereal bowls have a surprise in the bottom...
the little bird ready for flight!
Dishes...
Bleu et blanc vaisselle...
A passion all my life...
To find unusual shapes,
with so many details,
and in so many pieces,
is a thrill!
The small square condiment bowls
are one of those unusual pieces
that make a pattern extra special.
Walnut and apple garden salad is my favorite salad
anytime of the year and especially for a garden party.
Feta cheese and raspberry walnut vinaigrette
add just the right zing!
Walnut and Apple Garden Salad Recipe
Spring Mix packaged greens
Apple slices
English walnuts
Feta cheese
Raspberry walnut vinaigrette
(Paul Newman's is my favorite.)
Iced mint tea pairs perfectly with the garden salad.
An overturned flower pot keeps the tea in easy reach.
French linen kitchen towels serve as table runners
for the final touch of France in the
Spirea Garden Party.
Come back anytime to sit for awhile
in a blue wooden chair
and to drink a glass of iced mint tea.
❦
~~~~~~~~~~
Porcelain ~ Adelaide Blue & White @ HomeGoods
All information is supplied as a courtesy for my readers
with no compensation from any source.
~~~~~~~~~~
If you can spend hours reading
magazines, catalogs, and design books,
then you are in for a treat.
Ten bloggers are joining the five hostess bloggers
for a tour of Spring Tablescapes.
15 blogs over 3 days
Look at the hostesses!
Everyone of them has
style with pizzazz!
I am so excited that
Botanic Bleu
is included.
After partying with me,
hop, hop, hop on over
to the other four Spring Tablescapes today.
Come back on April 23-24 for
TEN more inspiring Spring tables
in The Scoop On...Spring Tablescapes.
~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me at these inspiring sites...
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
What a beautiful setting, Judith! You know I love your blue and white tablescape...and that salad looks yummy! Thanks so much for joining us for the Tablescape Tour!...hugs...Debbie
ReplyDeleteJudith, this is a fabulous setting for a little spring lunch!!! All of your blues and whites look so fresh and pretty on your garden table. I love being surrounded with such a pretty garden already in bloom.
ReplyDeleteMary Alice
Wow! I love your blue and white dinnerware and all your gorgeous spring blooms! What a pretty vignette - so inviting! I'm thrilled to be partying with you on this fun blog hop! ~ Heather
ReplyDeleteHow lovely!!! Blues are such a favorite of mine! And the setting is just heavenly! Happy Spring! ~Christy
ReplyDeleteYou are amazing, Judith!
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful Springtime post!
Every detail is exquisite..."magnifique mon ami!"
I feel the need to hit the garden store every time I visit!
withLove!
Such a beautiful setting. However, the dishes stole my heart. :)
ReplyDeleteHappy today.
Hugs, Gee
How completely gorgeous, Judith... it must be wonderful to be able to have a party outdoors already! And one this beautiful too!
ReplyDeleteIt is still quite cold here, but the robins and hummingbirds have returned. Soon, I'll be puttering around outdoors enjoying the sunshine!
Hugs,
Lin
Oh, I adore your table! Al fresco dining in the spring is my favorite!!! What beautiful blues! Thanks so much for all your French inspiration!!!
ReplyDeleteI so wish I could come right over to have a glass of mint tea with you! You created such a charming scene! My spirea is getting ready to bloom - it is the perfect backdrop for your table! And - love those dishes! HomeGoods is the best!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful setting, Judith! I had spirea at our old house and I loved when they came to life every Spring. Your table looks gorgeous. I am loving the blue and white. Your lobelia planting goes so beautifully with them, too!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness and Thank You!
ReplyDeleteEverything is lovely.
I am in the midst of planning a 3 day high school reunion for a group of special friends - one is coming from France. The first night is a BBQ in our garden and I pinned your lovely table as an idea.
So very charming! I adore your setting; those plates are gorge! HomeGoods is one of the best kept "secrets." :)
ReplyDeleteVisiting you from The Scoop.
What a gorgeous setting, very enchanting like a little magic garden ;-)
ReplyDeleteSmiles~
Mari
Beautiful! Love those dishes. I like spirea too! Your pics are wonderful!
ReplyDeleteLove this. Your table is so pretty with the Spirea and the blue and white china. Gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteJudith, I just love all the blue! Those wooden folding chairs are adorable and I'm absolutely smitten by the silverware with the fleur-de-lis!
ReplyDeleteJudith- everything about this is perfect! I would love to be invited to your garden parties!
ReplyDeleteJudith, What a wonderful Spirea Garden Party! Love the color theme and all your pretty dishes and vintage silverware. Everything looks so good and that Walnut, Apple Salad looks delicious! Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Jody
Love all of the blue!!! So springy and fresh.
ReplyDeleteHappy to be partying with you at the Scoop's Spring Tablescape Party!
- Alma, The Tablescaper
Just beautiful! I am ready to get outside!
ReplyDeleteI love it!! Sure wish I could come. The outdoor setting looks so dreamy, and I adore your blue dishes.
ReplyDeleteAnita,
DeleteThe bluebonnet party at your farmhouse was part of the inspiration for this little spirea garden party. You are most welcome to come to all my garden parties.
Judith
Gorgeous setting. I love the blues. And those plates are stunning. But the salad is my favorite.
ReplyDeleteJudith, I think this is one of the prettiest alfresco settings for a spring day in Texas. The spirea is one of my favorite bloomers. We don't have one in this garden, but in our previous home spirea lined the fence. It was an amazing spring delight. Now I enjoy the ones blooming down the street, wishful that I had a spot for one in this garden. Love the pretty blue and white dishes, your blue chairs, and those fun new pots. Outstanding French Style post!
ReplyDeleteI love spirea and false spirea (astilbe). You have created such an elegant table setting and the blooms are the perfect backdrop. I love the blue and white China, Judith. I'm also very drawn to the clay pot painted with the navy sample paint. It really dressed up something ordinary! I want to give it a try. All of your special touches set your tablescapes apart. I clearly am not a detail person in the way that you are. The details are what bring such refinement to your decor and I appreciate each of them!
ReplyDeleteJust beautiful, I'd love to come for a visit. Thanks so much for sharing at AMAZE ME MONDAY...
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Cindy
STUNNING!!
ReplyDeleteWould love to have you join Fishtail Cottage's garden party this Thursday! May 1st is the first party of the season! hope you see you! xoxo, tracie
ReplyDeleteHi, I was intrigued by the title "Garden Party" and and "french inspired garden" so just had to stop by for that glass of ice tea. Thank you for a lovely visit. Thank God the trip over the atlantic with internet wasn't too long (lol). Come and visit me in Alsace France, hope your french is good because being a bit lazy, I mainly write in french. See you soon! Martine
ReplyDeletehttp://jardin-alsace-vignoble.blogspot.fr/