Faith Family Friends

Celebrating the Joy of Living & Home Making ~

Baking, Cooking, Decorating, Tea Time, and taking Inspiration from those I love and the world around me...

A sharing of my heart and my home from a Christian perspective

...with a wee bit of whimsy added.

Monday 21 September 2015

Sunflowers and Playing with Transferware for Tea Time


Welcome to Tea Time dear friends! Can you feel Autumn coming? There are signs of it everywhere now here on our little Island although we have just had the most amazing run of warm sunny weather with record breaking temperatures. We have been lovin' it!

By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer’s best of weather
And autumn’s best of cheer.

Helen Hunt Jackson, September, 1830-1885




Do you like my sunflowers? You will never guess where they came from. Yesterday Hubby and I were out driving around and we passed a small construction zone where a tidy little subdivision of duplexes was going up. As you turn into the subdivision, there is a large grassy slope covered in grass and of all things, sunflowers! Those big smiling flowers were there just begging me to bring some home. So, Hubby got out of the car and climbed a little bit of that hill and pulled out a big stem of them. He's the best, and super fit so he didn't mind!



And here they are, on my tea table bringing their sunshine and smiling faces to our tea time.



At first I had set my table with brown transferware and thought, it just looked flat. So I removed the brown and brought out my blue instead. Hope you enjoy! 


Tea is like a hug and a handshake; something about it warms friendships and inspires confidences. ~ Victoria magazine


It seems I have been sharing a lot of transferware lately. I love mixing and matching it because it seems to bring a little more personality to the table.



I like how each piece tells a story and some of the patterns date back quite a way. 

The Blue Willow pattern was popular in 18th century England, e.g. porcelain designed by Thomas Minton around 1790 and has been in use for over 200 years. The design was inspired by the china England imported from China during the late 18th century.  

And who isn't charmed by the love story conveyed in the pattern?



The Enoch Wedgwood Royal Homes of Britain pattern has been around since the 1970's. I love the blue flower and scroll edge adorned with the castle in the center. 




And the 222 Fifth Blue Adelaide square plate. I love this vintage-inspired florals and birds on white porcelain plate. 




Lately, I have been hankering for some sticky date pudding with hot toffee sauce. I usually make this at Christmastime and at least one other time of the year. This is the time.



This pitcher filled with hot toffee sauce is yet another pattern in blue and white. It depicts some elegant ladies window shopping but I can't make out the mark, only that it is made in England. 

Would you like some pudding? 

Time spent in the company of a friend is like a golden moment in our day. ~ Ron Lessin


This pudding is such a treat with a cup of tea or coffee. Care to join me?

Steam rises from a cup of tea, 
and we are wrapped in history, 
inhaling ancient times and lands, 
comfort of ages in our hands. ~ Faith Greenbow





I love how the glow of the candle brings out the sparkle in the gold thread of Bernideen's table topper. I won this pretty topper in one of her giveaways several years ago.  

On that note, I will bid you a lovely day and may it be filled with plenty of sparkle!


Never lose an opportunity to see anything that is beautiful. It is God's handwriting - a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, every fair sky, every fair flower. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson


Please join me by linking up below. I would love to see your teacups, coffee cups, teapots or coffee pots. A tea time recipe is always welcome as well as a visit to a Tea Shop or tablescape. 

Please be sure to link only tea or coffee related posts. Thank you.



I am joining the following parties as well~

 A Return to Loveliness
 Tuesday Cuppa Tea
 Friends Sharing Tea
 Tea Cup Tuesday
 Share Your Cup Thursday
 Home Sweet Home



Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

40 comments :

  1. Sunflowers and blue transferware are a great combo!

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  2. I love sunflowers and blue and yellow are 2 of my favorite colors together!

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  3. The Sunflowers look so very pretty with your Blue Willow china! Thank you for this party..enjoying Tea today! Blessings, Lynn

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  4. Awww that hubby of yours is so sweet, Sandi, and it brought back memories of my own late beloved doing the same thing for me. I had seen the sunflowers growing along the road and my hubby went out and cut some down for me to enjoy. The sunflowers look so pretty with the contrast of the blue and white transferware. Yes please, I'd love some sticky toffee pudding. I will need to make some and enjoy it this Fall. Thanks for hosting, my friend, and for sharing your heart, home and quotes with us.

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  5. I was just telling Judith at Lavender Cottage that I cannot bake this fall, trying to maintain my weight loss. But between her tarts and that sticky pudding . . . my, oh my. And I have some dates too :) Maybe I'll just invite some friends to share it with me!
    The sunflowers look lovely with your blue china. We just had some sunflowers in a blue vase; those colors are striking together.
    Thanks for hosting, and have a beautiful week, enjoying this lovely autumn weather. xo

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  6. Sandi,
    Love this pretty Teascape in Blue and White!! You know I love me some blue and white dishes!! LOL!!

    I am sorry that I have not been by but I have been crafting and decorating for Fall like a mad woman!! I love being part time!!
    Thanks so much for hosting , my friend!!

    Hugs,
    Deb

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  7. Hi Sandi: Love the Sunflowers with the blue flow they look amazing. Have a great week. Blessings, Martha

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  8. Sandi, All looks so lovely and the blue dishes are wonderful.
    Sunflowers are the state flower in Kansas. They always remind me of days gone by. Love 'em.
    All the best and home life is for me,
    d

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  9. Sandi, this is a lovly bouquet of sunflowers and great for this time of year! Your blue transferware compliments the sunflowers. The toffee desserts is yummy to view. Thanks for hosting this week!

    Pam

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  10. The sunflowers are so pretty. The Blue Willow reminds me of the ones my Mom use to have. We lost them in a flood when I was little.

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  11. I love sunflowers too and the combo of yellow and blue transfer ware is always stunning!

    Big Texas Hugs,
    Susan and Bentley

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  12. I think that pudding looks delicious and what a find while you were out driving. I think those sunflowers were wonderful. So sweet that your hubby got them for you. I think your table is very pretty and glad you are still enjoying the little topper piece! Thanks for sharing.

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  13. What a happy serendipity to find the pretty sunflowers! I'm also a fan of the Blue Willow pattern and mixing and matching transferware patterns. Thank you for hosting and enjoy the last few days of summer!

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  14. All so very pretty and YUMMY ! Thanks for sharing , have a good day !

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  15. Oh those sunflowers are gorgeous, Sandi. Love your Blue Willow tea set too...Christine

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  16. Followed from another blog, love your blue china! Have a great week :)
    Joy @ Books and Life

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  17. The sunflowers were a lucky find Sandi and thanks to your hubby for getting them for your table. Your blue and white china is lovely and pudding with our tea would be perfect thanks.

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  18. I love it all Sandi one of my favorites is Blue & White i have that same teapot but no lid i use a different lid found it at a thrift store years ago. The bird plate is lovely really like it wonderful post so sweet of hubby to get those sunflowers. Happy Monday and new week with love Janice

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  19. I think the combination of blue and yellow is so pretty. Love the story of how you found your sunflowers. I've never seen "wild" sunflowers before. What a find. You have such a nice collection of transferware and I've learned a lot from your posts about the different English potteries where they were produced. So fun to actually see sticky pudding. I've only read about in Christmas stories. Hope to try it one day.

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  20. Sunflowers are so cheerful, you can't help but smile.
    A very pretty table setting.

    Diana

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  21. So pretty and still so homey. Love the blend of dishes. Always a pleasure to visit. I always acted a little more refined after I visit you. LOL!

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  22. So many lovely photos, the sunflowers and the blue transferware are beautiful. And yes please to the sticky toffee pudding:)

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  23. Dear Sandi,
    the sunflowers warm my heart. I love the color and the tingeling scent of them. And your blue transferware is gorgeous to the bright yellow. And your toffee pudding! Yum yum, that looks so tempting. Thank you for sharing this wonderful tea time and for hosting this sweet event.
    Best greetings, Johanna

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  24. Hi Sandi,
    The yellow sunflowers do look so cheery and bright with your gorgeous blue transferware. Your table is very inviting and how I would love to have some of your dessert with the lovely toffee topping. This morning is very much like fall in B.C. Even though the sun is shining I have had to turn the heat up and accept that fall is here. Happy Tea Day and Thank you for hosting! Karen

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  25. Hi Sandi, I love your sunflowers and the blue of your tea set looks so pretty with them. I love sunflowers and I always plant them every spring, but I forgot this year! I am getting old!! Really, just too much going on this year. Your dessert sounds wonderful and perfect for this time of year. Thank you for hosting and enjoy your beautiful fall weather!

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  26. What an enjoyable post and to see that delicious pudding, oh my! It certainly is that time of year for a cup of hot tea and a yummy dessert to enjoy! Your pictures are gorgeous, and I enjoyed your sharing of the background history of the transferware. Hoping that you are enjoying beautiful fall weather and finding a friend to share a cup of tea with :)

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  27. Sunflowers are some of the post cheerful flowers. It is a treat to come across them unexpectedly when driving. Usually, the ones I spot are off in a farmers' field. They go perfectly with your blue and white transferware. Jill at TeacupsandStitches dot com

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  28. Oh I do love sunflowers Sandi. Looking at them brightens any day. You were lucky to come across them in a construction site. What a site that must have been!!!

    I love them against blue also. They are a perfect color match in my opinion. Your tranferware is gorgeous. Thanks for hosting each week.

    Janet

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  29. Your teascape is almost my fav! I adore blue and white transferware and now I'm gonna be in the look out for a teaset and teacups too!
    Thank you for the wonderful tea party my dear friend. Have a lovely week. Sorry, I'm late.
    FABBY

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  30. Hi Sandi! What a lovely poem you chose to start this Fall post! And blue and white transferware is always so attractive to me! In fact a very good choice for a tea post!
    I already missed joining you for tea! Thanks for hosting, dear friend.
    Have a great week!

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  31. This week's Tea Time Tuesday includes two of my favorite things - sunflowers and blue and white dishes. The photos are lovely! Sunflowers are such a happy flower and are my favorite of all flowers. Happy Fall, and have a wonderful week

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  32. Your sunflowers are beautiful! Thanks for hosting!

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  33. Those sunflowers are so vibrant! And they go perfectly with your blue tea set. That pudding looks scrumptious ... I can almost feel my teeth sinking into a bite!

    Wishing you a beautiful day...
    Brenda

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  34. I HAVE to plant sunflowers next year - they look so gorgeous next to your tea set - just beautiful 1
    We've had record breaking temps here in Montreal as well !!!

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  35. How beautiful, Sandi! Oh, the sunflowers are just so pretty and how sweet of your hubby to go and fetch them for you! My neighbor brought we a little bouquet of sunflowers not long ago and I just loved them and as they began to die I had a hard time tossing them out. I didn't! Then one afternoon I looked on the wall by the table where they were and there were these tiny little black worms not even a 1/4 inch long climbing all over the place! Yuck!! The only thing I could think of there must have been a larvae under a leaf and the little boogers hatched out! I can't help it now, every time I see some sunflowers I think of those little worms! :) Now your tea setting is so pretty! I have a Blue Willow tea pot almost just like yours. Your pudding sounds so good too! Thanks for popping in and try not to think about my worms! ;)
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  36. Sandi,
    Sunflowers drew me to your post, dear one!!!
    I adore the sunflowers against your blue & white dish collections!!!
    You have filled my cup with freshness on this First Day of Autumn!!!
    Thank you!!!
    Fondly,
    Pat

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  37. The pudding cake looks delicious and I adore every piece of your blue transferware! I too love how each piece is uniquely different! Sunny yellow sunflowers are gorgeous against the blue. My sunflowers are all gone. Certainly enjoyed yours! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  38. Hi Sandi, you can never have enough transferware for me! I just love it all. The blue dish with the bird is my favorite. WOW! The yellow sunflowers and the blue and white china is so pretty, such a nice color combination.Happy Fall dear friend.

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  39. Hey Sandi! My name is Kym and I do believe we are "Kindred Spirits" I love your blog and everything about your website. I am working on setting up an online teashop as well as a blog and would appreciate any advice you have to offer. With regards to your red and white toile tea cups. When I visited Italy a few years ago it was my goal to find a red and white toile tea set and I found just that. A little Italian lady sold it to me at the Arezzo Flea Market. She saw my excitement when I saw that set that she sold it at a lower price because the creamer was missing. I put my set out at Christmas and Valentines. I look forward to hearing from you. I would love to visit Prince Edward Island.....I'm also a BIG fan of Anne of Green Gables. Many blessings to you and yours.

    Sincerely,
    Kym R. Brown

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  40. I love sunflowers. And I love the relationship between you and your husband, how he stopped the car to pick a bunch for you. Love - it changes everything. Happy Sunday Sandi. Hope the day shines for you.

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I am delighted to have you visit me and I read every comment. Please forgive me for not being able to visit you all as there are so many of you lovely bloggy friends now. I will visit as much as possible. I wish you a day filled with JOY!

Also, due to the amount of spam I've been getting, I have had to set Comment Moderation. ~ Sandi

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