Happy Tuesday sweet friends. I hope you all are staying warm and cozy on these cold February days!
“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Psalm 118:24 (ESV)
Welcome to the Sunshine Cottage and the February edition of Tea on Tuesdays!
Mary and I are always excited to welcome our friend and fellow tea enthusiast, Sarah from Hyacinths For the Soul as our guest. You will find the teatime links for Mary and Sarah at the bottom of this post.
My thoughtful Renaissance Man gave me the beautiful tea set for Mother’s Day a few years ago. The “Blue Roses” collection was a collaboration between Victoria Magazine and April Cornell. The exclusive porcelain pattern and matching linens offer a romantic take on the classic color combination beloved by so many.
I am serving a traditional English breakfast tea. It’s made by blending together two or more different types of black tea leaves that add up to a robust, strong, and full-bodied flavor. It is perfect for a cold February day!
Last week the grocery store was filled with red, pink, and white flowers for Valentine’s Day. So what does a girl do that doesn’t need red, white, and pink flowers for teatime?! I remembered my very old, but sweet porcelain flowers which required no arranging and offered a hint of spring!
Williams Sonoma ‘Famille Rose’ dinner plate…
….Gracie chintz dessert plate…
…and a delicate Limoges A. Lanternier plate with a brown mark that dates it between 1891-1914 completes a charming floral plate stack.
Last week we welcomed our fourth grandchild, a precious baby boy. In case you missed our announcement, you can see it here. There was no time for baking with all of the excitement, so a trip to a favorite local bakery helped out in a pinch. Strawberry bars, white chocolate nuggets, and donut holes were served on a pink Bordallo Pinheiro plate.
As I have often said, January and February offer beautiful dancing light in the Sunshine Cottage. We had very little sunshine last week, but I managed to take photos on the only day the sun came out. We will dip down into the teens a couple of nights this week.
“February occasionally calls ‘time-out’ on winter, but play resumes shortly as the game isn’t quite over.”
~Butch Richardson
“The very act of preparing and serving tea encourages conversation. The little spaces in time created by teatime rituals call out to be filled with conversation. Even the tea itself–warm and comforting–inspires a feeling of relaxation and trust that fosters shared confidences.”
~Emilie Barnes
And now enjoy beautiful teatimes with Mary and Sarah by clicking on their links below!
Mary ~ Home Is Where the Boat Is
Sarah ~ Hyacinths For the Soul
Thank you for your visit and gracious comments. Wishing you a delightful week!
Linking with: Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch, Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Life and Linda
Good Morning Pam, it’s always a treat to join you in the Sunshine Cottage! I love the play of light and sunshine on your table and your vintage porcelain flowers pair beautifully with your Williams-Sonoma ‘Famille Rose’! I love the combination of floral patterns with your Gracie chintz dessert plate, topped with your and sweet Limoges plate and I have long admired your pretty Blue Roses tea set and table topper. Your sweet treats look irresistible too! So happy for your family to have another bundle of love to join the ranks and sweet WL is no longer outnumbered by his sisters.😊 As always, it’s a treat to join you for tea time. ☕ I hope you’re feeling better and stay warm and cozy this week. 💙
Thanks so much, Mary. I so look forward to our teatime. I am feeling better 💙
Good Morning my friend!
I can feel the warmth of your cozy tea time in The Sunshine Cottage.
The vintage porcelain roses are so beautiful! They are perfect with your blue roses tea set!
Congratulations on your new precious grandson! How exciting!
Happy Tuesday!
Thank you, Nancy. Happy adventures, my friend!
Good Morning Pam. The beautiful sunshine gleaming on your table is beautiful. I love your blue and white tea set. So pretty. Oh wonderful to know you have another beautiful grandson added to your sweet family. Hugs. Kris
Thank you, Kris. As you know, there is nothing to compare to grandchildren!
Congratulations on the birth of your beautiful grandson! What a special Valentine for your family! Your tea setting is gorgeous displayed in Sunshine Cottage. The cottage makes for some stunning photographs with the way that the sunlight dances across the room. Your plate stack is so pretty with the mix of all of the floral patterns, and the blue and white tea set pairs with the mix beautifully. The porcelain floral arrangement adds the perfect pop of color to the table. The sweets look scrumptious and are the perfect pairing with English Breakfast tea. Lately, I decided to shake things up a little and drink some English Breakfast tea instead of my usual Earl Grey. In fact, I’m having a cup as I read your post. I hope you are staying warm on this cold February day. We are under a winter storm warning and expecting ice and up to 10 inches of snow. I’m definitely dreaming of spring today! Have a wondeful Tuesday, dear friend!
Thank you, Shannon. We are over the moon with our darling grandson. My favorite is Earl Grey, but I do occasionally enjoy a change. Stay warm and be safe in all of the ice and snow. Hopefully you won’t lose power, sweet friend!
Charming, indeed! I love your tea service and linens. You & Mary must be channeling each other this month with teatime planning, which I love. The plate stack is so dainty, and I agree 100% on the dancing light in the Sunshine Cottage in winter. It makes up for what the weather lacks! Happy teatime!
Thank you, Rita. There wasn’t any tea time planning, never is. That is what I enjoy about TOT, no theme just do what we want! Stay warm and safe with your upcoming snow. The weather has been brutal for so many!
Good morning Pam! What a beautiful teatime with the dappled light playing across the table. Your porcelain flowers are exquisite. You must be over the moon with the newest arrival. Truly that must be the best Valentine’s gift ever! What does Wyatt think about a new brother? Butch is spot on with his quote about February. I’m surprised the groundhog didn’t just say “I give up!”
Thank you, Roxanne. We are definitely over the moon with our precious little grandson. Nine pounds doesn’t sound tiny, but he looks so tiny. Wyatt loves him and wants to hold him all the time. This winter has been full of weather surprises, but horrendous for so many who are without homes. Stay warm and don’t be ice skating on the pond!
Tea Time is ideal With these cold fronts that come one behind another. 5 this morning and a high of 20? Then a low of minus something and a high of below freezing. The furnace is getting a real workout. I love your porcelain flowers. And it appears you’ve miraculously kept them from being chipped, so old fashioned. Were they your mothers? They go so well with the precious tea set from your beloved.
Oh Alice, please stay in and stay warm. Those temperatures are brutal. No, the porcelain flowers were not my Mother’s. I have had them so long, I am not sure where they came from. I probably had them as a young bride, so they are definitely vintage like me!
Oh I’m so happy for you, Butch and Seth’s family
Thank you, Gina. He is precious!! It is always great to hear from you!
Pam, congratulations on the new grandson! This is all so exciting for your family. Your tea time in the Sunshine Cottage is just that, a ray of sunshine. We actually had some sunshine yesterday, but today is gray and cold again. I’ll just relax here at your table, drinking that delicious blend and those yummy bakery treats. I rarely bake anymore. It’s too easy to pick up treats, and they are always yummy!
Your wonderful tea service and beautiful plate stack with the sun dancing across the table, brings me instant joy. Thank you!
Always a joy to join you and Mary for Tea on Tuesdays. Thank you for your kind invitations. Stay warm and cozy. Hopefully spring will arrive soon.
Sarah, he is so precious and of course, we are in love! How lovely it would be for us to share tea. Why bake, when you have wonderful places to buy bakery treats?!
It is always a pleasure to have you join us, my friend. Stay warm and drink plenty of hot tea!
Pam, congratulations again on the birth of your new grandson! The tea table is lovely and the treats look delicious (I’m all for store-bought when time is tight). The tea set from Butch is so pretty with the blue and white and I love all the different patterns in your plate stack and the sunlight dancing across the table. The vintage porcelain flowers are gorgeous. I know that your weather has been very chilly (we are still sitting under the polar vortex here) and I hope you stay warm and cozy this week!
Kim, we are so excited about our precious little grandson. Store bought doesn’t bother me, as long as they are delicious. Thank you, my friend for your faithful visits. Stay warm under the polar vortex!
Is not the British practice of afternoon tea the most renewing routine?
Our tea selection today is Harney Hot Cinnamon Sunset.. Pungent and
stimulating. Pam, as ever your tea table setting is so lovely and that
“forever” floral centerpiece takes the prize when fresh is not at hand.
Why not be distracted from baking when you have the prospect of a
beautiful new Grandson and the local availability of delicious treats?
The sun-filled cottage is so uplifting in light of the snows and low temps
we are expecting overnight. Thank you for the warmth and sharing
of your particularly beautiful creation.
Your tea selection of Harney Hot Cinnamon Sunset sounds delicious, Mary! How I wish we could share a cup of tea together with a delightful sweet to go with it. We might have a tiny bit of snow flurries, not expecting much. You stay in where it is cozy and warm. We are expecting cold temps and hot tea or hot chocolate will be enjoyed!
First of all, Congratulations on your newest grandchild 💙!! That is a cause to celebrate for sure.
Your dappled teatime is so lovely, especially with the tea set that Bruce gifted you. It’s so dainty and looks so pretty with your plate stack. Your porcelain floral piece is just lovely, Pam.
We are to be in the teens for the next few days, too. I’m not looking forward to it.
Thanks so much, Kitty. As you know, grandchildren are so very special. Stay warm, this winter has been brutal for so many.
Your husband has exquisite taste in picking out a tea set! I’m sure the two of you have had some brew-tiful moments sipping your favorite teas from this tea set! Hugs to that new, charming bundle of joy!
Thank you, Mary. He does have excellent taste. We are so in love with our newest bundle of joy!
That looks so inviting, with the angled sunlight. The mixed china patterns are lovely. I adore those Victoria books! I have a bunch of them.
Thank you, Carole. I also have several of the Victoria books!
Congratulations on your new grandson. Does he have a name yet?
Everyone posted a great “tea time” Love the beautiful china.
“Sunshine Cottage” brings spring to mind. We are all waiting for spring this year.
Thanks so much, Myrna. His name is Daniel James💙
First of all, three cheers on a new addition to your clan! Well done! It looks so wintery with all that blue — a favorite of mine. The porcelain flowers were a brilliant idea. Love the tea set and that very cute cookie!
Thank you, Jeanie! Happy Wednesday!
Congratulations on your fourth grandchild, so fun and exciting. Sunshine Cottage is such a lovely place to enjoy an afternoon tea. The blue tea set is so pretty. I have always admired those pretty plates from WS. The porcelain flowers are lovely. Sunshine Cottage is a lovely getaway from the cold winter weather days.
Thank you, Linda! It is cold, hope you are staying warm!
A lovely February tea! The colorful plate stack really calls my name. I have a few chintz pieces and love bringing them out to play. 🙂
Enjoy the light!
Barb 🙂
Thank you, Barb. I hope you are staying warm 🥰
Pam, How lovely your cottage is with the blue and white setting and Williams Sonoma ‘Famille Rose, I love that. The stack is stunning! Stay warm and toasty during this cold weather,
Emily, thank you for your sweet comments! It is cold, stay warm!
what a joy-filled post. “The very act of preparing and serving tea encourages conversation. The little spaces in time created by teatime rituals call out to be filled with conversation. Even the tea itself–warm and comforting–inspires a feeling of relaxation and trust that fosters shared confidences.”
~Emilie Barnes Emilie Barnes’s books did so much to inform my early years of making a beautiful home and marriage. Love that quote, immediately recognized it. Warm memories for those olden times, thank you for that.
Thanks so much, Pamela. I am so happy you enjoyed the Emilie Barnes quote! Wishing you a lovely week!
I love the way the light rays come through and envelopes your teatime tablescape! It’s like the angels are blowing swirling kisses upon your tea party!
Oh, I love this, It’s like the angels are blowing swirling kisses upon your tea party!
Thank you, Linda!
Your porcelain flowers remind me of the capidemonte frame that displays our wedding photo. I don’t think I spelled that right, but I know you will know what I mean. Another beautiful post, sweet friends!
Thank you, Cheryl. I know you treasure that wedding photo in the lovely Capodimonte frame!