Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Birdwatching Tea #1



Today is Tablescape Thursday over at

Today, I spent a wonderful morning at Mom's house
caring for my grandmother, Nona.
Mom's house is a few miles out in the "country".
And they get the most beautiful birds eating at their feeders.
Here in the "burbs" we get your common sparrows,
robins and crows.
Mom gets blue jays, cardinals, finches, woodpeckers, nuthatches,
hummingbirds, tufted titmouse, juncos and the list goes on..

Mom also has a fabulous collection of teacups and teapots.
So, today I was able to "play" with her collection
to create several beautiful tea/tablescapes!

In honor of the marvelous birds at her window feeders,
I'm creating a " Birdwatching Tea" series.

Our bird of the day is the cardinal.


Isn't he beautiful!

Mom has had at least two brilliant red males
eating at her feeders over the past few days.

For my cardinal tablescape, I decided to go all white
with a pop of brilliant cardinal red.

The face of an angel...

Mom's card reads "Welcome to Dear Ridge"...
 the name of her property.

My parents moved a few years ago from the house I'd
lived in since 6th grade to a ranch home on several acres
in order to accommodate both of my beautiful grandmothers.

Mom named her property Dear Ridge, because the
people she holds so dear either live or visit her here!

I just love her rose vase.
It belongs to my grandma, Mom Mom Friend.

Almost so real, I can smell it...

Many of Mom's beautiful teacups come
from her travels overseas.

This is the mark on the bottom of the rose teacup.
Mom was unable to remember which
country this one came from.

This delicate cup came from a shop in Hungary.

This is the mark on the bottom of the white cup.

I am so thankful you could join me for tea today.

And a little bird watching!


Our bird next week will be the Blue Jay.

Please join me tomorrow for Art Work Friday!
I am calling all artists to join me each week to
post your original art work to inspire one another.

...thank you for stopping by... Dee Dee

28 comments:

Jeanette said...

DeeDee, I just love your Mom's teacups. Beautiful! Only an artist like yourself would have pulled in that beautiful red cardnial to a tea. Lovely, just lovely. I am looking forward to Friday.

Pat@Back Porch Musings said...

Your tea table is beautiful!

We feed the birds out here, too. We get the same ones your mom does. Just love watching them.

Lana G! said...

Sweet, sweet, sweet! Love the bird watching while enjoying tea!

ellen b said...

This is just lovely! A setting just right to watch that pretty bird!!

Martha said...

Your table truly reflects the white of the winter and the red of the cardinals -- great job!

We have SEVEN male cardinals at our feeders and as many females! It is surely a pretty sight with the snow!

Yvonne @ StoneGable said...

Oh DeeDee, What a special treat. Those beautiful fat cardinals and all the treasures from Dear Ridge. Thank you for taking us there with you. I love the red and white and the tribute to the birds and to your Mother and Grandmothers! So touching!
Yvonne

Marjorie (Molly) Smith said...

Your table was beautiful, love your Mom's dishes and her collection of birds...I love the Redbirds, they visit me everyday. See you Friday.
Molly

Mid-Atlantic Martha said...

Oh how lovely -- the red roses look like they're blooming in the snow! Beautiful.

Marigene said...

Love your tea tray and those red cardinals are beautiful, this time of year, especially.

Sue said...

Stunning! I love it! That teacup and saucer with the rose...to die for. What a great idea for a series. I have to really think about what to do next...Christmas was easy, January not so much!

Sue

Christine said...

Love your theme.
White with spots of bright red.
From the Cardnial in the snow, the rose on the cup,to the single candle on the tablescape.
Very nice.

Decor To Adore said...

The cardinals are just gorgeous!

What a way to start the new year~ your tablescape looks fantastic.

Jane said...

Dee Dee,
Please thank your mother for me for her wonderful e-mail tonight. She had the perfect words to convey her feelings and I SO appreciate her taking the time to share her uplifting words.
I want to thank you as well. Your words and prayers were also what I needed at this time. The fruit doesn't fall far from the tree :-)
Take care,
Jane

Jessa said...

Very beautiful! Wonderful combo between winter and valentines. Brilliant!

Pearl Maple said...

You have woven together a beautiful table setting, with a darling choice of colors and themes.

vignette design said...

I love how you combined the red cardinal with the red rose and tied it all together with tea and bird watching! Very original. --Delores

Anonymous said...

Oh I'd love to see red cardinals here, in France. Unfortunately, they are unknown here.
I will try to list by tomorrow on your "art work friday", but I am not sure. If not, it will be the next week.

Unknown said...

Beautiful! I love the whole collection. How precious! And the birds match! :)

~Liz

bj said...

The birds are just fabulous...and so is your beautiful tea....

Michelle said...

Hi Dee Dee,
Such a lovely post, gotta love red roses and white dishes. Blessings! XOXO

Jeanette said...

DeeDee, Josh is doing great. She is not doing any of the bad things that the vet warned us about. Keelie on the other hand is so jealous. Yesterday she could not walk when she got up. Finally about noon, in a panic we took her to the Vet. The vet could not find anything wrong. Yup $100 vet visit for nothing. LOL. She and Josh are playing now. Thank you for asking.

Linda Q said...

Perfect and with the little red birds outside, how sweet!
Linda

Sarah said...

Dee Dee, this is a beautiful tea setting. Makes me want to pull right up for cup of tea in one of those charming cups. I love the idea of your bird series. I look forward to more of these. Splendid idea! ~ Sarah

Wendy said...

Beautiful! It makes you want to curl up with a good book and a hot cup of tea! It sounds like you have a wonderful family! You can hear the love in your post:)

So excited for your party tomorrow!

Janean said...

mr cardinal looks thrilled to be showcased against the white snow! he's all the more brilliant....

Cathy Miller said...

Oh, that is just beautiful! I do love a gorgeous red robin...and tea from that beautiful tablescape would be delightful as well. Thanks so much for sharing..can't wait for next week!

Susan (Between Naps On The Porch.net) said...

Be still my heart! Combining two of my loves...tablescapes and birds...I think I'm going to faint! Gorgeous! Though, I only live just north of Atlanta in a very much populated area, I get all the birds you mentioned at my feeders, too. I have feeders that shut down when really large birds (like Blue Jays or Crows) try to land on them...so that encourages all the other smaller birds to visit. The Blue Jays and Crows tend to run off the smaller birds if they can feed from the feeders, I have found. I also buy a mix from Wild Birds Unlimited that has all the stuff the cardinals love. :-) I hope you'll have these beauties visiting your feeders, too.
Thanks for sharing these gorgeous pics! Love the name your Mom chose for her home. :-)
Susan

Judy@judyfriendphotography.com said...

The cardinal looks pretty plump. Great shots of the birds and the tablescapes.