FABBY: I Call it Carnations.

My mother, who's 81 and very well, thank you.....spends every wednesday with us, so the three of us have lunch together and than we go shopping, mom and me, that is, maybe to the antique, European shop we love!  Than we go to a cafeteria for some tea, or coffee and some sweets, or not.  I've set up this table for  three  with one of  my designs, I used to call "Carnations", I made it at my hubby's former "Ceramic factory", we had up to three years ago, for some of you who didn't see some of my past posts with other chinas by us.  This one, carnations, was inspired in the embroidered beautiful blouses, native women wear and yes, they embroider, "carnations" in a very deep pink, like the color of this pretty flower, in real life...in ceramics it comes out like this.

 I bought this all cotton linen tablecloth for this china on sale for $14, as the finials have the same colors of the carnations in the plates.  I also love the fringes!

 Here you can see the dessert bowl with scallops and the napkin rings with a little chirpping birdie...this are also made by us.

 The goblets I used are Mexican, hand blown.  The soup bowl.

 The chargers are Mexican pewter.  Dinner plate, salad plate and soup bowl.  In the center is a meat platter service and the tureen.

 The cups with a basket with almond Biscotti. The bigger basket is with fruit and a juice pitcher. The shape designs were Spanish originally.  This dishes were made out of "terracota", look inside the cups and the basket handles, you can see the terracota color.

 Here is home made bread, my mom's recipe which she calls: Golden Bread.  We're going to stay home this Wednesday for coffee and marmolade and the bread!

 The whole set of dishes.  The meat platter with scallops.

 The soup tureen with a little dish for chili sauce my hubby loves....I haven't gotten into it at all, yet!

 Great close up of the beautiful, big scalloped platter.

 The entire tablescape.

 This is the dinner plate, the idea was to make it look like a doily in the center with the carnation desig and framed by cobalt blue.

 The salad plate is big enough to hold an antree, a piece of cake, or a pasta primavera, salad.

 The pewter charger, the dinner plate, the salad plate and the soup bowl.  The dessert bowl.  I use it for "shrimp and fish" ceviche too.

 I have 16 place settings of this pattern and many more service pieces....lots more!

Hope you like this design too.  We had about 14 patterns, hand made and hand decorated..... all inspired in the native indians's wear.
I want to thank my following hostesses for letting me participate in this great parties:
Marty, at Table Top Tuesday, at:  http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/
White Wensday at:  http://fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com/
 Susan'sTablescape Thursdays at:  betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com
I'll probably check more parties I haven't seeing before.  Thank you in advance my friends for all your wonderful visits, I so appreciate them.
Lots of hugs.
FABBY

FABBY: A Prayer for Easter of Resurrection.

O Jesus, King, receive my prayer,


and consider my supplication as a pledge to You.

For you, O living King,

have gone forth and gone up out of Hell,

as Conqueror.

Woe to those who have rejected you;

For, to evil spirits and demons, you are sorrow,

to Satan and to Death, you are pain,

To Sin and Hell, you are mourning.

Yet, O how joy has come today,

for those who are born anew.

Therefore, on this great day,

We give great glory to You,

 I made this small honoring Easter Sunday, to remind us of the Resurrection of Christ the Lord.

 My mother made this crochet runner along with a tablecloth for me, many years ago.

 This is a colonial Spanish antique iron cross from my Mil.  I brought the flower base here as I will make a smaller one for the table to give visibility to the guests.

 This photo was taken before I added the cloche with the Easter egg inside.

Hubby and me practicing a platain basket with guacamole.

 My hubby and me were practicing how to make a cup made out of cooked and mashed green plantain which is like a green banana...so here it is!  It's stuffed with guacamole, which tomorrow we'll add some shrimp too.  Below, the finish dish! Cute, isn't it?  It wasn't that easy to make, but fun.

who died and is now alive,

that to all you may give life and resurrection!

Adapted by David Bennett from Nisibene Hymn 36:17,18, by St. Ephrem

Have a wonderful and blessed Easter everyone!
LOVE
FABBY

I will be joining THE TABLESCAPER FOR :  SEASONAL SUNDAY at:  http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

At Charris  HAPPY TO DESIGN FOR:  SUNDAYS FAVORITES at:  http://happytodesign.blogspot.com/

FABBY: Happy Easter Sunday

 The flower base it's Italian, I bought it a few years ago because it has a wide opening so I can arrange my brother'n'law's 24 roses we get often as a gift from him, as he has a Rose Farm.

,

 This pretty platter  doesn't belong to the china, I bought it separatelly, but goes well as it has little reticulated flowers in the finials.

 You can see the three plates  from the china, plus the salad plate.
 The floral pink arrangement.  A little cloche with Easter egg and one of the two small hurricane lamps that came with the china set. The glassware is my hand cut glass, Bohemian Chzeck.

 The soup plate is for pasta as it's reticulated and liquids could spill on the linen.  The pitcher doesn't belong  to the china set, I bought later because it was almost the same reticulated style.

 I bought two of this little cute cloches and put a chocolate Easter egg inside.  A better shot of one of the two hurricane lamps.

 Here's a nice view of the whole table set.  The linen tablecloth was my mother's, it's octagonal in shape , different, it shows the pretty corners of my dinner table.

 This is the charger, it came with the china.  I've used it with other chinas, as well.

 The dinner plate....you can see part of the salad plate.

 The pink, happy flower centerpiece.

 The cups ready for coffee after dessert. The tea pot  I bought laterA, it's not part of the china set, but also goes with the pitcher, and the platter shown here.

 The cups are adorable. This cloche is a little bigger with an Easter chocolate egg with a surprise inside I will give my  granddaughters to open it and find it....there's plenty more.

This Easter Sunday I'm having eight family members for lunch  at home and this is how my table is going to look.  I have a complete set for 12 places of this beautiful reticulated dishes.  I wish you all my dear friends in blog land a very nice Easter, along with your dearest families.
Love always and may God bless your homes this Easter Sunday.
Fabby
I am posting at Tablescape Thursdays  at:  betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com
PINK SATURDAY
THE TABLESCAPER... FOR SEASONAL SUNDAYS
http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/
I'm thanking all the hostesses from this fun parties for leting me participate.
Thanking you all in advance for all yor visits, I always appreciate them very much.

FABBY: Almond Biscotti with Coffee

 Here are my biscotti in a beautiful, "silver overlay glass" platter that we inherited from my Mil....Bill wrote about this unique pieces on his post: "Simply Vintage Table Setting".  This platter is Italian and an antique as it was my Mil's mother and she was born in 1894.

This tablecloth is from Spain and it's made of organza, I love using it on top of other linens, but today I chose to use it alone..

 This china set is one of my oldest too, maybe 28 years old, I have 16 place settings, I use it for lots of people when I serve  a buffet.

 The Italian-silver overlay glass platter...look at the silver, it has grape leaves and grapes, strawberries, flowers and leaves, a cherry plant with cherries...really a scrumptous job!

 My silver tea set I bought around 22 yrs. ago on one of our trips to the Big Apple. The cute butter dish is silver plated and it's not part of the silver tea set. The silver tea "samohbar"  was my Mil's too.

 The whole table setting.  The sterling tea spoons were my mother's, she gaved them to me because  they were used for her First Communion...they're 12.  My mom's is 81 and very well.

 A better shot of the whole table.

In Italy, "biscotti" refers to all kind of cookies, not just to the crunchy-twice baked  variety it implies on this side of the Atlantic.  Italians love duncking it in coffee, tea, or a dessert wine, such as, Vin Santo.  Now, my husband loves biscottis and so I make it for him quiet often, since it's his fav cookie ever!  Hubby and me usually have afternoon coffee at 4 pm with some cookies, a piece of home made bread, or in this case, his biscotti.  
Here is the recipe for the ones that might want to have it.

Almond Biscotti:

1/3 Cup butter
2 Cups all purpose flour
2/3 Cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsps. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 Cups slivered almonds, finally chopped
1 egg yolk, (optional)
1 tablesp. milk, or water (optional)
1 Cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces
1 tablesp. shortening
PREP.:
In electric mixing bowl,  beat butter, for 30 sec. and  1 Cup of the flower, the sugar, 2 eggs, b.p. and vanilla; beat until combined.  Using a wooden spoon, or spatula, stir in remaining flouer and nuts.  Dvide dough in half.
Lightly grease a cookie sheet.  Shape each portion into a 9" log.  Place each one apart 4" on cookie sheet.
Flaten dough slightly bout 2" wide.  (shine it with an egg and milk wash, if you like...I don't bother) 
Bake at 375F. for 20-25 minutes...or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool on wire rack for 1 hour.
With a serrated knife cut diagonally into 1/2" slices. Lay slices, cut size down, on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 325F oven for 8 min.  Turn slices over; bake for 8 to 10  min more, til dry and crisp.  Transfer on wire rack and cool.
In a heavy small saucepan, heat choc.,  and shortening over low heat until melted; stir occasionlly.  Place cooled cookies  flat side up, on waxed paper.  Drizzel chocolate atop cookies, or dip into melted choc.  Let choc. set up.   (I don't do this cause hubby doesn't like it with the choc., I do, and it's  great with it)
I thank Marty for hosting this nice party, TTT  at:  htt://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

New Antique French Table

 This was the way our receiver, or foyer looked like before, kind of empty and with a great space for something such as this smack in the middle!.... and it's perfect between our formal living room and dining room as well.
 
I'm fixing the cushions of our Oriental Chippendale chairs.

 Here she is!...as a receiver table in our foyer! My hubby bought it to my total delight! 

He thinks we can also use it when we have dinner parties to accommodate four people more, besides the formal and breakfast dining tables.

 I love the beautiful legs it has...

 I did a spring tablescape with this china set we bought in 1979, it's a Chinese design from the 1950's.

 Here is a better close up of the dishes, the plates have butterflies in all the flowers.  I just used my glass chargers from Turkey  so we can see the Carrara table top better.

Italian Bormiolli Rocco stems.


It also came with dessert bowls and for Oriental soup bowls too...as the ones I served here are more the European 'soup-plates.'

 You can appreciate the butterflies on the plates in this closer shot of the plate.

 The tea set that came with the china, I set it in the Chinese Secretary that's right in front of the new table, bellow.

Add caption

I hope you like the space where  we placed our beautiful Italian vintage, Carrara marble table  my husband fell in love with, so did I (quietly), for which I was so gladly surprised that he loved it (out loud) and bought it!..it was one day that we were visiting the  Antique European Imports Shop. 
We had quite a big nice space that was our foyer at home and nothing was there... so  hubby thought it would look beautiful right in the middle!  I hope you liked it!

Thank you Susan for hosting this great party:  Metamorphosis Monday at:  http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Thank you in advance for all the nice people that will visit, as you always make my day!

HAPPY EASTER to everyone.

LOVE,
FABBY