Monday, September 17, 2007

My late-summer hutch

Well, now that summer is nearly over (by the calendar, anyway) I finally am getting around to posting a photo of how I had decorated my hutch for summer. In the next couple of days I’m going to be working on decorating it for fall, so it’s time for me to post this if I’m going to! You can read the story of how I acquired this hutch at my Christmas blog, Mrs. T's Christmas Kitchen in a post titled (if I remember right) “My Christmas Hutch”. 

 I have been having fun decorating it for the different seasons! The top shelf holds some special gifts from friends. The “tea for one” pots with an angel motif came from a dear couple with whom we have shared many cups of tea. The cross-stitch picture in the center was done by my dear friend Marilyn and features a verse from Proverbs 31 -- “Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.” (Proverbs 31:31) 

The next shelf down features a moose pitcher from my grandmother’s collection; a sugar and creamer -- not matching; one is from the “Colonial Homestead” set and one from the “Old Curiosity Shop” set -- on a vintage hand-crocheted doily; a “Smile” wooden sign (97¢ at Walmart, but worth much more in the amount of smiles it has provoked!) and a yard-sale maple-leaf teacup. 

Next shelf down: 2 Gooseberry Patch cookbooks, a set of Yankee Candle strawberry votive holders ($1 each on clearance), and a sugar bowl from my husband’s uncle’s place. In the center, though you can’t see it well, is a sand dollar painted with a Prince Edward Island theme by my daughter. Also in the center was a colorful cookbook -- Cook & Tell, by Karyl Bannister. I had taken that cookbook down and was using it at the time I took the photo. 

Bottom shelf (with a definite “tea” theme): In the corners, 2 Mother’s Day cards given me by one of my daughters at different times. The one on the left features a quote from Louisa May Alcott, and the one on the right is a bunch of chipmunk & squirrel ladies having an outdoor tea party. On the left of this shelf is an old Fiesta ware teacup and saucer, along with a napkin I cross-stitched *many* years ago. Over on the right there is a pale yellow “new” Fiesta ware sugar & creamer on its own little tray. In the center is a lovely teapot given me by a friend, and a little Celestial Seasonings tin with the legend “Celebrating Tea Time”. A couple of tins of loose tea and a Marjolein Bastin tea bag holder complete the look. 

Well, that is it. Hope you’ve enjoyed this peek at my summer hutch. I will try and be a bit more timely sharing my autumn decorating!

3 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:00 PM

    I just love the hutch, wish I had one, our dining area is just too small for something like that..I just posted some pictures of my dining area with some fall things in it...I have a fiesta teacup and saucer from my grandmother that I just love, really like the color of yours, mine is kind of a blue/green color..I also have two Gooseberry patch cookbooks, One pot meals and Blue plate specials, I really like them, lots of good things in them...
    Anyway you have lots of beautiful treasures on your hutch, make sure and post some when you decorate for fall..
    Blessings, Joann Messyjo

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  2. I love your hutch! That maple-leaf cup caught my eye right away. Living in Canada, my eye is quick to catch that maple leaf motif wherever I see it!

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  3. Hi ladies!

    So nice to see you here today!

    Joann, this hutch is actually smaller than it looks. Our dining area is quite small also, and it was really neat to see how God provided the perfect hutch for the amount of wall space we had available.

    I love Gooseberry Patch books and have quite a few of them. Several of them I got for free because of having a recipe or craft published in them!

    I know the blue/green color of Fiesta you're referring to. I have a platter that color. All (except for that newer sugar/creamer set and a water pitcher) of my Fiesta ware is old and came from my great-aunt's home. I always loved her Fiesta and am so happy to have some of it for my own.

    Susan -- so nice to see you safely back from your trip and visiting blogs again! Yes, isn't that teacup/saucer with the maple leaves the neatest thing? I got it at a yard sale for $1. It was marked $5 and I was going to buy it anyway because I liked it so much, but when I went to pay they had lowered the price on the teacups to $1! I didn't even notice the Canadian flag until I got it home (it's only on one side), but that just makes it all the neater to me.

    Have a great day, ladies, and do stop in again!

    God bless,
    Mrs.T

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