GREETINGS!
And welcome to the world of "P" is for PINK.
I thought you might enjoy seeing these pretty pink tablescapes as much as I did.
To me, they can be summed up in one word, WOW!
My hand (which was injured again several months ago, when someone crunched and fractured it in an overly enthusiastic handshake) managed to hold up through blogging the past few days. :-)
So I thought I would celebrate by sharing this beautiful birthday celebration I attended at the home of friends during my hiatus...
The birthday being celebrated was a BIG one.
As a matter of fact, in dog years the birthday girl would be ANCIENT.
I know because I am now that age. Ahem! ;-)
But that frightful thought was more than made up for by this very shiny "Surprise" birthday party...
Hosted by some even shinier friends...
Who socked this one out of the ballpark!
The pictures just don't do the tables justice as the light kept playing games with the colors...
But in case you can't tell, the girls rocked the pink!
And the pink cloth really popped these plates...
And was the perfect foil for the flatware and the goblets...
And the flowers? Oh, the flowers! The arrangements were simply gorgeos...
And the food...
The chicken salad and fruit (with a special secret drizzle sauce) were every bit as delicious as they looked...
So were the tiny muffins that were passed after I rushed to take these pictures...
One of my favorite things since childhood is the way cold condenses in tiny beads of moisture that glisten and glow on silver goblets...
A little thing that enchants, adding its own touch of luster to a beautiful tablescape...
And speaking of special touches, the pink clematis in the white urn on the patio bloomed despite the Florida summer heat.
And that wasn't the only pink...
The long table, also in the sunroom, was graced by two of these pink rose arrangements...
Along with this stunning centerpiece...
The table was also set with heirloom Frontenac flatware and some lovely antique floral limoges with pink flowers and rimmed in gold (to which these pictures don't do justice)...
This is a calmer tablescape in its primarily white palette...
The flowers are virtually the same as the centerpiece on the other table...
As are the silver goblets, napkin rings, and flatware (though the other is Chantilly), but this table has the addition of a summer white pique cloth, white limoges instead of pink, crystal goblets with gold rims, and that stunning plateau under the flowers...
Yes, that plateau. Gorgeous, isn't it?
I also love the two small bowls of pink roses, one on either end...
How I adore shiny objects, and these tables were both show-stoppingly shiny!
I have had more fun looking at the pictures over and over, and I couldn't wait to share them here with you. I know you love a pretty table, and in this case, there were two to admire...
The really special part is that the china and flatware on this table belonged to the hostesses' great grandmother...
And the gold-rimmed goblets belonged to their grandmother...
The centerpiece bowl and plateau and many of the napkin rings were their mother's. All gorgeous!
And their mother, who loved pink, too, was with us in spirit, and I know the girls would have blown her away with these tables. She would be so proud of them, as we all were!
Their kindness and gracious generosity, the very spirit of hospitality, made each of the guests, particularly the birthday girl, happy campers! :-)
Twenty-one old friends (including one 94 years young), gathered, and it was a delight to see each and every one of them!
It is always a blessing to celebrate with old friends...
And help one another climb the hill to wearing purple with a red hat that doesn't match!
Old friends help make it bearable to weather the transition from being dressed by St. John to being sheathed by, in my case, Omar the Tentmaker! ;-)
Pretty in Pink... the beautiful, full blown pink roses (the best kind) were a dream for a girl whose childhood birthday cakes always had pink roses!
But beyond the decor, the real treasure here were the friends, and the hostesses did everything to make the day perfect. Below are two of my favorite girls who looked so cute in their yellow and green. And can you believe how much my baby godchild has grown??? She is almost taller than her mother!!
And my other sweetie, in the middle in that cute blue tunic, with two close friends, B and T (I didn't get their permission to name them!) also worked hard to make the day perfect...
And these two girls and godchildren (who were such a big help serving and preparing for the party). I still can't get over the fact that they are growing up before my eyes! Stop growing up NOW! I want those babies back! :-)
And doesn't this friend of mine of many years look fabulous??? I think she is drinking from the Fountain of Youth. And I look like her MOTHER. Argh! She will absolutely murder me if she sees this on here, so she shall remain nameless! I would "out" my other friends, but most of the shots of them are blurry, and I don't have permission to expose them. This one won't sue me, I hope! ;-)
Now, this cutie pie is my neighbor, and she was serving champagne punch...
Another friend, Laurie, who couldn't be with us sent this DELICIOUS chocolate and caramel cake. Oh, my,my, my, but it was divine!
We also had an Italian cream cake that was stellar...
Made me want to lick the knives. You will be pleased to know, I refrained from doing so though I was sorely tempted!
And just in case you think, there were no shiny objects, think again!
Great Food! Great Friends! Great Gifts! Great Setting! Great Memories! Thanks for sharing these with me!
Now, I am joining a few of my favorite parties: Susan with Tablescape Thursday HERE and Beverly of Pink Saturday HERE. And for the first time, I am joining Kim of Wow Us Wednesday HERE and Jenny Matlock for Alphabet Thursday HERE.
One final thing... and it's a BIG THING. You see, I have been KEEPING A SECRET, and it has been harder than you can imagine to keep!!! One of the reasons I have been MIA (aside from the hand and after that the fall on my knees) has something to do with the lantern above. Can you guess?
I haven't been able to say anything FOR MONTHS, but I hope that I finally will be able to share the details soon as well as the rest of what has been going on including four events with which I was involved this spring. It nearly wore me out, and keeping this secret has been nothing short of brutal! It frazzled my brain to the point that people started to worry if I was still firing on all cylinders. Between that and an antique car acting out, I started to wonder myself! ;-)
Eeeeeeeeeeeeee! It has been a long time coming, and I can't wait to share!!!!!!!!
And YOU will be some of the first to know, so thanks for bearing with me...
Warmly,
Mrs. Magpie (Sheila)
