Monarch Spring Tea Table

I love waking up to a sunny spring morning and having fresh 
flowers on the table! 

 I put together a butterfly table to celebrate the monarch's spring migration. 

This week the monarchs started migrating through Oklahoma.  Wildflowers are blooming along the roadways and providing a steady food source for their journey. 

Monarchs are so amazing and I am always happy to see them return to my garden.
Giving them a place to land, eat and reproduce is one of my goals every summer.  I not only want to attract them but to help them along their way.

Planting a butterfly bush in the garden guarantees lots of visits and lots of nectar.  I also plant many other species of flowers they love to visit like Pentas.   
Pentas come in shades of pinks, white purple and red.

Pentas


Several years ago we had hundreds of monarchs clustered in our pecan trees as they stopped for the night and took a break from their long journey down south.  They can't fly if it's too cold so we were thrilled they decided to spend a chilly night in our trees. 

The next morning when the sun came out and warmed the air we watched as hundreds started to flutter about and 
then fly away!


  We have recently visited two Monarch sanctuaries in California where thousands migrate for the winter.  What an amazing journey they make!

Pacific Grove and Pismo Beach are  along California's
 central coast and have abundant eucalyptus groves and pines where the Monarchs love spending their winters.

The monarch is Pacific Grove's city mascot and you see them depicted throughout the city.

I love this garden bench that was in the butterfly sanctuary...wouldn't it look great in a corner of any garden!?

Pismo Beach has the largest colony of monarchs in the western United States!

Monarchs hang in clusters with their wings closed...they look like brown leaves on the trees and are somewhat hard to see.  

For a nature lover like me seeing this many butterflies in one place 

was a real treat and a reminder of how wonderful God's creation is!  


So my table this week is a celebration of their arrival to Oklahoma.

Monarch napkin rings set the 
tone for the table.

I purchased the napkin rings while in Pacific Grove several years ago at the cutest garden and gift store Trellis . Such a beautiful place to shop, click the link for more pictures.      

The tablecloth and napkins were purchased  at Stein-Mart this year.  I love the bold  floral pattern and that the fabric is indoor/outdoor.          

My sunflower plates seemed perfect with the butterflies.

I added this candleholder with the monarch motif.

This grocery store flower bouquet is a combination of  favorite flowers and spring colors.  Fuchsia pink gerbera daisies are so pretty!

The cake stand is one my favorites and is used for a teapot/coffee pot pedestal on many occasions. 

The ironstone tea/coffee pot was purchased from Goodwill for $5
and I was so excited to find it!

The cups are Johnson Brothers from England and were also found at a thrift store four for $3.  Hard to resist that price! 

Place settings

Tiny bud vase with flowers
 from my garden. 

When planting your garden this spring remember to add a few butterfly flowers to your border.
Milkweed is one plant that is really needed to help with their life cycle and migration. 



source


Have a Blessed and Happy Easter!


Linking with:


Show off your Cottage Monday
Marty's Tabletop Tuesdays
Kathleen's Let Dish 
 Tea Time Tuesday  and
Tablescape Thursdays

Spring Garland & Bunny Hutch

My favorite little hutch has just gone through it's spring transformation.  If you follow my blog you have seen this hutch decorated for Christmas, fall and spring.  

Originally this garland/swag was to go on my front porch over the dining room window but a sweet little bird decided to build her nest in my spring wreath right by the front door. 

 I decided that trying to hang this swag would only traumatize my little resident mom so I thought I would just place it on the top of my hutch and enjoy it indoors.

  

I saw a beautiful "inspiration" swag while out shopping and decided to make one.  Michaels had all their spring flowers on sale for 40% off and I already had the twig vine.  I added a silk forsythia vine, 

purple hydrangeas and some greenery. 

 I did have a few dried hydrangeas left over from my garden and also placed them in the arrangement.  The carrots were a fun addition and echo the carrot handle on my favorite teapot.  

I also used burlap ribbon to add a

 textured and natural feel.

The hutch is filled with things I love and have collected over the years.  Bunnies, birds and even a frog find their way on a shelf.  Each spring I bring out my collection and tweak it here and there with something new and some years I just rearrange things. 

This is my Easter teapot...Fitz and Floyd and so beautiful!  It once belonged to a friend's mother and she gave it to me knowing I would cherish it.

These two mischievous bunnies are trying to hide from Mr. McGregor I'm sure.  They look guilty don't they...trying to steal a meal of carrots and cabbage! 

A few of my honeypots, one vintage the
 other a thrift store find.

The bunny topiary I have had for years and always finds a spot in the hutch.

This egg filled "cloche" below started out being part of an something else ...I'm not even sure what.   I purchased it at a thrift store for 25 cents along with the clear candleholder base.  I just turned it upside down and found a base to fit and made my own custom cloche.  Cost less than a $1!

The frog was given to me by my sons when they were small because they know I'm terrified of frogs and toads and they thought 

 that was funny.  She is kind of cute! 

I would love to have more of this

 majolica pattern.  This  little "cloche"
 is a little wire pot 
turned upside down
 protecting a little nest.

My cabbage Pinheiro dishes are used throughout the season for many table settings.  I definitely would love to have 
more coordinating pieces. 

My Spring hutch is completed and now I can turn my attention to some gardening chores. Spring is here in a big way in Oklahoma.  I am grateful for all the rain we received 
last week! 

I'm joining Kathleen's Let Dish 
Romantic Home's Show and Tell Friday
Tablescaper's Seasonal Sunday
The Bunny Blog Hop at
Ann's On Sutton Place
Judy's DYI by Design
and 
Marty's Tabletop Tuesday
Hope to see you at all the Spring parties!

Spring Bloomers

Spring is here and I'm fast at work trying to get my yard cleaned up and replanted with annuals.  A few things have bloomed in my yard but at this time most of the color is from newly planted annuals.

Red petunias, sweet alyssum and purple cineraria

I have two of  these french wire flower box/baskets on a brick wall outside my kitchen window.   I can enjoy the colors of purple cineraria,  red petunias and sweet alyssum as I wash dishes! 

This flower box is on my patio and  filled with white margueritie daisies, purple wave petunias and a red geranium for a blast of color.   The petunias smell wonderful in the evening as we enjoy sitting on the patio!

A few other bloomers in my garden right now include:

Bridal veil spirea...covered in arching

 branches  full of white flowers.

'Lady in Red' salvia...a favorite of mine and the hummingbirds...blooms are summer long.

Red bud tree just finishing it's spring show.

Japanese Snowball Bush with it's lime green to white large flowers...like an early hydrangea...I love this plant in Spring!

I am so happy my Spanish lavender survived the harsh winter and is almost in full bloom. 

One of my girlfriend's birthday was last week and I arranged a bouquet of  flowers.   Some of her favorite colors are lime green and purple so I only included those colors in the arrangement with a touch of white.

I started with limelight hydrangeas as the base then added some sweet white daises.  For accent the spider mums in lime green are perfect.   Asiatic lilies are so pretty in any arrangement and these had that touch of lime green color.  I added  a stem of Bells of Ireland as well.  Lastly for height, nothing is a

 pretty as blue delphiniums and a few

branches of curly willow!

Hopefully next week I'll have more of my garden to share..right now we are having a fierce windstorm...
that's Oklahoma for ya!

I'm linking with

Tootsie's Flaunt Your Flowers Friday
Laurie's Favorite Things Saturday
Tablescaper's Seasonal Sunday

Hope you have a great weekend out in your garden!