my mama's table: for the table

Showing posts with label for the table. Show all posts

beach dunes and ocean blues

A few years back, I had created a set of beach-inspired vases for an installation in Wellfleet, Cape Cod at my friend Susie’s gallery. The last of these beauties is now heading off to a summer cottage along with a set of ”beach dunes“ cups inscribed with peace, happiness, love, and beauty. Plus a tiny glass bird, hand-blown by my friends at Henrietta Glass, a small woman-owned studio in Pawtucket, RI. Putting together gift sets like these is just so satisfying.

summer garden

This year the garden exploded with flowers and veggies. I’ve been composting since I moved into the house, and diligently mixing the compost into the soil every spring. This simple work pays off double: no food-waste goes into plastic garbage bags, and the plants as well as birds and insects love it, and thrive.

my favorite things to grow are nasturtium, calendula, verbena, zucchini, cucumber, and not shown are tomatoes (just starting to ripen) and dill

yarrow makes such a gorgeous bouquet and attracts beneficial insects

gem marigolds are a new addition, the flowers are tasty, look great on the table, the leaves have a lemony scent, plus the plant nurtures the soil

the zucchini have been non-stop this year. I’m making lots of zucchini bread : I use olive oil, and for sugar mix 1-cup brown, 1-cup white. super moist and super tasty, sometimes I throw in a banana into the batter, or add blueberries.

these are butternut squash blossoms. planted three seeds, and now they are crawling all over the garden. some flowers I guess are male with no fruit, but the females are making lots of squash babies. good thing I love butternut squash soup

show-off king hibiscus flowers are as big as Berrie’s head in the front garden. the tiny white flowers are gaura, a drought tolerant perennial, which flutter like butterflies from June till September.

zucchini blossoms are yummy sautéed in butter, and scrambled with eggs. garnished with freshly picked dill, they are unbelievably tasty and simple

somehow I stumbled upon this book, and now am engrossed in finding out about perennial food gardens. annuals are tasty, and a bit tough on my back. so a mix of the two is a good idea moving forward. there is also a Paradise Lot blog. yay.

Happy summer and gardening!

what’s new at gleena

surrounded by snow and ice this year in New England, I have been experimenting with more sombre, grayer hues, mixing in ivories, striving for crisp coziness.

i love this place setting put together by a client: ivory 10" plate, deep grey 7.5" plate, dotted urchin bowl, and deep grey roly poly side bowl.

deep grey roly poly bowl and 7.5" side plate shown from above

a double-dipped tumbler, celadon mixed with deep grey

a cozy serving set: shallow beachstone bowl stacked with ocean jewelry dish and lilac roundie bowls

shallow beachstone, jewelry and roundie bowls set from the side

a mound of ivory, snowy bowls for a client in Canada

new roly poly soup bowl in an assortment of greys

condiment bowls in greys

condiment bowls lit up with tea lights, softly glowing

it’s been an eventful winter, stay warm and safe.

sea urchin wees available on gleena.com

Each porcelain dot is hand applied, creating a sea urchin effect. The texture adds a level of insulation from a hot beverage, and gives a nice massage as you hold the cup. Click here for more details.

thank you food & wine!

for salad course: 10" dinner plate in blue/ivory ocean wave

for main course: 11.5" serving platter in beachstone

for dessert: 7.5" plate in ivory (pictured next to a blue bowl by Jan Burtz)

all in the June 2013 issue, on the newsstands today.

lovely registry for Christine and Peter

I love how Christine chose mostly ivory for her set of dishes, accenting with mustard, pink, green, and orange on a few pieces. So elegant, and fun.

baby shower brunch wee teas

The brunch at Cook&Brown was yummy, and everyone got to take a wee tea home!

gleena on 100 Layer Cake, photography by Tory Williams

on the right: boat vase

roomy tea bowl

on the left: anemone place setting. on the right: numbered goblet

on the left: boat vase, numbered goblet, ivy leaf place setting, small organic bowl, votive. on the right: petal bowls set

Please click here to view the complete story.

photography by Tory Williams, flowers by Rachel Mercier

ocean waves, a custom table setting
created for a couple who love to surf

happy thanksgiving

A gorgeously autumnal shot by Tory Williams, featuring gleena’s boat vase.

garden tea party with purl bee's napkins

This pretty post on The Purl Bee was recently forwarded to me by a friend. Sarah had spotted a gleena numbered dessert bowl in the shots (thank you!). I love the napkins idea, and the gorgeous tea by Bellocq. I need to make it over to NYC to visit their tea atelier in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.