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Thursday, April 2, 2009

Coffee for Two in the Afternoon! A Tablescape Thursday Vignette.


Come join my friend Betsy and me for Coffee in the Afternoon!



If it's Thursday, we must be Tablescaping!
Join this popular blog party at Between Naps On the Porch.
Click here for more Tablescaping adventures.



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If we are lucky, we have friends. If we are very lucky, we have good friends. And if we are very, very lucky, we have one or two people whom we count as "best friends."

I am very, very lucky.

Betsy is one of those "best friends." We used to live in the same town, our kids grew up together, our dogs are half-brothers. We have shared countless meals, cups of tea and coffee, and glasses of wine (and one memorable evening with apple martinis, but don't ask!) at each other's homes.


So, I am planning Coffee in the Afternoon with Betsy!

We'll use the parlor, and pull the wing chairs up to an old round tilt-top table, which came from the Brooklyn mansion where my Great-Aunt Margaret lived, and found its way to me via my parents' beach house:




Then, a coffee pot -- it was my Grandma's (of Grandma Cake fame):


(Kindly ignore the schmutz on the coffeepot.
It's from Czechoslovakia, back when that was written as two words.)


Snack plates, sugar and creamer, from Harker Ware,
in their distinctive green "gadroon" Corinthian pattern:


(I bought quite a lot of this pattern on Ebay years ago, attracted by the color and the charming border. It looks almost as though it is stitched on, don't you think?)

Napkins sewed by my Mom in the 60s:



She loved unusual cloth napkins, made or bought dozens and dozens of them.
That's an old Blenheim pattern silverplate coffee spoon. Love that pattern!


A little porcelain tray on a stand decorates our coffee-klatsch table for the afternoon.

Betsy and Phil gave this to us at our House Blessing in March.
It's lovely, has beautiful thoughts, and is Irish -- just like Betsy herself!

Can you read it? It says "May Friends and Family bring light to the cottage, warmth to the hearth, and joy to the soul." I say, Amen.


I add some simple cookies, and an Edwardian silverplate fruit knife to cut a juicy
Granny Smith apple; Betsy's a nurse so I want to keep it healthy:



Coffee -- black for me, with cream for Betsy --


-- and we are ready to settle in for a light snack, and some heavy gossip.


You can't beat best friends, good coffee, and a cookie or three. Unless of course you have the ingredients for apple martinis on hand . . . .

(Note to my other best bud, Mardi -- you will get your turn when you come back to Jersey, you Florida runaway!)

40 comments:

  1. Love your house and love the plates. It does look like stitching.

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  2. GM Cass...girl I love it when you do the table in front of the fireplace...how specail to have a Very,very best friend..oh and I'll take my coffee black..looks wonderful girl...hugs and smiles Gl♥ria

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  3. Oh I do ADORE that little coffee pot!!!!

    Now I have a GREAT idea for you - - - why don't you set up a little table similar to this in your BASEMENT, quite near that lightswitch. Be sure to include some yummy staples (maybe in cans - - - but put a can opener on the table too) and let's see if the ghost, which we don't believe in, will eat his/her fill and scratch a new HAPPIER word into the wall!!!!

    :-)

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  4. Totally charming...Ann

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  5. Oh what a wonderful way to spend time with a dear friend. My grandmother had harker wear as well - don't know whatever happened to it - but I always loved it.

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  6. I love the coffee pot. Very pretty! Have a nice time with your friend:)
    Sincerely, Sandra

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  7. What a great post! Sounds like fun...love the coffee pot! Aren't good friends the best?!

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  8. HI Cass~ ~ ~Thanks for stopping by for a visit.
    I love your old home you have made it into a treasure.~ ~Ahrisha~ ~

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  9. Your home is lovely! I really like the color of the plates...very unusual and very striking!

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  10. Lovely afternoon coffee. Everything looks great. Looks warm and inviting.

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  11. Now what a nice place to have some coffee in the afternoon. Well done!

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  12. I did coffee too this week. We must all need the caffeine. Beautiful pot. Very nice.

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  13. Very cozy place setting,I love the framed friendship quote! :O)

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  14. Ooh! Love your fireplace setting! It looks so cozy - it makes me want to join you for coffee and cookies! But it has to be Dunkin Donuts coffee! *hehe* Thanks for stopping by my blog today Cass!

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  15. Oh, I forgot to add - after I read your post, I walked out into the kitchen and brewed a fresh pot of Double D coffee! Talk about the power of suggestion! *hehe*

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  16. How lovely. What a wonderful way to have some refreshment and to enjoy a good visit. I love your idea and everything is just gorgeous. Hugs, Marty

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  17. hahaha, i am just happy to make the blog! and we all know that i have a little coffee with my sugar! i'll be back when i can go outside in shorts!

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  18. Great idea to be by the fireplace. Love those blue plates.
    Joyce

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  19. oh this is just gorgeous,so glad you stopped by ,so i could come over here and see your beautiful home.
    very lovely and romantic setting by the fireplace.love the blue dishes,everything looks amazing..thanks for the nice comment on my (barscape)...i'll be back..
    silvia..

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  20. what a cozy afternoon coffee time! Wish I could join you :)

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  21. Hi Cass! Oh, what a pretty little table by the fireplace! I love your pretty dishes and of course your food! ;) Now I don't drink coffee but I'd love to sit with you and drink a cup of tea!
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  22. Hey Cass,
    Looks so charming next to your fireplace. I love those napkins your mom made and the blue plates are pretty! Neat coffee pot too. Cindy

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  23. My daughters love your table setting and snack plates! I do have to agree with them!

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  24. Those blue dishes are just envy-worthy, lol! Lovely tablescape for an afternoon sitdown.
    I love seeing you comment on my blog, Cass! I have something for you in mine...

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  25. Looks good..loved the narrative!
    And an afternoon with a good friend, what could be better!
    Love the Celtic plate, of course!
    Kathleen

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  26. I love your china! The snack plates are so cute and useful. I also like your saying!

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  27. God bless best friends!!! Love your Harkerware snack set and your coffee tablescape. :)Nancy

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  28. It's all so lovely!

    Your home is so beautiful and charming. :)

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  29. Those plates are so pretty. I've never seen anything similar to them. This looks like such a cozy place for an afternoon chat over coffee. laurie

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  30. Cass, Love your pretty table. Great little napkins, so fun and feminine. Thanks for sharing! ~Katy

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  31. Hello Cass...

    Just wanted to stop by to say thank you for coming by for a visit and taking a peek at my Dollar Store tablescape...and for your sweet comments!

    Ohhh my...what a beautiful home you have! And what a beautiful table you set for an afternoon coffee with your dear friend! I just love those pretty green/teal dishes...and you're right, the white border is lovely!!! Such a lovely table...bet you girls had a great afternoon!

    Warmest wishes,
    Chari

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  32. I love how you have set up near the fireplace, it's so charming.
    What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.

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  33. Lovely - much, much nicer than a mug at the kitchen island!

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  34. Looks FAB... pour me a cup of coffee!

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  35. Hi Cass :)

    It sounds like a wonderful time to me! Apple martinis don't sound too bad either right now ;)

    Beautiful table setting!
    rue

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  36. Oh Cass, I always love visiting that old house! It is just so charming to have coffee in front of the fireplace. (Even though I don't drink coffee, and have got some killer hot flashes going on these days) ;)
    xoxo,
    Mary

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  37. I love how you set this up. So nice & cozy. Perfect for visiting with a friend. I really like that Irish tray. Thanks for stopping by my blog & leaving me a comment. It really means a lot to me.

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  38. I love everything about your house...really I do! Even your kitchen..: )
    This arrangement, the tablescape, the perfect chairs...it is all so wonderful.

    Love,
    Sue

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  39. Love that dinnerware. It is so different and beautiful. I'd come visit for either coffee or appletinis! :D Jewel

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  40. Love the coffee pot and the dishes are divine! Love the table, love the story of great friends!

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