Roses, nostalgia, and tea

This weekend I was feeling a bit nostalgic, so I decided to share my very first tea set.  It just so happens to have roses,  which are the flower of the month for June.

 

 

I've always liked tea parties, so my grandmother gave me this set when I was a child so I could have tea parties of my own.

 

 

It is unnamed and made in Japan by Sango China.  It originally belonged to my great-grandmother, and then my aunt took the set with her to college so she could serve her friends tea, and finally it came to me.  I am one plate shy of having a full service for 6, but four was plenty for tea parties with my parents, sister and me (although one day I would like to get one more plate to finish the set). 

 

 

It is obviously well used and loved, with a couple of nicks here and there, but it is definitely special to me even without the gold and fancy of the rest of my bone china--and the roses are beautiful!

 

My grandmother also made me an apron, which I wore for every single tea party, because of course you have to dress up for tea!

 

 

I loved hot pink, so she found this fabric (with rows of roses among the pink stripes), and trimmed it in eyelet, and ruffles with two little pockets in front to hold important things.  She even made it adjustable so it could grow with me--I can still wear it to this day. 

 

As I child, my mom and I always made muffins for my tea parties, so for this party I made muffins with fresh strawberries. 

 

 

And a little visitor joined us for tonight's tea:

 

 





 

 Who wouldn't like to drink afternoon tea

Out in the garden just like me?

With the song of a bird, and the hum of a bee,

And the sunflowers looking all eyes to see.

 

The little girl's stirring her tea so sweet;

Tea in the garden is such a treat,

With a cool breeze blowing and not much heat--

And doesn't the tea tray look

charmingly sweet?

 

Victorian nursery rhyme by Kate Greenaway 

 

 

Here I am pouring my dad (always a good sport) tea.  I was 10 in this picture, and I'm wearing the apron my grandmother gave me.  I always served a Celestial Seasonings berry tea (usually Strawberry Fields, which I'm not sure they still make).  And there are the muffins in a little brown basket! 

 

 

 

Thanks so much for joining me on this little trip down memory lane.  I'm linking to these tea parties this week:

 

Tea Cup Tuesday ~ http://www.marthasfavorites.com/
Tuesday Cuppa Tea~ http://www.antiquesandteacups.info/

Bernideen's Friends Sharing Tea 

Rose Chintz Cottage's Tea Time Tuesday