A Holly Hobbie Fashion from the mid '70's there was really no need to purchase this pattern. except that the little girls are all holding teacups or teapots. 
Sipping tea, sharing secrets, developing friendships, strengthening sisterly bonds, all over a cup of tea. I had to have it. Now, what do I do with it?
is a large
They seem to enjoy the freedom of running around the Mayan ruins.
Perhaps it's the camoflauge provided by the ruins. Some, larger than life. 
Can you find the truly ancient one?
The tea towel features 'Stock Tea and Breakfast services. Any piece sold separately.' Many of the teacups are marked with just a stock number, but others feature names such as Limoges China, Dresden Decoration, or Coalport China.
It is marked on the bottom Royal Tara, Fine Bone China, Made in Ireland. The delicate strings of three leaf clovers swirl around the saucer and up and down the ruffled tea cup.
Celebrating St. Patrick's Day, the mint frosted brownies complement the tea cup with three leaf clovers using the same mint frosting that is underneath the chocolate icing.
are colorful flowering plants for cool, bright indoor locations. They can be planted outside after danger of frost and would prefer shaded, moist areas. In the heat of the summer ours often go dormant. A favorite plant of the fairies, primrose is said to attract fairies to the garden. This flower is also thought to have the power to render one invisible to the fae. A cousin to the Cowslip plant referred to in the Bard's writings especially in Mid Summers Nights Dream where it is known as the "Fairies Cup". Giving you a sense of the size of Oberon, the King of Fairies and Titiana, his queen.
It is made with soil stuffed into a ball of natural grapevine and then the plant material is poked into the soil. It reminded us of our living wreath workshop, directions to make a living wreath can be found on this post on our blog.
at the Stauffers of Kissel Hill Booth at the Pennsylvania Garden Expo. The grower gave this Phalenopsis Orchid a "special process" where the current blooms are a blue turning to a vivid electric blue as they mature. Rebloom next year will be white. Not my personal favorite but I watched as many of them sold. Blue is a tough color to find in flowers... 
The room is kept chilly for the health of the plants. It is great fun to come back the day of the show and see the magic of how the designs developed. (After). 
and after.
All the fresh flowers and blooms present a welcome relief to the long cold winter. It's confirmation that spring is on its way.
was recently named a "New World Wonder" and is the best-known of the ancient monuments in the Yucatan. Impressive stone temples, pyramids, and several ball courts comprise this ancient city. El Castillo, the Pyramid of Kukulkan, was built with the Maya calendar in mind.
Below, the Temple of the Skulls coupled with the stories of human sacrifice drew quiet attention from the youngest four in our group.
And heading north and only a short drive from Chichen Itza are the ruins of Ek Balam. 
Only recently excavated (1997), these ruins have not captured the attention of the hoards of tourists, but they will in the future. We were practically the only ones roaming around, and were actually able to climb all over the ruins, including hiking the steps to the top of the pyramid. From the top, you can see overgrown hills to the north that hide yet untouched ruins. There is a sense of mystery surrounding all these ancient ruins and the life and times of the Maya. It was exciting to walk through history and imagine civilization as it once was.
adorns this English Bone China tea cup and saucer. Marked Aynsley on the bottom, complete with a crown, it is a colorful cup.