Carnations have been around for a very long time, even dating back to Ancient Rome. Its scientific name is Dianthus caryphyllus. In Greek, dianthus means “flower of the gods” or “heavenly flower”.  It is believed that its common name (carnation) was derived from the word “coronation”.  Much of this is speculation on my part, and… Read more

The Christmas Cactus (also known as Zygocactus) is one of my most favorite plants.  Native to South American jungles, it has proven to be a low-maintenance beauty right here in Florida.  They are recommended for use in gardens or patios in USDA Zones 9-10.  They do extremely well as a houseplant; however, I enjoy mine… Read more

The Whitehall collection of dishes are great to use every day, and are very durable.  Over the years, especially when doing my photo comparisons and research for Fostoria American, I started to become very fond of the Whitehall pattern.  While they didn’t measure up to the high quality and craftsmanship of Fostoria glass, they certainly… Read more

You will not believe how easy it is to take corn off the cob with only a knife and a cake pan.  Either a Bundt pan or an Angel Food cake pan will do nicely.  Typically, the Angel Food cake pans have a larger opening – so they are perfect for holding larger ears of… Read more

As we all know, magicians can easily pull rabbits out of their hats.  For others, we simply conjure them up from our china cabinet.  The only magic you need to master this sweet little tabletop decoration is an adorable bunny, a ceramic or glass Topper (aka Hat), and some brightly colored grass or paper.  No… Read more

It’s that time of year again when green is in the air – and on the tables!  My St. Patrick’s Day Tablescape was so much fun to prepare!  In the beginning, I had no plan. However, an old and dirty glass basket I happened to stumble upon while treasure hunting changed everything. Once cleaned, it was incredibly… Read more

It was a late Saturday afternoon, and we were treasure hunting. Buried deep in a dark and dirty corner … sat this dusty and somewhat inconsequential basket. It looked sad, and the sight of it broke my heart. It looked like it had been in prison for years, and just wanted to come out into… Read more

The African Iris is a plant that I consider to be very low maintenance.  It produces a beautiful white flower, usually in the Spring. Here in Florida, I usually see them start to bloom around the month of February.  It also is a plant that tolerates the hot conditions of Florida.  If we are experiencing a long and… Read more