Set a flower-filled alfresco table to celebrate Mother’s Day. You’ll find DIY pressed flower frames to honor ‘Mom’ and additional floral inspiration.
Happy May!
It’s the first Monday of the month which means I’m
joining my blogging friends for some flower therapy
and Monday Morning Blooms.
You can find my friends links and more floral inspiration at the bottom of this post.
In honor of ‘Moms’, we’re celebrating Mother’s Day, which falls on May 8th year,
for this week’s edition of Monday Morning Blooms.
I set a flower-filled table by the lake in celebration of Mother’s Day,
to take advantage of our beautiful spring weather!
This post contains affiliate links. For more information see my disclosure policy.
Portmeirion Botanic Garden is my everyday dinnerware and
I’ve been picking blooms for over 20 years. . .
Inspired by early 19th century illustrations, the delightful mixture of floral motifs
with its signature leaf border, brings a bit of garden to the table.
Introduced in 1972, this year marks the 50th anniversary of Portmeirion Botanic Garden,
designed by Susan Williams-Ellis, celebrated British pottery designer
and accomplished artist and author.
In addition to beautiful botanical designs, I love
the butterflies and bees on the dinnerware, which is as functional
as it is decorative. . .
oven-to-table, dishwasher, microwave and freezer safe!
With so many flowers on the dinnerware, tablecloth and stemware,
I decided on a simple green and white color palette for an arrangement
and centerpiece for the table, with Snowball Viburnum blooms
joining Hosta leaves from the garden.
To create the arrangement, I used a favorite vase-within-a vase method,
placing a smaller vase inside a larger one.
I placed the Hosta leaves between the walls of the glass vases to conceal the flower stems.
Chicken wire is my favorite flower arranging tool as it is reusable and
makes for easy arranging to support your flower stems.
Cut your chicken wire at least 4 inches larger than diameter of your vase
so you have enough wire to bend to hold against the
walls of your vase to help keep it in place.
I filled the vase with water and floral preservative
and added the Snowball Viburnum blooms for simple arrangement
from the garden. I also filled the outer wall of the vase with water
so the Hosta leaves would stay fresh longer.
The azaleas have been beautiful and are peaking in color.
Have a seat by your favorite flower . . .
Hydrangea
Peony
Sweet Pea
Lily Flowered Azalea
More butterflies flew in to light on flatware and napkin rings. . .
And on Portmeirion Botanic Wine Glasses.
I found some hinged glass photo frames at HomeGoods,
with a sliding locket / beaded clasp closure.
There are some similar ones available on Amazon, HERE.
I had fun picking flowers from my garden containers and shrubs,
choosing those that were relatively flat to press inside the frames.
I used Verbena, Bridal Wreath Spirea, Snowball Viburnum petals,
Fan Flower (scaevola) and leaves from an abelia shrub.
I used glue dots to secure the photos to the inner glass pane of the frame
before adding the flowers.
The flowers will dry inside the frames or you could press
and dry your flowers first before adding them.
Meet the guests of honor at the table. . .
Mom, Mary Frances
Grandmother, Lottie
Great-grandmother, Bessie
Mother-in-Law, Betty
The above photo is of Betty with my hubby at age two and sisters.
If you can’t spend this Mother’s Day with your mom, may
she be with with you in your in heart and memories.♥
Visit my talented blogging friends to see their floral inspiration this week:
Lidy at FrenchGardenHouse
Shirley at Housepitality Designs
Pam at Everyday Living
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Thank you for your visit, sharing with:
Good morning, Mary. Dining lakeside with your blooming table is pure bliss. As you know, I also have Botanic Garden and I have always loved the pattern. Your arrangement of snowball viburnum blooms and hosta leaves is perfect with blooming plates, wine glasses, and tablecloth. The pressed flower picture frames are the perfect accompaniment for a Mother’s Day table. The photos of your mom, grandmother, great-grandmother and mother-in-law are so lovely. Thank you for the flower therapy and inspiration. It is always a treat to share Monday Morning Blooms with you!
I love this table, Mary! I am a fan of anything botanical. Your stemware is gorgeous!
Lovely table and the pictures and frames such a great way to honor the women in your life.
Some of my early single peonies have started to bloom and of course the weather forecast is for late day thunder storms. Will have to be sure to pick a few peonies before they are a casualty of “peony rain”.
Have a beautiful relaxing Mother’s Day.
So touching, meaningful AND BEAUTIFUL…luv!! I plan to wear one of my mother’s ensembles…easily 30 years old. franki
Your table is magical Mary, the white cloth and white blooms are so stunning I almost gasped! Your beautiful Portmierion plates certainly don’t look like you use them everyday! The glasses and beautiful too…the real show stealer are the frames holding dried flowers and photos of your mom, grandmother, great grandmother, and mother in law, so pretty and so special! Any Mom or anyone would feel honored dining lakeside at your beautiful table!
Jenna
Beautiful!! Is the little girl you? We must have ALL worn our hair the same way. For a sec I thought – Wait, someone’s been in my old pics LOL. Thanks for sharing
Thank you Frances! No that’s a photo of my mom, Mary Frances. :)
BEAUTIFUL table!!!! And yes, mom is with me always but still miss her!! That never goes away! I too love the botanical and when buying new china, it was a toss up between this pattern and the Butterfly Meadow from Lenox!! Both make for an elegant table! Have a wonderful Mother’s Day!! 🌺🌹🌻🌸🌼🪷🌷💐
What a most wonderful tribute to the great moms of your family. Love each place setting with their photos in the fabulous frame. I love that you can add something in addition to a photo..pressing flowers was such a great idea! Another item to be on the lookout for at HomeGoods!…I have started a collection of the Botanic Garden…making a bee-line to the dinnerware section of HomeGoods searching for the Botanic Garden made in England. I did not realize that they have been around for 50 years! A table set by the lake is always a breathtaking sight. Your azaleas are spectacular…I miss the ones I had in Florida (no deer to worry about)….I wish you a most wonderful month of May…enjoying your beautiful gardens. My favorite Mondays are the ones I share with my flower passionate flower friends!….Have a wonderful day Mary!
Oh, gosh, I love the sentiments as much as the tablescape and florals, Mary! The dinnerware makes me wish I had all those specimens in my garden. #gardengoals Love the stemware too. Your use of hosta leaves always looks so upscale and classy. Your azaleas are fantastic! The photos with flowers in the frames are so sweet. The women in your life – such pillars of character, as evidenced by you! Remember how wedding flowers dried in a frame with the invitation were the thing? I still have one from the 70s somewhere to eventually give to a daughter or granddaughter…..and I have a great-great 1 yo niece who was named Charlotte, and they call her Lottie. I love the name. Happy Monday Morning Blooms!
Mary, your post is enthralling! I love your flower frames and lovely pictures of moms in your family. That is the sweetest tribute! Your tablecloth is gorgeous and the setting is so beautiful with blooming azaleas! I have four different Botanic garden plates and now I am wanting the peony plate. I like your milkglass chargers with beaded rims, butterfly napkin rings, floral glassware, and all white viburnum centerpiece.It is all so lovely.
Mary, I absolutely love you your table setting. Everything goes together beautifully, The idea of showing a tribute to the moms in your family is so special. Your tablecloth is gorgeous. Thank you for sharing this.
Mary, what a delightful and beautiful table! Oh how I admire you your lakeside garden and home, especially in this spring season, it is just magical, isn’t it? The table covered with flowers of every kind is spectacular, and the framed Moms in your family makes it so sweet. In thought and spirit all these women you love and who loved you are there. I wish you a lovely Mother’s Day Mary. xo Lidy
Your table for Mother’s Day is so beautiful and touching. Have loved Portmeirion every since I first saw it over 30 years ago. Thank you for sharing and have a wonderful Mother’s Day.
Mary, your tablescape is gorgeous! Love the cute photo frames as well. Your table could be in a magazine selling Portmeirion accessories. It’s a lovely compilation. Love the glasses! Happy Monday! Clara❤️
Beautiful flowers, table settings and Mommas. I love the dishes, your table settings and can just close my eyes and imagine sitting by the lake. You are so creative! Peace.
Oh, Mary, I love this idea of the photos. My Mom and all the Grandmothers are long past. I love this idea to honor them. Thank you.
Lake side dining must be such a pleasure! I love your Portmeirion dish wear, it would be great to have your meals on these beauties! Beautifully appointed table-awesome Monday Morning Blooms post, always love your creativity Mary! The photo frames with the flowers tucked in are awesome with all the beautiful women in your life. Thanks for sharing!
You had loads of fun, from gathering, to crafting, to decorating, a perfectly marvelous day for you by your gorgeous lake side setting! I’m shocked you have snowballs, correction, JEALOUS! Another picture perfect day in your garden 😊
I loved this post, Mary, and I’d choose the hydrangea plate at your pretty outdoor table. The tablecloth is so perfect for showcasing your everyday dishes. The pictures inside the hinged frames are so dear and lovely. I would love to try this project. What a great way to honor our loved ones. Thank you, as always. 🥰
Mary, I’ll sit at the Sweet Pea setting. Sitting in your garden with its lakeside view is so enchanting. What a delight! I love the idea of the family photos on the table. What a lovely way to honor the women in your life. Hugs sent your way.
You had a blog a few years ago featuring this dishware that inspired me to buy a set. I have never been sorry. This dishware is so sturdy and very beautiful at same time. In that same blog you also highlighted a tablecloth and napkins that were sold at Kohl’s. I bought that right away. I still use it often. I love your style!
The beautiful table setting and the framed photos of your family and your husband’s mom are priceless. Such a lovely tribute to Mothers Day. I miss my mom everyday.
Mary this has to be one of the best! Love a table by the water always and your setting is beautiful! But what absolutely stole my heart is your tribute to the women in your family. Absoultely precious! Brought tears to my eyes. Missing my mom very much. I have a feeling you must look like your mom, having her first name. I have my mom’s middle name. We are blessed!
Hi Mary,
I just lost my mom last week so I have been so reluctant to peruse all the beautiful blogs and table settings to celebrate Mother’s Day this year, but your wonderful tribute to mothers with the lovely idea of the floral edged photos has cheered me so much. It is such an uplifting table, with the focus on the women who have shaped us and our loved ones! I can imagine sitting here with the lake breezes and birds chirping, talking and laughing and enjoying everyone together again. Thank you so much!
Linda
Oh I’m so sorry to hear that Linda. I hope you are well despite the fact that you’re heartbroken. I’m fortunate that my mom is still with us but my MIL passed away in 2016 and we miss her everyday. Thinking of you! ♥
Thank you Mary. I forgot to mention that my mom’s name is Frances Mary! So you can see that this table had so many ways to make me smile!
You’ve done it again….Beautiful flowers and tablescape and this time the icing on the cake are those beautiful flower filled photo frames of your mothers. What a wonderful idea! Happy Mothers Day Mary….not sure if you have children but you are a Mom to those darling little puppies so I hope you have a very nice Mothers Day!
Hi, Mary! The tablescape is perfect (Portmeirion and Pinheiro…lovely combination!), and the floral tutorial is very much appreciated…especially by those of us who aren’t as well-versed and practiced in the art as you are! Snowball viburnum are so beautiful and full and lush…I love them!!! And the frames!!!!!!!! What a GREAT idea! I think I should like to make some of these for our gallery walls to bring them a bit more alive!
Happy Mother’s Day!