This china pattern reminded me of a song my daughter Stephanie sang when she just a little mite:
 
“Spring, spring, spring is in the air
I can feel it everywhere
And the pussywillows bloom
And the pussywillows bloom
And the pussywillows bloom in spring.”
 
 
Though at the time, she had a slight lisp (or perhaps a New Jersey accent), and it sounded more like “spring is in de ayah.”
 
 
Pussywillows are a very welcome harbinger of spring. Who can resist the plump little pillows of soft fur? 
 
 
Didn’t we all carefully rub them against our cheeks and chin as children, marveling in their softness?
 
 
I found Spring Willow, by Kent when cruising around Replacement’s site one day, searching for spring patterns. While the pale pink tones are something of a fanciful leap, the simple lines with their familiar buds make for a heartwarming table.
 
 
I paired Spring Willow with the improbably named Ikea Formidabel plate. What is formidable about a pale pink hexagonal plate, I ask you? 
 
 
The almost mauve undertone of Formidabel suited Spring Willow nicely. 
 
 
 
The next trick was how to accessorize the table. The green tone in Spring Willow is very soft, so I continued that theme with the checked tablecloth and sage green napkins.
 
 
The napkins were from Pottery Barn years ago. The linen is lovely, but it’s a devil to iron, and the colour is fading unevenly. I’ve kind of accepted that it’s going to look “rustic.” 
 
 
Small white open salts were another fairly neutral addition.
 
 
The glasses are of unknown origin; they weren’t expensive; I bought them more than a decade ago.
 
 
The water glasses have a fun stripe of pink while the champagnes are solid. They were the right shade and casual heft to coordinate with the rest of the table. 
 
 
At that point, I thought we’d had enough of pale pastels. To extend the muted shade to the flowers risked making the whole table bland and forgettable. So I went with more vibrant tones for the tulips. 
 
 
The doubles have a beautiful green tone at the base of the petals, while the singles have white. Together, they’ve got a visual punch. 
 
 
“Spring, spring, spring is in de ayah.”
 
“I can feel it everywhere.”
 
 
I have finished the cleaning and sorting portion of the kitchen overhaul. Every cupboard and drawer has been emptied and scrubbed, the contents sorted and purged. I’ve reorganized things by function – all baking and decorating items in one area, the food processor is with the mandoline and the box grater in one pull out drawer, etc. I did some rough estimates on container sizes, and numbers then ordered them from Amazon.
 
I got these in two sizes: 10 x 6 x 3  and 10 x 4 x 3. 
These came in several options: this 13 piece set with five different sizes and two other packs of six, one of all one size and one of two sizes. They’re a little shallower than the ones above, and a bit narrower overall. The best part is they have clear plastic non-slip feet, so they stay put and don’t slide around in the drawers. They provided replacement feet, so I used some of them for the above trays. Fabulous.
 
 
That got me most of the way there. I’ve still got larger items that need containers or racks (round blades for the food processor, the hand blender, and the grippy thing for the mandoline). The containers I sourced from Ikea. Delivery date: mid-June. Ok – that stuff can go into the drawer or cabinet where it belongs and try to behave itself while we wait. The racks I got from Amazon. They should arrive around mid-May.
 
I will do a full post on the kitchen re-org once everything is finished. 
 
Meanwhile, let’s enjoy the tulips and pussywillows.
 
 
 
I’m sharing this post with Between Naps on the Porch.
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