Royal Wedding: Celebrating Harry, Meghan & Windsor Castle

How could I be so lucky? I am in a new neighborhood and some ladies on another street put together a Royal Wedding viewing party. It was festive, fabulous and I met some terrific women. When Prince William & Kate married in 2011, I had my family over for a party at 4 am. Remember my Royal Brunch?

The invite to this party suggested wedding attire and a facinator of your choice. I accepted the challenge and made mine out of a sheet music, burlap roses and leaves (Hobby Lobby), pleated brown silk ribbon and a Steampunk-esque metal/crystal brooch attached to a headband with duct tape and luck. 

The group went all out for this British buffet, including authentic sausage rolls from a shop called The British Pantry in Redmond, WA. How have I not heard of this place before? I was told that it is a pub and a gift shop. I'm hoping that they sell mugs to commemorate the marriage. Stay tuned.

I brought a jar of homemade lemon curd and a plate of mini scones and brown sugar shortbread. They were a welcome addition to the party.

Brown Sugar Shortbread

1 1/4 c. all purpose flour

3 T. brown sugar

1/2 c. butter

3/4 t. vanilla

Combine flour all ingredients in a food processor (fit with a blade) and pulse until mixture resembles fine crumbs and starts to cling to itself. On a clean surface, form the mixture into a ball and knead until smooth. Roll onto a lightly floured surface (I love this baking mat) into a 8 x 6 inch rectangle. Cut dough into strips and place on ungreased cookie sheet (using parchment paper on your cookie sheet is okay). Bake at 325 degrees  for 20 min or until just beginning to brown. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Enjoy alone or with lemon curd. 

Did you know that I've been to Windsor Castle? We went specifically to see Queen Mary's dollhouse. Cameras were not allowed inside, but my memory of that visit is vivid. Grand canopied beds, intricate wallpaper, tiny exquisite paintings - all created by craftspeople in the 1920's. The link includes a video of the dollhouse; I highly recommend viewing it.

One of the neatest things I photographed outside of Windsor Castle was this wall that shows how men were able to shoot arrows out of the fortress to protect the monarchy. Simple and ingenious. 

This Royal Wedding was everything I could hoped it would be. I found some kindred spirits, had a chance to eat some favorite British fare and I witness every moment of this grand occasion. Best Wishes to the happy couple.





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Christening Cup: Little George Turns Two

Prince George turns 2 today! His sweet face makes standing in the grocery checkout line more bearable - you can see official pictures of him here. In honor of his royal birthday, I've arranged some flowers in his christening cup.  

The blue of the flower (why can't I think of it's name?) is closer to that of the cup in real life and paired with apricot roses, I've got quite a sweet little bouquet. 

Would you like some commemorative royal china? You can purchase some beautiful pieces here.

Gorgeous George: Souvenirs for a Lucky American...Me!

I am so thankful that I live in a time when I can make friends around the world via the internet.  Through my blog, email and my Moments of Delight Facebook page I can communicate with people in "real time" and I think it is fantastic.

 

One of the friends I have made online is Renate.  She lives in England and when I was writing about collecting Princess Diana articles as a girl, it occurred to her that I might like a souvenir from the Royal Wedding.  Isn't that thoughtful?  I wrote about when she found for me here.

 

Anyhoo, Renate is now my unofficial link to the Royal Family and she knew that she was "on call" when Prince William and Kate were expecting their first child in July.  She explored the shops and possibilities and found me the perfect souvenir for my Royal china collection.  She found me a beautiful mug with the baby's name (Prince George Alexander Louis) and his date of birth (22nd July 2013) in a distinguished style with markings in blue and gold.  I love it. 

 

Then just a few weeks ago, a padded envelope from England arrived!  Prince George had been christened and Renate had saved me the special sections from newpaper.  What a friend!  I had only seen a handful of photos here in America, but this circular was full of full page, full color images of the happy parents and everyone who attended the service.  Formal portraits; casual photos.  Priceless.  Thank you, Renate, for looking out for me and my Royal collection. You are the best!  

Queen Elizabeth 60th Anniversary of Coronation

Long live the Queen! My collection of china pieces that commemorate life events of the royal family just got bigger.  You probably remember from earlier blog posts that I started this Princess Diana collection when Diana and Charles were engaged.  I was eleven years old.  

Then my cousin in Germany bought me this mug when William and Kate got married - yea!  My friend, Renate, in England has promised to get me a plate or mug when William and Kate have their baby next month.  I can't believe that I have a plate commemorating William's birth and now he's having a child of his own.  And I haven't aged a bit!

This year, the Queen has had a huge milestone of her own.  The Diamond Jubilee mug (shown above) honors Queen Elizabeth's sixty year reign.  My niece was studying abroad in London 2012 during the Diamond Jubilee Celebration (I was so jealous!) and she was able to bring this mug back safely to me.  The perfect gift for me, don't you think?

Now this is where the story gets interesting.  This week is the 60th anniversary of the Queen's coronation.  A special service to honor this milestone was held at Westminster Abbey - click this link to watch a clip of the service.  

When I was at my church's rummage sale last month, I found this cup and saucer (above) for sale...an original souvenir from Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953!  A sixty year old treasure that happened to be donated to the church sale a month before the 60th anniversary of the Queen's coronation.   

The inscription on the saucer reads: 

"Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II  June 2, 1953." 

Can you believe that I found it?  I can't. I love that both pieces have a portrait of the Queen - one showing the beginning of her reign and one now, after 60 years of dedicated service.  Fascinating.  If you want to get a souvenir for your china cabinet, you can order  a little something from the Royal Collection shop.