Downton Abbey White Wedding Bunting

Downton Abbey has many of us at the edge of our seats in the US. Unfortunately we're already halfway through the last season. What will we do without the elegant clothes and drama? Well, sip a cup of tea and leaf through the official companion to all six seasons. I've been so good, only went through the first few pages when I saw a photo of Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes wedding. Oh, no, I don't want to know what happens before it airs on TV! See that diagonal band in the lower right corner? It says "Includes Season 6 Spoilers." I will not look.

So my book sits waiting on my Jones parlor cabinet treadle sewing machine until the season ends.

I nicknamed the machine Downton Abbey because it reminded me of the castle. The cabinet finish was in such bad shape I painted the exterior.

Downton Abbey's third season premier in 2013 featured the wedding of Matthew and Lady Mary. The 1920 era town was decorated with white flag bunting and that inspired me to stitch some on my Jones English treadle sewing machines of the same era. Within a day I listed white cotton bunting in my Treadle Lady shop and sold many during the wedding season.

When Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes were married the hall was decorated with white bunting. In celebration I made one for my castle shed. It adds a little to the shed since the tree behind is bare in January.

When the front cabinet doors are open you can see the English manufactured Jones sewing machine. When the top is lifted up and over to the left the machine comes up.

The decal emblem says "As Supplied to Her Majesty Queen Alexandra." The Jones Sewing Machine Company put that on the decal after Queen Alexandra used the model when she was in school as Princess of Wales. This lovely machine is a dream to use to make all my Downton Abbey inspired white bunting.

White bunting are listed on my Etsy shop here.

Visit from Amy

Amy was my first guest for a quick spot of tea in front of the garden castle shed. Jan and I met Amy when we signed up for a recent eBay class at adult school. She manages the senior center at Manchester Center and adult school registrations.

We noticed photos of various chickens on the bulletin board so I asked and Amy said they were hers. We had such fun chatting about the chickens she raises. I never knew they could be pets.

In our chat I also found out Amy loves having tea and has a teapot collection.

I invited Amy to stop by one afternoon on her way home for a cuppa and a sweet treat. When Amy took a bite of the cake I made she recognized it and asked if it was a sherry cake. She grew up having it and told me how her mother decorated the cake. Then we discovered how much we both love Van Gogh! She spent two days in Amsterdam during her college years and spent both days at the Van Gogh museum.

Amy brought me gifts! After she left Jan took a photo of me holding the teapot and 6 fresh eggs from her adorable chickens. The teapot is made in Portugal, very nice! Just before she arrived I quickly wrote a note in chalk.

My sons grew up having the sherry cake and now my grandsons love it so here is my recipe that a friend gave me about 1978.

Many cake mixes now have pudding in the mix and it works both ways, just the cake mix with pudding or adding a 3 oz. box of instant vanilla pudding. The recipe says use an angel cake pan, I've always used a bundt pan and spaying with Pam Baking now bakes with an even color.

The cake is good plain or goes well many ways, with ice cream, a drizzle of chocolate syrup or topped with cherries. A can of cherry pie filling, slightly warmed, is easy but Trader Joe's dark morello cherries makes a good topping. They are not sweet or thickened so you have to do both.

Drain the liquid from a jar of Trader Joe's dark morello cherries into a sauce pan. Add half a cup of powdered sugar and a tablespoon of cornstarch. Whisk till dissolved, then heat and keep stirring till thick. Add in the cherries, remove from heat, mix in just a couple of drops of almond extract, not much.

Serve cherries over wine cake, have a cup of tea and enjoy.

Davree's Cottage Christmas Scene and Tea with Douggles the Gorilla

The scene is out now till December 31 for visits from 6 to 9 p.m. Here are several photos, more to come.

Great Uncle Douggles' eyes are sparkling, he was so happy to be invited to tea by Davree. She's happy with her new Christmas dress made of ribbon from Costco. What is she serving? Yum yum, those animal cookies are so good.

The teapot and warming stand was purchased when we lived in Holland. I believe it is actually a little pot for hot water to be kept warm with a candle and to add to strong tea to weaken it. Davree has safe LED candles.

Above, between Douggles and Davree, you see a small print of The Tuck Box, original painted by my hubby. The Tuck Box is on Dolores street in Carmel, California and has been a tea shop for many years. Prints, 8x10 inches, are available, see Shop Paris Cabinet link.


The fireplace is flickering and doggies are warming their little rears and Davree's reindeer pet is happy to be indoors. The print above the fireplace is a make believe snow scene of the Fresno water tower that Jan painted a few years ago as a Christmas card for us. Prints are available, see shop link.

The fireplace is painted brick and the hearth is also painted. It is a replica of the fireplace in my hubby's childhood home in Holland, photo below.

Go to "Visit Davree's Cottage" page for details of where and when to visit during the Christmas season in Fresno, California.