A Violet Tea

It's Spring . . . and in spring the violets bloom -- inside Linderhof as well as outside! A beautiful tea set of Haviland hand-painted with violets and gilded with gold. Each one is a bit different than the others. Initialed and dated by the painter -- 1892!
To go on a violet tea plate, violet cupcakes, of course!!!! But not violet flavored -- no, they're lavender flavored and that's lavender sprinkled on top!
Sometimes it's nice to just be nice to yourself and so an afternoon nosh is taken not in the blue and white everyday Johnson Brothers or the blue and white Wedgwood Asiatic Pheasant but rather in these sweet tea cups.
It's Spring -- it's violet time and who minds washing one very pretty tea cup, saucer, and tea plate? Not I! Nor do I mind laundering one very small tea napkin.

It's Tuesday which means that it seems it's time for tabletops or tea! Join me at:

Tea Cup Tuesday at Martha's Favorites

Tabletop Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Tea Time Tuesday at Lady Katherine's Tea Parlor

Tea for Two at The Plumed Pen

And the violet topped lavender cupcakes? They're the fairy cakes of Nigella Lawson with lavender sugar used instead of regular sugar and the Royal Icing tinted a violet. They're easy to do for they're all made in the food processor and they make 12 perfect cupcakes. The original recipe is here. Just remember to substitute lavender sugar. And if you have some garden lavender buds, they're great sprinkled on top!