An elegant English tablescape inspired by Wimbledon

~Lavish Strawberries and Cream- A Really Special Wimbledon Theme~

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This past week in England marked the start of a very special tennis tournament in London. 

Some of you may have heard of it. 

Wimbledon? 

Yes, I think most of you will- at very least- have heard of this prestigious sporting event.

As a nod to this long-standing occasion, the children and I are making strawberries and cream cakes. 

We will also be sharing our Wimbledon-inspired tablescape -which includes a homeschool activity of making place cards and paper bunting flags. 

Naturally, I could not write a post about Wimbledon without sharing some of our favorite vintage, thrifted items. Items that just so happen to share the same color scheme as the traditional Wimbledon colors–purple and green.

Let’s dive in, shall we?!

Handwritten recipe for strawberries and cream cake

~Marriage Teaches Many Things~

Disclaimer: I am not a keen sports fan, but the same cannot be said of my English husband, who enjoys watching most forms of any sport.

I never knew that being married would teach me so much about Formula One racing, European football, cricket, or tennis.

This newfound knowledge- is of course- a direct result of being married to my English husband. 

In fact, the only real connection I have to tennis, is that I once took a summer tennis camp.

Unfortunately, I have never had the opportunity to go to Wimbledon, although I have been to London.

I do, however, have a dear friend- who came to visit me when I was living in England- and she did visit Wimbledon. She went out of season and enjoyed a lovely tour of the grounds.

~Wimbledon Color Scheme-Our Theme~

The traditional colors of Wimbledon are green and purple.

It is my understanding, that the color green is symbolic of the immaculate green grass tennis courts.

The color purple symbolizes royalty, wealth, and prestige. 

As time has passed, white is often added to the color scheme- as white is the color of the tennis garments worn. 

While I am certainly not a tennis player or a tennis connoisseur- I do like to plan for parties, I also like to keep English traditions alive in our home-namely, for the sake of my husband and our four children.

I am going to use the traditional Wimbledon colors, along with a few others, to present- my rendition- of a Wimbledon themed tablescape.

I shall call it my sweet strawberry, elegant emerald, royal plum, lovely lemon, and crisp white- tennis delight.

Vintage candles and a lace runner-creating a Wimbledon inspired tablescape

~Wimbledon, Homeschool Activities~

Paper to make bunting flag decorations out of.
*The children and I went to Hobby Lobby to buy scrapbook paper that featured the colors purple, green, yellow (for the tennis balls), and white. This paper served as the material we made our bunting flags with. (Normally, I would make my bunting flags out of fabric, but I wanted this to be an easy project that the children could help me with.) We then simply glued each flag to the ribbon- in the design we wanted. This idea, while simple, could be used for a variety of table decorations.
Scrapbook paper, vintage lace, and dried flowers.
*Our beautiful bunting supplies-alongside our previously dried flowers.
*I used a proper fabric bunting flag to trace the pattern for our paper bunting.
Cutting out triangles for the paper bunting.
*As I cut out the pattern twice, a third triangle remained in the center. This gave me three bunting flags from the same piece of scrapbook paper.
Paper bunting DIY activity
*I let the children help me decide which way we should place our bunting flags on the lace. (This is the option they went with.)
paper bunting DIY idea
*This option of bunting flag placement was equally as cute, but not the chosen winner with my crew.
*We bought these little, wooden plaques from Hobby Lobby, along with the stencil and paint. We used the strawberry stencil as a nod to Wimbledon and added names, so each member of the family had a special place of honor. In my opinion, it is the little things that make the ordinary- special.
DIY Wooden name holders
*My adorable helpers learning beside their mom. Oh, how I love each of those precious, little hands.
Vintage candlesticks on a lace table runner
*The finished Wimbledon color scheme bunting flags- made simply with lots of love.

~Traditional Wimbledon Treats~

England has delicious strawberries- making strawberries and cream a perfect, traditional food to be served at Wimbledon.

A few other English classics may also be served at the historic event. Treats such as scones, a slice of Victoria sponge cake, Pimm’s (which is a popular cocktail drink), and cucumber sandwiches.

*A note on English grocery shopping: In England, you can almost always find single or double cream in the isles of the grocery store. (Which is slightly different to our American creams). 

I remember when I first moved to England, being slightly confused which cream to buy for my coffee. Of course, I soon learned of the slight differences between the two creams-and I usually bought the double cream… as I prefer the fattier taste.

*Away from the English grocery stores and back to the grassy courts of Wimbledon…

Often in the traditional Wimbledon strawberries and cream recipes, the cream (single or double) is simply poured over the fresh strawberries. (Pictured below)

Traditional Strawberries and Cream for Wimbledon served in a vintage ice cream bowl on top of a vintage tennis racket,
* Simply fresh strawberries, smothered in fresh, poured cream. A perfect summertime treat! *The tennis racket was found on the side of the road. One never knows, when one may be able to use a vintage, wooden tennis racket-and now seemed like the perfect opportunity.

~A Slight Twist on a Classic Recipe~

My version of the Wimbledon strawberries and cream cake takes all the traditional elements of strawberries and cream and uses it to create a delightful, cream cake. 

This recipe actually dates back to my teaching days, when the students and I would prepare strawberry muffins for certain school functions. I decided to add a whipped cream frosting (if you will), and I also used freeze-dried strawberries to create a strawberry “powder” to dust the tops of my cakes with.

I love the addition of color and slight tartness that this technique provides.

Strawberries and Cream cake recipe
Putting pressure on the lemon as you roll it on a hard surface helps to release some of the juices before juicing the fruit.
*My teaching tip is to put pressure on the lemon, and roll it about a bit, to help release some of the juices-before using the glass juicer.
Ingredients to make homemade buttermilk-lemon juice and milk.

~Homemade Buttermilk~

This recipe uses buttermilk, but as it would be, I did not have any on hand. 

If you are a mom with littles- you can truly appreciate trying to avoid loading everyone up in the car, to get one lone ingredient. Because of this, we decided to have another science lesson in the kitchen, on how to make buttermilk. 

We used one cup of milk and added one and a half tablespoons of lemon juice- and gave it a little stir. 

That’s it! 

We let the milk sit for about ten minutes- and sure enough- you could see that the milk had begun to curdle and transform into a lovely, thick, homemade buttermilk. 

This is one of the many reasons why I enjoy homeschooling. The world is so full of opportunities in which to learn.

Strawberries and cream cake ingredients
*I like to chop my strawberries and then place them on a paper towel to obsorb any extra juices.
A lovely strawberry heart
*A strawberry heart- a little sweet, and a tiny bit tart!
*I like to sprinkle my chopped strawberries with a little sugar for added sweetness. (Totally not necessary, but just what I do.)
Strawberries and Cream cake batter with strawberries being gently folded into mixture.
*Gently fold the fresh strawberries into the batter- so as not to turn the batter pink. (Although, there could be worse problems than pink batter.)
Strawberries and cream cake batter in muffin pan
*I double lined my muffin tin to help hold the cake's dainty shape.
Strawberries and Cream cake batter
*This recipe makes approximately two dozen cakes- so I used the extra batter to make mini cream cakes.
Strawberries and Cream cakes
*A thrifted glass tiered plate-a handy, beautiful piece for the kitchen and dining room.
*My grandmother's ice cream bowl was the perfect way to serve our strawberries and cream cake. *Plus, the place cards that the children made.
*Vintage thrifted candlesticks, a lovely tablecloth, and a lace runner to make our dining room sing!
Strawberries and cream cake

~Vintage Finds, Wimbledon Design~

Vintage Book
Vintage finds for a cottage core aesthetic

As I have alluded to in past posts- I love the charm of a vintage book.  

Seven Kings of England was written in 1955 by Geoffrey Trease. He was from Nottingham, England.

Again, I cannot recommend this book for any reason other than the fact that I was drawn to it because of the obvious charm. I love the emerald, green color and I thought it would be nice for our little boy’s room.

The green glass candlesticks were a thrift find. I have loads of glass and crystal candlesticks but have not ever purchased any that were colored as these were. 

The little golden frame was a thrift find. Initially, it had a small print inside it, that I replaced with a photograph, that my husband took a few summers ago- of a lovely lily pad. We used matte photo paper to print the picture-which is a good tip to make a photo look more like a painting. 

Lastly, the dried flower bouquets that the children helped me make last week- found a perfect home perched upon the thrifted book.

Vintage Cross stitch artwork

~Purple and Green, a Cross-stich Scene~

I cannot cross stitch very well, but I certainly appreciate the beauty of cross-stitch and the time it took someone to create it. When I am at a thrift or antique store, I am often drawn to cross-stitch art as it adds a bit of cozy texture to any room. 

I found this recently in a different frame, which I was not particularly fond of. So, I took the cross-stitch out of the frame and found another frame, that I thought suited it better.

However, the original frame had an inscription written on the back of it. I gently cut the note out, and taped it onto the back of the cross-stitch, and inside the new frame- so that bit of history stays with the cross stitch- as it should. 

I loved that the cross-stitch used purple and green thread-perfect for my Wimbledon color theme.

~Until Next Time~

Let us end with a moody photo of a dew-laden flower.

I snuck outside early one morning and had a tiny, rare moment to myself.

As I breathed a prayer, asking God for guidance- and help with the day’s demands, I was reminded of the quite beauty of the morning.

In conclusion, I hope this post inspires some creative juices to flow in your mind. Or perhaps even pushes you to try a new recipe or to find a new treasure.

Here is to quiet moments, good food, little joys, and gifts that are free…

I cannot wait to see… what next week’s blog post will be.

Early morning flower-laden with dew.

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