Kings Corners for the Queen Bee

Welcome to my blog, Panoply. Today we are celebrating the great pollinators of the world - the BEES! What better way to celebrate than setting a table to honor the Queen Bees of the world?! If you've buzzed over from Mary's blog, you've already learned about Hive Rules in her clever way with words and vignettes.  

The official World Bee Day designated by the UN is May 20, which coincides with the birthday of Anton Jansa, who in the 18th century pioneered modern beekeeping techniques in his native Slovenia. 

Pulling together elements for my tablescape just so happened to give me a buzz - a happy buzz! All the elements were either direct representations of these powerful little insects, or subtle nods to what they are, where they dwell, and what they create. A cameo appearance of the supporting cast - the all-important flowers which help the bees pollinate and thrive - also made their way to the table.

The table runner was a happy accident. I found it while shopping with my sisters in early April. Its colors were perfectly suited to how I was envisioning my happy tablescape. My vintage pitcher used for the centerpiece of California poppies has a honeycomb texture, as do the hammered mercury glass votives. The candles are made from honey beeswax. As you can see, the Queen Bee carries the weight of attention on the table among other, smaller scattered bees throughout.

The flatware pattern echos the honeycomb, punctuated with Wallace Napoleon Bee teaspoons. I paired my MacKenzie-Childs Kings Corners salad plates with their hand-painted, cheerful flower borders together with Fiesta ivory dinner plates. Both the crosshatch centers of the plates, along with the rattan chargers hint at beehive patterns. Even the trellis pattern on the napkins hints at the honeycomb pattern. The beehive honey pot was a vintage find. 

Guests' takeaways are from a Western PA bee farm: seasonal clover honey, in vintage-inspired bottles embossed with a bee skep, corked and wax-sealed. They came from our local salt works farm/gourmet shop here in town, as did the honey beeswax votive candles used on the table. 

So, the table was set, but I still had a bee in my bonnet that inspired me to go a little further.

I baked a batch of honey-lemon beehive pound cakes to add one more element to the table. These little cakes are so good, with or without the glaze drizzle. Mr. P. loves honey and most any sweet, so these are a hit each time I bake them. They also freeze so well! The recipe came with the specialty bakeware pan.

Mr. P.'s been eyeing the honey bottles on the table ever since I set it. I guess it's only fair he have one since I used much of his pantry bottle in the recipe for the cakes.

I always like to share my source list with readers, but there is no affiliation or revenue generated in my doing so. It's also a nice way for me to catalog my inventory, both for household items and for items I'm fostering for resale in my antique booth spaces. 

Kings Corners for the Queen Bee Tablescape
Rattan Chargers, Trellis Napkins - Pier 1

Table Runner (April Cornell), Honey Pot, Honeycomb Pitcher - Vintage Finds

Dinner Plates - Everything Fiesta (Outlet Store)

Salad Plates (Kings Corners), Gold Bee Napkin Weight - MacKenzie-Childs 

La Rochere Bee Stemware & Nordic Beehive Cakelet Pan (not shown) - Sur la Table

Flatware (Fortessa Luca), Silver Bee Dip Dish, Spreader - Horchow

Wallace Napoleon Bee Teaspoons - Williams Sonoma

Glass Cake Plate - Gift

Small Bees on Table - Amazon

Rose Mercury Votives, Faux California Poppies  - Afloral

Honey Bottles, Honey Beeswax Votives - J.Q. Dickinson Salt Works

I hope you enjoyed my homage to the Queen Bee, and found a bit of inspiration for yourself. My hobby of selling items in our local antique mall with my sisters is always an impetus for my hunt for vintage finds, but fostering finds a while and using them at home is a way to share inspiration and energize others to want to visit your local antique malls. We are small business owners, and take pleasure in finding unique items and bringing them to the public's attention.

I would like to say a special thank you to Debbee from Debbee's Buzz for the invitation to join and celebrate in this tablescape event. 

The list of the other stylists joining in the fun are below. I hope you'll visit each of them. You are sure to be inspired by their creativity. Next up is one of Ann's always cute tabletops, Sweet Yellow & Grey Bee Tablescape.

French Inspired, Royal Bee Theme Table & Napkin Fold ⚜ Debbees Buzz 
Hive Rules ⚜ Home is Where the Boat Is  

Kings Corners for the Queen Bee ⚜ Panoply

Sweet Yellow & Grey Bee Tablescape ⚜ Corner of Plaid & Paisley

Buzzing About ⚜ Hyacinths for the Soul

Bee French Country Tablescape for Entertaining ⚜ My Hubbard Home

Bees & Sunflowers Tablescape ⚜ Life & Linda

Bee Table for Two ⚜ Zucchini Sisters

Thank you so much for your visit today. I love reading your comments and taking time to reply and respond to any questions you may have. Have a bee-utiful day!

Rita C. at Panoply

(A special thanks to Michelle of Thistle Key Lane's Tuesday Turn About Link Party #100  and to Cecilia from My Thrift Store Addiction's Vintage Charm Party #285 for featuring this post!) Also, thank you very much to Kathleen at Our Hopeful Home's Vintage Charm Party #287 and Cecilia at My Thrift Store Addiction's Vintage Charm Party #287 for being selected their May feature of the month, 2021!

Parties I Share With: Pieced Pastimes, Love Your Creativity, BNOTP, All About Home Common Ground, All About Home Follow the Yellow Brick Home, Apple Street Cottage, Grandma Ideas,  A Stroll Thru Life, My Wee Abode, Thistle Key Lane, Bluesky at Home, Zucchini Sisters, French Ethereal SYS, Follow the Yellow Brick Home TFT, Grace at Home, My Thrift Store Addiction, Our Hopeful Home, Karin's Kottage Centerpiece Wednesday, My Hubbard Home FWF, Let's Add Sprinkle Keep in Touch, County Road 407 Farmhouse Friday