The minute Robin Novotny finds out
her grandchildren are coming for a visit to her Bloomfield
Township home, she dreams up a special gathering among
her expansive gardens.
Sometimes it’s a hide-and-seek
game in her pint-size secret garden. Sometimes it’s
a refreshing swim in Wing Lake. Often, a neighborhood
party takes shape among Novotny’s spectacular
flowerbeds, pathways and garden art, highlighted
with lawn games and cupcakes.
But on a recent visit, Novotny announced
the kids’ much-anticipated arrival called for
an all-out garden luncheon, replete with small dishes,
little tables and animal- and flower-shaped sandwiches
and cookies.
On a late-spring Saturday morning,
Novotny scoured cupboards and china cabinets, pulling
out a variety of pastel-toned, pink and purple plates,
little cabbage leaf-shaped dishes and a miniscule
tea set. Six-year-old Maeve Novotny and her 2 1⁄2-year-old,
Jack, got busy, too, helping Grandma place her favorite
angel-themed gold spoons at the place settings, amid
miniature roses and daisies.
Novotny, whose fabulous gardens have
starred on the annual Franklin Garden tour, placed
her bright-white, just-plucked peonies atop a crisp-white
tablecloth enhanced with sheer lilac ribbon. A verdigris
circular side table made of iron and glass became
a children’s buffet from which they chose tiny
sandwiches, honeydew melon balls topped with fresh
mint leaves, and ladybug cookies.
Novotny borrowed vintage wine glasses
for pink lemonade enlivened with blueberries, raspberries
and mint leaves. The fruit adds “oomph” to
the beverage, she says. For adult friends, the homeowner
adds peach schnapps to the sweet concoction.
The creative party hostess drew from
a pastel and light-toned palette to lend a springy
motif to her little people’s feast — “I
also like to use different levels on the tables,” she
explains, “so footed cake plates come in handy
for presenting different foods.”
To read the full article, pick
up a copy of Michigan BLUE Magazine’s March/April ’08
issue. Troy-based freelance writer Megan Swoyer
enjoys lakeside revelry at her cottage in northeast
Michigan.
Ladybug Cookies
Keebler Vanilla Wafers (two
for each cookie)
White frosting
Miniature jellybeans
Decorative frosting in different colors
Use two wafers for each bug. Split
one in half with sharp, serrated knife to create
the “wings.” Hold a whole wafer in hand
with curve-side down. Spread a dab of frosting in
the center of each “wing” half, and place
the two “wings” on top of the whole wafer,
adjusting them to look like wings. Use a little amount
of frosting to attach a jellybean (sideways) for
the head. Decorate with dots. Can also use a candy
writer, available at cake-decorating shops.
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