VALENTINE PAR-TAY!

Laurie asked me, the Queen of Hearts, to co-host her party.  After we all have a little par-tay food, we'll go over to see what you are sharing for the annual Valentine par-tay.  We are so excited!

VALENTINE TABLE FOR FOUR

Today's table really uses a variety of types of dinnerware - from formal to very cheap casual. 

ROMANCE ON THE TABLE

Do you think my sweetheart might object to a table set with pastels and floral decor?  For this table, I used my mother's table square over a lavender colored tablecloth.

VALENTINE DINNER FOR TWO

I’m sharing a Valentine dinner for two tablescape today.

IT IS NOT A CHRISTMAS TREE!

I guess I took an unscheduled and unannounced blog break.  Taking down Christmas décor left me soooo uninspired.  

I can usually go along, happily blogging.  But sometimes I hit this wall.  A wall with writing on it.  The writing says “what is your blog about?; what can you post that anyone would want to come see?; and why do you even have a blog?”

As much as I love my contacts with all of you, the questions on that wall often stop me in my tracks.





When I look at the unique, clever (even brilliant) ideas that people are posting on their blogs, that wall of questions pops up in front of my computer, and I can’t make myself post.

Does that happen to other bloggers, or is it just me?

I wouldn’t have to worry about THE WALL if all of you other bloggers weren’t so talented. 

So, would all you brilliant bloggers just dial it down a notch?

I mean, how do you keep coming up with all of these ideas and projects?

You amaze me and you intimidate me.  Who has time to come look at my left-over Christmas tree, decorated for Valentine’s Day, when you are out there posting new, innovative ideas?

Howevah (I say, with my best Arkansas accent), I want to blog, so I’m gonna blog.


In case you were yawning your way through another tablescape on my blog, I’ll leave you with a kiss (nothing like chocolate to bribe a blog reader to return to my blog).  I’ve always said I’d never make it as a salesperson.  My pitch would be, “you wouldn’t want to buy this, would you?”  I guess that carries over to blogging too.
(Red metal charger topped by: white metal charger, red heart doily, clear glass plate, white compote.  Heart doily purchased at $ Store, everything else from estate sales.)
I will be hosting my third annual Valentine link up party on February 11th.  I sure do hope you’ll join in, and spread the love with a Valentine-related post.

I’m partying at Cuisine Kathleen for Let’s Dish Wednesday and Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.
Our tiny grandson seems to face a new medical battle every day, so please continue to pray for him.  Thank you for visiting me.  laurie
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A HEARTFELT POST

Those hearts on the backs of the chairs are made of felt, so that makes this a “heartfelt” post.  (It’s hard coming up with post titles, so there are no limits to what I might resort to when I title my posts!)

Since I only have six of the heart-shaped plates (from Target several years ago), I used these patterned plates for the the place setting on each end of the table (can’t recall where I got these).
A clear, glass plate tops a Valentine paper dessert plate, which tops a paper heart doily, which tops a white metal charger!

The keys to my heart are napkin holders (napkin rings from a going out of business sale at a gift store years ago; linens from an estate sale a couple of years ago).

I chose to use this flatware, because the pattern name is “Eternally Yours”.

I couldn’t get a good picture of the flower cart on my vintage glasses (from an estate sale years ago), so I put a piece of white paper inside this glass for the photo.

Scottie dogs are serving the salt and pepper.

I’m not even going to tell you how many times I copied the front and back of this Valentine card, attempting to get them right-side-up on both sides, so they would show the front and the back from each side of the table.



These are the dollar store ornaments that just keep on giving.  I had them on the backs of my chairs for Christmas Eve dinner.  I intended to tell everyone to take one home, but I completely forgot.  (I really did forget.  I wasn’t even thinking about using these for Valentine’s Day décor.)

But since I still had them, I flipped them over and hung them back onto the chairs for this Valentine’s table.

Thank you so much for visiting my heartfelt post.  Laurie

EVENING IN PARIS

I told my sweetheart I wanted to go to the City of “Luv”, for Valentine’s Day.  His loud and long laughter led me to believe I would not be going to Paris, sooo, what’s a girl (I use that word very loosely) to do?  Create an Evening in Paris tablescape, of course.  Now I’m not sayin’ that a tablescape can replace a trip to Paris, but I did have fun doing it, and the grands said it was the best trip to Paris they had ever had (we won’t dwell on the fact that none of my grands have ever been to Paris).

Now I know what you’re saying to yourself --“Did Laurie really hang a shower curtain behind her table?”  Well, like I said before, what’s a girl old woman to do when she’d really rather be in Paris?  Hang a shower curtain, of course!

When I found this shower curtain marked down, I knew I had to have it, because it’s probably the closest I’ll ever come to getting back to Paris (I went when I was in high school – yes! the Eiffel Tower was there way back then.) 
Recently, when I went to an estate sale (the one where I fell and injured my hand), I found some really cute little French plates (they may have made the hand injury worth it).  They are scenes from French operas, and, of course, I had to have them.

Aren’t they just soooo charming?   I also knew, when I spotted this cute cloche on line, that I NEEDED it!

Just look at all of the French images on every side of this cloche.

I decorated the Eiffel Tower with little clip-on vials of flowers.  These vials are made to clip onto a outdoor table umbrella.

The pretty Eiffel Tower “Evening in Paris” pictures are the creation of the talented Karen Harvey Cox at A Scrapbook of Inspiration.  I used a Paris-themed towel to catch any wine drips.

This is not French.  It’s from Williams Sonoma, and I just think it’s kind of a handy thing to have around.  In the next photo, I’m serving cherry tarts from this heavy-duty cake stand.

I moved the tarts to a different server and turned this cake stand topsey turvey, and it became a punch bowl!  Who thinks up this stuff?

More Paris-themed plates.

And a romantic evening in Paris wouldn’t be complete without some kisses.  I’ve used these little tin Paris souvenirs for everything from salt cellars to spoon rests, but they are serving up kisses on this table.

At another estate sale, I purchased “love” handkerchiefs (yeah, I go to a lot of estate sales).  I used the hankies as napkins.  I am so sorry, but my mind has gone blank.  I purchased the pretty lace napkin covers from a blog (it’s a blog I love to visit, but I have racked my brain, and I can’t remember the name of that blog).  If I purchased these from your blog, please remember I’m an old woman, and forgive me.  If you’ll leave me a reminder, I’ll amend this post to add your blog name.



I’m having a Valentine party linkup on February 10th.  Anyone who links to that post will have a chance to win one of the following prizes:

A combination cake stand/punch bowl;

A set of four black and white Paris-themed dessert/appetizer plates;

or

A Paris-themed cloche.

All you have to do to be eligible to win a prize is link a Valentine or love-related post to the Valentine party on February 10th. 
That Paris shower curtain has the best scenes from Paris.  Just look at this one!

Thank you for sharing my evening in Paris.  I hope you’ll be here for the par-tay on the 10th of February.  Laurie