Valentine's Day Tablescape

For Tablescape Thursday, sponsored by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch, here is my Valentine's Day table.
I am using my everyday china which is Spode Pink Tower.



Here is a close up of my centerpiece which I featured in a previous blog post.

I love this ivory dish....

and this cut glass heart.

For a candleholder, I filled small vases with iridescent acrylic scatters and placed a red candle in the middle.


Here is my mantle with chintz vases and cupids


Happy Valentine's Day to all! :D Jewel

Outdoor Wednesday

Outdoor Wednesday is hosted by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer. Be sure to stop by here blog and see all the gorgeous out door posts!

I was so excited for Outdoor Wednesday this week because I finally have some spring showing in my yard! I took my pictures right after I got home from work. Now as it has gotten a bit darker I downloaded them and even on the macro setting some didn't turn out too well. All of them seemed too blue until I realized that I had the White Balance set on Tungsten light. :( It is too late to take more, because I need to get supper going, so they'll just have to look a bit blue. LOL!

My first daffodils!!!!




Some snowbells - I know this is blurry!!!!


A crocus, not the first but still pretty even though it is growing sideways!!!


Sorry for the bluish tint!!! Thanks Susan for hosting Outdoor Wednesday!!!! :D Jewel

My Valentine's Day Centerpiece

Last year, when I took my Valentine's Day Centerpiece apart I took pictures as sort of a step by step. I thought I would share them on this blog.

First I gather the materials: a tray, my glass stacking cake plates, a round glass vase, a sherry or cordial glass, blown glass hearts in silver, red and pink (purchase from WalMart several years ago), ribbon, red and clear glass hearts.



First, I fill the glass vase about half way with loose hearts.


Then, I carefully slip the sherry glass into the vase, nestled among the hearts.


I add a few more hearts around the sherry glass.


I have tied ribbon through the hanging loop of 4 hearts and then tied a decorative bow over the knots.


I lay the ribbons on the smallest cake plate and then put the round vase on top.


I have 2 slightly longer ribbons connecting 4 more hearts that I lay over the medium cake plate.


Repeat with 2 even slightly longer ribbons and the largest cake plate.


Place the stacked cake plates on a tray and decorate the tray and the largest cake plate with red and clear glass hearts.


Carefully pour some water in the sherry glass if you are using fresh flowers. If using silk, obviously the water is not needed. I have used camellias from my yard, purchased tulips and silk roses.







While on the subject of flowers, I wanted to share my amaryllis! They are blooming late this year, but they are beautiful! Here is one that is blooming right now - a double stalk!




One had just stopped blooming and developed another stalk, the one pictured above had two stalks together and their late blooming sibling is just now shooting two stalks up. The only problem is they are in Christmas pots!!!!! Oh well!



:D Jewel

Some Valentine's Day Decorating and Tea Cups!

I won't post my Valentine's Day table until Tablescape Thursday, but I do have some decorations throughout the house. So today I thought I would share my tea cup cabinet. It is in a dark corner and hard to photograph, but here is my best attempt!



When I was a baby, a family friend, who had no children, decided to start buying tea cups for me. Technically, I think most of them are demitasse cups, but my family always called them tea cups. She passed away before I was 4, and my family boxed up these tea cups, so I never knew about them until I was 24 and got married. My mother pulled a box out and told me about them. As I newlywed, I was being showered with china, silver and crystal, so I didn't really appreciate them. I hauled this box whenever we moved, but finally when I was 30 and a stay at home mother, I unpacked the box. What a treasure and given to me by someone I never knew!

In my Victorian home, I have a china cabinet from the 1920's that houses all of them. For different occasions I display some on top with other goodies I have found through the years. Here is what I pulled out for Valentine's Day. Any information would be welcomed!!!

This is one of my very favorites! It is so thin and delicate!




This is the backmark on the cup; there is none on the saucer.


This next one seemed very appropriate for Valentine's Day also with the pink and the flowers.

Here is the saucer - it is too pretty to stay covered all the time!

The backmark on the saucer


This next one reminds me of my grandmother's wedding china from 1920 which my sister inherited.






The last cup always seemed a bit out of place with the rest of the cups, because it is larger, but the rose is so perfect for Valentine's Day!





Here are some photos of the top of the cabinet. Again, hard to photograph, but with these cups I have added some various mini tea sets and a tea pot, a chintz mug and some novelty cups.





In the middle I have some silk roses in a carafe that I thought made a nice vase!


Hope you have enjoyed some of my decorations! I will post more later! :D Jewel

Outdoor Wednesday

Outdoor Wednesday is hosted by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer. Be sure to see all the outdoor posts at her blog! Thanks, Susan!

While I am typing this is it snowing again!!!! It is not sticking to the roads, but it is very pretty!!!! But since I shared a snow picture two weeks ago and it is still pretty dark out, I want to share some more of Spring with you!

Here is my next door neighbor's Carolina Jasmine which bloom on a fence right near our property line, so I get to enjoy it too!!!! It, like the wisteria, has a wonderful scent and this vine is not invasive!



Now, back to that snow!!! Maybe I'll get some pictures of it when it is lighter outside.

Metamorphosis Monday

For Metamorphosis Monday hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch!


Here is what my house looked like in 1887



Here is what it looked shortly after we bought it in 2001



We had to cut down lots of volunteer hedges full of wisteria (see my last Outdoor Wednesday post!!!). We researched and determined the original colors of the house and found that Sherwin Williams is still making the same colors.

Here is what it looked like after the last massive hedge removal in 2006. The grass has grown in now!!!



Mint Juleps on the Porch anyone? How about some lemonade?



Be sure an see all the other Met Monday posts at Between Naps on the Porch!

Peacock Tablescape

For Tablescape Thursday hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch.

I posted this print for What's on Your Wall Wednesday and promised a Tablescape to go with it.



Here is my tea table which I call "Wine for One in Peacock Promenade."







We have several peacock ornaments from our Christmas tree that were still easy to get to. The china is Spode Buttercup Faire by Kim Parker. My younger daughter bought some from TJ Maxx for $1.00 a plate. It has since been discontinued, but I thought the colors were good. I rummaged through my remnant chest for the fabric and the wine had a pretty label. I know in the print it is cognac and a see through bottle, but it's my table!!!

Again, the inspiration for making tablescapes from the prints on my wall came from the Tablesetting Forum at Recipezaar. I you haven't been there, please drop by!!!