Valentine's Day Dinner for Two

Sometimes, when I'm not feeling inspired, I rely on the flowers to speak to me.  This year my husband came home with a couple of mixed bundles that were so beautiful and looked so fresh, especially the mini-carnations, that I just knew this would be the starting point.

The whorls continued with the ruffles in these soft pink napkins.  They really did remind me of the pedals of a flower.  

I pulled out the lace placemats from Horchow, which I've had for a while.  I first used them here when my husband and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary.  Unfortunately, they are no longer available.  The flatware is Jefferson by Reed and Barton, for Monticello.  I've also had it for a while, and have used them here and here, among many other tables.  I love the gentle heart-shaped curve of the handle, perfect for the day of Love!

The goblet and wine glasses are part of my wedding crystal collection — Chartres, by Atlantis.  After all these years I still love them!

The rose gold chargers were a lovely complement to the pink . . . 

So, I decided to pull out the copper tube napkin rings . . .

And the copper hobnail votive holders.

The salad plates are part of the Williams-Sonoma Citrus Salad Plates.  This one is supposed to represent a pink grapefruit.  The set of four comes with a lime, lemon, orange, and grapefruit plate.  It seemed to go so well with the copper that they just fell into place.

And, voilà the table is set!

Time to start thinking about the food, my least favorite part.

To start, a Grapefruit Avocado Salad on a bed of Romaine, with Goat Cheese Crumbles, and a simple vinaigrette with Dijon mustard.  I should call this the Costco salad since all the ingredients were picked up there.  The grapefruits may be the sweetest and juiciest I've ever had, so if you live near Costco, run and pick up a bag!  

The salad was followed by Pan-fried Garlic Shrimp, served with Quinoa Fiesta — a quinoa salad with corn, red bell pepper, jalapeño, scallions, dressed with lemon and olive oil.  

The dinner was delicious and it left us filling satisfied, but not stuffed so that then we could indulge in some sinful desserts!

Dark-chocolate covered strawberries . . .

My vanilla custard (Natilla), decorated with a powdered cinnamon heart in the center.  This is one of my husband's favorite desserts.  Actually, my entire family loves it.  I make it all the time, so to dress it up and make it seem special, I created my own stencil in the computer, cut it out, and used it to create the heart.  

The sugar cookies came from our supermarket, but balanced out the plate, and my husband loves cookies!

And once dinner was finished, the flowers remained, to delight and make me feel loved.

Joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.

My little heart sachets are a delight. I scatter them through drawers to keep them fresh with their lavender scent. They are fun to spot as I rifle through drawers, and then, once a year, I gather them in a pretty basket and display them on my dresser.

To line the basket, I used my wedding handkerchief, handmade in Cuba and brought to me by my beloved godmother, Mamá Lala.

The sachets have been collected through countless years; some are gifts, others I found in unexpected places.

Here's the basket from a few years ago, in which I used a different handkerchief to line the basket. Love is in the air. ❤

Dinner Fit for a President

The Liberty Blue Ironstone china was made in Staffordshire, England as a promotional item for the American Bicentennial, by Benjamin Franklin Federal Savings & Loan Association.  

I only own a few pieces of this china, just enough to put together a simple dinner table for two, in honor of George Washington, our first president.

The dinner plate depicts Independence Hall in Philadelphia, and it's slightly smaller than a regular dinner plate, so I added the Lenox Federal Platinum dinner plate beneath it, to act as a charger.

Then, came the Bread & Butter plate, depicting Washington leaving Christ Church.

Ever since I began collecting dishes, it's become a compulsion to turn the plates upside down to see what I can find on the back side.

The darling cobalt, glass-blown vase came from the gift shop at Monticello, originally the residence of fellow Founding Father, Thomas Jefferson.  I'm sure Jefferson could never imagine his home becoming a museum with a charming little gift shop, but there you have it.  It wasn't easy, a mere few days after Valentine's Day, but I managed to find some spray carnations with a touch of red on the leaves.  Now, I could have some red, white and blue on the table.

The Reticello lace napkins, were given to me by my godmother on the baptism of my second son.  They are only 18" x 18" so I generally prefer using them for luncheons, but I felt Martha Washington might have appreciated them, following Abigail Adams advise to her husband in a letter dated March 31, 1776, to "remember the ladies."  The placemats are Sferra in the Clearwater color.  Similar shades were often found in colonial homes paired with Prussian blue.

The Jefferson flatware by Reed & Barton for Monticello.  I've had this flatware for years and still love the Fiddle & Thread pattern typical of the 18th century, and which Jefferson loved.  With all his flaws, I'm a big fan of TJ.

The Laguiole butter knife with the rosewood handle, is made in France, but derived from a Spanish-Arabic knife style typically found among the shepherds in Cataluña, Spain.  It's doubtful that it would have appeared in Martha's table, George would probably not have approved, but I love these little spreaders and bring them out to play whenever I can.  

George might have been a stickler for proper behavior, and even wrote a book about it.  I wonder what he would think of today's manners.  I wonder what he would think about my calling him George.

The Cape Fear candlesticks are made of pewter, an alloy very common in Colonial America.  Cape Fear is an actual port in North Carolina, but very treacherous to make landings, hence, the name. Both the glasses came from the Dollar Tree.

The table is set.  For dinner, a hearty beef roast surrounded by root vegetables, all of which could be found in the colonies.

And for dessert, Cherry Pie.  It was delicious, I cannot tell a lie.

Lavender Hearts

Romancing the home continues, with these darling lavender-filled sachets . . .

Because I keep them in various drawers, I had not realized just how many of them I had collected over the years!

They are now being displayed in the Guest Bedroom.  The scent is heavenly!

I never pass up an opportunity to display my hankies.  My husband bought me this one at Marshall Field's many years ago.  Click here to see a better picture of this lovely handkerchief, and the story of how I came to have it.  Marshall Field's . . . every other day I think of that store . . .

I'd love a basket like this for every room in the house!  How do you romance your home?

A Romantic Summer Table

When I needed inspiration for a romantic table for two, I didn't have to look further than the fabulously talented, Linda, of More Fun Less Laundry and her “Something Old, Something New: Borrowing from a Master” table.  She, in turn, was inspired by another terrific designer and tablescaper, Delores, of Vignette Design and her “Romantic Candlelight Dinner.”  But, oh, my!  These ladies are so talented!  Am I being too presumptuous in trying to copy their beautiful designs?

Let me show you what I mean.  Here's Delores' original design:


Vignette Design

Isn't this just beautiful?  But, wait!  Here's Linda's interpretation, inspired by Delores' design:

More Fun Less Laundry

Fabulous, isn't it?  Linda took Delores' Valentine vision and gave it a Christmas twist to celebrate her daughter's engagement and holiday homecoming.  What a lovely way to celebrate such a romantic occasion!  Ah, love!

I owe a huge debt, not only to Linda and Delores, but to so many other wonderful tablescapers who generously share their ideas and wisdom and inspire me with their amazing talent . . .

However, it's all well and good to want to copy a design, but then comes the hard work - and the challenges . . . like the red chargers . . . I'm sad to say I don't have any . . . a travesty, to be sure, one that needs to be remedied very soon!

So, if red is not going to be the inspiration, perhaps then it has to come from the beautiful salad plate . . .  I love these pink floral dishes - Chintz Rose by Johnson Brothers . . .

Also, the rattan chargers match the napkin rings, and our everyday Traditions dinner plates from Williams-Sonoma are very similar to the ones Delores used . . .

It so happens that I have some lovely linens from Horchow that have yet to be put to use . . .

I fell in love with the lacy pattern and its heart-shaped edging . . .

It looks so frothy . . . One can easily imagine Anne of Austria giving a handkerchief trimmed like this to the dashing Duke of Buckingham as a token of her love . . . although it might have been more difficult to replace (after all, lacemaking takes so long!) than the diamond necklace she gave him instead, and which almost cost young M. D'Artagnan his life . . . I'm referring, of course, to The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas . . .

If you need a good novel filled with interesting characters, handsome musketeers, a queen in distress, and plenty of court intrigue, this book is for you!  It's also a wonderful study of the manners of the court of Louis XIII . . .  I've read it in both, English . . .

and Spanish . . .

I wish I was more fluent in French to be able to read it in its original language . . .

And, just because there are many movies adapted from this novel, it doesn't mean that any of them comes close to capturing its essence, the intricacies of its plot, the sense of humor of the author, its . . . je ne sais quoi . . . 

I've digressed.  Don't ever get me started on M. Dumas!  I can become quite tedious!  So, back to the table:  Linens, check!

Napkin rings, check!  I have the same ones that Linda uses, with its charming rattan button and loop.

Linda's silverware is just beautiful, but the Monticello by Reed and Barton has a similar “feel” although it's stainless steel, not sterling.  The thread pattern delightfully forms a heart shape at the heel . . .

Delores considered roses and candlelight as being absolutely essential to her design . . . This table needed delicate pink roses to match the salad plates, and mercury glass vases, so I contacted Robert, of Robert's Floral Design Studio in Chicago - my florist and friend - I've known him since high school and he's been doing arrangements for me since Lee and I got married . . .

For a quiet dinner at home, I'd normally go to my local grocery store to buy the roses, and then spend an enjoyable half hour arranging them myself, but I've been out of town attending my son's graduation from Basic Combat Training in South Carolina . . . and the table really needed to be ready today! So Robert received an SOS - Save Our Sanity - and he came to the rescue!

Do you see the hearts in the vases?  Even the Galax Green leaves are heart-shaped!  This was totally Robert's doing, who uncannily seems to anticipate my every wish . . .

I pulled out the stash of mercury glass votives . . .

The glasses were an easy choice:  My mother's crystal . . .

The table was set with both, water goblets and champagne coupes . . .

A rose was tucked into each of the napkin rings . . .

A beautiful, delicate pink rose . . .

And now the table is set . . .

Ready for a summer romantic celebration . . . such as an anniversary, perhaps . . .

What do you think . . . ?  Does it pass muster . . . ?

When darkness arrived, we lit the candles . . .  It was important that the mood be just right . . .

Roses scented the air . . .  Candlelight cast a soft glow on the table . . .

The champagne was poured . . .

“Unchained Melody” played in the background . . . 

 And my husband and I quietly - and romantically - celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary . . .

Joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.  Stop by for inspiration!