Valentine's Tablescape

Hi Everyone!

Hope you all enjoyed your Valentine's Day yesterday.  It was a great day at the Bluebird house, that's for sure.  We hadn't done any entertaining for what seemed like years, so it was fun to host a Valentine's dinner for some of our favorite people.

When I was considering what to do for a table setting, the main goal was to use what I already had on hand.  Last month I made my own pine table "trough."  This became the base for the entire table.

I dug out some canning jars from my stash and painted them in light and dark pink, using them as vases.  Nestled among burlap ribbon, they are a nice contrast to the rough texture of the trough and the ribbon.  I tucked in two flameless tapers for that all important romance factor (it was Valentine's Day, after all)! A $3.49 WalMart bouquet of mini carnations finishes it off.  Fitting with the theme of the day, I was in LOVE with how it turned out!  

I used white dinner plates, red damask patterned salad plates, and solid black appetizer plates - all things I had in my china storage cabinet.  I tied grain sack stripe napkins with a piece of burlap and then clipped these super cute hearts on them as a napkin ring.  I did pick up the clips at World Market last week - $3.99 for six.  All told, my entire centerpiece cost me less than ten dollars.

My spice cabinet's blue willow got "clipped" with two of the hearts as well.  Just for fun!

A close up of the jars also shows the Monogrammed Chair Backs I made last year.  An easy do project done with cotton dish towels and a sharpie! I don't use them all of the time, but they were perfect for my Valentine's dinner table.

A close up of my trough.  I cut the wood for this during a -10 below zero cold snap we had in late December.  I was determined to get this thing made! After I assembled it, I painted it with blue chalk paint, then some yellow, dry brushed on some white latex wall paint and lastly, I gel stained over it all.  The finish turned out amazing! I also beat the heck out of it with a hammer, screw driver and meat tenderizer to give it that aged look.  (Mr. Bluebird thought I was crazy, but - as I have asked many times before - is this your first day, Mr. Bluebird?  I have been doing stuff like this since 1980!) I used a mix of finishing nails and roofing nails (those are ones with round, flat heads). The roofing nails are my favorite.

This cheap, little "snow bear," holding a velvet rose, was a WalMart impulse purchase, but at $4.97 he really looks cute on top of my french drying rack.  His fur is designed to look like little rosebuds. I think I kinda love him.  He might reappear on my New Year's Eve tabletop setting.

I think every one had a great time at our dinner party.  We had lobster, tenderloin, Caribbean rice, broccoli, tomato & cucumber salad and warm, crusty bread.

 For dessert, red velvet cake and chocolate covered strawberries.  And wine.  Lots of wine. Aren't the little cloches adorable? They really made the strawberries extra special. I bought them from a friend's Southern Living at Home party several years ago.

The Valentine decor is coming down tomorrow and  I am taking a breather from seasonal decor until Easter gets a bit closer.  It is ridiculously cold here right now and bunny rabbits & spring flowers just don't seem quite right - yet!

Thanks for stopping by,
Jane

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