Felt Valentine Hearts

Before the world opened up and blogging came into my life, I was always dabbling and finding things to do--crafts, tablescapes, gardening...anything to keep myself busy with things I enjoyed.

During one of those times I decided to make a Valentine tree by making simple, country felt hearts.  I suppose I used a pattern to cut the hearts out, but that's certainly not necessary...it was truly a freehand project to use what I had on hand.

This is an umbrella stand next to the piano, where we have
those kinda new lighted twig things and some real curly willow twigs.
I added the hearts to the twigs to create our
Valentine tree this year.

I wanted them to look VERY :) handmade-looking, almost childlike, like old samplers.
Then I stuffed them with batting.

For some, like the white one, I used beading on the heart itself, and for some
I used beads to hold the ribbon or tulle hanger.

I also used them on the table, accompanied by baubles that speak to
the ROMANCE of Valentine's Day, and of course
a Cherub--or is he Cupid?  Where is his arrow?!
"He" is so special to our family...
My dear grandmother brought him back from Italy probably 35 years ago,
and my mother gave him to me to use for our first grandbaby's baptism
(see the picture below)

We hosted the reception at our home, and though this picture is blurry, I wanted
to share how we used "him" for her baptism.
The cards are memory cards I made.  It's a Cuban tradition for baptisms
to give these cards, with the baby's and his/her parents' and godparents' names, the date and
church where the baptism was held, etc., to the guests as mementos.

My love of roses extends to when they get to the "vintage" stage--aren't women like roses? As they we age,
don't we get more beautiful, albeit it in a less traditional way?
I used them for an earlier post, Romantic Vintage Table HERE .

My first china cabinet of the year was simple and "peaceful," HERE -- my post-Christmas senses
just needed a little break--but now, color is creeping back into my decorating.
Wishing you a happy Valentine's Day, filled with LOVE.

  Thanks for stopping by.  Please leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them!  They encourage me and inspire me.  And if you like what you see a lot J, maybe you’d like to +1 this post too!  Thank you!

I will be joining these fun parties; please stop by to see all the great things there!

House in Roses Show Off Your Cottage Monday at http://houseinroses.blogspot.com/

Amaze Me Monday at http://dittledattle.blogspot.com/

The Space Between Monday party at http://thespacebetweenblog.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/imagine-the-impossibilities-link-party-1/

Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple   

Newbie Party on Monday at http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com/

Tabletop Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/ 

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/ 

Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Open House Party Thursday http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/

Transformation Thursdays at The Shabby Creek Cottage

Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com/

Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home Friday at The Charm of Home

Feature Yourself Friday at Fingerprints on the Fridge

Cheap Crafty Mama at www.cheapcraftymama.com 

Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors

Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

Homemaker on a Dime, Sunday at http://www.homemakeronadime.com/2012/01/creative-bloggers-party-hop-011512.html

Wishing you love on Valentine's Day and always,

from my Chickadee Nest to yours~

    Zuni

Romantic Vintage Valentine 'Scape

           {SOFT}
                                                                                        {ROMANTIC}

                                          {VINTAGE}

                                                                     {PINK}
These are the words that were swirling around in my head as I planned ONE of my Valentine tables. 

My inspiration was an old set of dishes--Duchess, by Paden City Pottery--that I'd had stored at my mom's for several years.  These are beautiful dishes that we actually used as our everyday dishes for quite a while, when our boys were small, then I decided {gasp} that I would sell them at a garage sale.  Alas, they didn't sell, so they stayed at my mom's until my heart called out to them to celebrate Valentine's Day.

Isn't she lovely?  Duchess.  The perfect name for her.

VINTAGE...we use the term so often, but do you ever wonder about the history of
our beloved dishes and crystal and serving pieces?
What family owned them?
(I bought her from a friend's neighbor years and years ago.  She had
no use for them and didn't like them.)
What family meals were celebrated with these dishes?
Were they reserved for special occasions only?

I used our Lenox Eternal as a charger...creamy bone china that went perfectly with The Duchess.
And our gold flatware~a gift from my precious grandmother (who also fed my early tableware addiction).
The treats for the sweet in Depression glass Cherry Blossom, by Jeannette Glass Company--
a gift from my MIL years ago. 
I also used them for a tea party HERE.
Waterford napkins, and pink linen tablecloth I've had for years.

Ahh...crystal.  Is that my favorite?  No, The Duchess is too.  It all is.
Since this is my fantasy table, I used a mix of glass/crystal/stems where I liked it all best.
The on-the-rocks glasses with the gold rim were a wedding gift a "few" years ago ;).
The iced tea stems are Godinger/Shannon, Sutton Place pattern,
and the champagne/tall sherbet stem is a recent gift from my mother,
for our last anniversary. 
The full set, from her china cabinet to ours~the perfect gift.
(I don't know the pattern and haven't been able to find it--
do you know what it is?)

The roses are "vintage" too--
I went to my favorite...ahem..."florist"--Aldi--where they usually have beautiful roses.
These were the perfect shade--a creamy, pale yellow with pink--perfect for The Duchess,
but they were, well...a bit "vintaged."
Then it occurred to me that they would be perfect--a bit worn, but still lovely,
just like The Duchess!
~
I like to mix things up a bit on my tables, rather than have everything matched, so the two "vases"
for the "vintage" roses are vintage too,
and they came to live with us from a box lot at an auction.
They came to the perfect home for them,
where they'll be loved.

Many, many years ago I fell in love with these bone dishes and had to have them.
And I keep them in my kitchen cabinets--you NEVER KNOW when you're going to need bone dishes, right? ;)
They were used in the olden days to keep the fish bones that were removed
away from the rest of the food on one's plate.
We don't see much bone-in fish any more, do we?
I remember as a child having the fish bones removed from my fish.
Love them even if they're just there to be pretty.

And speaking of being pretty...
What shall we call her until we know her real pattern name?
"Pretty" would work for me...

Double the pleasure.



Waterford Lismore pitcher



Roses and crystal and candles and linens and china, oh my!



Shopped the house and look what I found--a heart-shaped dish!
Candy-covered pretzels from Krema--you can order the best
candies and nuts from them HERE.

And guess who came over to spend the night just as I finished my table?
Our BABY LOVE,
One of  the LOVES of our lives--
She quickly changed into her full princess regalia--
with my pearls and heels too, of course.

Tell me about your vintage dishes...do you think about their past?  Does that bring more meaning to them/to you?  Or am I romanticizing because the DAY OF LOVE is near?  What dishes and other pretties do you love and why?

Thanks for stopping by.  Please leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them!  Your comments encourage me and inspire me.  And if you like what you see a lot J, maybe you’d like to +1  or "pin" this post too!  Thank you!

I will be joining these fun parties; please stop by to see all the great things there!

House in Roses Show Off Your Cottage Monday at http://houseinroses.blogspot.com

Amaze Me Monday at http://dittledattle.blogspot.com/

Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple   

Newbie Party on Monday at http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com/

Tabletop Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/ 

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/ 

Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Open House Party Thursday http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

Transformation Thursdays at The Shabby Creek Cottage

Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com

Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home Friday at The Charm of Home

Feature Yourself Friday at Fingerprints on the Fridge

Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors

Weekend Wrap-up Party at Tatertots and Jello

Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

Homemaker on a Dime, Sunday at http://www.homemakeronadime.com/2012/01/creative-bloggers-party-hop-011512.html

Wishing you love on Valentine's Day and always,

from my Chickadee Nest to yours~

    Zuni

Trouble Commenting??

Recently I turned to THE blog queen--Susan at BNOTP--for help, because I found that I couldn't get into a lot of the party posts that I wanted to see.  The pages would freeze up, or no page would come up.

I started to suspect that was happening to mine blog too, because I wasn't getting any comments.  So,
SUSAN TO THE RESCUE!!  She emailed me with a link to this post, where Carol has been able to figure out what the problem has been and she gives us a fix!

http://thepolkadotcloset.blogspot.com/ 

I won't repeat the solution here (it's super EASY), but be sure to go to The Polka Dot Closet, hop around to see all the cute things she's sayin' and doin', and thank her for helping us out!

PS - Susan is really, really high on Google Chrome browser--she's had no problem opening any posts.  So...
this post brings you TWO solutions from the pros.

Thanks to both, Susan and Carol!

PS - Here's another suggestion:  Make sure you have a way for others to reach you/contact you right in your blog, because in instances like this one, we would be able to notify you that we can't comment.  Last week I had a really sweet comment and I haven't been able to comment back to her because she has no email address on her blog, and her email comment is a No-Reply address. 

Respite for Our Weary Senses

Ahh....the holidays.  How we love the colors, the decorating and bringing out our favorite decorations that we haven't seen for almost a year, the family times!  In our case, we enjoy it all AMPLY--well into January, as a matter of fact, since we celebrate the Epiphany, or the visit of the Three Kings (see post HERE).

By the time we put the riot of color and decorations away, and we vacuum up the needles and dust where we hadn't really been able to dust, I am ready for a REST for my weary eyes. 

Perhaps that is why January is...

to give us time to SLOW DOWN,

and to renew our spirits in QUIET. 

Perhaps these shorter days, when twilight still arrives earlier than we expect it, are yet another GIFT of the season...to help us enjoy the warm cocoon of our NEST.

So, with a blank slate and a desire for quiet, I transformed our china cabite from THIS to this:  A CALM VIGNETTE--no color (well, just a little, later).  Only silver and crystal.

In keeping with the design...not many words going forward, and the few there are,

are whispered.

Quiet...
Peaceful...

Even the very top is
QUIET...
as compared to the Christmas cabinet (HERE)

Then I added...a teensy, weensy bit of color...

Tell me, do you, too, feel like you can't quite decide what you like best--color? No color? Lots of decorations? Simplicity?  Are you a decorating EXTROVERT or INTROVERT?  Or...are you BOTH,
like I am?

I will be joining these fun parties; please stop by to see all the great things there!

House in Roses Show Off Your Cottage Monday at http://houseinroses.blogspot.com

Amaze Me Monday at http://dittledattle.blogspot.com/

Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple   

Newbie Party on Monday at http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com/

Tabletop Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/ 

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/ 

Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Open House Party Thursday http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

Transformation Thursdays at The Shabby Creek Cottage

Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com/

Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home Friday at The Charm of Home

Feature Yourself Friday at Fingerprints on the Fridge

Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors

Weekend Wrap-up Party at Tatertots and Jello

Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

Homemaker on a Dime, Sunday at http://www.homemakeronadime.com/2012/01/creative-bloggers-party-hop-011512.html

From my Chickadee Nest to yours~

    Zuni

Celebrating The Epiphany--the Three Kings' Long Trip

"Celebración de los Reyes Magos" - Having come to the U.S. from Cuba in 1961, our family still celebrates "El Día de los Reyes Magos" (The Day of the Three Kings), and the Kings still bring presents to our children.  Our 4-year-old granddaugher explained to her pre-school teacher that they come to our homes "because our family is Cuban."  :) 

The "Reyes Magos" are such an integral part of Latin culture that my mother told me recently of a wonderful toy store in Havana (Cuba) called "Los Reyes Magos."  Isn't that a great name for a toy store?!  Surely it didn't survive much after 1961.

This year my husband and I hosted our family's Three Kings celebration, now that our granddaughter is old enough to understand the story.  The Three Kings brought some gifts and left them under the tree for them (yes, we keep our tree up until The "Reyes Magos" come), but to make certain that the spirit of the day wasn't lost, the central figure in my tablescape was my childhood Baby Jeasus, which my grandmother managed to bring back to me in 1983 when she was able to visit Cuba.  She gave it to me originally, and gave it to me again...isn't that {AMAZING}?!

A celebration of the Three Kings is really about Baby Jesus.

The Three Kings:  Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthazar
We know they brought frankincense, myrrh, and gold,
but we don't know which gift each brought.
The red candle urn (left) is Tiara.

Crystal Three Kings and Baby Jesus
After I took this picture I added the the full text of Matthew 2: 1-12,
telling the story of The Wise Men.
A battery-operated candle behind the vintage trees
gave the scene in the cloche a soft glow.

In our invitation we promised cookies and hot chocolate and other "kingly" treats...
The table was set in jewel tones--befitting the gifts that the Three Kings brought.
Here's what we served~
Christmas tree carrot Bundt cake (in s/p cake stand with wonderful high dome,
from Bombay Company, a gift from my mother years ago)
Cream cheese with hot pepper jelly (red) and green pepper jelly
with buttery crackers (lower right)
Gem shortbread cookies
Candy cane-striped meringue kisses 



Jewel-toned vintage Tiara platter and Cambridge Caprice bowl
(the latter a gift from my SIL years ago)
Sterling compote holds whole cashews and dried cranberries,
a simple, yummy combination.



Since we were serving buffet style, the "star" stacker seemed quite apropos, don't you think?
Ribbon candy is a must during the holidays...in another Cambridge Caprice bowl,
surrounded by a mix of sterling and crystal candle holders.
Dishes are Lenox Eternal and the clear ones in the first two tiers are vintage Federal, Heritage pattern.
The bottom ones are vintage, of unknown lineage, but pretty.

We served Golden Pineapple Punch in our sterling punch bowl--a gift from my MIL,
complete with ladle, platter, and lid. 
Have you seen many punch bowls with lids?  I haven't,
but it's quite old now, and perhaps it was something more common in the past.

We served the punch in our "vintage" ARBY's goblets (can you say "vintage" and "goblets"
in the same sentence as Arby's? :) ) 
I have many of the glasses, and our son found these at Goodwill recently
and wrapped them up as what he thought would be a funny gift--

ARE YOU KIDDING?!  They're PERFECT! 
Funny, when I set them out I actually admired how they glistened!  :)

~~~~~~We also served the BEST CAPPUCCINO HOT CHOCOLATE EVER,of course
topped with whipped cream from my iSi Cream Whipper
(to find out more about it see HERE)
Everyone raved and asked for the recipe.
Sadly, I forgot to take a picture.
I served them in old footed punch cups--very pretty. 

I wish you a happy, healthy 2012 with much to be thankful for.

Does your family celebrate the Epiphany?
Do the Three Kings visit your home and leave gifts?
If you do a celebration, I'd love to know about it,
and if you have posted pictures, please be sure to share them with me!

Thanks for stopping by.  Please leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them!  They encourage me and inspire me.  And if you like what you see a lot J, maybe you’d like to +1 this post too!  Thank you!

I will be joining these fun parties; please stop by to see all the great things there!

 Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

 Homemaker on a Dime, Sunday at http://www.homemakeronadime.com/p/link-parties.html

 House in Roses Show Off Your Cottage Monday at http://houseinroses.blogspot.com

 Amaze Me Monday at http://dittledattle.blogspot.com/

 Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

 Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple   

 Newbie Party on Monday at http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com/

 Tabletop Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/ 

 Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/ 

 Mrs. Hines’ Wednesday Show & Tell at  http://www.linkytools.com/wordpress_list.aspx?id=120723&type=thumbnail

 Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

 Open House Party Thursday http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

 Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

 Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

 Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com

 Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

 In and Out of My Nest’s Saturday weekend party at http://inandoutmynest.blogspot.com/2011/12/r-r-weekend-party_29.html?showComment=1325569309720#c8749613812899918207

From my Chickadee Nest to yours~

    Zuni

Candy Cane Meringue Kisses

These "kisses" are perfect for Christmas, because they look like candy canes, but they're also perfect for Valentine's Day.  Happy kissing!

Here's what they look like--cute, huh?
Want to learn how to make them?  It's easy---follow along.

The recipe is a basic meringue recipe:
4 egg whites (save the yolks for another recipe)
1 cup granulated sugar
(so the recipe is 1/4 c of sugar for each egg white--you can make as much or as little as you'd like).
Four egg whites made three large jelly roll pans.

Set the egg whites aside for about 15 minutes so they're not cold from the refrigerator.

You'll also need:
 *  Red gel or cream food coloring to make the candy stripes
*  A small brush
*  Pastry bag
*  Star tip on the pastry bag
*  Edible glitter in white and/or red (optional)

Very important:  Be sure there is NO yolk in the egg whites!

Cut enough parchment paper to line your baking sheets.

Preheat oven to 210˚

I like the convenience of disposable pastry bags.
Push the "coupler" into the bag as far as you can (it probably won't fit through the open tip)
Mark the bag where the coupler stops, remove the coupler, and cut the tip there
(be carefeul to not cut it too far up, or it won't seal)
Put the coupler back in the bag and push it through so only the threads are out of the bag
Place the star tip up against the coupler, and hold both in place with the twist seal.

Pour egg whites into mixing bowl.
Beat on high, adding the sugar slowly until all the sugar has been added and the
meringue looks firm and shiny and beautiful.
When the meringue is stiff enough that it no longer drips from the beaters,
it's done!

To prepare the pastry bag:
This step should be done once the meringue is ready to be piped, as the pastry bag can't be put down
once the "stripes" are painted.
Pour some cream food coloring into a small bowl.
Dip a small paint brush into the food coloring and carefully reach into the bag
and "paint" three evenly spaced "stripes" from the tip of the bag to 4 or 5 inches from the top.
Notice that they don't have to be perfect, but the meringues will look great!

Using a spatula, add the meringue to the pastry bag.

Fold the top of the bag several times to release the air in the bag and
to move the meringue down.

Squeeze a small "kiss" on each corner of your baking sheet(s), then place the parchment paper
on your baking sheets.  This will hold your sheets in place.

If all the meringue doesn't fit in the pastry bag, simply paint more stripes in the same
areas where the first were and refill the bag with meringue.

Sprinkle with glitter if desired.

Place in oven for 2 to 3 hours, until they are completely dry and feel hard to the touch, but
don't let them start to change color!
Meringues should be perfectly white when done.

I hope you and your family will enjoy many, many kisses--
now, at Christmas, on Valentine's Day, and
on any day.

Thanks for stopping by.  Please leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them!  They encourage me and inspire me.  And if you like what you see a lot J, maybe you’d like to +1 this post too!  Thank you!

I will be joining these fun parties; please stop by to see all the great things there!

 House in Roses Show Off Your Cottage Monday at http://houseinroses.blogspot.com

 Amaze Me Monday at http://dittledattle.blogspot.com/

 Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

 Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple   

 Newbie Party on Monday at http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com/

 Tabletop Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/ 

 Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/ 

 Mrs. Hines’ Wednesday Show & Tell at  http://www.linkytools.com/wordpress_list.aspx?id=120723&type=thumbnail

Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

 Open House Party Thursday http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

 Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

 Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

 Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com

 Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

 Five Minutes Just for Me at http://5minutesjustforme.blogspot.com

 In and Out of My Nest’s Saturday weekend party at http://inandoutmynest.blogspot.com/2011/12/r-r-weekend-party_29.html?showComment=1325569309720#c8749613812899918207 

 Saturday's http://sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com/

 Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/      

 Homemaker on a Dime, Sunday at http://www.homemakeronadime.com/p/link-parties.html

From my Chickadee Nest to yours~

    Zuni