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