Purple Passion for Valentines

The color PURPLE traditionally has been associated with royalty, but I also associate it with PASSION, since it’s such an intense color.  When I researched the meaning of PURPLE I found something interesting:  “It is understandable that purple represents royalty if one thinks how purple is a mix of red and blue, that is a mix of female and male energies. Mixing female and male energies grants the power of creation which is an attribute of god.”  (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_the_color_purple_represent.)    Maybe subconsciously I sensed that meaning the female and male energies, because when I started to plan my Valentine table, I knew I wanted to use PURPLE.  I also found that PURPLE “connotes luxury, wealth, and sophistication,”—well, there you have it!  HAVE to use PURPLE!  (Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/spot/colors1.html#ixzz2Jrt4gOjP)

RED is “the most emotionally intense color…it stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing.  It is also the color of love," so that’s why RED is the traditional color of Valentines.(http://www.infoplease.com/spot/colors1.html#ixzz2JrtHzzCw/)

PURPLE, shimmery placemats and RED chargers are the foundation for today’s tablescape, which is set for TWO, of course.

Can you feel the passion?  The intense reds, with a touch of shimmery purple, and touches of gold and silver?

The red tassel napkin rings, because of their shimmer, are able to keep up with the shimmer around them.

   If you’ve visited me in the past you know of my PASSION for vintage, hand-embroidered linens.  The napkins are one of several romantic linen touches at this table…  If you love linens too, there’s more coming!

Ahhh, yet another passion—crystal—that adds another element of shimmer and excitement.

And candlelight…  Did you notice that the table is also set for after-dinner coffee, and perhaps CHOCOLATE too?

Roses and china and crystal and chocolate, OH MY!

More vintage napkins.  These came home with me last summer, when I simply could not walk away from them.  And now I see that they are perfect for our romantic Valentine’s Dinner.  The napkin rings are a gift from our youngest son, from years ago.  That bright boy knew to go to Bombay to buy gifts for his Mama.  :)

Vintage sugar bowls and creamers…yet another passion.  And my Table Art leaf spoon, purchased at a lovely little shop, The Morgan House, near our home, years ago.

I needed some height at the table, so I improvised and repurposed my pink Heisey footed server as a pedestal for the coffee service.

This is truly a vintage piece…a square topper that is beginning to show its age, but is soooo loved.  The stitching is exquisite, as is the fabric.  It’s worthy of a table set for royalty, or romantic Valentines.

Nightfall allows for candlelight...the best time to enjoy a Valentine dinner.

More vintage linens—a runner that is pressed into service over and over again—and a vintage silver footed dish adds interest and texture and shimmer to the table.

Hmmmm….I think maybe I’d rather have a scrumptious breakfast with my sweetie at this table!  We can quickly improvise—milk in the water goblets, juice in the wine glasses, move the coffee cups right here next to our plates, and maybe bring on the champagne flutes for mimosas!

The gold flatware that my sweet grandmother gave me years ago, to go with the six sets of Lenox Holiday dessert plates and teacups she gave me.  She was such a sweetheart.  Using this flatware, over and over again as I have over the years, always makes me happy.

Wishing you a happy Valentine’s Day with the one you love.  May you have all the things this table represents, in the way that you most like.

How will you be celebrating Valentine’s Day?  With roses and chocolates and candlelight and crystal and silver?  Or in a different kind of special?  Although I would have loved to have actually eaten at this table, we weren’t able to.  My sweetie has made reservations at a lovely restaurant and shop, The Pine Tree Barn.  It’s a bit of a drive, but one that we love.  We’ll spend a happy day at the shop then I’m sure it’ll be a romantic dinner for two.  That’s the way we like it—dinner for two.

Other details about Purple Passion post:

Goblets: Lismore Tall (water) and Alana (wine)

Candleholders: Waterford

Sugar and creamer: – Pattern and maker unknown.  Haven’t had time to research it, so if you know, please let me know! :)

Under plate used as charger, cups and saucers and coffee server: Lenox Eternal

Dinner plates:  Limoges (according to Replacements.com, the pattern is GueGue 596)

~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to +1 this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you!

I invite you to follow my blog and follow me on Pinterest. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back.

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From my nest to yours, ~Zuni

Sooo Versatile, Blue and White

Hi!  Boy, I’ve been a way for most of July, all of August, and part of September…not too sure where the time went, but I do have great memories of summer—family vacation at the beach, time with babies, evening rides in our convertible.  So as you can well imagine, I’m not…quite…ready for fall.  Getting there, as I always do, but not there quite yet.

Earlier in the summer I did a blue and white table, then made minor changes to it with different color accents to explore the versatility of lovely, bright, serene, blue and white.

Today’s post is about, well, BLUE AND WHITE.

  Isn’t it serene?  The table was set for a romantic dinner for two.

Let’s take a closer look:

Blue, white, crystal, and silver.

Salad plates:  Spode, The Blue Room Collection

Dinner plates:  Spode Delamere

Chargers:  Silverplate, a purchase years ago.

Sterling:  Lunt Eloquence

Individual salt and pepper shakers:  Sterling, purchased years ago.

Linen napkin:  Pottery Barn

Napkin rings:  Sterling, baptismal gift to our firstborn, from his godmother.  One has his name engraved on it, and the other was left blank for his future bride.  Isn’t that a sweet gift?  We must get hers engraved now; it’s time to turn them over.  But it’ll be hard…I’ve loved being their keeper for 30+ years.

Waterford Kinsale vase, silverplate pitcher, and Bombay Company blue and white cut votive cup.

Waterford Lismore Tall goblet, vintage Alana wine stem (now archived by Waterford).  Vintage pressed glass dish for lemon slices to brighten the water in the pitcher.

Do you love the sweet, intricate detail of vintage linens?  I can hardly resist them when I see them in antique shops.

Dessert will also be served.

Pressed glass dishes:  I haven’t researched them yet, but they’re a recent, and now favorite find.

The sweet cordials are very vintage, and very special—they were a gift from my husband’s dear, dear aunt.

The two bowls are sterling, from my collection, and the serving tray?  A garage sale find years ago (a set of 3!)!

The beautiful vintage linen napkins are in perfect condition; a purchase this spring at the Springfield (Ohio) Antique Show.

If you really are looking closely, the dessert spoons are not from the Lunt set.  They are 1847 Rogers Brothers vintage silverplate; a hostess gift from my SIL.

Champagne flutes were a wedding gift from another SIL.  I don’t know the pattern, but they have been used for many, many Mimosas over the years, because I love them.  The stem is frosted.

The lavender is from our garden.

Evening arrives…

Did you think that the daylight table was perhaps a little empty?  There was a plan…for candleholders.

And yes, we DID have a candlelight dinner.

 

Do you love blue and white as much as I do?  I’d love to hear what colors you have woven into your table settings that started out as blue and white.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to +1 this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you!

I invite you to follow me. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back.

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Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

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

Fridays Unfolded at http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/

Saturday Nite Special at http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/

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

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

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

Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/

Cozy Home Scenes Tuesdays at http://cozyhomescenes.blogspot.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

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

Cuisine Kathleen at http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

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

DIY by Design Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

What's It Wednesday at http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

Thursdays at StoneGable http://www.stonegableblog.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Tablescape Thursday at betweennapsontheporch.net

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

Share Your Cup Thursday at http://jannolson.blogspot.com/

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

From my 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

Chickadee Christmas Table

Earlier this week I told you about my happy find--chickadee dishes for Chickadee Home Nest (HERE).  As in that post, I wanted my table to have a woodland but upscale feel, so there would be the contrast of rustic with shimmer.

The centerpiece says it all...
Christmas Blessings
to all who visit.
(Did you notice the candy cane in the goblet?  More on that later.)

And the chickadee dishes--LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them!
Perfect for Chickadee Home Nest, don't you think?
You notice the goblet is offset on the plate--that's to not obstruct the design.
I chose old, beautifully worn damask napkins, because they have a wonderful, soft
texture.  White?  For contrast with the tablecloth and to better show the texture brought
to the table by the napkin rings.

Silverplate chargers I've had for many years, and the flatware (Oneida King James, silverplate) add the
shimmer I wanted to add, and the silver goes well with the rim of the dishes.
Dishes - Global Design Connections/Kate Williams
Red goblets - Pottery Barn, a couple of years ago.



Remember I recently re-discovered Bombay Company? (HERE)  Bombay is now a department
at our local Kroger Marketplace.
You know how you can't go to the grocery store when you're hungry because you end up buying much more than you intended?  Well, I shouldn't go into Kroger Marketplace with Bombay when I'm dreaming and scheming about a tablescape either!  I'd seen this chicken-wire cloche, and in that moment of hunger weakness
I succumbed to my dreams.



These candles also were a gotta-have-them moment at Kroger--same trip...
The "candle holder"??  A piece of the trunk that was
 trimmed from our Christmas tree.
I saw these beautiful, natural rounds, and I knew they would be great as risers on my tables.
(If you do this, be sure to put wax paper or a dish under the trunks, as the sap will ruin most things.)



Earlier I asked if you'd noticed the candy cane in each red goblet.
Did you notice the stirrers in each of the clear ones?
They're tiny but precious.

The stirrers and candy-cane picks--
too cute to not take a good look at them.
My mother (yes, the one who feeds my dish addiction), gave me the stirrers
years and years ago, and though we don't make many drinks requiring stirring,
I never feel like it's Christmas and the decorating is done until they're out.
I usually put them in a pretty glass in the china cabinet.
The sweet candy-cane picks are from Pottery Barn a few years ago.
What do you think?  Do you like them as much as I do?

As the last picture I wanted to share the very interesting rims on these darling plates--
the rims look like twigs!
The salt and pepper chickadees are sitting on a little silverplate tray I recently got at GW,
and they're "nesting" in two napkin rings that are flexible enough to be reshaped as needed.

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, and my very best wishes for a happy Christmas filled with warm and memorable moments.

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

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

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

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

 The Lettered Cottage at http://theletteredcottage.net/

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

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

 Motivated Monday at http://becolorful.typepad.com/  

 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/ 

From my Chickadee Nest to yours~

    Zuni

Bombay Co. is Alive!

In my Thanksgiving Dress Rehearsal post HERE, I mentioned that I have many pieces from Bombay Co. and how I miss that store.  I received comments from others who also miss it.

So today I go to a Kroger Marketplace, and as I browse through their housewares I immediately recognize the tan and white stripe and BOMBAY lettering in a large vignette!

Was I happy, or was I sad?  I was happy to see that the company is still alive, but sad that it would be in a Kroger.  Remember how pretty their stores at the mall were?  According to their website, they are also found at Fred Meyer and through QVC.

Do you remember the logo/the lettering?  It looked so familiar to me; I was surprised that I remembered it so well.

No doubt about it--some of the pieces were pretty.  This silk orchid was beautiful.
I think it was around $40.

I liked this chicken-wire cloche with the rustic bowl a lot.
It was only about $14.
I'll be thinking about it, and one day I'll just have to jump in my car
AND BRING IT HOME! 
If I don't,...come Easter I'll be very sorry.....

And how about this pretty one for only $12?!  The box behind it was lovely; it looks like
a book, but it's a box for saving pretty things.  Yes, that might need a GOOD home too.

They also had furniture--at VERY reasonable prices.  They looked
pretty enough.
Remember they always had nice accent tables?
Still do.

Some of their tables and bookcases, etc.



They also had nice Christmas decorations.  I especially liked these deer candle holders.
I think they were $40 each.



Recently I needed nice place cards--not the tent type.  Could not find them, and I didn't have time

to look for them online.

These Bombay ones, which I bought when they were closing their stores, are my favorite ones--

rounded corners and gold edge.




So, please tell me--do you remember the "old" Bombay?  Do you miss it?

Are you sad that it's at Kroger now, or are you happy to know they're

still in EXISTENCE?

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'll be joining lots of parties, as you'll see below, because I suspect many bloggers will

want to know about the resurrected Bombay.  Especially, I'll be joining Susan's

Monday Metamorphosis because that's exactly what's happened at Bombay!

Please stop by to see all the great things at these fab blogs:

The Tablescaper's Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

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

Carrie’s Amaze Me Monday at http://dittledattle.blogspot.com/

Home Savvy A to Z Monday party at http://www.homesavvyatoz.com/savvy-homemade-monday-13/

 Susan’s Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

 Motivated Monday at http://becolorful.typepad.com/  

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

 Marty's Table Top Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/ 

 Kim's Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/ 

 Susan's Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

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

 Courtney’s, Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

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

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