Valentine's Day Table

Valentines is one of my favorite holidays ...I love to use the theme of hearts and the color RED.

I wanted to begin with three cupids I had found last summer ...which set the theme as more formal than informal...

and used the large white feather tree and the two smaller silver ones from the Christmas centerpiece, but decorated them with hearts and silver beads from Bethany Lowe.

Various sizes of Mercury Glass candlesticks were a good investment, because they go well with any holiday, and also move from formal to informal settings easily.

This year I added red goblets which bring the color up from the place setting to meet the centerpiece.

I wanted to use my mother's beautiful lace tablecloth, but I didn't want the children to eat on it and risk spots, so I ruffled it up as a runner down the middle of the table over a washable white tablecloth, and added glass hearts, glittery red balls, and Victorian valentines.

Another versatile accent are the low vases of waxy preserved roses that go with so many different themes. Silver glitter birds can be used at Christmas or in the spring and the battery lit column candles also can be used any season.

Something new was the ruffly Valentine's Wreath I made at a class from doilies and coffee filters.

The bow is tied on with a ribbon rather than glued, so I can remove it and make one with more green, maybe a little yellow or blue with the pink and change the wreath to an Easter theme.

In the hallway there is a black granite buffet, on which I put lanterns and apothecary jars that were filled with red accents...red glass balls, red beaded grapes, and red and purple balls with a Victorian valentine.  Different types of red ribbon top the jars and the lanterns. Jars and lanterns can be changed to fit any color scheme and season.

I love the look of candy in these jars as well, or pine cones, lemons, or artichokes depending on the season.

I have often used these large red glitter hearts on the six arms of my chandelier, but this year they were tied to the jars and kept the crystal snowflakes and silver glitter crowns from Christmas.

Small book paper cones decorated with red tinsel and red and silver hearts from Bethany Lowe can decorate the feather trees or the jars and lanterns to tie them together.

On the buffet in the dining room there are two candlestick lamps with black shades...these dress up with ribbons to match the holiday, and pair with other collections of silver or crystal candlesticks for other holidays.

A great variety of red and white ribbons were fun to collect and can be used year after year. They are wire edged and can be rolled to store in a small space from year to year. I love that the candles can be set to go on at the same time each evening and turn off themselves.

This is basically the same centerpiece as Christmas, but the accents were changed from blue to red, and this makes storage easier. I try to find basic elements that I can use in any season by changing the details...Practical and Beautiful.

 Things Beautiful...This vintage Christmas centerpiece was  a gathering of white, silver, and aqua decorations collected over the years, but never arranged in just this way before. Mercury glass candlesticks and pine trees added a silvery gleam, the Bethany Lowe white and blue houses sparkled with white glitter, white bottle brush trees added to the landscape.

 A tall silver feather tree decorated with aqua beads and silver ornaments glittered next to a lower white feather tree on the opposite side. Snowmen clowns juggled stars, and blue paper Hydrangea cones trees added a touch of blue. It was fun to sit at the table and view the scene at eye level and savor the details throughout the meal, not just in passing, as is often the case with a Christmas tree.

 On the sideboard of the breakfront a larger pink house stood surrounded by white bottle brush trees and enjoying a visit from a pink vintage Santa coming around the corner.

 The buffet was decorated with apothecary jars filled with blue balls and snow, another with silver glittery balls, and the tops were tied with a variety of aqua and turquoise ribbons.

 More jars were filled with blue glittery pine cone ornaments, silver mercury glass balls, and shiny silver balls. The silver, aqua, and kiwi origami balls were made by the children.

Things Useful...the apothecary jars are stored on the top of the breakfront when not being used and look pretty up there in a grouping. They can be filled with things relating to the various seasons. The other decorations are stored in banker's boxes on shelves in the basement, and are labeled by COLOR...white, silver, blue, Bethany Lowe houses, Bethany Lowe snowmen, etc. Last year the table was done in white, silver, and gold and I pulled out those boxes. Next year I may do white, silver, and red and have quite a different look with basically the same decorations. I wind the ribbon in rolls and tie new bows every year, pressing the ribbon with a curling iron if necessary to remove wrinkles.