Love...

We've been married 24 years. We joke that our pre-nuptial agreement said, "No more sets of dishes." Since then, I've acquired many many more sets, that friends, is love. My dear husband does love how I set the table; he always oohs and ahhhs over them. Today's Valentine table is no exception.

I am not a pink girl, despite the fact that I live with 3 men, I definitely am not a "girlie girl." However, as I have gotten older, it seems pinks and reds are creeping into my life, my dishes at the very least. As I went to select dishes for this table, I first thought about my mother-in-law's Franciscan Desert Rose, but then thought about the red chargers I had purchased at the Dollar Store, then the Spode Archive Collection transferware plates from Goodwill and a table idea was born!

I love transferware. I have the red from Spode, a Staffordshire green and the traditional brown Woodland with bisons and pumpkins. I've also collected quite a collection of bread plates which are on this table.

I love mixing different patterns together in a plate stack, these plates needed a brighter pop of color, so I added a cranberry depression glass plate under the bread plate. On top of the Homer Laughlin Harvest pattern, I layered on top on a pink Jeanette cherry blossom depression glass berry bowl. At the ends of the table, I layered a Royal Doulton Pomeroy on top, it greens and golds in the pattern as well, so I didn't add a bowl on top.

The silverware is my everyday silverware, Mikasa Harmony. The napkins, which you can't really see except in the first picture, are an antique white with some beautiful art deco-ish embroidery.

The glassware is my Waterford Mourne wine glasses. The little cranberry cordial glasses were found by my mom at a garage sale in Prescott, AZ. The hurricanes are probably from Home Goods many many years ago. The pattern echoes the pattern in the Mourne.

The centerpiece was tough for me. I have several pink depression glass serving bowls I tried to stack artistically, nope, couldn't make it work. Then the light bulb went off, a wreath! So out to the garage cabinet I went and voila a centerpiece! Three bowls stacked on each other, some Dollar Store glittery hearts and done!

Finally, the linens are a Laura Ashley natural color linen tablecloth and Dollar Store felt placemats in the center of the table.

I hope you and loved ones have a sweet Valentine's Day!