Good morning!
I hope everyone’s January is going well so far. Today I am joining 15 other bloggers for a Valentine’s Day bloghop hosted by the fabulous Rita from Panoply. Thank you Rita! You can see all the bloggers’ links at the end of the post for tons of Valentine’s Day inspiration. If you following along and are coming here from Sarah at Hyacinths for the Soul or if you have arrived here one your own, a very warm welcome either way.
It seems like it has been cold everywhere these past few weeks – both in the US and in Canada. The day I started photographing this table (Saturday January 13th), we were under a polar vortex and woke up to a morning temperature of -38° C. The vortex was a particularly nasty one and from the weather maps, you could see that it’s tentacles had reached deep down into the U.S. To put that temperature into Fahrenheit terms, both scales are equivalent at -40°. So on Saturday, we were two degrees away from -40°F. Yikes. We broke 9 record lows across the province including one in Calgary, and had a number of electrical grid capacity warnings. Double yikes. Whatever scale you use, it was brutally cold, to say the least.
January is definitely one of our worst months here and snow abounds. I feel like my Valentine’s Day tablescapes will always have reference to winter. This table started with some embossed snowflake plates that I’ve had for several years but haven’t used on the blog yet. The dinner and salad plate are very similar and I don’t mind that because they will be fairly versatile and I can use them individually or as a set.
I placed them on a sparkly red charger plate and added a sparkly heart shaped appy plate on top.
The “love” napkins with pink, red, and gold hearts are encased by a bouquet of tiny red roses napkin rings. Gold-rimmed flatware accents the gold hearts in the napkins and the gold in the napkin rings.
Stemware was crystal water glasses and mirrored red snowflake wine glasses.
You can almost see the snowflakes better on the inside of the glass.
For the center of the table, I started with a creamy white and red heart table runner. In keeping with my winter/snowflake theme, I added this rustic sleigh filled with sparkly peonies (which are really napkin rings used here). It works and I didn’t have to go out and buy faux flowers lol.
On one end of the sleigh, there are red velvet heart cupcakes topped with cream cheese icing and sprinkles sitting on an ivory cake stand.
At the other end of the sleigh, a sweet teddy bear watches over some truffle filled heart chocolates and jelly belly beans in small dollar store condiment dishes whose shape reminds me of hearts. I will give this tiny teddy bear to my mom when I am done with the table because she loves teddy bears and doesn’t have a lot of space in her new place. She will turn 94 on January 26th.
There wasn’t a lot of room left on the table for candles but I did manage to tuck in some winter scene votives on each side of the sleigh.
And some snowflake table scatter was strewn about the table just for fun.
Resources:
HomeSense: snowflake dishware about 3 years ago. Heart table runner last year (but I see they have them in again this year. Note: If you decide to buy this, the red hearts bleed very easily.). “Love” napkins this year.
Etsy or eBay: Heart appy plates several years ago.
Stokes: Sparkle chargers last year.
Michaels (?): Rustic sleigh several years ago.
Pier 1: Peony napkin rings many years ago.
The napkin rings were from an online company called Temu that I stumbled across recently.
Thank you for visiting and happy Valentine’s day everyone! Please visit all the other blogger’s tables at the links below. You are sure to find much Valentine’s Day inspiration!
Kim, I love those white snowflake embossed plates! They are lovely and can be incorporated in so many different tablescapes with so many different colors. I love the sleigh and how you have used the winter vibes along with Valentine’s theme! Bundle up and stay warm!
Thanks so much Chloe! I agree that those snowflake plates will be so versatile for future tablescapes so I was pretty happy when I found them. Our weather has since moderated thankfully (that polar vortex was pretty crazy and seemed to be across North America) and we are back to our normal winter temps although our sister provinces to the east are not faring so well. I am so looking forward to spring. I hope that everything is well with you down there and I am dying to see those recovered chairs that you purchased. Take care!
This is such a cute table, and of course red and white is my very favorite color combination. I also like how you mixed snowflakes and hearts because I think that snow is very romantic, too. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Thanks so much Ricki Jill. It was a fun table to put together. I hope you had a fantastic vacation and Happy Valentine’s Day to you too!
Kim, this is a delightfully cozy table for Valentine’s Day! I think it’s marvelous that we have a holiday that’s full of cheery reds in the midst of a cold winter. (Though yours is much colder than mine). Those sparkling red chargers are gorgeous and I was entranced by the napkin rings. So unusual! I’m sure the snowflake plates will grace many a dinner in the years to come. It was fun hopping with you!
Thanks so much Sandra. I think I will get a lot of use out of those snowflake plates too – especially since our winters can be so long. The napkin rings were from an online company called Temu; I think that they are fairly new. The napkin rings have a generous opening – you could easily double napkin if you wanted, and they were so inexpensive. It was fun hopping with you too and I hope you and Greg have a very wonderful Valentine’s Day!
I love how you have added a hint of snowflakes Kim! Snow is almost always flying around here come February 14th! Your table runner is darling, the texture it adds to the table is perfect. The faux sparkly peonies add a bit of glitz, and I never would have guessed they were napkin rings! The rose bouquet napkin rings are so cute, as are the love-ly napkins! Hoping things warm up for you soon!
Thanks Maureen – yes, I know that snow is always around in January/February – no getting away from it. And now of all the crazy things this past week temps have been 10 – 15 degrees above normal. It has gone from one extreme to the other (though I am definitely not complaining about the warmer temps!). Is your weather like this? I’m so glad you liked the table and thanks for visiting and commenting. Happy Valentine’s Day to you!
Red and white is so cheery! Great Photos!
https://jeanneselep.blogspot.com/2023/08/collection-china-hutches-and-china.html
Thanks so much for your comments Jeanne. I popped over to your blog and oh my, you have some of the most gorgeous china I’ve ever seen. Between collecting beautiful china, photography, quilting, and crafting, you are one talented lady! Thanks for visiting and happy Friday to you!
So nice to combine the best of winter, snowflakes, with the warmest of holidays. Loved the classic red and white combination in your table setting. The red goblets and that great table runner bring the elements together. The simple plate stack in white with that great pop of red on the top really catches the eye. Wishing you a wonderful Valentine’s Day.
Lynne
Lynne, thanks for your lovely comments. When I look outside and see all our snow, its hard to think about anything else, so I just went with it. The red goblets were an online find several years ago only I don’t remember from where, so that’s why I didn’t list them in the resources. Thanks so much for your visit and wishing you a wonderful Valentine’s Day as well!
Kim, your pairing of snowflakes and hearts is such a lovely nod to both winter and Valentine’s Day. Your centerpiece is charming and I love the festive red and white color palette you’ve created! Blessings, Cecilia @ My Thrift Store Addiction
Thanks so much Cecelia for your visit and lovely comments. I’m really glad that you liked the table. I loved your table as well! It was great hopping with you and wishing you a lovely Valentine’s Day!
Kim- Great job on this sparkly Valentine tablescape. I really like your runner and napkins. How can you go wrong with the gorgeous red color. The goblets are stunning too. My mom had some similar to yours I wish I would’ve kept some of them. So elegant. Great hoping with you!
Hugs,
Karin
Hi Karin! Thanks for your sweet comments and yes, there is always something about red for Valentine’s day – at least that’s the look I was trying to capture. I didn’t list the snowflake wine glasses in the resources because I honestly can’t remember where I found them. It was online, but I’m positive it was neither Etsy nor eBay so some other company. It was maybe three years ago now and I was trying to complete/coordinate with a set that I got from Pier 1 many moons ago. I do remember that it took quite a while to find them. I can see how you are wishing that you would have kept some from your mom’s collection. Good luck if you decide to pursue them. Thanks for your visit and it was lovely hopping with you too!
Kim your table is lovely and so Valentine-ish with the beautiful red and white. I can not imagine your weather up there in Canada even tho I grew up in the midwest… I have been a Floridian for too long and shudder literally at your descriptions.
I adore the peonies in the sleigh, so pretty. The love napkins and table runner are perfect and thanks for the tip about the “running” hearts. Wow! that sounds a bit weird but you know what I mean. I like Rita’s suggestion of using Shout sheets to curb the colors from bleeding. Oh, another weird suggestion of bleeding on Valentine’s Day. I better quit while I am ahead…or behind whichever the case may be. Have a warmer week and it is always a pleasure to hop with you.
Oh my Kari, I had such a good laugh and I know exactly what you mean about the weirdness of the “bleeding hearts”. I never even thought about that at the time. But it is kind of a creepy image for Valentine’s Day lol. And yup, I shudder at the weather too, despite living in Calgary for the last 30+ years. However, our temps have returned to normal now and I am very thankful about that. Thanks for your comments and visit sweet lady and it was a pleasure to hop with you as well!
Oh so pretty Kim! I love the peonies in the sleigh – that overhead view is just beautiful! I love the red mirrored goblets and the heart plates too. You find the coolest pieces! And so fun that you’re going to give the bear to your mom. Our mothers were the same age – I hope yours is doing well in her smaller place, and wish her happy birthday from another 94 year old’s daughter. 😊 I’ve seen that Temu on the internet but never used it. Did you have a good experience? Anyway, LOVELY LOVELY table my friend! I’m so pleased to share in this hop with you! Stay warm up there!
Thanks so much Barbara and I’m glad you liked the table. Yours was stunning. Seriously. I will pass on your birthday wishes to mom – thank you. So cool that our mothers were the same age. The Temu experience was great. The napkin rings are so inexpensive – I think they were $2.00 each. They won’t ship an order under $15.00 so of course I had to order another 4 napkin rings to make it up lol. But they are small enough that they won’t take up a lot of storage space. They were reasonably packaged and came in a reasonable amount of time. I can’t quite remember if the shipping was free or not. So no complaints whatsoever. But thanks for your visit and I am beyond thrilled that you have joined this lovely group. Take care down there my friend!
Oh my Kim, I can’t even wrap my brain around how cold that is…brrrr! Love the marriage of snowflakes with hearts for your Valentine’s table. The pops of red from your goblets, chargers, hearts on your plates and table runner are so cheery in contrast to the white. What a brilliant idea to fill your sleigh centerpiece with your peony napkin rings. Your teddy bear is so cute, what a sweet gift for your mom. Wishing her a Happy 94th Birthday. As always, it’s a treat to have a virtual seat at your table and hop with you. Wishing you a Happy Valentine’s Day, Stay warm! ♥
Oh my is right Mary – it was so cold. Its such a weird phenomenon; you know in your mind that it’s cold and you dress accordingly. But then there’s always that surprise when you step out the door and the cold momentarily takes your breath away. Our weather has since normalized and I hope yours has too. Thank you for your lovely comments on the table and I will surely pass on your birthday wishes to mom. We have a small party planned for her this Saturday and I’m pretty sure that she’ll like the teddy bear. It is always a treat to join you at the table as well; you always share such inspiration. Happy Valentine’s Day to you too!
Wow Kim, you live in the cold country. Love your table’s colors, red, white and black, right down my alley. So romantic with the red sparkly peonies and hearts. The table runner is so pretty with the red hearts. The snowflakes are a perfect addition. The red heart shaped plate is perfect against the white plates. The goblets are lovely and look perfect with the sparkly florals. A special table to celebrate love. Always a pleasure to join you. Stay cozy.
Linda, thanks so much for you lovely comments, and yes, we do get some nasty cold weather here. But we are pretty much back to normal or even a bit above this week for which I am eternally grateful. I loved you pink bear table too – so pretty and fun! It was a pleasure hopping with you as well and take care down there. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Kim, oh my your weather has been brutal! However, your table is beautiful in its colors of red and white. The plate stack with the red heart on top is Valentine’s perfection. I really am quite fond of the love napkins and the bouquet of red rose napkin rings. Peonies filling the sleigh is a lovely centerpiece placed upon the heart runner. Mirrored red snowflake wine glasses are so pretty. Please pass me a red velvet heart cupcake ❤️ Wishing your precious mother a very happy 94th birthday. I know she will love the bear.
It is always a treat to join you at table, my friend❤️
Thank you Pam for your sweet comments and I will definitely pass on your birthday wishes to mom. I think she’ll like the teddy bear too. Funny thing about the red velvet cupcakes… they were so tasty when they were freshly baked but by the time I got around to photographing them on the table they were like little hockey pucks! Our weather has since normalized and I hope yours has too – a residual El Nino effect? Thanks so much for visiting and wishing you a lovely February filled with all your wonderful celebrations! It’s a treat to join you at the table as well, my friend!
Love the use of the peony napkin rings in the sleigh. Very pretty table.
Thanks so much Jan – I’m glad you enjoyed the table. Hope your temps are better where you are. Happy Valentine’s Day to you!
Oh my, Kim, you win the worst weather award! Holy ice cubes, I can’t even imagine how brutal that was, and how much damage there may be once the plants come out from under that. We still have snow, but we were only hit with less than 10 degrees below zero on the real feel.
Your table is absolutely perfect to brighten up and transition the real feeling of winter and the hopes for celebrating the heartfelt sentiment of Valentine’s Day. I adore that table runner and those dishes. The stemware is awesome and those votives just as much, both with their designs within the glass. Those little napkin rings are so delicate and finely detailed – they look like brooches. Temu?! Wow. I’ve heard so many things about that company, both good and not so good, but mostly good!
I have found in my vintage textile laundering that Shout color grabbing sheets really do a fine job of keeping colors from bleeding. I use them for anything I suspect may bleed, and haven’t had a fail yet.
Kim, thank you for participating in this hop. It’s so fun to have our Canadian contingent participating (you and Maureen), and to get the regional updates for both weather and for sourcing fun elements for our love of tablescaping. Happy Tuesday!
Rita, oh my goodness it was cold and the cold weather award is not something I’m coveting lol. I laughed at your “holy ice cubes” and I’ll have to remember that one. I don’t even want to think about the plants. Tuesday it was +5 and today it was +6 so the snow and ice were melting. Crazy weather (but I’m not complaining about the warmer temps). Temu was a smooth transaction and I have no complaints. I just discovered them by chance. I will take your advice about the Shout color grabbing sheets – previously I just had the runner wrapped in paper so it wouldn’t bleed on itself or anything else. Thank you for your lovely comments; it’s an absolute pleasure to be a part of these hops! Happy Thursday to you!!
Hi Kim! This is so Valentine pretty!! LOVE the red and white and how perfect to incorporate snow for you table, especially this year when much of our country and yours is experiencing such brutal winter weather! Your plate stacks are lovely, the heart shaped dishes are perfect. I’m crazy about the love napkins and cute rose bouquet napkin rings, so cute! Of course the heart runner looks great and the texture is nice and cozy. Your snowflake red goblets are beautiful and the sleigh centerpiece with peony napkin rings is brilliant! Stay cozy up there~
💕❤️💕 Jenna
Thank you so much Jenna! I bought the snowflakes plates for Christmas dinner in 2020 but then they brought in restrictions on all social gatherings so it was the Christmas that wasn’t. I was glad to get the chance to finally use them. Our weather has moved to above normal this week and I am so thankful for that. I’m glad that you like the table and I hope that your weather has normalized too. Take care down there!
What a lovely and welcoming table for the winter holiday! You have captured the theme perfectly with your centerpiece and red stemware! The table runner is a favorite of mine! Stay warm and Happy Valentines Day!
Thank you so much Patti. There is no question that it is winter here and most of the time you just have to roll with it. I’m really glad that you liked the table and I loved yours too. Happy Valentine’s Day to you and I hope you have better temps than we had!
Oh Kim….what a beautiful, romantic tablescape!! You always do such a lovely job! Yikes !! -38 that is a bit numbing on the toes! Here, on the east coast we have hit -21 windchills….but we haven’t headed into our coldest month yet…February. Stay warm & toasty my friend!
Thanks so much for your visit and lovely comment Charlotte. Yes, the temps certainly were a bit numbing and -21 windchills are pretty cold too as that’s what we had last Monday. Thankfully we have warmed up. I hope you are staying warm and cozy too!