Black & White Toile Tablescape

I've done it again. 

I've managed to disappear from blogland for another week.

My apologies.  

I just don't know where the time goes anymore.

♥♥♥

How about a tablescape?

 It was a good day to play with a little black & white...

and toile.  I love toile.

Did you know that in my pre-blogging days,

my dining room was done in black & white toile?

When I started lightening up the dining room, there

were just some toile pieces, I didn't want to part with.

Like these placemats,  for instance. 

Let's see...

Cream dinner plates are BH&G, from Walmart

White luncheon plates are Corelle

Black salad plates are from the Oneida Outlet

Black flatware is Cambridge, from Home Goods

Black goblets are from Kmart

 

I picked up the black metal coffee pot at an antique store last year.

I love the way it looks filled with flowers.

Tulips are my favorite!
 

It is always so much fun to play with dishes!

Linking to:

Let's Dish at Cuisine Kathleen

Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch

     

Filled with Love

 Happy Valentine's Day!

 

♥♥♥

 

 

♥♥♥

 

 

A Valentine Pillow

I'm not sure if you remember my Halloween or Snowman pillows,

but I got the idea in my head

that I also need to make a Valentine's Day pillow to go with them.

Bur first I would like to share the words of my husband...

 

"Are you planning to make a pillow for every month?" 

" You're getting ridiculous with the pillows."

Oh yes, you gotta love him!  Ridiculous though I may be, 

I made that Valentine pillow anyway.  

 

You bet I did. 

 

That is after informing him

just who he thought he was to stifle my creativity.

That was followed by a resounding

"YEAH!"

from my daughter.  lol

 

Needless to say, my husband got a kick out of it

and laughed too.

He really is harmless.

  

I cut some fleece,

and made a heart template.

 

Despite my best intentions, I never really have a set plan.

I thought a few pearls might be nice, so

I sewed some on.

 

 

 

 

Then I sewed the whole thing together by hand.

  

 

Like I always say, it's not perfect, but

I think it's cute anyway. 

 

 

Only a few days left until the big day of love!

Are you ready?

 

Linking to:

Winter Blues Wednesday at DIY by Design

 

 

A Winter Bath

Since we have been bombarded with fluffy white stuff,

I thought this post would be appropriate.

Some time before Christmas, I got it in my head that red would be a pretty color to introduce into my tiny blue cottage bathroom.  So began the search for a red shower curtain...

My first purchase was a lovely red & white toile curtain.  I loved the curtain, but the deep red with my blue walls just wasn't doing it for me.

It was a cheerful and happy red that I needed.

My second purchase was a red & white polka dotted curtain.  It certainly was cheerful and happy, but man it was just red overload!

One day, in early December, I was shopping in Kohls & spied the cutest snowmen shower curtain.  The snowmen were wearing red scarves.

Hmmm, I thought to myself. 

Perhaps I need to add just a touch of red instead of a full-on blow-out of red.

But wouldn't it be silly to buy a shower curtain just for Christmas?

Do I really want a themed bathroom?   

With closer observation, I noticed the snowmen weren't really Christmas-y snowmen, they were more Winter-y snowmen.  Along with the fact that Winter lasts until March (or April...or May...) in these parts,  I could use it well past Christmas.  Between the sale & coupon, it would only be $12.00 & change, so why not have a little fun?

Come take a look....

Are they cute or what?

  

Turns out that just a touch of red was the way to go.

My favorite shelf with a touch of snow & a touch of red.

Aaaah, I love it!

Have I ever told you how much I love red & white gingham?

And that, my friends, is my Winter bath!

Thanks for stopping by today.

I appreciate your visit oh so much!

True Love Tablescape

I feel as though I haven't tablescaped in quite some time. 

When I entered the Dollar Tree crafting party, I promised a Valentine's Day tablescape with my craft.

 

I am having a grand old time with PicMonkey, that's for sure!

 

 

I'm always worried that I don't have heart shaped or Valentine's Day dishes to use for a tablescape.  This is the second time I've managed a Valentine's Day tablescape without them.  

 



 

Felt placemates from Christmas Tree Shop

Ivory dinner plates are Better Homes & Gardens from Walmart

Red salad plates from the Oneida Factory Outlet

Mixed flatware...the ivory came from Target awhile ago,  the red were an engagement gift some 20+ years ago

Ivory napkins from Bed, Bath & Beyond

I used clear napkin rings that I've probably had for 20 years and tied a red ribbon on them.  I added a silver glass heart ornament that I bought a few years ago at Target (on clearance after Christmas.)  Funny, I never used the hearts for Christmas.  I always use them for Valentine's Day instead.

 

 

 I do love those silver hearts!  I scattered the rest of them across the table runner.

 

 

In the above photo you can see that I used my Dollar Tree craft for my centerpiece.  My goodness that thing has gotten alot of use this year!  lol  I also used my chippy white & crystal candleholders.  They came from Michaels a few years back.  They've been used all over my house throughout the years.  They go so well with everything!

 

Wishing you a wonderful, love-filled day!

 

 

Linking to:

 

Let's Dish at Cuisine Kathleen

Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch

 

 

Happy List Tuesday

My friend, Ricki Jill, from Art @ Home is hosting a weekly blog party,
every Tuesday.

It's simple really.  

All you have to do is write a post about something

that makes you happy and then link up.

Simple enough?

I've never participated in this party before,

 but thought now is as good a time as any!

So without further adieu, this week, I am happy for:

Awards Season!

I love watching award shows.  

It's so much fun to step into the celebrity world for a few hours.

My favorite part is seeing what everyone is wearing.

Tea!

I absolutely love tea.  

Maybe it has a lot to do with the bitter cold weather, but

I can't seem to get enough of it lately.

A pretty teacup makes it taste even better.

Downton Abbey!

Oh how I love Downton Abbey!  

Downton has made Sunday the happiest day of the week!

Ok girls, go on over to Art @ Home & participate in Ricki Jill's party,

My Happy List.

You'll be very happy you did!

 

Movie Time

I hope you don't mind if I stray off the Valentine's Day theme

 that I've been throwing around here lately.

 

I'd love to talk movies.

 

My daughter & I have seen so many movies

within the last couple of months,

it's no wonder I haven't been blogging much. 

 

And so it began with this:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

 

The young cast was fantastic. 

It was a great coming-of-age picture and 

while it really resonated with my daughter,

I, too, enjoyed it; very much actually.

That Logan Lerman is a doll!

 

 Then we saw,

 

Breaking Dawn, Part II
 

 

We were happy to see the conclusion
of the Twilight Series at last.
We enjoyed it. 
We always felt the books were
better than the movies, but
as Twihards, the movies
have always been fun.

 

  Next came,

 

Lincoln



 

I'm not one for historical type movies, but

this was excellent.

  Daniel Day Lewis' performance was beyond words!
 

Then we moved on to,

 

Les Miserables

  

I can't begin to tell you the obsession this has created for me.

As a matter of fact,
I'm listening to the 10th Anniversary concert as I type this.

I've watched Les Mis flash mobs on You Tube and

I've sung the songs in my head for days at a time.

I need an intervention and fast!

 

Anyway,

Saddest.Movie.Ever.

 

We cried our eyes out, and loved it still.

 Even though the singing was not stellar

(we didn't expect it would be from a Hollywood cast),

 we think it was a fantastic movie. 

 

Next up,

 

 The Hobbit

 

 

 Great movie!

Can't wait to see the two sequels!  

I guess it might also be time to watch
The Lord of the Rings trilogy

because I'm hooked!
 

Then along came,

 

 Silver Linings Playbook

 

We absolutely loved this movie!
 It was fantastic!

 I swear if I didn't think that Daniel Day Lewis
actually WAS Abraham Lincoln,

 I believe Bradley Cooper would win the Oscar for his performance.

 And I'm not just saying it because he's pure eye candy.

Jennifer Lawrence was awesome too...
and Robert DeNiro...and Jacki Weaver.

Our last movie was

 

Parental Guidance

  

  

I love Billy Crystal and Bette Midler.

They are so funny and they didn't disappoint.

 It was a fun and light hearted movie.

 

Phew!

Now do you see why I've been sporadic with my blogging & visiting???

 

So tell me, have you see any good movies lately?