Let Love Bloom

 Love is Blooming at my table in honor of

Valentine’s Day ~

  Roses are blooming on my china, napkins, and in my soup tureen I filled courtesy of Trader Joe’s.

I’m the happy recipient of my Great Aunt’s china, marked Avenir China, Limoges France. Since at one point in the 1920’s as many as 48 companies were producing wares marked Limoges, it’s been as difficult to identify as a box of unmarked chocolates, which I can’t determine the content of without a “pinch” test. . .

After some googling and visiting Replacements, I was able to narrow it down to a pattern by G. Demartine & Cie, which produced and decorated porcelain from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s, but only as far as a pattern number and ‘manufacturer status unknown’.

 

 I’m happy to use it for a Valentine’s Day Tea and offer up some sweet treats. . .

 My silver filigree footed dish was a consignment store find and echoes the edge of my runner I found last year from Home Goods.

It’s serving up some cocoa meringue cookies. . .

Pink roses have a rich history that comes with being one of the longest existing roses known. When roses began to be cultivated, the majority of them existed in various shades, from the palest pink to the deepest crimson, and were the dominant species among wild roses and likely among the earliest roses to evolve.

 As a symbol of grace and elegance, the pink rose is often given as an expression of admiration. They can also convey appreciation as well as joyfulness. Pink rose bouquets often impart a gentler meaning than their red counterparts.

 These demitasse spoons are part of another Great Aunt’s silver pattern by S. Kirk & Son. . . I got them by default since they were monogrammed with W’s,  and look like an M upside-down :-)

This tray belonged to my grandmother and was given to her for her years of service as church secretary, and is serving tea on my table :-)

 My grandmother’s pressed glass compote is serving up jam-filled shortbread hearts. . .

Second only to red roses in popularity, white roses symbolize truth and innocence. They also represent silence, secrecy, reverence, humility, youthfulness and charm. You can use them to say, “You’re heavenly”, “I miss you” and “I’m worthy of you”. . .

 A white rosebud symbolizes girlhood, representing purity and are traditionally associated with marriages and new beginnings. The white rose is also a symbol of honor and reverence, and white rose arrangements are often used as an expression of remembrance.

The name for cocoa is theobroma, which means ‘food of the gods’.  We know that chocolate is meant for us, because the melting point for good chocolate just happens to be the temperature within your mouth :-)

In the 1800’s physicians commonly advised their lovelorn patients to eat chocolate to calm their pining~ and as an elixir for love, chocolate has been believed throughout history to bring smiles to the broken-hearted and to prompt amorous feelings in both men and women.

 

It is believed that Madame Du Barry served it to all her suitors;  Montezuma, the king of the ancient Aztecs, believed chocolate would make him virile; and Casanova consumed chocolate instead of champagne to induce romance. Personally, I would rather not have to choose between chocolate & champagne :-)

“Our skin has been hibernating in layers of clothes for months; we are accustomed to gray. We can start to think that this is how it always will be. And then, there’s Valentine’s Day. A day to look in your lover’s eyes and see color. To eat something that plays with your taste buds and to remember romance.  But here’s the thing. If you live in your senses, slowly, with attention, if you use your eyes and fingertips and your taste buds, then romance is something you’ll never need a greeting card to make you remember.”  ~ Erica Bauermeister, The School of Essential Ingredients

 Napkins & Teapots ~ Home Goods

Thank you for your visit, I’m joining:

 A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday

  Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch~

French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday~

The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays~

  Rose Chintz Cottage for Valentine’s Day Tea ~

 Common Ground ~Vintage Valentine Party~