HYACINTHS FOR THE SOUL: La Rochere

Sunday, February 16, 2014

A Touch of Lipstick Red for Valentine's Day

Courtly Check

The week of Valentine's

was busy around here.

Lots of chocolates and
fun times spent with friends.

This stack of red and white stripe plates,

a sweet surprise from a girlfriend for my January birthday,

was the inspiration for our Valentine's table this year.

An impromptu stop at Sur La Table
yielded these pretty new napkins.

The beautiful woven texture, red stripes, and
fringed edges make me think of vintage French linens.

They fit in perfectly with

my theme of black and white

and touch of lipstick red.

My go to woven ruffled placemats,

MacKenzie-Childs Courtly Check chargers,

Black dinner plates from Dollar Tree,

Red and white striped salads by Grace's Teaware,

All stack up for a pretty Valentine Dinner Party

with a group of girlfriends.

Small heart shaped boxes filled with chocolates were

transformed with chalkboard paint to use as place cards

as well as sweet take home treats.

La Rochere

Napoleonic Bee Glassware

Tossed Green Salad

Spinach and Artichoke Lasagna

Made at home by my personal in-house "chef".

Hot Garlic Bread

Light Dessert

Lemon Petite Fours

Camomile Tea and Almond Tarts

Served with

fresh raspberries and . . .

A dollop of

sweet whipped cream!

Little cinnamon hearts

on the side for a touch of spice.

The following morning

I hosted my CAMEO group

for our monthly antique club meeting.

I saw this idea on Martha Stewart.

You take dried Calimyrna figs, cut lengthwise,

and they look like little hearts.

Tasty, healthy, and oh so cute!

Several of the ladies are gluten intolerant,

so I like to serve gluten fee choices such as this camomile

and almond tart that I picked up from a local bakery.

The pretty little petit fours,

while not gluten free,

are a secret I learned from a friend.

You can buy a box of 24 of these at Costco

for about the cost of one petite four from a bakery.

They are "lemonylicious" and no one is the wiser!

Sometimes I add a little added flourish on top.

As a take home treat for my CAMEO friends, I bought mini heart

boxes at Michaels, used the chalkboard paint again,

then placed a decadent chocolate heart inside

on a nest of red and pink crinkle paper.

All in all it was a

"sweetie pie" of a week here!

Hope your Valentine's Week was filled with delights too.

Joining

Pink Saturday @ How Sweet the Sound

Seasonal Sundays @ The Tablescaper

Amaze Me Monday @ Dwellings

Masterpiece Monday @ Boogieboard Cottage

Make It Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House

Tuesday Treasure @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

You're Gonna Love It Tuesday @ Kathe With An E

The Scoop @ Cedar Hill Ranch

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

What's It Wednesday @ Ivy and Elephants

Centerpiece Wednesday @ The Style Sisters

Home and Garden Thursday @ Delightsome Life

Share Your Cup Thursday @ Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olsen
Cottage Style Party @ Lavender Garden Cottage
Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Be Inspired @ Common Ground

Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Napoleon and Joséphine, A Love Story

bee

Napoleon Bonaparte and Joséphine de Beauharnais

~ One of the Greatest Love Stories in History ~

Vintage Postcard, dated 1908

Napoleon and Josephine were married March 9, 1796.

It's no secret that Paris has long been my favorite

destination, and over the years I've collected

my fair share of Napoleonic memorabilia.

Kathryn Crisp Greeley's new book,

THE COLLECTED TABLETOP,

advocates using one's collections to set a special table.

I decided to do just that when I selected

Napoleonic Memorabilia

as my topic for a CAMEO meeting.

I'm passing along this tip for

Tutorials, Tips, and Tidbits @ Stone Gable.

When you host your next dinner party, gather up a collection

to use as a theme. I found it fun to see my pieces grouped

together, and your collection will no doubt spark conversation.

Those of you who follow HFTS might remember the post I shared here about CAMEO, a small antique club of which I'm a member.

CAMEO

Collecting Antiques and Memorabilia

and Educating Ourselves

The structure of our small group is such that each member is responsible for presenting or arranging a presentation on a topic of interest to share with the group at one of our monthly meetings.

~ Collecting Napoleonic Memorabilia ~

My topic of choice last spring.

Napoleon's famous N and bee motif

show up in many of these pieces.

The pottery pieces you see in the photos

are mostly French faience produced in the

last part of the 19th century or the first half of the 20th century.

Small Bust of Napoleon, CA

Dinner Plate, HenRiot Quimper

Teapot part of Garden Buddies Tea Service, unmarked

Napoleon Ivy ~ As Used By Napoleon At St. Helena ~ 1815

Wedgwood Etruria England

I only have but one demi-tasse cup and saucer in this lovely pattern, though I long to add more pieces someday. It is Kathryn Greeley's #2 choice in her Top Ten China Patterns. Now retired, this pattern was that which Napoleon used while in exile on the south Atlantic island of St. Helena.

Vintage Bronze Souvenirs of Paris Aside a

Vintage Avon Bee Skep Cologne Bottle

Vintage Letter Openers Atop 1900 Edition of L'Aiglon,

A Play In Six Acts Based On The Life Of Napoleon's Son

Performed At The Knickerbocker Theatre

New York, October 1900

Serving a light brunch, I used the opportunity to follow Karhryn Greeley's advice: "Mixing antique collections with contemporary tabletop pieces adds drama and the unexpected." With my collection as the central focus of my tables, I could easily pull select pieces to share with the group as I presented my topic.

Empire by Walbrzych, Poland,

A lovely ribbed and scalloped plate with gold verge and trim was

a thrifty Goodwill find. With a name like Empire

I thought it most appropriate in homage to Napoleon.

The golden bee textiles are from William Sonoma.

Petite Forks by Sabre of Paris

MacKenzie-Childs Flower Market

and Courtly Check Enamel Ware

Salmon Spread with Crackers

Recipe here

Seasonal Berries and Melon

with Onion Walnut Muffins

Recipe here

The drink table featured

items with the bee motif.

Petite French Faience Vase, CA

Napoleonic Bee Vintage Silk Fragment, c1880

Napoleonic Bee Stems,

La Rochere of France

For The Dessert Table

~ A Touch of Josephine ~

The stack of plates are Sarreguemines transfer ware c.1890-1922, and each feature a different Napoleonic military scene. These were ironically found on a CAMEO field trip to Fredericksburg, TX. One never knows where treasures will be discovered.

The red toleware jardiniere is a contemporary piece.

Pair of Revolutionary Commemorative Plates, PBx, c1880.

Sweet Little Souvenirs
Chateau de Fontainebleau, 2011

Vintage Tiara ~ A Gift From My CAMEO Friends

If you enjoy historical fiction and the subject is of interest, I highly recommend reading Sandra Gulland's trilogy about Josephine. It's a new look at this fascinating character of French history.

I reviewed each book in the links below.

THE MANY LIVES AND
SECRET SORROWS OF JOSEPHINE B.

TALES OF PASSION, TALES OF WOE

LAST GREAT DANCE