Silver Sunday Thrifty Finds

A recent out of town trip with my sister yielded a few thrifty finds. The little trio of silver items were each in an antique shop, all tarnished with age, and each only a few dollars. I debated with myself as to if I should polish these gems. No doubt all you shabby chic girls would have voted against removing the fine patina of age. Honestly the two candy dishes were darker than the candlestick. I wish I had thought to take some before photos. The patina was truly beautiful, and I could have loved them as they were. In the end though, I decided to let the glow of sliver shine through for Valentine's Day.

Still waiting on this one. Not certain if it will even polish or if this is simply now the color of the metal. I rather like it as is. What do you think?

The base on this sweet candy dish was literally black. It is marked sterling, so I was confident this piece would polish out beautifully. And it did!

The base is simple with just a rim of detail.

The crystal dish has a fluted rim and is cut with nice detail. It is going to be perfect for candy or jams.

This beautiful dish was the prize. It too was completely black with age, and I was worried it might not polish up.

The central detail in the base of this dish features a mass of delicate little flower blooms. I wanted it to shine to highlight the amount of relief work in the design.

With the beautiful flower design, the sculpted edges, and the interesting shape . . . well, I think this piece is just full of charm.

It's perfect for a few Valentine chocolates. Help yourself!

This is the last day of Beth's Silver Sunday Season One. I'm a bit late joining in this week, but didn't want to miss the final day. If you want to see more Silver on this Sunday afternoon just pop on over to see Beth @ The Gypsy Fish Journal. Then look for Season Two to begin next week. Beth is now going to host Silver Sunday on the second Sunday of each month. See you then!

Sailors' Delight

Evening Sky at Sunset

Pink sky at morning,

Sailors take warning.

Pink sky at night,

Sailors' delight!

Wishing each of you pink skies tonight.

Thanks for joining me for Pink Saturday. Last week Teresa of Gardening with Soule was a new participant. Click here to check out her blog. She shares amazing photos. Then click here for more pinkness @ Beverly's How Sweet the Sound.

C is for Checked

C is for . . .

Checked dishes to set the stage for Valentines.

Courtly Check hearts hang from the brass chandelier,

Courtly Check balls fill a silver bowl,

and Courtly Check bows are abundant.

C is also for Change . . . just for fun each place setting is different.

A black woven mat below a pewter charger anchors this setting.

Layers of red mix between the black and white checked pieces,

and are topped with a sponge ware heart shaped bowl and a crown themed cloth held by a checked ring by Round Top Collection. Flatware is antique bone and silver.

The color block mat holds a 
Courtly Check charger by MacKenzie-Childs

and is topped with layers of red mixed 
with black and white checks.

Red and white flatware is from Pottery Barn.

A small square decoupage plate holds 

a Round Top Collection jar of red hot hearts.

This perky little Courtly Check rooster is the work of talented blogger Linda @ My Shabby Rose Cottage.

More of the crown themed textiles anchor this setting. A white charger in Vintage Garden from Ambiance Collection holds the stack of red pottery mixed with the checked pieces. Sterling is Sir Christopher by Wallace.

Layers of red and white with a touch of the black and white check.

The footed bowl is from Crate and Barrel.

A square woven mat, a gold charger from Home Essentials & Beyond, and a red square Waechtersbach plate from Germany contrast with the round checkered pieces.

The squares are topped with layers of plates in the 

Queen's Rooster from Neiman Marcus and 

Royal Stafford's black and white checked. 

Christophe silver is in the Talisman pattern.

A small checked heart from 
Round Top Collection holds a cloth napkin.

Sweetheart topiary ivy take center stage . . .

along with this key to my heart,

this spiffy red shoe . . .

and a little mercury glass.

The charming Courtly Check hearts are the creative efforts of Linda @ My Shabby Rose Cottage.

This week I'm linking my Thursday post to two fun weekly memes. Stop by Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday for more Letter C Lessons, and don't forget to head over to Susan's to see her beautiful valentine table set for Tablescape Thursday.

THE MANY LIVES AND SECRET SORROWS OF JOSEPHINE B.

I recently completed Sandra Gulland's trilogy of Josephine Bonaparte. If you are a fan of historical fiction, Gulland's trilogy should definitely be on your list of must reads.

After reading this trio, I felt as if I had just had three scoops of my favorite ice cream, each with a cherry on top! I delighted in each book as if it was a delicious treat!

Captivated by Sandra Gulland's novels, I found that each one left me desiring more. Admittedly, I knew little of Josephine's history and was quickly drawn into these beautiful works of historical fiction.

The first of the series, THE MANY LIVES & SECRET SORROWS OF JOSEPHINE B. introduces the reader to Rose, a young girl born and raised on the lush tropical island of Martinico in the Caribbean. Gulland skillfully reveals the voice of Rose (Josephine) through fictionalized diary entries. In this first book the reader experiences a taste of Créole life on this exotic island where Rose's family owns a sugar plantation. We learn of Rose's early experience with a fortune teller in which the voodoo witch predicts that Rose will someday become Queen.

Food references are sparse among the pages, but one can easily imagine the wealth of fresh fish and an abundance of colorful fruits on this lush island.

Rose, the oldest of three girls, desires only to go live in France with her beautiful Aunt Désirée, her father's sister. With the untimely death of Rose's younger sister Catherine, Rose finds she is indeed on a journey across the Atlantic to meet the wealthy man to whom she is betrothed.

Only 15 years of age and naive in the ways of the world, Rose is understandably nervous about meeting her future husband. Amused by the passage above, you'll see that Rose does not like eels and is comforted to know that her intended dislikes them as well.

Another entry, relates the elegance and abundance of pre-Revolutionary France. Though as the entries progress the reader travels along Rose's rocky road of married life with Alexandre Beauharnais. Betrayed, widowed, and left in poverty, Rose endures a difficult life.

Arrested and imprisoned Rose suffers unbearable conditions,

existing on meals of sardines and boiled haricots served once a day.

Once released, conditions weren't much improved.

Breadsticks and wine . . .

or slipcoat cheese.

Considering that the majority of this chapter of Rose's life was lean and difficult, I chose to replicate her daily prison cuisine of sardines and haricots.

Honoring this elegant lady, I wouldn't dare serve her on an old metal plate. Instead dinner is served on 19th century French faience.

And includes a sweet salad of island fruits: mangos and kiwi . . .

With a glass of fine wine and artisan bread. Actually, this was a tasty dinner!

It's near the end of this book that Josephine meets Napoleon, and we get a hint at what is to follow in this relationship.

So there I leave you until we pick back up with TALES OF PASSION, TALES OF WOE.

Thanks to our hostess, Jain, for creating this delectable blog of book reviews. Click here to see a list of others who are participating in Food for Thought.

THE MANY LIVES & SECRET SORROWS OF JOSEPHINE B. is available here @ Amazon. I give this book Five *****