To me, one of the greatest ways to celebrate the month of love is hosting a decadently sweet afternoon tea party for your friends. And Valentine's Day deserves a special touch – vintage. Not many things can beat the charm of a coloured old-fashioned tea table, mismatching teacups and saucers, old silver spoons and linen napkins. My friends and I did indulge our romantic side by taking delight in herbal and Earl Gray tea, laughing over red velvet cupcakes, heart-shaped tea sandwiches, cheese butter triangles, watermelon, strawberries, and chocolate pretzels. To create a real Valentine's Day atmosphere I dug out an old reproduction of a famous Antonio Canova's Venus & Adonis and made it a focal point of my buffet.




Searching and finding special items is as much fun as setting up the event. Even though my collection of vintage items is not a small one, I wanted something intriguing, and it didn't take me long to find the perfect Royal Doulton "My Valentine" collectors plates. In the spirit of the Victorian era, the back of each plate reads a poem and is decorated with pink roses. I didn't forget to look in my box with old photos and postcards and used those charming vintage Valentine's Day cards to decorate the table. With just a little effort, I created some simple personal touches. I used old bottles for the pink lemonade and wrapped them in vintage printed hearts. To make it even more inviting, I made heart tags and tied them to the linen napkins. Each cupcake was accented with a vintage-inspired paper-and-ribbon topper. 

   

Pieces on my table do not match one another as I am convinced it all adds up to the quirky vintage appeal. But I agree, one has to use the "good" china from behind the cabinet because pretty is what we need for the celebration of love. Beautiful flowers are a must and you never can go wrong with a bunch of roses to brighten up the table. I used vintage jars and milk jugs for the flower display. The lovely surprise to my friends was the row of sugar heart-stamped lumps – a popular choice for weddings, they made a great romantic statement on my table as well.



     








Being a detail person, I have always enjoyed every piece of planning a party form collecting ideas and getting inspired to making creative decisions. However, having friends and family over to be entertained by it is the most joyous piece of all.  Now, I am even more happy with the unique opportunity to share my enjoyment with you, dear readers, all around the world. Although some people think that food is the main aspect of an event, setting a well-thought table and an atmosphere infused with your own personal style made everything more inviting and welcoming for your guests. Celebrating love is simply showing love. In the end, what really matters is bringing people together to laugh, play, share and create lasting memories. 
What made our tea party really fun was reading the messages of love at the back of the vintage postcards. 
"I've fallen in love many times... always with you" was written on one of them. How sweet is that!
"Happy is the Heart that Holds Love." How true is that!

  My Valentine 
" May time flow sweetly as a song,
   May bliss at morn awake you!
     May you and yours, the bright day long,
  Be glad as joy can make you!
      And round your heart may blessings throng
  That never shall forsake you! "
                               ( written on the plate )

HAPPY VALENTINES!






P. S. I'm not really happy with the quality of these images. I took the shots in a hurry and there wasn't enough light. ( Just for the record :)


I am sharing with Sherry~Home Sweet Home 
              Susan~Tablescape Thursday
              Debra~Vintage Inspiration Friday
              Honey~Potpourri Friday  
              Beverly~Valentine's Pink Saturday
                            Seasonal Sundays  
              Sandi~ Valentines Day Tea Time
              Terri~ Tea Cup Tuesday 
              Trisha`Tea Party Tuesday 
                   Vintage Thingie Thursday