Thursday, February 11, 2010

Some Enchanted Evening - Imagined

We've all been to places we simply cannot forget,
and I'm about to tell you about one place,
visited many years ago, which has suddenly been brought to mind.
I was a guest at this splendid old home in the French Quarter of
New Orleans, complete with a greenhouse roof, like the one above,
but their roof retracted!!   Will you please come play with me....
Imagine this room as it is and the floor-to-ceiling
glass wall on the right leads out to a beautiful interior courtyard
filled with flowers and tropical plants

and on the far wall, facing the dining room is the most exquisite
wall-mounted fountain, it's water creating lovely sparkles


and for one night only, for Valentine's Day, we are having a
 beautiful dinner party with a few of our beautiful-people friends
who will all be dressed formally.

All us girls are interested in making a beautiful table,
complete with our finest china, crystal, & silver,
along with beautiful flowers, music & conversation.
So I thought it would be fun to imagine our party,
set the table and decorate the room
for everyone to see.

The room looks too bare to me, so I think installing this
huge canvas opposed to the opening to the courtyard
would be perfect...


  •  
I love the glass table, but for tonight...



  these chairs slip-covered in gray/silver shimmering silk
I love the lucite ones, but not for tonight's dinner...I think
we need a more intimate & cozy look...because it's a formal 
dinner party...

the flowers, hi-lo arrangements with many column candles of
various heights marching down the table




  •  

and now for the china....


1st, this Arte Italica Crystal Charger
which I happen to own in beautiful inlaid silver


I dreamed of these so much that my husband's daughter & son
gave 8 of them to me for Christmas many years ago.

with this beautiful Versace Arabesque Dinner Plate

& the William Yeoward Avington Magenta Salad Plate




the magenta plate will fit exactly inside the gold border of the Versace



Of course, we will need beautiful crystal wine glasses


Varga Art Crystal Raspberry Red Wine



& William Yeoward "Orleans" Water Goblet


Dessert Plate with be this Versace Butterfly Gold,
brought to the table on the same crystal charger...
one can recognize Versace china anywhere it is so beautiful



and this is the dessert
a ribbon-wrapped 2-tiered cake
made entirely from fresh flowers...
see the little green chrysanthemums


so we shall all celebrate

with a lovely champagne
(has anyone tried Coppola's "Sofia" - it's very nice)
served off a silver tray
in various vintage crystal stems
  •  

and the hostess wore this nice little
New Orleans-appropriate
Oscar de la Renta gown








Splenderosa's
(my jewelry-design studio)
Tourmalines & Green Amethyst
Earrings



beautifully-wrapped in pink,  favors for all the girls,
from Sandi at A Gift Wrapped Life


and I would like you to meet the gentleman
who will be accompanying me to this wonderful
imaginary

Valentine's Day

dinner party






 




10 comments:

  1. Oh wow, I am there, thank you for describing it in every wonderful detail!

    I absolutely love the beautiful china - the magenta is incredible, what a colour.

    And what a location....wow!

    Finally, as I will be travelling all the way from London and may need perking up a little.....I think the least you could do is sit me next to Mr Grant, he should do the trick nicely ;)

    Now......what should I wear?

    Happy Friday!

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  2. Love the vivid details and I most especially like your choice of the gentleman who will accompany you to this wonderful Valentine's Day gala!

    ~ Tracy

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  3. Dear Marsha,
    May you have the sweetest Valentine's Day ever!
    I enjoyed this fantastic party and want to thank you for taking me along.
    Cary Grant's THE BOMB!!!! I think he is the MOST handsome actor EVER in all of Hollywood.
    You lucky girl you!!!
    Your post is great and God Bless,
    d

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  4. Oooh I love this post!

    Shucks ... Simone beat me to Mr Grant!
    Those tourmaline and green amethyst ear-ring are gorgeous ... and that Oscar de la Renta dress ... the table setting ... and that stunning rooftop setting .... just divine!

    Count me in!
    xx

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  5. Thank you for including my Pink Blush gift in your wonderfully feminine party. Everything is beautiful and fun. Happy Valentines Day!

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  6. Oh wow. What an amazing party. Please seat me next to Cary!! This is simply stunning. A roof that actuallly opens! The flowered cake! ALL of it is over the top, lucious! Thanks for sharing this beauty with us today on #STYLEfocus
    Happy Weekend! xoxo

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  7. This post is dripping with fabulousness! I love all the visual inspiration-you set the stage for the most perfect event. The icing on the cake is Cary Grant! Your earrings are stunning by the way.
    Thanks so much for joining our #stylefocus Lifestyle LinkUp today and sharing your stylish life with us!
    xx, Heather

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  8. Hi Marsha,
    I found your blog from the #STYLEfocus Lifestyle linkup, and your post is wonderful. I had to pause and gaze for a bit at that Red Wine Crystal. So beautiful. Thanks so much for setting such a wonderful stage. xx Nancy

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  9. YOU HAD ME!!!!!
    I believed you until the VERY end..................NOW THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING TO ATTEND!!!
    I am late to this HOOK UP P A R T Y because I was doing an ANTIQUE SHOW the last three days..........but here I sit with me coffee and am commenting away!Hope your SUNDAY is off to a good start!XX

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