Skip to main content

Valentines Day Table of Toile, Music & Transferware

Toile de Jouy, music, the Violin, English transferware, sentimental inherited items, poetry, antique linens, roses and lace...some of my favorite things are all gathered here for our Valentines Day table.  All of these things, to me, create an alluring table filled with romance, nostalgia, and love of music and family.
I hope they bring some of the same feelings to you.

Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music.
~Ronald Reagan~

Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.
~Maya Angelou~


If music be the food of love, play on.
~William Shakespeare~ 
I alone of English writers have consciously set myself to make music out of what I may call the sound of sense.
~Robert Frost~

Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.
~Plato~

  If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.
~Henry David Thoreau~

Music is the voice that tells us that the human race is greater than it knows.
~Napoleon Bonaparte~ 

Music is God's gift to man, the only art of Heaven given to earth, the only art of earth we take to Heaven
~William Savage Landor~
Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world.
~Martin Luther~ 

What is a poet? An unhappy person who conceals profound anguish in his heart but whose lips are so formed that as sighs and cries pass over them they sound like beautiful music.
~Soren Keirkegaard~


I call architecture frozen music.
~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe~
Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.
~Victor Hugo~
Where words fall, music speaks.
~Hans Christian Andersen~
A few can touch the magic string, and noisy fame is proud to win them: Alas for those that never sing, but die with all their music in them!
~Oliver Wendell Holmes~
 I listened, motionless and still; And, as I mounted up the hill, The music in my heart I bore, Long after it was heard no more.
~William Wordsworth~
 There is geometry in the humming of the strings, there is music in the spacing of the spheres.
~Pythagoras~

Music can change the world because it can change people.
~Bono~


My heart, which is so full to overflowing, has often been solaced and refreshed by music when sick and weary.
~Martin Luther~




Music is the one incorporeal entrance into the higher world of knowledge which comprehends mankind but which mankind cannot comprehend.
~Ludwig van Beethoven~


Music is what feelings sound like
~Author unknown~


You are the music while the music lasts
~T. S. Eliot~



 


I'm joining:

2805
Jennifer Rizzo
Common Ground

Between Naps on the Porch 
Pink Saturday
Charm of Home
Romantic Home
Finding Fabulous 
Funky Junk Interior
French Country Cottage
At The Picket Fence
Ivy and Elephants




Comments

  1. Incredibly beautiful centerpiece. Gorgeous table!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nancy, everything is over the top as always! I just love the theme and I love the centerpiece! I have a couple of my father's violins that I have decorated with. Your linens are beautiful too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lovely table! I especially enjoyed seeing your pretty transferware and the gorgeous pink chrystal, but your linens are also stunning!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Such a beautiful post! Love the violin in the centerpiece, tablecloth, and gorgeous china!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a beautiful post....thank you!!! hugs...cleo

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nancy - I love your blog! This one is especially near and dear to my heart. My entire family are music lovers and I so enjoyed all of the quotes!

    ReplyDelete
  7. You had me at toile...and then you incorporated transferware AND music....wowza! DOUBLE AND TRIPLE WOWZA!!!

    Gorgeous as always!!! TRULY!!!!!

    When can I invite myself over!?!?! :) (sorry to be rude...it's just so inspiring!!!)

    Love/hugs/blessings,
    Lana

    ReplyDelete
  8. PS Please don't think I'm copying you....but....I'll be doing a violin and books table soon!!!! You are awesome!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. SO pretty, Nancy! I loved reading each of the quotes, too. Music is a huge part of my life (always has been!), and it is an absolute part of romance. Beautiful!!! The centerpiece is really right on!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Just beautiful centerpiece and table! I love quotes and enjoyed reading these.

    Robin
    Robin Flies South

    ReplyDelete
  11. Stunning as usual! Beautiful floral arrangement!

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a gorgeous table. The music incorporated into the design is lovely. Flowers are gorgeous...the dishes....the toile... an all around stunner of a table.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow! That is one beautiful centerpiece, I love it! I also really like your pretty engraved heart. This is such a pretty tablescape and I enjoyed the quotes so much too!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Aaah, I love music, good music is truly food for the soul.
    What a lovely post, if this post was set to music it would be a lovely refrain.
    Amazing centerpiece and I would like to know how to make the little music placards.
    Hugs, Cindy

    ReplyDelete
  15. Incredibly romantic table...the centerpiece is beautiful. Thanks for sharing your talent for putting together fantastic tables.

    ReplyDelete
  16. That centerpiece is stunning, Nancy! Brilliant idea to incorporate the violin! It looks like a beautiful French romantic table ~ I could just see bewigged men and woman in their silken finery sitting down at it.

    ReplyDelete
  17. What an absolutely gorgeous and romantic setting! You always do masterfully artistic designs! Thanks so much!
    Cheers!
    R

    ReplyDelete
  18. A beautiful table Nancy!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Magnificent composition. Wolfgang would have been impressed. Cherry Kay

    ReplyDelete
  20. I ADORE this post!! Your centerpiece is stunning and the tablescape-just gorgeous. But best of all, I love the musical quotations. I'm a classical music lover and can imagine something lovely playing at your beautiful table!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Gorgeous, gorgeous table!!! I love the tablecloth and of course your beautiful dishes! The centerpiece is just so romantic! Great job!!
    Happy Valentine's Day!
    Miss Bloomers

    ReplyDelete
  22. Absolutely gorgeous post! Love the violin and music paper mixed in with all your flowers and beautiful dishes. And the quotes! Thanks for sharing. Happy Valentine Pink Saturday!! ~Lorraine ♥♥♥

    ReplyDelete
  23. Gorgeous,so sweet and romantic,love it all,have a nice weekend and a happy valentine`s day,greetings Musje.

    ReplyDelete
  24. This is my first time visiting your blog and I really love it! Your Valentine's Day table is stunning!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Fantastic centerpiece! Lovely, lovely post! Visiting from Pink Saturday...

    ReplyDelete
  26. The violin and music theme is so sweet for Valentine's Day. The transferware china and pink toile linens are lovely together. Always a pleasure to view your post! Happy Tea Party! Pam

    ReplyDelete
  27. Beautiful tablescapes so romantic! Happy Pink Saturday! ~Diane (I am #16)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Beautiful, Nancy! This is a gorgeous Valentine table. Hugs, Sherry

    ReplyDelete
  29. Happy Pink Saturday Nancy Sweetie...
    Oh how I love your arrangement with your violin, the florals and the music. It is so romantic and stirs my heart to see such beauty. It allows you to feel the music.

    Your table setting is exquisite. What a lovely share. Any guest would feel like royalty sitting there to dine. It is breathtakingly beautiful. I can't thank you enough for allowing me to come along for the ride. I have so enjoyed myself this evening.

    Have a glorious weekend and Happy Valentine's Day sweetie. Country hugs, Sherry

    ReplyDelete
  30. Nancy, I love it all! The setting is TDF! You amaze me! Thanks for linking with us at WIW, we can't wait to see what you share next week!
    Hugs,
    Patti

    ReplyDelete
  31. Beautiful table-I'm your newest linky follower-stop by for a visit!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Thank you for joining me at Home Sweet Home!
    Sherry

    ReplyDelete
  33. Stunning!! You always amaze me with your creativity! Thank you for sharing at POtpourri Friday!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I love hearing from my readers. I appreciate the time you take to post a comment and I read them all.

Popular posts from this blog

English Cottage Living Room - Before, Partly After & Still a Work in Progress

I am sorry for not posting more pictures of the progress we've made settling into this new (to us) home.   It seems life rushes by so fast and that at times, doing little things, even those that I love and enjoy, often get pushed aside and onto the back shelf of my mind where I tell myself, "I'll get to this later".  Well, it is later and though I don't have as much to share with you as I'd like, I'm going to at least share my favorite spot in our living room.  I promise to show the rest of the room soon but for now the opposite half of the living room has been occupied by my daughters boyfriend who has been staying with us for the past 7 or so weeks until his apartment is ready for him to move into, and so the couch is usually made up for him to sleep on!   Here is a photo of the current living room just as we found it, a small room just off the entry of the house with a nice marble and wood fireplace surround, hard wood floors, beautiful crown mouldi

The History of Johnson Brothers and The Friendly Village Tablescape

Last week, Shawn and I popped into a couple of estate sales and I picked up over 100 pieces of Johnson Brother's The Friendly Village .  I think I may have to hang on to 12 of the dinner plates and use them this year at Thanksgiving but the rest of them, including this 48 piece service for 8, will be you know where. I don't know about you all, but I have had enough of Summer and I am down right ready for the cooler temperatures of Autumn.  I've been doing a lot of rearranging around the house….I'm in one of those zones where I've got a zillion projects going on, even if half of them are just in my mind that I'm contemplating!   We've also been moving kids out and around.  Three of them are out and the three still at home are moving or rearranging their rooms around.    Since I am yearning for Fall, haven't posted any tablescapes in a while and just got these Friendly Village pieces I decided to set the table with them.      Oh great, I

More Traditional Red White & Blue Rooms with Transferware

A couple of weeks ago I shared some pictures of beautiful rooms in red and blue color schemes decorated with transferware .    Here is another roundup of rooms that I adore, all with red and blue color schemes and all with transferware!  Enjoy!  (via Traditional Home) (via enchanted home) (my old living room) Joining some of the following parties: Between Naps on The Porch Transformation Thursday at  The Shabby Chic Cottage Feathered Nest Friday at  French Country Cottage Friday Inspiration  At The Picket Fence Cindy at  My Romantic Home Funky Junk Interiors Charm of Home No Minimalist Here WOW  Amaze Me Mondays  Making Monday Link Party  Motivational Mondays  What'd You Do This Weekend?   Inspire Me Monday   Make It Pretty Monday   Monday Link Party  Inspire Me Monday 

My English Country Mom Cave

Susan, at Between Naps on the Porch is hosting a Home Goods Mom Cave contest with four lucky winners.  Come on in to my little niche I've carved out of my house.  This is where I work, create, relax, read and chat with friends and family. This is one of my favorite spots in the house to read about one of my favorite subjects...English transferware or poetry, and drink tea.  I often start and end my day right here. Next to the chair is an antique dumbwaiter which holds some decorative items as well as lots of poetry books.  This is the view of the room from the wing back chair.  This cozy room serves as a small living room, although it's not uncommon to have 8 or 9 of the girls in here during family gatherings.  It's usually where we all wind up to have coffee and visit. . On either side of the sofa I display some of my vintage Canine figurines on Spode meat drainers. Above the sofa are some of my favorite paintings.  The one directly over the sofa my Mom pain

Decorating with Brown Transferware & $100 GIVEAWAY

Brown was introduced as a transferware color around 1829-30 and is the least expensive of colors to make. Therefore it is fairly common, so far as transferware goes, to find.  It is also one of the most collected colors and it is probably the most versatile of colors in my opinion.  Brown is neutral and looks good with any color scheme from pastels to rich jewel tones, but it is with the ushering in of Autumn that I see it popping up in home decor and vignettes the most.  Though, most of these rooms and vignettes are decorated with brown pieces year round, it just seems the perfect time to share them.  I may have to do another post because there are so, so many more equally beautiful spaces that have incorporated the use of displaying brown transferware  and I can't fit them all here. So, check these lovelies out and then stick around for the giveaway at the bottom of the post. This vignette just stole my heart the first time I saw it.  So many of us have vintage luggage

The Aesthetic Movement and Transferware

What is the Aesthetic Movement? The Aesthetic Movement refers to a period of time in the late 19 th century (1870-1900) which was a backlash to the formal Victorian years.  Artists and writers of the Aesthetic movement period maintained the belief that art should provide refined sensuous pleasure, rather than convey moral or sentimental messages.  They believed that art did not have any didactic purpose; it need only be beautiful.  Japanese art had a great influence on Aestheticism. Aesthetic interiors were often decorated with Japanese prints, screens, fans and other objects. An appreciation of the art of Japan is seen in the work of many Aesthetic artists and designers such as James McNeill Whistler and E.W. Godwin. photo credit Country Living The Aesthetes developed the cult of beauty, which they considered the basic factor in art. They ascertained that life should copy art and considered nature as crude and lacking in design

Decorating with Blue Transferware and a GIVEAWAY!

   If you haven't already been over to Enchanted Home , you'll want to go over after you finish this post because the wonderful Tina, who authors the incredibly gorgeous blog,  has a great post up about decorating with dishes plus she's hosting a giveaway to my online shop, English Transferware !  Details at the end of the post! I know Tina loves blue and white (just look at her header and you'll know!) and has a collection of her own. In honor of Tina, I've decided to share some of my favorite images of rooms decorated with and often around blue transferware collections.  You can see more rooms decorated with blue transferware on my Pinterest board . To me, Charles Faudree is just about as synonymous with English transferware as he his with French Country Decorating...he seemed to always find a use for it in his incredibly detailed decorating schemes.  Isn't this bedroom charming? I love this next image from Decor Magazine.  Look how the blu