Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Valentine/Blogversary Lunch!



I won't keep you waiting another minute!
The girls were all in a dither....
...so excited to be getting ready for Evi's special Valentine luncheon...



I had my goody bags all packed and ready.....bits and bobs of pretty papers...sheet music, buttons, lace and copies of vintage postcards, chocolate kisses and candy in a little wire bird's nest...etc., etc.....basically, lots of goodies to craft or make your own Valentine with....



We arrived at Evi's beautiful home dressed in our finest...or our funkiest!
No business suit for me today! Paula was wearing her favorite Anthro sweater....it looked so cute with her altered scarf.



And, as requested... here is a charming picture of a styling Carole.....



We're a rather shy and quiet group of girls...
...chuckle...



So....here is Evi's pretty dining room again.....
beautifully set with heart candies strewn about and...
... a stunning centerpiece of pink, red and white tulips that her handsome hubby Ebbie bought her for Valentine's Day.



click on any picture for a closer look!



Looking into the dining room and beyond from the kitchen ....
...it is hard to see because of the light in this picture, but their home sits high on a hill and the view is beautiful out through these French doors, over the deck out to the snow covered mountains in the distance.



Evi, a gourmet cook and fabulous baker...made us each a packet of decorated sugar cookies!
She baked some very large cookies in the shape of crowns which she used as our place markers...
I told you she treated us royally! :)



Our hostess served a delicious carrot soup with crusty rolls, a tossed salad of mixed greens, cheese and cucumbers, Swiss chicken cutlets with tomatoes and avocado on top and a yummy orzo salad. Evi promised to share the recipes!



There were hearts and touches of red everywhere....
I will share some more details of her home and collections in the next few days....



And just when we didn't think there was room in our tummies for anything else...Evi served these sweet little lemon cakes baked in the shape of hearts!



...and chocolate dipped strawberries....yum!

We had extra strawberries as Deanna brought some to share too!
You can never have too many chocolate dipped strawberries...
...at least in my humble opinion :)



...and that's not all!
...look at this apricot cranberry frangipane...to die for!
....it was all so very delicious!



Then, these creative and artistic girlfriends of mine shared some wonderful handmade gifts!
Paula covered these little heart boxes with vintage sheet music, bird images, bits of lace, ivory buttons and an antique key....
....dreamy....always faithful to her favorite palette of creamy whites...
...inside were caramels...



..and look at that crafty Carole!
She fashioned personal hearts for each of us...(mine was blue of course)
...with lovely fabrics and handmade tags...



She covered tins with vintage papers....the top with lace and filled them with Valentine goodies...
Think of all the time she spent...all this clever talent!
(You can tell that the spring season hasn't begun yet at Maynard Greenhouse...)



Paula wrapped a special gift for me with pretty papers, a crochet shade pull and stamped tag...
(gift to be revealed at a later date!!)



Debbie gifted us with homemade chocolate and almond bark and wrapped each box with special paper and her own heart tags...



She even added ruby jewels as accents to the wrapping paper!
That Debbie is oh, so sophisticated!
...and also a fabulous cook and baker!
...her meringue mushrooms?.....yummmmmm!



And then Carole gave Evi this incredible book box that she created herself with pretty papers, fabric and laces....Can you picture her carving and shaping the insides of this old book?

This was Kathleen and Deanna 's first visit to Evi's home and they were thrilled to take the tour and get an inside look at her amazing studio where all the magic happens and where she creates her unique and highly desirable dolls! Kathleen took home a snow angel and we are all looking forward to Evi's next show at the end of March...

...There was more too...much more...
...but we must save some for another day!



Evening came too soon....more snow was expected...the girls had a two hour drive back to Conneticut...so after many hugs and a tear or two...we said goodbye!

Thank you Evi for hosting this wonderful Valentine luncheon and 52 Flea's first blogversary party! It all started here!

To enter the 52 Flea Give-Back just click HERE to read all about it...
... and leave a comment for a chance to win!

30 comments:

Elaine said...

Oh how fun. That menu sounds scrumptious and such wonderful gifts from the heart.

Glad you enjoyed your time with friends.

Rust: Vintage Inspired Design said...

OMGOSH!!!! I am salivating at the amazing food and treasure that were part of your day. Lucky, lucky you!!
xojanis

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness! That looks like too much fun! The decorations and desserts look amazing!

aimee said...

so much talent in one room! glad you had so much fun.
blessings,
aimee

Julie@beingRUBY said...

Well Laura
Gorgeous as I expected!!! I've been waiting for you girls to post on your lunch and I am not disappointed .. How clever you all are!! Such a clever bunch!! I think Carole's been holding out on us with her crafting skills and I love her boots too!!..

In fact I love it all!!! I think i need to get myself some inspiring clever friends now.. haha.. this lunch looks like it was a wonderful day full of beauty and good fun!!!

Take care xx Julie

Sarah said...

Oh, I want to be part of this group! What a beautiful luncheon with so many incredibly creative handmade gifts. This is such a special post. I'm bookmarking this one in my favorites. Thank you for sharing!

Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces said...

What a wonderful luncheon! Such a talented group of people! Thanks for sharing it!

Piyush Garyali said...

Congratulation :) This is amazing!

Unknown said...

Thank you to all your beautiful creative minds. It is simply amazing what we women can do when we are in our creative thought. What fun it must have been to gather around and share creativity and bless one another in love. Thank you again, Pamela

GardenOfDaisies said...

So many special touches in this beautifully decorated home... tons of good food, and creative gifts... you must have all had such a wonderful time at your gathering.

Linda @ A La Carte said...

Looks lovely and the food sounds divine! Such sweet bloggy friends and great gifts. Looks like a wonderful time.

Faded Charm said...

Sounds like a wonderful time was had by all with great food and gorgeous homemade gifts. What a great idea for a group of friends to do. Thanks for sharing your day with us.

Kathleen

Florence said...

What a wonderful party you all had, it is so much fun to share our creative talents with our friends. I Loved the heart shape napkin rings and the food sounded and looked delicious. Florence

It's me said...

This ia amazing !!

Can i be your friend ?? than i will be thera next year !!

hahahahahahaha!! (i 'am laughing now !)

Have a nice day....greetz from Ria

Ow i have also a give away will you please visit my blog ?

BY !

Jacqueline @ HOME said...

Dear Laura,
I think that you girls are so lucky to have found each other. You all have so much in common and are all so creative. To make all of those beautiful things, that must have taken ages, is the work of true friendhip. We have lunch with friends, but we never do anything like that and most of my friends are artistic. I think that I'm going to suggest that we all do something like this in the future.
Thank you, Laura for the brilliant photo of Carole!! I love her skirt and boots. I have a pair like that.... and everyone looks so unique. You can tell by your clothes that you are all arty/crafty !!..... and then there's the food. DELICIOUS.
I can just see you all sitting at Evi's table, chatting and laughing. I bet that there's not one second of silence !!
Oh, and the stamped tag on your present from Paula is the same one that I used when I made the invitations for my son and daughter-in-law's wedding invitations.....small world.
Oh dear, sorry Laura, I have so much to say!! Evi's house is amazing. So many wonderful, personal touches.....I love the hearts and her crown place settings.... and it must have been Evi's house where you took your header photograph....and Debbie's wrapping paper with the rubies and Caroles beautiful hearts and Paula's heart boxes. It must be like Christmas again for all of you.
I am really looking forward to more from your Valentine's Lunch. XXXX

Les Cotrions said...

Ciao Laura! Everything is stunning! I've never seen such beauty all together! You have very creative friends! You all were very elegant too!
I can see you had a special time Laura!!!
Happy Wednesday!
Vale

Susie~From My Home To Yours said...

Laura, thanks for sharing a part of your 'perfect' luncheon. Everything looks awesome from the decor, to the food, to the fashions and the lovely, thoughtful gifts! I'm sure this is a memory you and your friends will cherish for a lifetime!

Blessings always,
Susie

Theresa said...

WOWZA! It is amazing to see all of this craftiness shared between you all! What lovely gifts and the table is gorgeous. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be the crowns:) Have a blessed day dear friend and thanks for sharing this special luncheon with me!

... said...

So L O V E L Y !

Michele's Treasures, Teacups, and Tumbling Rose Cottage said...

Wow! What a beautiful event in every possible way and in every detail. ; )
~Michele

Lululiz said...

You girls are an incredible bunch of friends, how wonderful.

NMK said...

What an amazing Valentines Day luncheon !!! Your have very talented friends....they are very inspiring ! You are so lucky to have such a wonderful group of friends. So many nifty ideas !!!!

Unknown said...

so nice of the stuffs and the photos

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness! How fun! I'm planning a shower for Spring and you have given me oodles of ideas, so thank you very much! Everything is just so lovely, Marcia

Rosemary said...

Wow!!
That was an amazing lunch!! Beautiful in every way!!
Thanks so much for sharing the beauty.
Rosemary

Room Service ~ Decorating 101 said...

You are so lucky to have friends near that share your interest. I would love this, so pretty... everything.

Cheryl said...

Swoon... overwhelming beauty!!
Cheryl over @ Artsy~Fartsy

La Petite Gallery said...

WOW!! That is such a pretty table, and your clothes just lovely, Sound's like a festive afternoon with a group of beautiful people.
I wish I knew more gals that would put them selves out like that. I love to make gorgeous table settings..Yvonne

Anonymous said...

I don't know which picture is more intriguing. The book box is gorgeous, the food yummy and that fabric heart I love! Can you please send Evi my way? She seems like someone I could use in my life at the moment :)
Beautiful Laura!

Teresa aka Tess said...

Wow!! Everything was so gorgeous... Wow!!