Hi Friends! It’s almost Valentines Day!!  John and I have gone out to dinner with friends and hosted small couples parties in the past, but last year I started a new tradition that I want to share.

 This celebration of love and affection often brings to mind young romance!   I decided  to host an event for another group I adore-my Mom, her friends and their daughters! After all, everyone loves celebrating love!!  My girls came to the party, and later in the day their boyfriends dropped by.  It is really simple to host two events in one day, as the house is clean and everything is decorated.

Here is a sneak peek of the set up!! But first I wanted to let you know a bit about why I really wanted to have this party. My mother had recently moved into a retirement community where her sister-my second mom- lived.  It is close to my house and I discovered so many people I knew had moms who lived there as well.  How fun to get everyone together for a luncheon/craft event!  After attempting to set a date for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, Valentines seemed to be the time of year that worked. I was ready to plan the event!

I love crafting and Mom had said that she also enjoyed it.  I decided to involve my mom and aunt in the planning and take them with me to the dollar store to be inspired. I liked the idea of decorating frames or making wreaths for their doors. After going to two dollar stores we found heart shaped wreaths and red heart shaped vases. I bought both as well as silk flowers and ribbon to use as decorations.

I found white frames at Ikea that were perfect for 99 cents each.  At the event I took pictures of each mother daughter duo, and of the group and had them printed at Walgreens and placed them in the frames as  they left.  Although these ladies were slow to start the crafting, once they got going, they didn’t want to stop. The peel and stick foam hearts and stickers were great and so easy. Amazon had the best selection for any occasion!!

I love anything pink so setting up dishware was fun!! My Mom had given me the tall vintage frosted wine glasses years ago, which were my starting inspiration. I kept thinking I would use disposable for the fruit drink glasses, napkins, plates and silverware. After all, there are so many choices today that look like real linen, crystal or silver and this would be so much easier and  less expensive.

Then I thought of my grandmother who loved to entertain and was an amazing hostess.  I knew she would say paper napkins or plastic cups and utensils would have been a no-no for a special ladies lunch, so off to the internet I went and found the perfect blush glass at Ikea for 1.99 each.

Because crafts were being set up in my breakfast room, there was not place for a sit down lunch so I opted for a light buffet in the dining room. I suggested each daughter bring a dish to add to the spread!!  People love to contribute and it certainly was a big help to me, so don’t be afraid to ask!!

I mixed a set of  pink plates with a set  of cut crystal one that were my grandmothers.  The silver flatware with tiny roses, perfect for Valentines, were a wedding gift of my moms which she has since given to me.  I loved using passed down items for the luncheon. They brought back  fond memories for my mom and made the event that much more special. The napkins were really dish towels, purchased from Amazon with pink striping.  They are soft, wash well and can be bought in bulk! I arranged the flowers, and scattered heart confetti to finish the table. Remember Trader Joe’s gets a new shipment of flowers in each morning at 8:00.

I decided to use the heart shaped vases as party favors!! Easy to make, I just placed three roses in each vase and tied them with some ribbon I had left over from Christmas.

The bar cart from my dining room was perfect to use!! One of the guests brought these cute valentine cookies as treats for all!!

Sprinkling a few candles and flowers around the house encourages vignette seating rather than having a large group all in one space.

Here is the group! We all had so much fun!! Can you tell which daughter goes with which Mom?

I had three generations of my own family! My mom, aunt, cousin and my two gals!!

The second group had just as much fun as the first!! My husband John even decorated a frame. He left it for me on Valentines Day with a sweet love letter in the frame! So sweet!!

Here was my valentine to him!!

Your can still get these!!  I stopped by Back Row Home to say hi to my gal pals and saw their beautiful placements and dishware-perfect to set the tone of LOVE!  I bought the place-mats for this year’s party extravaganza, so stay tuned in to see how I use them!! Back Row had so many others to choose from, it was hard for me to decide!!

I hope you all picked up some great party tips for Valentine’s Day. For more inspiration on table settings look at a past article where John and I threw a dinner party. Remember to celebrate all those you love in you life!! Till next week!!  xo Leslie