VALENTINE'S DAY 2012

On Saturday I had the pleasure of attending a special Valentine's tea party at my friend Loretta's House...I often refer to her as Martha Stewart of the North as she has such a flair for creating beautiful, visually stimulating, delicious tasting, tea parties. She always has her home decorated for whichever holiday we are celebrating and she decorates with such flair. Saturday was no exception, from the banner on the front doorstep to the fancy decorated table setting and Valentine tree, everything was perfect. This time Loretta challenged our friend Isabelle and I to each make two dresses for our bleuette dolls and we would have a dress exchange. The dresses we each received in return are just gorgeous. Loretta had her gifts packaged in very special Valentine's day suitcases that will be perfect to store Bleuette's Valentine dresses from year to year! Isabelle knitted us each a doll cape as well as the dresses she gave and I was tickled as they are so cute and I don't knit at all!!

Yum, look at all the goodies! The things above were bought at the store but Loretta had baked the most delicious heart shaped Cherry Scones which we topped with Devon Creme from England...oh my they were decadent!!!

Our party girls!

OK, now here is something I just bet you don't see everyday!! Loretta has a Valentine tree and it is so cute! Sitting under the tree is Chatty Cathy and Helena, Loretta's Bleuette doll that was made by Sylvia. She is such a cute doll! She was the one Loretta picked to wear the outfit I had made for the dress exchange.

This is Yvette Marie, the Bleuette who came to live at Loretta's and started it all...lol..prior to her arrival neither Isabelle nor I collected Bleuette's. Yvette Marie is wearing a dress I made last year when we had another dress exchange.

Our hostess had a craft planned for us to do...so we giggled and glued and finally ended up with the prettiest Valentine wreaths made out of Lacy paper doilies and hearts. Aren't they cute?

Here is the Valentine table setting. Isn't it pretty? I am on the left, Leona is at the far end of the table and Isabelle is on the right.

The Valentine table with Loretta now seated at the end! On the tray close to the front of the picture is the Cherry Scones...Loretta has promised to share the recipe because they are so good!

Now isn't this the cutest presentation? My Valentine dress Loretta made and then placed in a Valentine theme little suitcase with a lace doilies and hearts and buttons. So sweet!

The girls socializing, they love it when we get together too! The girl on the far right arrived just in time for tea, I picked her up at the post office on Friday. She is a 251 mold made by the fabulous doll artist Candy Anderson, the Doll Lady. She does such beautiful work.

The table from another angle.

OK, now I am sure she isn't going to like the picture but I just had to include it because Leona is not a doll collector despite the fact we have been working on her for years...she does seem to enjoy being with us or maybe she just tolerates her sister and her doll crazy friends...lol...but as you can see by the picture below...I think she is weakening...she is holding Madeline and fussing with her cape...we will convert her yet!

This lovely dress in front of Robinette the resin bleuette from the Ruby Red Galleria is the dress that Isabelle made for each of us. Isn't it pretty? It is so difficult to find patterns in small scale suitable for bleuette. I think we all did pretty well this time! I will try and post a picture soon of the dresses I received on the dolls because they look so cute in them! I just have to get dolls and camera all in the same place to take one! Thanks for a fabulous tea party Loretta!