{"id":242,"date":"2012-01-19T08:07:00","date_gmt":"2012-01-19T15:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bellenza.com\/wedding-ideas\/decorate\/fabulous-feature-michael-lee-west-%e2%80%9cromances-the-plate%e2%80%9d-for-valentine%e2%80%99s.html"},"modified":"2012-07-15T21:02:44","modified_gmt":"2012-07-16T04:02:44","slug":"fabulous-feature-michael-lee-west-%e2%80%9cromances-the-plate%e2%80%9d-for-valentine%e2%80%99s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bellenza.com\/wedding-ideas\/decorate\/fabulous-feature-michael-lee-west-%e2%80%9cromances-the-plate%e2%80%9d-for-valentine%e2%80%99s.html","title":{"rendered":"Fabulous Feature: Michael Lee West \u201cRomances the Plate\u201d for Valentine\u2019s"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.bellenza.com\/wedding-ideas\/bistro-images\/290\/romantic-valentines-table.jpg\" alt=\"Michael Lee West feature\" title=\"Valentine table theme\" height=\"200\" width=\"290\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>A <strong>romantic Valentine\u2019s meal for two<\/strong> need not be by candlelight. Instead, it can be in the glow of an utterly charming tablescape, lovingly put together by\u2026well, <strong>Michael Lee West<\/strong>! This lovely, multi-talented lady is an author, food enthusiast, and tablescaper extraordinaire. And ever since we discovered her fabulous blog <em>Designs by Gollum<\/em>, we\u2019ve been totally smitten by her beautifully written and photographed posts.<\/p>\n<p>Just take a look at this warm and welcoming tablescape she created for Valentine\u2019s. Set for four with table ware and cutlery collected and treasured over the years, it could very well be for an intimate brunch with family or dear friends on this special day!<\/p>\n<h2>The Romantic Nuances<\/h2>\n<p>The table is set with <strong>Lenox dishes<\/strong> in an endearing pattern called \u201cChirp\u201d. We love how the delicate rendering of the birds and branches mimics a Chinese brush painting. The <strong>layering of the dishes<\/strong> makes for wonderful visual interest as well. And the contrasting colors and varied designs (of the napkins as well) somehow complement beautifully. Trust an expert like Michael Lee to make this happen!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.bellenza.com\/wedding-ideas\/bistro-images\/sp-features\/m-west\/valentines-table-setting.jpg\" alt=\"Valentine's romantic table setting\" height=\"1197\" width=\"575\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Red goblets<\/strong> (from her wedding, she reveals) make a striking statement alongside the delicately patterned china. While the <strong>flatware<\/strong> features a distinct twig design on the handles. Again, somehow so perfect for the birds-and-branches pattern on the dishes.<\/p>\n<p>Echoing the red table accents, the <strong>centerpiece<\/strong> is a graceful arrangement of tulips in a fancy planter filled with moss. Each place setting is graced by <strong>mini white vases<\/strong> holding sweetheart roses, in red as well. Finally, <strong>fabric napkins<\/strong> in mismatched prints (another tip from her mother) only add to the tablescape\u2019s charm!<\/p>\n<p>And there you have it! An unexpected, yet so appealing, take on a Valentine tablescape\u2014still with the requisite red. As Michael Lee explains: \u201cRed is the perfect color when you are romancing the plate.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Dainty Treats as Glamorous Desserts<\/h2>\n<p>As if a fabulous table wasn\u2019t enough, she has a <a href=\"http:\/\/designsbygollum.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/valentines-day-ideas-for-foodies.html\" target=\"_blank\">separate post<\/a> where she recommends the \u201csimple way\u201d to serve equally amazing Valentine treats to match! We included the photos in the grouping above.<\/p>\n<p>Michael Lee shows how frosted cupcakes (believe it or not, these are store-bought) can be all glammed up with fancy paper liners and sweetheart roses on top. Then, for the popular chocolate-dipped strawberries, she candidly suggests purchasing them from a grocery \u201cif you\u2019re in a rush.\u201d Love that!<\/p>\n<p>And for even more Valentine\u2019s Day ideas, she has a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lulu.com\/product\/ebook\/valentines-day-ideabook\/6318260?productTrackingContext=product_view\/more_by_author\/right\/2\">51-page ideabook<\/a> <em>downloadable for FREE<\/em> on lulu.com.<\/p>\n<h2>Meet Michael Lee West<\/h2>\n<p class=\"captionpostv\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.bellenza.com\/wedding-ideas\/bistro-images\/sp-features\/m-west\/m-west-bio.jpg\" alt=\"Michael Lee West bio\" height=\"245\" width=\"175\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Michael Lee is the author of seven books: <em>Crazy Ladies, She Flew the Coop, American Pie, Consuming Passions, Mad Girls in Love, and Gone with a Handsomer Man<\/em>. The sequel to GWAHM, <em>A Teeny Bit of Trouble<\/em>, will arrive in bookstores in 2012.<\/p>\n<p>With food as her other passion, she hosts the amazingly popular <em><strong>Foodie Friday<\/strong><\/em> link party (details for participating <a href=\"http:\/\/designsbygollum.blogspot.com\/2009\/02\/introducing-foodie-friday.html\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>) on <a href=\"http:\/\/designsbygollum.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Designs by Gollum<\/a>. The blog itself also features her wonderful original recipes and food photos.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A romantic Valentine\u2019s meal for two need not be by candlelight. Instead, it can be in the glow of an utterly charming tablescape, lovingly put together by\u2026well, Michael Lee West! This lovely, multi-talented lady is an author, food enthusiast, and tablescaper extraordinaire. And ever since we discovered her fabulous blog Designs by Gollum, we\u2019ve been &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[106,60,59],"class_list":["post-242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","","category-decorate","tag-fabulous-feature","tag-table-setting","tag-valentines-ideas"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Fabulous Feature: Michael Lee West \u201cRomances the Plate\u201d for Valentine\u2019s - Creative and Fun Wedding Ideas Made Simple<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bellenza.com\/wedding-ideas\/decorate\/fabulous-feature-michael-lee-west-\u201cromances-the-plate\u201d-for-valentine\u2019s.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fabulous Feature: Michael Lee West \u201cRomances the Plate\u201d for Valentine\u2019s - Creative and Fun Wedding Ideas Made Simple\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A romantic Valentine\u2019s meal for two need not be by candlelight. 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