Olivers Alma Cottage: Sail away with me..

I am in love with Venice...It evokes the feeling of...love.

The Gondola's are quiet, amazing and romantic. Being with your lover.. floating past front doors that open onto water..creates an awe that only Venice can create.

So with this in mind, I wanted to create that feeling..if only for one day. To me Venice is Red Flowers hanging in huge baskets along the canal as you sit and eat your lunch... hence my Tissue Heart made with pom pom's and large black pins!

I love red roses and these ones had the most amazing smell...all sitting in a Gondola shaped glass vase.

When you are sitting on the water, you can't help but notice the striped poles that the Gondola's are tied to. This formed the basis of my next bit of craftiness..my Ribbon Backdrop. I had lot's of fun putting this together and think it really makes the table 'pop'. My large red hearts are hanging by orange and white twine and this ties in with the twine on the Cake Bunting.. which was made by the very clever Amber from Sprowt Graphic Designs. Amber also created all the printables for this beautiful setting!

Other than the food (which I will come back to later), Venice, to me, is Vintage Lace and the very beautiful Venetian Masks. This table was designed for lovers, so it felt right to place the Masks behind the table setting to show the male and female presence. My tablecloth was made from off white Venetian Lace and really set off the mood of the table. European Love..

And lastly..no one can deny that apart from the French, Italian's have the most tastiest food to choose from. The Italian's like to 'pick' at their food so when it came to laying out the food, I wanted to have all three courses on the table at once!

When I remember Venice, I automatically think of Gelato! I chose Mango & Blood Orange Gelato and scooped them into little balls. My wooden scoops added to the fun of the table. I knew that the Tiramasu was THE signature dessert of Venice...so I made a Tiramasu Trifle with Chocolate and Orange Zest! This teemed with the Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting, Raspberry Jellies, Gingerbread Biscuits in the words 'Sail Away With Me' created by the lovely Lisa of Cakes & Biscuits by Lisa and hot coffee rounded out the Dessert Menu!

Italian's love Pasta and Pizza...but they also love Risotto! I chose a rustic Risotto with Cherry tomato's and Purple Basil. The side salads were made up of Beef Tomato's topped with Pesto and Fetta Cheese and a Mixed Salad with Cherries and Prosciutto. All dishes took me back to the city of Love..

I couldn't resist surprising my husband with Frozen Grapes! They came out and frosted up so nicely that he decided to do a little artwork on the grapes to surprise me right back! These last pics are of my family...because even though we are not in Venice...I am so in love with all of them!