Thanksgiving: Set the Table

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hosted Thanksgiving at my house for the first time ever! 

It ended up going well, but you feel like there is tons of preparation, cleaning, cooking, etc, then you sit down, stuff your face, & -snap!- it's over! 

Not to mention the mess to clean up...

I wanted to share some of my table decor, which I culminated from various pinterest inspiration.

I had 2 tables, which both set 4 people, but we had 9, so my daughter was squeezed in. 

Here is the table in my dining room (which I inherited from my great-grandmother): 

The placemats I found at Ross (cost $4 fo 4), & the centerpiece was a combination of things I already had, a splurge (from Pier One), & Goodwill.  Of course the dishes (Mikasa French Country) are our everyday sets.

A closer look:

The tray I had, which I lined with a lace placemat (the splurge from Pier One).  The bronze dessert cups I found at Goodwill, which were perfect to hold votives.  And one of my faux pumpkins.  I added some raffia to give it the look of "tendrils".  The glass pedestal I also already had.  I wrapped a strip of my burlap garland around the center of the table to act as a runner, which you can barely see peaking out at the bottom of the picture (you can see it better in the picture above).

The second table, which was in my kitchen breakfast nook:

I also found these placemats at Ross, for the same price.  I love the colors against the black table.  You can see my daughter sitting at her seat with her placemat she made at school. 

A closer look at the centerpiece:

Same story here, center placemat was also a splurge from Pier One, & the pedestal I already had (a previous find from Goodwill, one of their new items.  Did you know they had new items?)

For the flatware, I bundled them in a paper napkin (well, one of those "fancy" linen-like paper napkins) with a cinnamon stick & tied with twine.  Super easy, & no stressing over where all the pieces go! 

I'll round out this post with a shot of some of our spread, which I served buffet-style from my kitchen island (that's my dad in the background):

Yum, yum!

Simple Fall Decor Using Old & New Objects # 3

This whimsical display-o-pinecones is actually one of my favorites, mainly b/c of the chair ~

This itty, bitty, tiny chair is part of my dining room decor, & it is a vintage school chair used by my great-grandmother in her classroom (circa 1920's, I think?)

I tossed the pinecones in a wooden purse, which only looks old, but actually came from Hobby Lobby. 

I kind of like how it turned out.

Simple Fall Decor Using Old & New Objects # 2

I shoved some faux fall flowers (from the Dollar Tree) & cinnamon sticks into an old galvanized pitcher (found at Goodwill).  The pitcher sits in a crystal serving bowl handed down to me by my grandmother.

A touch of rustic & elegance (and fake, I guess!)

Simple Fall Decor Using Old & New Objects # 1

I just love the colors of these "sweet dumpling" squashes, or gourds, if you like. 

3 placed in an old black wire bowl make a great table centerpiece.

Owls & Birds in Decor

"Hooties" & "Tweeties", as I like to call them, or owls & birds, are "perched" up everywhere you look these days.

Owls are one of my favorites, because I find them really cute for one, but also because of a more personal attachment to them, as the owl is one of the symbols of the sorority I was in during my college days.

Here's a montage of the owls & birds I have scattered around my house:

This trio is perched on top of a shelf in my room.  The orange & yellow ceramic owls are actually trivets that once belonged to my grandmother.  The middle brass owl is also a trivet, which I scored from a trip to Goodwill.

This ceramic bird is another inheritance from my grandmother, which I loved because I thought it had a retro vibe. I was told it was used to hold scouring cleanser, but instead of Comet, it was "Bab-O".  Now wouldn't that make cleaning such a cheery experience?  I just have it on display in my living room. No cleanser in there!

This is a bookend I found at Goodwill as well, but it was alone without a twin, so I just use it as a filler on a bookshelf in my living room.

This bird sits on a decorative shelf in my daughter's room (could you tell?) It is a ceramic jewelry or trinket box, & was handmade by my great-grandmother.  It was mine, but I handed it down to her, however right now, I have it up high so there is no chance she can break it!  (Those ballet slippers in the background were also mine).

This cute little ceramic container (or mug, but I don't know how you would drink out of it), came full of candy.  I think it is adorable, & the colors go well in my kitchen.  It usually just hangs out on my counter to make me happy.

These "hooties" were also found on a trip to Goodwill, & you can see them also in one of my previous posts here & here.  They've moved around my living room quite a bit, but right now they sit atop a mirrored tray I also found at Goodwill to use in my Christmas decor.  (You can see the reflection of the fleur-de-lis on the urn right behind it. Fleur-de-lis are also very popular around my house, for the same reason owls are).

Here's a vignette sitting by my fireplace.  Everything came from Goodwill except for the picture in the frame - the tray, birds (actually tealight holders, which have also moved around my living room a lot, see here), & the frame, which was covered with stuck on paper from an old picture.  After some Windex & lots of elbow grease, it looks good as new!)  The owl picture is actually from a card that my grandmother sent me.  I guess she likes owls also!

This is a necklace given to me by one of my friends.  Sorry, I couldn't get a good picture of it without holding it in my hand.  Isn't it adorable?  She remembered I liked owls also.  How thoughtful!

Finally, since it is getting close to Valentine's Day, I thought this was an appropriate shot to finish off this posting.  This is a plate I found at Target a few years back that I gave to my kids.  (We used to have 2 of them, but the other one mysteriously vanished).  Very cute, don't you think?

Wallpaper Fever

It seems almost everywhere I have been looking I've noticed wallpaper making a come-back.

Of course, it's not the ugly floral or fruit wallpaper with complementing border from a few decades ago - thank goodness!

Here's a great reminder (oh, but it seems to have a beach-theme, complete with the perfectly placed beach ball):



Wallpaper trends are now definitely more modernized, and can be used to make a statement on your walls, the same way a piece of artwork could.

Or we are seeing it used as an accent or accent wall, which can look great in every room of the house:

Kitchen

Nursery

Office/Study

Bathroom

Closet

Dining (Formal)

Dining (Casual)

Living

Or, it is seen on all the walls, which can give the right look if you pick the right pattern.

Looks very elegant, almost hotel-ish

Where the Wild Things Are?

This one reminds me of a bed and breakfast:

A little overkill with the ceiling wallpapered, but it kind of gives off a cocoon-like, cozy feeling

This is kind of cool, the wallpaper is made from pages of vintage books each decoupaged on (very creative, but very time-consuming!)

You get the idea.  Of course, if you take the plunge to putting up wallpaper, you have to remember when the trends change again, what comes up, must come down!  

It's a Wrap

Have you finished wrapping all your Christmas presents?  Or are you one of those that is still last minute shopping?  I usually am one of those that is the latter, although, this year I actually have already bought all my presents, and have them wrapped and under the tree.

For those of you that still are in the process of buying and wrapping your gifts, here is a little inspiration for your gifts to have the "total package" based on trends for the 2010 Christmas Season:

Color Trends:

• Purple, black, deep burnt orange, blue, brown, & pink
• Metallics- bronze, gold, copper, silver 
• Lime green, dark wine or burgundy, & ivory instead of the traditional red, green, & white

Vintage:

           

Blue:

• Blue and its hues are the hottest interior design colors of 2010.

                     

Birds & Botanicals:

• These little tweeties are still showing up, even in wrapping paper.  I love the second paper, because it has a "vintage" look to it as well.

Prints: 

• Great example of the color trends listed above here ~

                              


Plain & Simple / Natural:

• This is what it is.  I like this because it looks fresh & simple.  Plus, it seems to tie into all of the "natural" themes I've seen in decorating this year.

                          

Use What You Got / Go Green:

• I love this one... I don't think I could ever make newspaper look as good as they did here.  But what a great excuse for last minute wrapping?  "Uhhhh, I'm going green. Yeah, that's it (no, I didn't forget to wrap your present...)"

        
      
Doilies or Lace:

• Very pretty & kinda have a shabby chic, romantic look to them.

            

Fabric:

• This is also awesome, especially the shirt.  2 gifts in 1!  I've learned the Japanese art of wrapping with fabric is called Furoshiki, & is also very eco-friendly!

        

Well there you have it!  I saw some awesome ideas for creatively wrapping Christmas presents, now if I actually have the time to try some of them out, that is another story...