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 Wreath in 5 Minutes

I had a grapevine wreath on hand that I got on sale at Michael's, so I decided to incorporate it into a fall wreath.

Very simple was my goal.

I also had this roll of burlap garland (also from Michael's) that had been sitting in a corner of my room gathering dust.

I cut a length of it off to hang from my ever-present over-the-door wreath hanger, & secured the wreath.

Finally, I had some other fall-ish ribbon in my stash, & I dangled a monogrammed letter behind the wreath, by hanging the ribbon directly from the wreath hanger to the desired length for the letter to dangle in the center of the wreath.

Here is the finished product:

Done in 5 minutes!

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.

A look back at my spring/Easter mantel (before I take it down...)

Okey-dokey, so spring & Easter are LONG over, but I have missed a few postings due to a lapse in internet connection - hey, it happens to the best of us!  (Actually, I started writing this post about a month ago, but just got around to finishing & actually posting it, so I really took down my Easter mantel before July!  :) )

Anywho, I wanted to post up my mantel I created specifically for spring & Easter - just to say I did it!

Here it is, in all it's glory - adorned with a DIY spring-y wreath:

Below, I'll post a little tutorial about the wreath, which was really simple.

A few close up pictures of the small "vignettes" on each side:

The "left side" is composed of a collection of apothecary-ish jars which I scored from Goodwill.  Click here to see some of my other great finds from my local Goodwill store.  The greenish flower pot holds a bird's nest w/ eggs that I also found from Goodwill.  The other green in the jars are faux "moss rocks" that came from the dollar store (Dollar General, I think). Standing in the background is a frame I found on the side of the road - and, I didn't have to do a thing to it!  I love the rustic finish it has.  (There were actually 2 of them, the "twin" is on the other side - see below).  The various candlesticks were given to me as wedding gifts, & the clock I already had also.   

The "right side" also holds another Goodwill apothecary jar that I scored.  It is filled with those flat glass marble-ish thingys that you fill vases with, & paper mache' eggs I found @ Michael's.  I have seen other posts highlighting how to decorate paper mache' eggs, but I really liked the natural look of them.  Adds great texture & interest.  On the very end are 2 really cute birdies (momma & baby) that I found @ Michael's also & couldn't pass up.  In the back you can see the other twin roadside frame, & also the mates to the other candlesticks.  Take a look back at how I used all of the apothecary jars at Christmas.  

Now for the wreath tutorial, I first took a plain grapevine wreath, & bought one "stalk" of faux green hydrangeas (all from Michael's).  I also picked up some ribbon, a hanging flower ball thing, & a cute sparkly butterfly.  

I pulled the hydrangeas off the plastic stalks to just use the flowers, & hot glued them onto the bottom right-hand side.  I tied the hanging flower ball from the top.  The butterfly was glued to the top left-hand side, which you can see in the finished wreath.  

I attached the finished wreath by hanging w/ green gingham ribbon to my Goodwill repurposed frame that was used during the holidays.  

Here's a close up of it finished (& the undecorated mantel):

Now, I just made a few quick changes for a summer display:

Ta-da!  All bright & summery with some Dollar General Gerber daisies I also had on hand (which I pulled off from the faux stalks).  The graduated candle holders were a Christmas gift, & I filled them w/ grapevine "balls" & topped w/ the flowers.  

Tree Decorating & Ornaments: Old or New? (& a touch of nostalgia)

Are you one of those that goes for a different tree decorating "theme" each year, sticking with the latest "trends", or do you tend to lean more towards a "classic" or "traditional" tree, re-using cherished heirloom ornaments from year to year?  


Me, I fall into the second category.  I now realize how blessed I am that I was given an ornament (or 2 or 3) every year of my life from my 1st Christmas on (and I'm still getting them!)  And, on every ornament is written the year it was given.  


Here's the ornament from my 1st Christmas (1977):

I was given all of my ornaments when I moved away from home, and back then, I resented those old ornaments, & wanted to have a more trendy tree based on what I was seeing in the stores.  But, for one reason or another (mainly lack of funds), I pulled those out and filled my tree every year.  I think now though, with the trends more vintage and homespun, my ornaments fit that bill exactly.  With each ornament that was unwrapped from it's tissue bed, a fond memory of Christmases past filled my mind.  


As I was growing up, we made it a tradition of trimming the tree as a family, and each family member would hang their own ornaments.  Christmas music, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (love that clay-mation), or "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown" would be on in the background, and if we were lucky enough in the Texas weather to have a chilly evening, there would be a fire in the fireplace.  Of course, it wasn't always a Hallmark card at our house, usually fights ensued between my sister, brother, & I, or some other drama of that sort.  Or there would be jealousy, (usually on my part) because my sister would have the pretty pink ornaments, while I was stuck with the ugly brown or yellow ornaments.  (I still will not get over that! wink, wink) Here's a good example:

This one I have fond memories of because it always reminded me of a cookie (if you look close, you can see bite marks where I probably tried to eat it when I was little- or was that this year?)

Sadly, some of the ornaments have not survived 30+ years, but for the most part I still have every one of mine, and even some "inherited" ornaments from other family members.  It is really amazing how Christmas ornaments can evoke such fond memories.  My grandmother started the tradition, and now my mother is carrying that on for my children, so they will one day have the same cherished memories that I have every Christmas season when I pull out my ornaments to trim the tree, & I hope they have the same appreciation & fondness for their ornaments as I have for mine!  


This is probably one of my favorite ornaments right now:

Here is my tree (I know the lights kind of make it hard to see all the ornaments):  

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

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...

A Hint of Christmas...Vignettes!

"Vignettes"- (thought I'd get into the blog lingo, yes, I'm such a joiner-).  Vignettes are "groupings" of "still life that creates a mood and makes your room look polished and pulled together" according to HGTV.  See their "8 Tips for Making Beautiful Vignettes" here for more inspiration.


Anyway, here's a taste of what's been going on around my house recently: 



Don't mind the blue pjs on the floor in the background...

I know that brown thing looks like a cupcake, but it's not, I promise!  I had an ugly Christmas swag from about 1999 or something, so I decided to pull off all the components and repurpose them throughout my house.  This is some type of cone-thingy complete with faux snow/ice!  I mean, can you get any better???



I found all 3 of these apothecary-type jars at one of my regular, yes, you guessed it, Goodwill outings. (Did I even need to say that?)  Anyway, the biggest one was brand new in it's original box, and came with the "winter fill".  The other two I filled with gold jingle bells & green filler crystals.  You can still my leopard mirror that is not in the Christmas spirit.  See my after treatment here.

I already had this container/planter, who knows were it came from, but I filled it with cinnamon scented pine cones & some more of that sacrificed swag.  (By the way, the smell of the cinnamon pine cones so does not last).

Christmas tree shoved into a creamer, gotta love that!

Sorry the picture is a little blurry, but I found both this tarnished brass tray & container (and I love the tarnished look they have) at Goodwill (did you guess?). The Nativity Scene is an ornament, & probably as old as me. I just decided this year to use it off the tree rather than on the tree.

More sacrificed swag pieces- don't you love the fake ice crystals?

        

Dining Room buffet

And to finish this post, my Nativity.  I usually have set it up over on my buffet, but this year I decided to use this tray and scattered some mossy stuff around.  I think it gives it a more "authentic" look.  Made any Christmas "vignettes" around your casa?

Before & After: Goodwill Re-purpose for Decking the Halls

I did a little more browsing at my local Goodwill Superstore, and I ran across this ugly little thing, but I figured it had great potential to showcase my new sparkly/icy wreath for above my mantel.  (I usually have a leopard-print mirror over the mantel, but it just did not cut it with the Christmas decor).  See it peeking out below:

Here is the ugly duckling ($4 investment @ Goodwill):

And after painting with a light, dry brushed coat of Dark Ecru (DecoArt Americana Satin Enamels):

I tried to give it that rustic/weathered look, but it is hard to tell in this picture.  On the inside rim of the frame, I painted a lighter shade- Light Buttermilk (Americana Gloss Enamel) to make the wreath "pop" a little more.

I glued together three different ribbons to attach the wreath: off-red & mossy green grosgrain, & cream lace to give it a little texture.  I would not suggest using regular craft glue, like I did, because the grosgrain does NOT want to stick well with that, but, you make due with what you have sometimes.  Here is the picture of my ribbon during the gluing process (and you can see my new wreath- courtesy of Walmart):

                    

Now, here is the finished project, in it's new home over my mantel (you can also see "Buddy" our "Elf on the Shelf" in his most recent resting place after returning from the North Pole):

Looks good, I think!  I have plans to use the frame after the holidays in another area of my house.  Here's a full-figure picture of the whole mantel-scape:

By the way, most of my mantel decor I scored on that visit to Goodwill also, but I'll go into more detail about that later.  The rest of the decorating, Christmas shopping, and wrapping is coming along!  What about you?

*Linked up here: http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/2010/12/frugal-friday-and-giveaway-winner.html