A Layered Christmas Tablescape

In a previous post, I mentioned the Caroline House, a beautiful home that I toured in which each room was decorated for Christmas. One trend that I noticed throughout the house was, not only the use of gold tones, but the use of layering on the tables. I decided to go through all my table linens and see what I could come up with.

As a base, I used a cream colored cloth:

On top of that, I placed a bronze colored cloth which was actually for a round table:

On top of the bronze cloth, I placed a chocolate brown suede-like cloth:

As a finishing touch, I placed a gold throw diagonally on the top. I also used this throw on my Christmas table last year.

To pull in all the colors, I used this place mat as the base for my centerpiece:

Then I placed a charger with candles that I decorated with beads and ribbon in the center. (I posted how to do this in my post called Candles with a Sparkle). I grouped several vintage-looking ornaments with a beaded garland around the candles:

I wanted something different for my napkins, so I folded them into thirds lengthwise and pulled them through the napkin ring:

Then I flipped the napkin over and tucked the ends in between the dinner plate and the charger. It made it look like a bow:

The result was dressy and elegant, yet warm and cozy.

Place Cards with Handmade Snowflakes

As promised in my previous post, I am going to show how I made the place cards for my winter table.

Supplies needed:
1 piece of white card stock
glue (I like Alene's Tacky Glue)
sparkly glitter
paintbrush
Martha Stewart Snowflake Punch (Michael's)
heavy card stock or textured paper in a cool color
3-D dots

Brush glue onto card stock. Add a small amount of water to make it spread smoothly.

Pour glitter onto the glue and allow to dry completely. Then punch snowflakes out:

I used a glitter I've had for years called Prisma Glitter. It has an opalescent look to it:

I found this cool textured paper on sale at Michael's. I thought it looked like a night sky, which would be a good background for the snowflakes. I cut it into the size I wanted (3-1/2 x 5-1/2) and folded it over. I cut pieces from the card stock and attached them to the place card with 3-D dots and wrote each person's name on them. You can also print names on the computer. Then I attached the snowflake to the top left corner with another 3-D dot:

Autumn Touches and Tablescapes

There are many fun projects to do around your home which use the beautiful autumn elements that nature provides right in your own back yard. What I enjoyed most about these projects was the actual collection process itself. I felt like a kid tromping all over my yard collecting things. When I was little, I actually used to collect rocks, scrub them with an old toothbrush, and then paint them with clear nail polish. Maybe I should not have shared that. Anyway, for this I used leaves, pine cones, acorns, and a few sweet gum balls. I think the acorns look better with their caps on and many had fallen off. I remedied that with a little glue.

Just the leaves alone can create a nice touch:

If you use them to decorate for company, lay them out fresh that day:

For a centerpiece for my kitchen table, I purchased this cool square vase at Davis Wholesale. I placed another container on the inside to use as a vase, then filled in between with pine cones, acorns, and sweet gum balls.

After playing with it a little, I opted for a vase that was more narrow because it worked better to hold the leaves in place:

Then I filled the vase with small branches of leaves. I added more pine cones to the top after adding the leaves to hold them in place. I used a few cinnamon pine cones because I love the smell. The leaves can easily be replaced every few days as needed.

The tablecloth in my kitchen is actually a twin comforter that I found at Home Goods. I think that quilted fabric looks cozy on a table and I liked the nice warm autumn colors on it. When I replace this tablecloth with a Christmas one in a few weeks, I will use the comforter on my daybed in my study.

For the table on my back porch, I used 3 clay pots. I placed votive candle holders in each and filled them with water:

Then I placed greenery in each of them This is nandina, which I absolutely love. It is great to use for Christmas, also.

I placed a cinnamon pine cone on top of each one. I found the tiny clay pots at Michael's and they were the perfect size for a votive candle:

It is amazing how simple it is to decorate for autumn. Don't you love this time of year?

Get the Party Started

Whenever we have a dinner party during the warm months, we like for it to be fun and casual, and always outside on the porch. I found these animal napkin rings at Pier One several years back, and I use them often. I like them because they are whimsical and unexpected, and what is really funny is that almost without fail, our guests will choose where they sit based on the animal that is holding their napkin. It just adds to the fun.

I also have been collecting Fiesta dinnerware for several years. I bought it all at a place here in Birmingham called B &B's China, where they sell it at a discounted rate. They are factory "seconds" but it is easy to find pieces that are nearly flawless. B & B's is a huge place with a vast selection of restaurant supplies and tableware. If you live in or near Birmingham, and like to cook and entertain, I recommend that you check them out. You can also find Fiesta dinnerware online. One site is dinnerwareusa.com.

I like a color variety, but you could buy a whole set in one color, if you were so inclined. I bought a set for Amby, as well, and she uses hers during the summer.


We recently had friends over for dinner. We had Grilled Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, Homemade Rolls, Salad, and Chocolate Cheesecake. This is how I decorated the table:

The napkins shown in this picture are some that I found at Hobby Lobby a couple of years ago. They were actually bandanas. They are 100% cotton, which I think is needful for a napkin, and they came in a large variety of fun color combinations. I've used them countless times. I have found that it is always good to be on the lookout for tableware and accessories, even if you don't have a party planned in the immediate future.
So have fun with your next dinner party! And definitely don't take life too seriously.

A Dressy Tablescape

It is Christmas Eve night and I have finally finished my dining room table. This year, instead of a tablecloth, I opted for something different. I bought a white matelasse twin comforter (T.J. Maxx) that I used as my tablecloth. I found a beautiful gold throw with boulle fringe at Target, and I placed it on top of the comforter. The throw could be placed at an angle or crunched up in the middle of the table, but I decided to lay it flat. I made these napkin rings last year out of beads from the craft store threaded onto stretchy plastic string. It's very easy. You can perfectly match them to your china.

I bunched tuille onto the middle of the table and placed the candles I covered with paper (from a previous post) on top of it. Then I interspersed a beaded gold garland with the candles. It is actually a look that could be used year round.