Challenge: to eat more during Thanksgiving week than my stretchy maternity pants can handle.
Prize: Sharing the aftermath with others.
Just thought I would share that tidbit of info with you.
Now let’s move on toward something a little more seasonal. First – check out our new Thanksgiving header:
Snazzy.
Seriously, if I wasn’t already knocked up – that fine Pilgrim’s breeches would have a brass-buckle-lovin-garter-chasing-Native-American on it’s hands. And Thanksgiving just got a whole new meaning. Swoon 🙂
Now that my word picture brought you all into the holiday spirit – let me share with you how we decorated our Thanksgiving table. Sadly it won’t be getting any turkey-action (keep it clean gals) this coming week. But that is no reason to leave it high and dry. No. It needed to be Thanksgiving-inized! And I gobbled up the chance to change it into something a little more festive at a low budget (freecoughfree). So without further hesitation (or any more Pilgrim jokes) here is our festive Thanksgiving tablescape:
It all began with a bit of festive fabric that I found in the bottom of my linen trunk. And that fabric brought me back a few years.
Flashing back to October of 2007 brought memories of the last time I felt this fabric. It was used at the bridal tea that I hosted for all the important ladies in my wedding party.
My dear Grandma was there, the fireplace (and the rest of the house) wasn’t renovated yet, and the festive fabric was folded into a large square for the center of our ‘Seats-14’ bridal tea table.
I decided that the best way to up-cycle the orange, red, and green cotton fabric was to sew it into a runner that I could use on the table or on the buffet.
I whipped out the runner in a jiffy. (A jiffy to me is seventeen hours of rereading my sewing machine manual & learning how to turn on our iron.)
Anyhoo. If you look very closely at the runner, you can see that it features some brown pine cones…which gets my brain going for a more rustic textural feel. But then it also has flowers – lilys, mums, and roses. So I decided that the rest of our table should reflect that same Girl-meets-Woods attitude.
Both place settings were started with a gold charger – which instantly added a little glitz. But the shine was a little too much and needed to be tempered. Enter woven charger. Yes, I buck tradition. I used two chargers. And I would do it again. in. a. grateful. dead. heartbeat. (Gold Charger = GIRL; Woven Charger = WOODS)
On top of the chargers, I placed a simple dinner plate (the pattern is Lenox Federal Platinum) and a warm orange linen napkin. Then comes the finishing touch. A yellow glass candle holder. Or it could be an ashtray. I don’t know. I got it at a yard sale….my mother’s yard sale to be exact…so it was free too. And it was the perfect size to add a little more sparkle. But everyone knows that there is such a thing as too much sparkle (just ask David Bowie). In order to tone down the Edward-in-the-daylight-gleam, I whipped out some rustic vase filler. I love the contrast of the shiny glass flower dish and the dark shells & woven yumminess of the vase filler. (Yellow Dish = GIRL; Acorn Vase Filler = WOODS)
Working on the tablescape centerpiece was really easy & fun with my new GIRL meets WOODS concept. It really helps me to have a theme. Even if it is only in my head and completely ridiculous.
A brown leathery tray was ‘borrowed’ from our bedroom and I snatched a set of three candle holders from our guest room. The tray grounds the centerpiece – giving it depth and a little texture.
A bouquet of flowers would have been perfectly appropriate – but I didn’t want to spend any money so fresh flowers were out. I ended up with a bouquet of woven spheres on sticks (they were left over from our wedding decor aka free). The ‘faux-balls’ (my boyfriend’s endearing term for them) created an interesting and creative solution. Girl meets wood & falls in love 🙂
Unfortunately, I didn’t have three matching votives in white (my box of candles was stashed temporarily) and so I had to access even more creative juices in order to figure out what to do with the candle holders. Peanuts to the rescue. That’s right – one of my favorite finger-lickin-salty-snacks were perfect to add a little more texture and acts as a perfect appetizer for passerbyers. Girl meets Woods and falls in love and gets married.
I finished off the centerpiece with a couple small pumpkins & one large one (leftover from Halloween). The big one conveniently was the exact size I would choose for the metal footed bowl. It added some elevation to the arrangement and gave it a nice pop of orange. A simple little touch that anyone can do is to tag your ‘kin. I did it with a couple of Pottery Barn writable bronze name tags that I tied to the stem of the pumpkin. A short & sweet message of “GIVE THANKS” is always something people (read:I) need to remember this time of year.
Girl just had Wood’s baby.
And it wouldn’t be exactly fair to spruce up the dining room table without adding a little ooomph to the buffet, now would it?! So I went to work creating a simple and easy arrangement on the buffet too.
I started off with a simple idea of a single arrangement of dried hydrangeas. These were hanging onto the limelight bushes in our front yard. All I had to do was clip & stick. Wahla! I immediately had a dried arrangement with texture and lovely shades of brown.
Then I thought about giving the area some height. Everybody likes a tall skinny friend to stand next to them when you are dried out and feeling crumbly, right? So I mimicked the good-ole water-reed in a glass jar idea that I have going on in our guest bathroom.
Then I placed some wine bottles, a few glasses, and some napkins. But the whole display didn’t feel complete. And then it struck me – I could hang the ribbon plate from the mirror with a message! Not only did it wish our guests to have a Happy Thanksgiving but the weight of the plate visually balances out the hydrangeas on the other side.
And now we have a complete & festive dining room fit for a king…or a turkey (if only I knew how to make one!). Oh well, so that’s it. One fun & free dining room decor update fit for the Thanksgiving holiday. Now onto the fun part….YOU.
Do you decorate for Thanksgiving even if you aren’t hosting? Are you an upcycler when it comes to fabrics or past decor favorites? Any wedding decor users out there? Anyone like the faux-balls? How about them peanuts? Any double chargers out there? Anyone out there at all?
Anyone?
HELLLLO!
Is anyone still there?
If you can hear me Lassie – go get grandpa!
And then tell me all about your Thanksgiving decor! Link if you can! And avoid the strange girl in the woods – I hear she is having a barky-baby 🙂
(sorry folks – my uterus is making me cheesier by the second.)
Erin @ Domestic Adventure says
Your table looks great, Katie! I dressed mine up this weekend. Although I treated myself to a new table runner, I did use some cardboard, leftover fabric and random things from the woods. We could call it Pottery Barn meets recycling bin and woods? Here it is: http://www.domesticadventure.com/?p=455
Michele with 1 "L" says
I LOVE your header!! Can’t decide if I like this one or the Halloween one better. Can’t wait to see what you do for Christmas.
I used some fake fall leaves from the Dollar Store, amber glass bowls that were my great grandmother’s, and pumpkins as part of my Halloween decor. I replaced the ghost votives and the witch, mummy, and frankenstein figurines with a ceramic turkey and some wooden pilgrim figures. Viola! Thanksgiving decor.
allbowerpower says
Looking good Erin! I love it when other people link to their table decor – it is oh-so-inspirational 🙂
XO – KaaaayBeeeeee
Lesley says
Wow! Love how creative your are. Right now my dining room is getting ready to be painted so the table and sideboard are tarped up and the chairs are int he guest room. No T-giving at our house this year. Which isn’t so bad since I don’t like cooking when it involves more than one pot.
PS Love the new header too.
Cassie says
We are in the transition of moving so simple, easy, and CHEAP decorations are consuming my brain.
Recently I’ve come to enjoy decorating with pinecones, since well…they’re outside! Free Free and Free 🙂
I found this and like the idea of using corn, yep I said corn…
http://images.meredith.com/bhg/images/2008/06/ss_100991393.jpg
Jessica says
I love how your up do in the header works with your braids underneath!
And I haven’t even finished my table yet, but plan to hit up The Christmas Tree Shop and AC Moore tomorrow to see what I can find.
I’m hosting my 1st turkey day!
jen says
Love the new header! And the table – so festive! I did a little ‘twigs and berries’ theme for mine this year: http://homeinthecountry.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/thanksgiving-table/
kelly@TearingUpHouses says
i like the pumpkin holder! fits!
here’s some more thanksgiving inspiration:
http://tearinguphouses.blogspot.com/2009/11/this-is-love-thanksgiving.html
kelly
Shannon says
So are you role-playing as Pocahontas or Sacajawea? I’d go with Saca, she so doesn’t get enough attention as that stupid disney princess….ANYway, I also am in no way, shape or form hosting Thanksgiving but my buffet got all prettied up for the occasion with thrift store scores. Happy Thanksgiving Bowers!
http://shannonsswell.blogspot.com/2009/11/turkey-day-buffet.html
allbowerpower says
Whoa Shannon. I know that I can say this because we are like tight and all….back up off of the Disney princesses….some of us in this world would very much like to grow up and become a Disney princess one day…and just so everyone knows – they are not stupid….they can sing in rhyme people….RHYME! But yes, let’s go with your suggestion….mostly because it is just funny think of Jeremy getting chased down by someone named Sacajawea 🙂
Hope you have a happy Thanksgiving!
XO – Katie
claire says
wow! that’s a great table setting! you are waaaay more ambitious than i am – i’m skipping straight from fall and going into christmas decor!
btw – you should totally rock braids like that all the time!
Courtney says
Am I the only one who noticed the many references to GIRL? Is that a hint??!!
Well, boy or GIRL, congratulations on your new baby bump! And Happy Thanksgiving!
allbowerpower says
Courtney – you are very observant but no hints yet about a baby gender. We actually don’t know yet so you gotta stay tuned for the big announcement 🙂
XO – Katie
Kim@NewlyWoodwards says
You seriously crack me up. Seriously.
I love all the natural elements – the dried hydrangea, the willowy things (what are they called?). And, the tags on the pumpkin are adorable.
We don’t have a Thanksgiving table. It’s pretty ugly around our parts actually. I took down all the fall decor to prep for Twilight and now our home is just empty. I’ll get back to it after we get home from Thanksgiving. Maybe.
Melissa says
Love this!!! And I agree, even if you aren’t having Thanksgiving dinner at your house, the table should be decorated! Here’s a link to our table decoration ideas: http://oneluckycouple.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/table-setting-ideas/
Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality says
What a fun blog! I’m friends with Layla & decided to stop by here & check out your blog. You are hilarious, which I’m sure everyone tells you. Loved the page about you & your hubby & how you met. I’m a Southern girl, as you can tell by my blog name, grew up in ATL, so I take it that’s where y’all are now. Heading over there for Thanksgiving myself.
What a great job you’ve done on your house, it looks wonderful. ANd congrats on the baby. I wish you well with the contest and all of your projects. I’m a DIY girl too & share a lot of fun ideas, so I hope you’ll stop by & visit sometime.
allbowerpower says
Welcome to our neck of the woods Rhoda! And you nailed it….we are good ole peeps in Hotlanta (or should we call it Wetlanta as of recent storms!) and we love havin fun in the southern burbs 🙂 Can’t wait to head over and check out your site….I’m always on the prowl for new blogland friends!
XO – KB
Sara says
Wow, this is so cute it makes me wish I didn’t get out my Christmas decorations last week!
Eileen says
I’m more of a copycat than an original thinker, though I’m trying to grow from that. I saw this “Fall centerpiece” at Costco last year and missed out on actually getting it. I still had the picture I took last year and hunted down the different pieces to recreate it (pumpkins,gourds,mini indian corn,all on a bed of raffia.) It won’t be on my table since there will be NO room with all the food, but it’s a pretty cool decorative piece.
Lin says
What type of marker do you use to write on your ribbon plate?
allbowerpower says
Hi Lin,
I use a dry-erase marker on the ribbon plate. Oh and remember that you can write on any plate to post your own personal message 🙂
XO – Katie