I can’t do just one tablesetting.
You should know that about me by now. It’s like good enough is never good enough. It’s a sickness.
So this time around, instead of going for unconventional, I tried my hand at a little more traditional color scheme with my self-imposed challenge of ‘making it look good’ while still accepting the Lowe’s Creative Ideas Magazine challenge of ‘use stuff from the hardware store’ on the table. Here’s what I came up with for under ten bucks….
I was so inspired by the fall colors that I knew a leafy branch off a tree in the back yard would be the perfect launching point.
Then I tried my hand at bringing the love in from outside…as in, making a bouquet of rosettes from some leaves. And who says romance is dead?! Not Mother Nature.
Aren’t they cute tucked into that glass vase? And I love the pairing of them with my little pumpkin jar and the glass candleholder in the back. The trio is just too darling…each about the same size (which I find is unusual in decorating)…but each has different and interesting textures so it kinda works. Plus the wood charger ties them together nicely – so 100 Bower Power points to you my little homemade charger…you may redeem them at any time for hugs, kisses, applauding and compliments to your eyes…or your grain…this just got awkward.
Okay – so back to the rosettes…basically they are just a stick with leaves wrapped and bended and twisted and wrapped some more.
And then I used electrical tape to secure it. Electrical tape is awesome because it has a little stretch to it – yet it is very secure once it’s fastened…so these bad boys are holding on strong.
Note that if you are gonna try these lovelies at home that it is a good idea to pluck the leaves off the tree – and not just gather them off the ground. See the cracked dry ones? Yup – them are ground dwellers. And see the ones that actually look more like petals? Yup – I was all up in that tree’s business. I made him call me mom. twice.
Enough tree smack talk – let’s move on. you know…for all you sane folks.
The placesettings themselves were really simple – a red placemat, layered with a 77 cent vinyl floor tile (these would also look great in a bathroom!), plate & cutlery and a brown napkin tied up with a bit of beaded tree garland.
Oh and a paint chip place card….super easy.
So there you have it – a more traditional tablescape for two on the big Thanksgiving holiday.
So have you plunged into tablesetting yet? Have you made plans at all? We just decided last night who is doing what when and where. Let’s just say that a three day holiday extravaganza is in order. And I still have to do a tablesetting for 14 🙂 Wish me luck (oh and go check out Lowe’s Creative Ideas Magazine for more great tips on how to get your house ready for the holidays!)
p.s. Did you notice the new Bootie page at the top? Yeah – let’s just say that it is for those people that don’t like to pay for good bootie 🙂
I LOVE those leaf roses! That’s such a creative idea! I wonder if they’ll dry out nicely? They’ll look so nicely with different leaf colors, too!
PS – the bootie page is fun!
You are so funny!! I swear I think you get wittier by the day.
I love the leaf roses. In the first picture I seriously thought they were dried up roses. Creative and funny?? You are one blessed girl 😉 Happy Weekend!
Quinland says the Yoda place card is hi-larious.
Leaf roses … your genius ideas are neverending.
Fantastic tablescape, KB! It says, “Yeah, it IS Fall. Deal with it!” without being overdone and forced. I’m liking the idea of the vinyl tile, too. I see really pretty patterns sometimes, but never thought of using them in a way like this. Five gold stars for you, woman!
Leaf roses are a brilliant idea. You should get a Nobel prize in DIY for that one.
http://www.delish.com/recipes/cooking-recipes/top-bacon-recipes
KB,
Saw this link this am and thought of you of course! 🙂
Lynn
I am in awe of the rosette ingenuity! I thought they were real dried roses at first. I bow to you oh mighty crafter.
LOVE the leaf rosettes! sweet.
i’m curious to know with whom Yoda is dining this Thanksgiving? i can’t tell from the pictures…
Leaf roses are added to my to-do list for Thanksgiving decor!
Roses look really great! 🙂
Popeye 🙂
My two favorite boys.
xo – kb
Bringing peace to every nation with the leaf rose 🙂
xo – kb
You are insanely creative. I am amazed that you created such a beautiful tablesetting out dried leaves and some supplies from the hardware store. Seriously, I’m blown away. It’s awesome Katie!
I literally love this time of year because I can’t wait to see what you come up with. Love everything! Where is that glass vase from?
Brilliant idea! And they are going to be loving you with the floor tile idea. Very creative!
Nice job with those leaf roses. How long did they take you to make? How long do they last? Seems like it’d take a while to do them, but I wouldn’t want to make them days in advance only to find they’re gross by Thursday!
A word of caution with using hardware stuff on your table: those stick-em tiles are usually very stinky and definitely not VOC-free. Not sure you’d want your silverware or plate of food on them for actual use. Though in theory it’s a nice idea.
those leaf rosettes are amazing. you have quite the vision katie bower!
It didn’t take as long as you might think – maybe twenty minutes for the whole lot. And I made them a week ago and they are still good. Also, the tiles I chose (which might be different from store to store) are actually not stick-on…just the same on both sides and pretty heavy duty too so I imagine that they would be a-ok as non-food-safe placemats. I have no idea if just the plain ones are VOC-free though 🙁
xo – kb
The clear glass one is from Goodwill…where else 🙂
xo – kb
Hi Katie,
I stumbled upon your blog by chance and now I’m hooked!! 🙂 It’s such a treat to get to know you a little through your posts filled with your awesome creativity, sense of style, talent and humor! Yea, you are so funny! 🙂
I love what you did with your old home and what you’re making out of your new one! You’re my new home-making hero! (move over Martha Stewart!) 🙂
Best wishes to you and your little family!
Luzia (Azores Islands, Portugal)
Love the leaf roses! Genius!
The tile idea is a great one too. Way to think out of the box. You rocked that challenge!
Leaf rosettes – you are so creative, Miss Katie Bower! I’m also loving that Yoda and Popeye are sharing Thanksgiving together…! Very cute job, you have a talent for putting together a beautiful table!
Funny on a place card his name is.
Those rosettes are totally stealing the show. They are AH-MAZING. Can we get another post on just the rosette how-to? I know you gave us the basics, but how on earth did you fold those leaves?
Plus we’d love more pictures of the show stealer. 🙂
haha…I wish I could take pictures and fold them at the same time – just get the first leaf and fold in half and then roll tight to form the center. Then just take each leaf and fold in half and wrap around and twist loosely the leaf as you go…it definitely requires both hands and you have to use one hand to pinch the rosette while you use the other one to fold and bend and wrap the tape. It’s not tough after the first few 🙂
xo – kb
haha!
xo – kb
Thanks! I’m going to try really hard to make a few of these, but I’m all thumbs when it comes to folding ANYTHING.
I feel like I’m always running into the “oh no I only have two hands” issues as a crafter/blogger. Just wait, soon Will can be your little assistant. I can just picture you now saying, “Ok now push the big button on the camera. Be careful not to move it off the X Mommy taped to the table…”
Have a great Thanksgiving.
Kasey M.