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Tablescape round-up and farewell to 2020
It’s probably safe to say that most of us won’t be sorry to wave buh-bye to the year 2020, and that we have high hopes of 2021 being SO much better. (I myself plan to stay up til midnight New Year’s Eve just to make sure the old year does in fact leave!) As 2020 comes to a close, I thought I would post a quick look back at the tablescapes I shared on the blog throughout the year.
In January, I hosted two long-time friends for a ladies’ luncheon. I had hoped to host more luncheons throughout the year, but that plan was soon scuttled as COVID-19 settled in beginning in March.
My Valentine’s Day plans also evolved, such that I didn’t fix a meal to enjoy my table-for-two, but Greg and I enjoyed ourselves anyway.
I don’t really celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, but I had collected the most perfect set of Limoges and couldn’t resist putting together a “Wild Irish Rose” table for that occasion. (No corned beef and cabbage though… yuck!)
Blue and yellow – colors I associate with the French country look and in particular, with the city of Provence – continue to be favorite tablescaping colors. I set my second Provence-inspired table featuring an unlikely hero: “La Cigale,” the cicada! (Anyone else set a table honoring a creepy-looking insect? No? Just me? Okay…)
Over the summer I acquired the most beautiful set of chargers, which I deemed fit for a princess. I shared my fairytale table in early September.
I couldn’t decide on a look for Thanksgiving, so I shared a few ideas. The first was a table set in jewel tones. I loved the centerpiece on this one!
My second Thanksgiving table was more a celebration of the bold Autumn colors.
And third, the table I actually used when I hosted my daughter and her beau for Thanksgiving lunch, featuring my handed-down Currier & Ives dinnerware.
In and amongst the Thanksgiving table ideas, I shared a simple setting for one to mark the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, granting women the right to vote.
I hosted another friend for dinner around Christmas time, where we enjoyed a new-to-me treat: Hasselback potatoes! I used my Debbie Mumm “Woodland Santa” plates for this simple but festive table!
And for Christmas, I shared a table set with my most beautiful pattern of all, Old Country Roses. This table featured a special napkin fold, for which I provided a tutorial elsewhere on the blog. (You can also check out my free PDF file, “5 Fun Easy Napkin Folds” for the Christmas Tree and other simple folds!)
For more tablescaping inspiration, I hope you’ll consider joining my Facebook group, Thrifty Tablescapers. We’ve enjoyed a full year of inspiration overload – the group is filled with budget-friendly ideas for setting fun, beautiful, and inviting tables on a budget. Come “play with the dishes” with us in the new year!
Here’s to more tablescaping fun in 2021!
Posted in Tablescapes
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Wishing you a Merry Christmas!
Friends, thank you so much for connecting with me this year – here on the blog, on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter… it’s through this technology that we are able to make the world just a bit smaller, a bit kinder, and a bit more inspiring. I appreciate these opportunities, and I appreciate you for being part of my journey! I wish you the happiest of holidays!
Posted in Thinky Thoughts
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Extra sparkle for a Christmas that really needs it
Early this Christmas season, I vowed to bring a little extra sparkle into my holiday decor. I knew I was going to need it – “keeping spirits bright,” and all that, in a year when even my normally bright spirits really needed a lift.
The biggest sparkle I brought to my decor this year was a new-to-me tree. Normally I would be using my pink flocked tree with its sweet Shabby chic vibe. But this year I knew I was going to need something less subdued, more gold, more glittery, and just… EXTRA! I got very lucky right around Thanksgiving because I found the perfect tree at my favorite consignment store at a great price. Brought him home and – voila! – instantly brighter spirits!
I didn’t even bother with a skirt because I liked the way the lights twinkled on the glass tabletop. It looks especially magical – as they all do – in the evening when the room is dimly lit, but truthfully, I’ve kept the tree lights on every waking moment this month.
All of my existing ornaments look amazing on this tree – I only added a couple things this year: sparkly gold clip-on poinsettias from Dollar Tree and a set of gold “box”-style ornaments (with gold dangly jewels!) from the same consignment store. Here are some close-ups that hopefully capture the especially bright spirit of my 2020 Christmas tree:
I know my gold tinsel-tree isn’t terribly traditional (then again, neither is the pink-flocked one I’ve been using!), but for me it has been a huge bright spot while the days have been getting shorter. I’m so glad I went all-in for Christmas sparkle this year!
Posted in Decorating, Holidays
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My pink sparkly, feathery Christmas village carousel of joy
A few years ago, I put up a Christmas village made up of small buildings I’d acquired at Goodwill, painted pink, and then dusted with pink sparkly glitter-snow. I set it on a bed of pink feather boas, and it looked delightful. The next year, I added a few more buildings and displayed it on my hutch:
Last year, I only put out a few of the buildings at the base of my pink flocked tabletop tree, along with a Precious Moments figure from the “Sugar Town” Christmas series.
This year, I was considering not putting it out at all – I have a different tree and wasn’t planning to use the pink tabletop model. But I kept thinking about how I might stage my little village this year, and hit upon the idea to put it on a tiered stand so it would take up less room. But not just any tiered stand… it was going to be a spinning tiered carousel of pink sparkly feathery Christmas goodness!
I sketched it out for Greg…
… and once again, he built exactly what was in my head.
I sort of feel like Ralphie’s dad in the movie, “A Christmas Story,” where he wins the leg lamp. He’s just so proud of it, and no one else gets it.
To this day, I’m not sure Greg understands the why of this project. But the truth is, I wasn’t feeling very Christmasy at the start of this season. Acquiring my gold tinsel tree helped (you’ll see it soon!), and when this project was completed, I took a step back… asked Alexa to play “Need A Little Christmas,” and made it turn… and it literally gave me goosebumps. It was just so… Christmas!
The Santa figure on this little house is the only thing I didn’t paint – I felt that Santa needed to retain his true color scheme in that sea of pink froth.
I have a few finishing touches to add for next year: the center post is a little tall and might need to be cut off just a bit. It needs a sparkly star or village “welcome sign” or something on top. I’m going to glue some gold ribbon around the edges of the platforms. Maybe some tiny battery-operated fairy lights… and I’d love to find a way to put a little motor on it so it spins on its own, kind of like that little cake plate my aunt used to have that turned and played “Happy Birthday” when you flipped a switch.
What has lifted your holiday spirits in this rather challenging year? Are you struggling to enjoy your usual Christmas cheer? Is there something you’ve done or discovered that helped you regain it? Tell me in the comments – let’s hold each other up in joy!
Posted in DIY & Crafts, Holidays
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