THANKSGIVING TABLESCAPE

As with most of you, now that Thanksgiving has passed -- it's the mad dash to put up Christmas so there is still time to enjoy it!! (Is it my imagination, but is time flying more swiftly than usual??) This was our third year celebrating Thanksgiving here in AZ, and a little unusual at that. The first year, I think we were numb and exhausted from moving across the country (Nov. 16), and last year, Jeff's mom was able to fly out and stay with us the week of Thanksgiving (fun to have had a thrift partner & great to have family for Thanksgiving!) This year, we questioned whether or not to cook the meal because - Jeff was one of the lucky people who got to go into work on Thanksgiving. We decided not to let that spoil our meal or tradition... and although it was rushed, we made the best of it. I baked a pumpkin pie, made my moms sausage stuffing and set the table the night before - tweaking it in the morning... Jeff cooked the bird and all the trimmings, and similar to what  we did last year, we used the Fall decorated stoop to create some festive memories. By 6pm, Jeff was headed out the door to his store, and drove back home at midnight... only to turn around and be leaving at 6am for the more traditional Black Friday morning rush. Grateful for the food on our table and roof over head, here's a peek at the day...

Table set - Before food...

 

Table set - After Chef Jeff cooked us a delicious Thanksgiving fest!

(He LOVES to cook!) 

Since it was only us two, I set the table half as buffet and half with our place-settings. All the serving dishes were set on the table, and I helped fill them after Jeff cooked. Before we sat down, we walked the table to serve ourself, and if we wanted seconds (who doesn't on Thanksgiving?!) it was still within reach...

 

I haven't done as many tablescapes here in AZ as I use to do in FL (we had an actual room vs a space between kitchen & living room) but I was inspired this year by these mustard plaid napkins I got last year at Target. They worked great with the pale harvest gold chargers I also got last year - at Savers thrift...

 

As a table cover, I used the left-over glen plaid fabric, I had used to cover my Milo chairs with... which made me think: Everything pulling together the table was from items I already had...

Goodwill Thrift (2012)

The glen plaid fabric, buffalo check napkins, white dish in gold basket and Gorham silver pitcher

JCPenney (2007)

The turkey platter, Pyrex covered dish, and Amber (Colin Cowie) wine glasses 

FL Thrift Finds (2010)

The brass candlesticks, white bowls, dinner and dessert plates 

Target (2005 & 2012)

The mustard plaid napkins and hurricane

HomeGoods (2006-2012)

The Lenox silverware, clear stemware, birch candle, taper candles, pine cone shakers, wine container, white linen hemstitch runners

The hot plates (trivets covered with buffalo check napkin) are terracotta tiles from FL...

 

The last minute tweak in the morning was using two of my cuff bracelets as a napkin ring...

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving - 2013

 

Thanksgiving 2010 - Our last in Florida (and with my mom)

 

Thanksgiving 2012 - with Jeff's mom... 

Hope you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving... 

and you didn't let anything steal your JOY!

Thanks for stopping by - Back to decorating for Christmas!

DECORATING WITH URNS FOR AUTUMN & THANKSGIVING

By now, your home is all cleaned and organized, ready for holiday cooking. You've probably pulled out your favorite cookbook and moms recipes to make your shopping list for the upcoming Thanksgiving feast. You know who is coming for dinner and you're planning your table settings... either your table needs a centerpiece, or perhaps the hallway table needs a little something special and maybe even the entry could use a little sprucing up. It's not too late to create a simple yet festive autumn foyer table arrangement, centerpiece or entry to welcome your family for Thanksgiving. Since it's late in the season, you can probably find most fall items already on sale. All you need is an urn (or two) and fill with any assortment of gourds, an autumn wreath, fall leaves, or autumn flowers...

 

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Reflect an urn in a mirror - stacked on books, filled with gourds and leaves on an entryway table...

 

 

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Create the perfect centerpiece for an outdoor Thanksgiving setting - use your garden urn... 

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 Fill entry urns with the last bits of fall before the long, hard, cold winter comes...

 

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 Be inspired by the rusty patina of a metal urn...

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Fill your metal urn with cascading flowers...

 

 

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 Cluster those last fall pumpkins and mums on your stoop...

 

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 Even flowers and greens with pumpkins looks refreshing and welcoming for an outdoor entry...

 

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A wreath, pinecones and an orb can create a unique entry statement...

 

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 A chippy urn can simply be filled with mini gourds...

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 Or go grand with a super gourd, grapevine wreath, hydrangea and pinecones...

 

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 Or simply feature your prized polished urn with flowers as your Thanksgiving table centerpiece...

I hope these helped inspire you, and how to decorate your urns for autumn - for Thanksgiving, or pin & save for next Fall... enjoy this season... sometimes you never know where the next one will take you...

Thanks for stopping by,

INSPIRING THANKSGIVING TABLESETTING IDEAS

With Thanksgiving just two weeks away, now is the time to make that checklist and check it twice. From spices in the cupboards for the turkey, stuffing and pie, to knowing how many place settings to have at the table. Will you serve your Thanksgiving meal buffet style? Or will you have all the food on the table and serve it family style? Planning these details in advance can help you to decide how high or low to go with your centerpiece, or to opt to have a removable one at the time of the meal, allowing the turkey platter and all the fixin's to be your tablescape. Now is also the time to plan on polishing the silverware, brass candlesticks, crystal serveware and stemware, the week before rather than the night before - Make the table sparkle & shine! After the food & table checklist is made (click to print: Thanksgiving Checklist), it's time to give the house a good cleaning, inside and out. Be sure to also include a little spruce up of any outdoor autumn décor set in September, to be refreshed and welcome guests on Thanksgiving. Plan time to de-stress with a fall walk in your neighborhood or local park - it may be the time to collect leaves, branches, acorns or pinecones to bring in the outdoors and add a little nature to your tablescape or home decor. Below are some images to inspire your Thanksgiving Tablescape and decor...

 

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Many people dress their chandelier for Christmas - so why not do it also for Thanksgiving?

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As beautiful as your tablescape may be, be sure it's easy to edit just before guests sit and the meal is served...

 

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Don't be afraid to experiment with different arrangements on your table...

 

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Using a cake plate for your centerpiece is a good way to raise it up, giving more table space for the food. Using the pumpkin helps to still keep it low profile for guests to see each-other...

 

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Mini Indian corn from your local market can make a unique place-setting for your guests...

 

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A simple reminder of what the day is about... Share what you're thankful for...

 

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I'm a fan of using white dishes for meals, but classic patterns can simply dress the table, without the fuss of extra decor...

 

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A simple pinecone wreath tied with a mustard gold ribbon works perfectly for Thanksgiving -- and with a switch of the ribbon to red, you can easily transition into Christmas...

 

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Put to use all those beautiful frames you've scored while thrifting - Welcome guests with a message... 

 

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I'm a huge fan of layering in gold to an autumn tablescape - Easy to find pieces at a flea market, or paint existing pieces you have (including the pumpkins!) for a refreshed and warm look... 

 

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Create a unique centerpiece mix of pinecones, produce, flowers, foliage, and feathers...

 

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Create a fall arrangement in a silver urn...

Besides Pinterest, another source of Thanksgiving Tablescape Ideas can be found on Houzz.com

So whether you repurpose existing items into new looks for your table, or you go antiquing for new finds to layer in, just remember to enjoy yourself, enjoy cooking and the process, enjoy cleaning your home for your guests, and enjoy your time with your family... because trust me, there are plenty of people in the world who would love to be in your place.

Thanks for stopping by,

Welcome December...

Welcome December... the last month of the year. Time for even shorter days (and tempers in some cases), cooler nights, holiday gatherings, decorating, baking, cooking, eating and drinking... By the end of the month, we'll be reflecting back at how far we've come, where we are now, and where we want to be... and come up with a list of resolutions to make it all happen. But as for now, I still can't believe we've been here a year...

I feel like the past 2-3 months literally FLEW by. I think part of what sped up the past to months, to the point of not even feeling like they happened was the infamous super storm Sandy. The other happening causing me to lose track of time was the oral surgery I had, and focusing on a healthy  recovery.

Both the surgery and Sandy had happened so close to Halloween, a part of me felt guilty for wanting to participate or celebrate and the other part was tormented by not being able to eat chocolate (other than a fine substitute: low-fat chocolate ice cream!) Part of why I did was seeing how many after Sandy were able to just move on (even though they were right there!) And I had been looking forward to it. I didn't want to slip into some great depression, so I got dressed up and sat outside handing out candy. But the next day, I was back online scrolling thru photos and sharing information about how to help. It wasn't enough, so I cleared closets and loaded 4 40 lb boxes of donations to send to a contact in Jersey and she brought them to the shelters on the shore. I tried to host a donation day at a local shop, but I didn't get a response from my proposal. Soon afterwards, my focus needed to turn to preparing the house for our first guest out here since we moved: Jeff's mom... plus dinner, a special tablescape, and spending time with Jeff's mom while Jeff was at work (all of which gave my hand & arm a much needed rest off the computer!) She enjoys bargain hunting and was very much looking forward to going thrifting with me, which we did plus one day I also drove to Casa Grande to pick her up from Jeff's store, and drove her to Scottsdale and back to our place in the valley...

(Thanksgiving pics)

 

 

Thanksgiving eve, I made the stuffing. Thanksgiving morning, I made a pumpkin pie, cleaned stemware, polished silverware, and set the table while Jeff and his mom watched the parade and had some "face time" on Skype with Jeff's sister back in Florida.

 

 

Goodbye Fall!

Prepping the house for her also included a little forward planning to prep for holiday. Last year, there was no time for planning for anything other where the tree was going and unpack after our move - Nothing was on the walls except paint. Nothing was covering the windows except the blinds that were here when we moved in. In an effort to create a little familiarity in this new & unfamiliar place, I basically Christmas decorated this place similar to how I had done the year before in Florida: A white tree, loads of bling, and mixing silvers and golds. Since I do have things on the walls now, I wanted to make sure they worked well with our Christmas decor without looking too cluttered, so before Jeff's mom came, I switched the fall gallery wall to a mirrored gallery wall, along with updating some framed pictures to more wintry B&W Ansel Adams prints. I think after living in a more rural & less metropolitan area for a year, the area rubbed off and is reflected in my more simple, understated and organic feel this year: I think out of 20 cartons of Christmas decor in the garage (more meaning ornaments) I think I only used one box... The rest was mixing fresh greens I cut from around our area and mixed into existing wreaths, garlands a-n-d a 7.5' slim pine PRELIT tree we've had since 2005. I took TONS of photos to share some LONG overdue simple DIY projects - can't wait to share!

(re-lighting the tree)

 

 

But first, back to the tree: Keeping in mind the key word being "pre-lit", I thought eezy-peezy, right? Nope - every bulb was black and burned out. And being the resourceful person I am, and not allowing things to go to waste, I thought, "Ok - I'll just switch the bulbs (but nothing fit) or remove and replace the strands... How hard could it be, right? (SMH) I was oh so wrong and couldn't that thought couldn't be further from the truth. I would have started on Black Friday, but Jeff's mom was still here, so I spent the majority of last Saturday removing a bowl full of horseshoe shaped clips from practically every branch of the tree. When Jeff came home and saw the cut up strings tossed around the living room (lol) and pile of clips in the bowl, he said he would have just left the bad lights on, and added new ones over the bad - but THAT is the difference between us: DETAILS. I was so frustrated with losing the time doing this, I didn't put the lights on until last Sunday morning. Still frustrated with it, I walked away for a while and worked on something else: Removing the fall stoop and decorating out front. Jeff brought the pumpkins to work to give to an associate so they could use them for target practice (oh yeah - the wild west!) but ironically, when she brought them home, her husband said they were too perfect to shoot up - I seriously LMAO because HE noticed.

 (3 pinspirations)

 

mixing greens, naturals, silver & gold...

 

simple DIY detail...

 

White sofa & greens...

Well after pinning inspirations for the past year, along with collecting some thrift finds along the way, the house is decorated - inside and out. What ever "projects" were worked on are cleaned up and put away, new boxes of Christmas cards (picked up last year after Christmas on sale) are stacked and ready to  be written out with a list of names & addresses on top of the stack. Baking ingredients are stocked in the kitchen and I am SO ready to spend a little time ENJOYING the season.  Hopefully some people I've met the past year will have the time for a house gathering here - either for cookies or cocktails! I'm even tempted to print a few invites to leave at neighborhood homes. I grew up around many family and friends celebrating the holiday every chance they get - from houses FULL of light displays, to pretty party dresses, and good food. I'm way over the club scene but I still enjoying getting dressed up and having a good time (I don't remember the last time I danced!), and what better place to do that than in you (semi) own home for the holidays (I say semi because I know this place isn't "ours.")  I miss my friends from Florida terribly, along with missing family up in New Jersey.

(inspirational quotes)

 

With a little heavy praying, hopefully God's "plan" for me, my life, my skills, and my talent won't go to waste another year here, and it can bring me to better opportunities to do good, and help restore the shore or so many lives that were disrupted in New Jersey from Sandy.

Belated, but I do hope you were able to enjoy your Halloween, had a Happy Thanksgiving, and had fun putting up your tree this weekend for Christmas. Many of you had let me know you like the "DIY" and home decor posts I've done in the past, so stay tuned...