Tablescape Thursday: All I Want For Christmas

Perfume and incense make the heart glad, but the sweetness of a friend is a fragrant forest.

Proverbs 27:9 (GWT)

Friendships are one of those special blessings from God. 

Do you have those friends that you've known your whole life....you know, those friends you might not get to see often, but when you do, you pick up right where you left off?

Well, growing up, I had a small group of friends at church.....friends with whom I share many memories.  Although we are now scattered in different locations, we try to make it a point to get together at least 3 or 4 times a year & "catch up."  Last year, I had the privilege of having them over for a Christmas dinner....no husbands, no kids.....just us girls!

So I decided it was the perfect time to bring out some of my girly dishes!

Yesterday I shared some of the Christmas decor in my kitchen & breakfast nook, & gave you a little hint as to the theme of my tablescape, but I made you wait 'til today to see it!

So are you ready for my very girly "All I Want For Christmas" tablescape?

Shades of red & green make this table playful & festive. 


A semi-sheer, red polkadot tablecloth casually lies down the center of the table, while 2 mercury green trees & a pair of glittery red "heels" add some height & interest.  A few green rhinestones are also scattered here & there, because at Christmas, you can never have too much sparkle!



Now on to the place settings.  I wanted each place to be slightly different & special, yet carry on the theme......so each one had different glassware, napkins, napkin rings, etc., but the color scheme pulled them all together.

So I'll go around the table & show you each one....


Grounded with a green charger, a red scalloped dinner plate is then topped with one of my "All I Want for Christmas" salad plates, this one stating, "A Designer Bag in Every Color."
A lime green polkadot bread plate adds yet another layer, while a glittery red shoe ornament not only adds interest, but makes a little extra gift for my friends.
A tall green lime green goblet & a shorter ruby red goblet find there place here, too.
A green napkin is topped with a red & green polkadot dish towel (yes, I said dish towel....sometimes you have to be creative), & held together with a sparkly red napkin ring.
Although difficult to see in the picture, a mixture of red, green, & clear flatware continue the playfulness.


Moving to the next place setting.....

.....a red charger with clear rhinestones serves as a backdrop, while a lime green scalloped dinner plate adds contrast.  This time the "All I Want For Christmas Is A Huge Diamond Ring" salad plate makes its appearance, while a red polkadot bread plate tops it off.  A sparkly lime green shoe ornament rests at the top, while a lime green napkin & red snowflake napkin are held together with a green beaded napkin ring.  The flatware again is a playful mix, & a green water goblet is paired with a Christmas goblet.


Just across the way, another red scalloped plate rests on a green charger.....
....only this time the salad plate reads, "ALL I Want For Christmas Is A Dozen Designer Shoes."  A white napkin is layered with a lime green & red dish towel, which displays the words to The 12 Days of Christmas, and is held together with a red diamond napkin ring.  A green hobnail tumbler is paired with a shiny red goblet.



And finally, the red charger & green dinner plate make another appearance....
....as the backdrop for the "All I Want For Christmas Is The Perfect Little Black Dress" salad plate.  A red napkin is topped with a lime green zebra print napkin & held together with a jingle bell napkin ring, and a lime leopard goblet is paired with a red tumbler.

And in case you're curious about what those "All I Want For Christmas" plates look like under there, here is a little glimpse before I added the top layers....

{Unfortunately, it looks like I didn't take any close ups of them last year.}


Christmas salt & pepper shakers and a polkadot bowl & shoe spreader knife for butter also sit ready & waiting.....functional, yet festive.




Instead of having place cards on the table, I decided to add some fun to the back of each chair with sparkly tulle & a small sequined stocking.  An initial ornament (again for each girl to take home) reveals where each one is to sit.

I also love to decorate my chandeliers at Christmas!
Going along with the theme, this one is a mix of sprays, ornaments, & other Christmas elements.

I know....it's a little over the top, but someone once told me, "Anything worth doing is worth over-doing!" 
That pretty much sums up my decorating philosophy!



The ornaments include shoes, handbags, diamond rings, fun coats, & anything girly. 
While some hang directly from the greenery, others are tied with ribbon, allowing them to "float" below.



So now that you've seen all of its parts, here's a step back so that you can see the whole picture.

{If you look to the left, you can see just a glimpse of the red & green Christmas tree in my living area, which is where I'll continue the tour next Wednesday!}

The menu for the night consisted of salad, creamy, crunchy chicken, Italian green beans, & fresh rolls.

{Click on the links to view the recipes!}

And because I knew we'd be up late chatting, we needed something to nibble on......

yummy cookies, brownies, & hot chocolate sit ready & waiting.

Yep, even the cookies went with the theme (thanks to my sweet hubby who took the time to decorate them for me!).

And of course, I have to show a picture of us girls!
My gift to them (& to myself) was matching scarves in different colors, so here we are modeling our scarves!
(I'm the one with the purple scarf.)

{Oops, another glimpse of the living room......}

But of course, all we really wanted for Christmas (although all of the other things would be great, too!) was SOME SPECIAL GIRL TIME WITH FRIENDS!


Red & Green Dinner Plates - By Rosanna (internet)
All I Want For Christmas Plates - By Rosanna (Ebay)
Red & Green Polkadot Plates - TJ Maxx
Green Chargers - Hobby Lobby
Red Chargers - Kirklands
Flatware, Drinkware, Napkins, & Napkin Rings - too many places to mention!

I'm joining with Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.
Thanks for stopping by, & be sure to check back next week for more Christmas decor!

Wildcard Wednesday: Crazy about CHRISTmas....in the Kitchen & Breakfast Nook

Throughout this year you've seen glimpses of my Spring & Fall decor.....typically little touches here & there.  Christmas, however, is a whole other story.....I tend to go crazy with the Christmas decor!

In fact, the past 2 years, I've had a Christmas tree in almost every room.  In other words, I've put up six Christmas trees...all a different theme or color scheme!  That doesn't even include all of the other decor! 

Now, I must admit, this year is going to be a bit different.  As much as I LOVE decorating for Christmas (it's a creative outlet for me), being 7 months pregnant & spending every weekend working on the nursery, I'll be doing good to get one tree up.  So I figured I'd just revisit some of my decor from last year!  But just a word of warning, these posts are going to be overloaded with photos!  Hope you enjoy!

Today I'll start my tour in the kitchen, where a 2 ft. tree adds some Christmas spirit behind the sink.

Little chef & baker fairies (by Mark Roberts) sit here & there, ready to do some Christmas baking. 

 Glittery grapes in shapes of green & purple continue the theme, while burgandy tulle acts as a tree skirt.

Other touches of Christmas are scattered throughout the kitchen as well.....

.....a cute little stocking dresses up a cabinet door.....

 

.....while the glass canisters you've seen so many times are filled with ornaments in coordinating colors....
{click here & here to revisit them through the seasons}

.....Christmas cookbooks & oven mitts are ready to be used for baking.....

.....and of course, the cake stand gets its seasonal makeover.....

....with a Chocolatier Fairy (by Mark Roberts), glittery candy canes, & pomegranates. 
In my opinion, the more sparkle, the better!
{click here & here to see the cake stand throughout the seasons}

The breakfast nook, just off the kitchen, also gets a few festive touches.....

.....a glittery swag above the doorway.....

.....and another fun stocking in lime green & red (I have a thing for stockings!)......

The reason I chose this stocking is because my tablescape in the breakfast nook is filled with lime green & red.....but you'll have to wait 'til tomorrow to see the table! 

Okay, I'll give you one little clue as to it's theme.....here's a peek at the chandelier above the table.....

.....are you starting to get an idea?

Well, come back tomorrow to see the chandelier in more detail & the fun tablescape below!

And be sure to check back next week to see the 9ft. tree in my living room, my Christmas mantel, & other decor!

Tablescape Thursday: A Rustic Thanksgiving

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: Give thanks unto Him, and bless His name.

Psalms 100:4 (ASV)

Last week I shared one of my Thanksgiving tablescapes from last year.  Well, actually, in order to accommodate our family, I had two tablescapes last year! 

So here's a look at the other one.

But first things first!  I have to give credit to Yvonne at Stone Gable, who inspired this tablescape!  Last year around this time, I was just beginning to enter blogland.  I had not yet started a blog of my own, but I was greatly enjoying many other amazing blogs.  As I was looking around for some tablescape inspiration, I stumbled upon Stone Gable, & I was forever hooked.  If you haven't yet been to her blog, hop on over there & take a look around....but I must warn you, you might end up spending hours over there!

Anyway, back to the table.  I had recently purchased the turkey plates seen above, & had a general idea of what I wanted the table to look like.....brown & green, somewhat rustic, etc., but couldn't quite pull it together in my head.  Then I saw her tablescape!  That was it....the look I was searching for!

  So are you ready to see the amazing table that inspired me so much? 

 Here it is:

{styling & photography by Yvonne at Stone Gable}

I just knew that centerpiece would pull it all together!

So I begin gathering up some hydrangeas.....some from my grandma & others from my mother-in-law....and went to work!  What made it even better was that Yvonne even had a tutorial for this amazing centerpiece.  (Feel free to click here if you want step-by-step instructions for yourself!)

So here's a closer look at hers:

{styling & photography by Yvonne at Stone Gable}

And here's a closer look at mine....a little different due to the materials & space I had available, but the same general idea.

A mix of hydrangeas, feathers, branches, & glittery acorns are the perfect mix for this rustic centerpiece.

So now that I had the focal point, I begin adding the dishes.

I started with my copper colored chargers, which tied in with the glittery acorns, & then layered on my green Gracious Goods dinner plates.

Next came the turkey plate.

Two napkins, one brown/taupe and the other olive green, are held together with this cute pheasant napkin ring with a feathery tail.  The glittery, copper-colored pheasant added just enough sparkle, while still being somewhat rustic.

 Gracious Goods flatware & place cards grace each setting, while two goblets, again one copper & one green, add some interest.

 For that final touch, a small votive was placed at each place setting as well.

So there you have it.

Copper Chargers - Hobby Lobby

Gracious Goods dinner plates - Ebay

Turkey plates - TJ Maxx

Green Goblets - Walmart

Copper Goblets - Tuesday Morning

Gracious Goods flatware & placecard holders - Horchow

Green & Taupe napkins - Burlington (Click here to see another tablescape using these napkins.)

Pheasant napking rings - Z Gallerie

{Click the links above to see other tablescapes using the same items.)



Thanks for stopping by.  I'll be joining  Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.  Be sure to take a peek at all the fabulous tablescapes over there, & if you haven't already, be sure to stop by Stone Gable.  You'll be glad you did!

Happy Thanksgiving!