A Natural Christmas Tablescape

I can tell that I've become acclimated to Missouri winters when I can bundle up, put on a hat and gloves and withstand the chilly cold all in the name of good lighting. :) Of course winter hasn't fully hit yet, so I definitely wanted to get an outdoor tablescape under my belt with my new old table. Really, all tablescapes would be outside if I could! Even with the brown grass and barren backyard, it proved to be a neutral backdrop, for a bright red!

My collection of vintage camp blankets is becoming quite nice, I'm on the hunt for them weekly, this is a nice big one, the label says "leisure blanket", but rightfully I've renamed it as an official "Camp Blanket". I think it's fantastic all the quirky colors that I've found, if you've missed the others, you can find them here and here. This blanket has a great red, black and a funny green-brown palette I thought would look great for Christmas.

I also wanted to use burlap, I mean who doesn't, so I used the placemats I made at each place setting. Chunky white stoneware plates, red flatware, everyday glasses and black napkins.

For each napkin, jute string ties on a rusty jingle bell, I left it loose enough to then put three twigs and some boxwood cuttings in. These are the same twigs I used on the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving tablescape, yep, I'm a twig keeper. I actually keep them in a milk glass vase as a twig bouquet! :)

Very simple.

Bird's eye view:

For the centerpiece, I used my beloved cylinder vases (are you sick of these yet?), and cedar stumps as candleholders. Red berries and pine and burlap garland.

I'm still on the hunt for 7 more mismatched chairs to go around the table, I recently found some on Craigslist, but they sold out from under me, so I'm still looking around. This is an odd chair I have had, and I tied my jingle bell hanger on the back. I think the black looks great with the blanket.

Some of my favorite glassware that you've seen a kagillion times.

And of course because of Daylight savings time, evening shots are becoming more frequent! ;) By the time I get use to it, it will be time to Spring forward!

Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you are inspired! Things might be a little quite this coming week as I try to finalize Christmas happenings! I will be back to wish you all a Merry Christmas and share some hopes and dreams for the New Year! AHhhHhhHhh-I can't believe it's that time already!! See you then!

If you would like to browse through 60 million more photos of this tablescape take a look here at my Photostream

What to see more? Take a look at a great collection I'm included in over {happy, happy, joy, joy} at Houzz:

50 Photos of Amazing Holiday Decorations

Joining Susan

Royal Green Tablescape

Before the kitchen goes full on candy land, I wanted to put together a tablescape with the colors that I use in the living room. It's hard to turn that switch off when I've been decorating with green and white and brown and silver for days now. If you've seen my Christmas mantle, then you know I lean more towards a modern rustic pallet, but soon enough traditional reds and greens will be making the season even brighter.

Of course the fact that I found some great plates while thrifting the other day certainly played their part inspiring me. Dishes. I just can't help myself.

The centerpiece, super easy, in a small green pot, with long needle pine, pine cones, and birch sticks, very simple.

I mean you can't go wrong with pine cones!

The inspiration plates, here they are.... green and white and beautiful. I think they sort of epitomize this area, a grist mill, a rocky river and an oxen pulled cart. It actually reminds me of War Eagle Mill in Arkansas. The sides have plows and yokes. There is no markings on the back so I looked a little bit online, I found Royal Green, The Old Curiosity Shop plates, selling 30.00 for 5 vintage dinner plates. I certainly got a deal (I paid .99 cents each)!

I used white dinner plates and wicker chargers. Are you tired of seeing those yet? :)

The runner I used is from Target last year, running down the center of the table. It has a fun snowflake detail on the ends and a stitching down the sides. I've yet to get to Target this season, I've got to go see what they've got this year for Christmas.

Creamy white candles on tall holders, I love the little green berry garland around them.

Black napkins stuffed in everyday glassware, and everyday flatware.

Ornaments scattered on the runner, a festive addition. I think the black and green is really striking, and certainly a little different.

I'm done with the living room tree and I've been photographing it, so hopefully get a post ready for this coming week! Thank you all so much for all the comments on my mantle!If you would like to see the tablescape I created with this runner last year take a look here.

Have a great weekend, thanks for stopping by!

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

I know that Thanksgiving isn't being served on a ping pong table, and Snoopy is not serving, but I couldn't help but think about this classic Peanuts Thanksgiving show, especially after I found my new-old camp blanket. Brown and yellow, unusual yes, but it is so 1973!

I found this great blanket while thrifting this past weekend (I have a thing for camp blankets, see another example here), and since the weather is still tolerable, outside I went. It is not my usual color pallet, but I knew I had yellow and brown plates, and with a few other elements, maybe I could pull together a great table. Doesn't it look like the colors of Charlie Brown's shirt?

I decided to keep the table pretty simple, pine cones and a twiggy candle centerpiece

Using a wooden charger, two glass vases, that fit into one another, gathered twigs, acorns, and a little ribbon make up this centerpiece. Kind of modern meets rustic.

I cut each twig to the height of the vase, and put them in between the two vases, the candle goes on the inside of the second vase

I used acorns around the outside and tied some yellow ribbon around the vase. It was looking a little plain, so I stuck some wispy twigs around the top too.

Wicker chargers, yellow dinner plates, and brown salad plates make up the place settings.

I struggled a little finding napkins in my stash that would go with the camp blanket, but ended up going with some brown and cream napkins with a great trellis pattern

My everyday flatware and glassware keep it casual.

Huge NC pine cones on each place setting and down the middle of the table

I have to show you the cute little felt owl napkin holder that Justin's Grandmother made for me, I love his ruffle eyes!

I love pine cones!

When the sun started going down, I snapped a few pictures of the centerpiece lit, it's getting dark soooo soon now! Daylight savings time is going to hamper my photo shoots!! :)

{I forgot to mention, I put the candle in a bed of rice to catch the wax}

Thanks for stopping by!I hope you're inspired!

Pardon the flipping back and forth between Christmas Projects and Thanksgiving! I think I'll get one more Thanksgiving table scape out {maybe} and then onto Christmas!

Joining Susan at Between Naps On The Porch