Christmas in the Woods

November 23, 2014 / Alycia Nichols / 37 Comments

This is the last of 3 posts from the recent “Garlands & Gatherings” event to raise funds in support of Hope Haven of Cass County.

This final tablescape for the Christmas-themed fundraiser was casual with a lot of natural elements to celebrate the season. This table for 6* would work well for any holiday event from Christmas dinner and other seasonal parties to rehearsal dinners and December adult birthdays.
(Click on any photo, then click again to enhance/enlarge it.)

Classic tartan is back this year in a big, big way (thank you, Ralph Lauren, King of Classic!), and it plays a big part in making this table stand out. I started with a hunter green full-length tablecloth from LinenTablecloth.com. Dark green, like black and some purples, has a nasty little habit of absorbing everything on it, so I used a pair of tartan flannel ribbons as a dual runner to add color, texture and pattern to awaken the eye. (TIP: Layering fabrics in winter adds to the look of “warmth” for your tablescape.) Wood slice chargers (craft wood from Michael’s and Hobby Lobby that, with a coupon, cost about $9 each compared to $25 at places like Z Gallerie) anchor the place settings, topped with a bright holly red dinner plate. Hunter green napkins are embellished with a length of tartan ribbon and tucked beneath the plate.

Menus were created on my home computer using hunter green, red and cream cardstock. To carry on the natural theme (and hide the staple used to keep the layers together! 😉 ), I hot glued a cinnamon stick to the top.

The centerpiece started with a sad little beat up candleholder I found on clearance at Pier 1 after Christmas last year. It had greenery, some bay leaf and pine cones with a few woodland animals wired in. In the center I placed a bark-covered vase filled with fresh, fragrant greenery. I jazzed up the base with clusters of brightly-colored berries and a bit more of the fresh greenery, then added antlers for more dimension and light.

The centerpiece is extended down the length of the table with bark-covered vases filled with natural elements like star anise, acorns, cinnamon sticks and buckeyes.
(Other elements you might use: chestnuts, rose hips, coffee beans, sweetgum balls, hypericum berries, cotton boles, bay leaves, pine cones, whole cloves, nuts in the shell, feathers, fake snow, unpopped popcorn, grain. To see a more complete list of accessories for detailing your winter tablescapes, click HERE or on the “Winter” tab above and scroll to the very end of the posts.)

I bought these burlap-wrapped votive holders last year. They’re OK, but they needed a little extra pizzazz. I bundled cinnamon sticks – that kind of look like logs AND repeat the element from the menus – with a length of green raffia and tied them onto the votives. As the heat from a candle burns, the fragrance of cinnamon fills the air!

The final touch was to add wine bottles to the table dressed in fun Christmas sweaters and Santa hats from Tuesday Morning. This bit of whimsy furthers the theme of being out in the cold on a wintry day. (Every time I look at these sweaters, I think of the Johnny Mathis and Andy Williams Christmas specials!)

*The table used for this demonstration is only 30″ wide and therefore tends to crowd the tabletop elements. Your table at home is likely 42+” wide which would provide at least 12 additional inches of space.)

More Christmas tablescapes on this site:
Tartan on the Tee
Confectionery Christmas
Christmas Progressive Dinner
Black, White & Red All Over
Frosty the Snowman
Checkered Christmas
March of the Penguins
Woodland Men’s Tablescape
Contemporary Christmas – Fire & Ice
Pink & Purple Chocolate Christmas
Black Friday Luncheon Tablescape
Winter Dinner
Christmas Through the Red Door
Sugar High
Celebrating the Season
Roman Holiday
Winter Cardinal
Merry & Bright
Kaleidoscope Christmas
Cranberry Christmas
Cranberry Christmas – Squared
Get Me to The Church On Time
Noel Progressive Dinner
Christmas Fiesta
Warm Metal Christmas
Christmas Coffee
Winter Brunch
White Hot
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas Progressive Dinner
Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!
Tuscan Holiday

I’ll be back next week with another traditional Christmas tablescape!

I’m linking up this week with:
Christine at Rustic & Refined for Table It!
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday

Pheasants & Pumpkins

November 19, 2014 / Alycia Nichols / 43 Comments

INSPIRATION: A pretty resin pheasant purchased for $3 at an estate sale.

Thanksgiving is a week away! Here’s one quick final fall post of a laid back setting that might help fire you up if you’ve not yet decided on a tablescape for the big day.
(Click on any photo, then click again to enhance/enlarge it.)

I’m going with a “woodsy” look throughout the house for both Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. This casual table for 6 has no tablecloth so the wood of the table can be an integral part of the overall look. A tightly woven jute table runner (Pier 1) lightens up the table, anchors the elements of the centerpiece, and brings in the colors of the place settings.

Each place setting starts with a glossy chocolate brown charger (Hobby Lobby) that is topped with a pumpkin-colored dinner plate (just $1 each at our local grocery store). The salad plates from Z Gallerie feature the image of a lone pheasant. Striped napkins from Pier 1 pick up on the color scheme and work well with the runner. Simple, inexpensive glassware from Old Time Pottery and faux mother of pearl flatware from Target round out the setting.

The centerpiece was created using a weathered wooden box that I’ve had for years. I filled it with faux pumpkins, berries, fall leaves and a bittersweet garland. A few real pheasant feathers were added on one end only for an asymmetrical look. My inspirational pheasant was borrowed from the family room arrangement to pose in front of the box. (This, of course, is a demonstration tablescape. For your actual table, consider using real mini pumpkins, leaves, bittersweet, and perhaps whole bunches of grapes to achieve this organic look.)

Distressed pumpkin orange wood finials and a pair of faux artichoke votive holders round out the centerpiece.

The bar cart in the corner is prettied up with a small arrangement using some of the same elements as the table centerpiece and a bark-wrapped vase of pheasant feathers. The painted white pheasant (with tiny specks of clear glitter) was purchased at the same estate sale as the more colorful one.

Across the room on the china cabinet, a vertical spread of bittersweet is punctuated by a trio of pheasant feathers at the feet of a pumpkin-colored serving platter.

That’s it for the tablescape! I hope you were able to gather a few ideas from it. Below, in case you’re at all interested, are a few quickie snapshots offering a glimpse into what fall looked like in a few areas of the house this year. I’ve already begun the arduous transformation to Christmas and hope to bring you those photos in a couple of weeks.

Foyer table with large basket of pine cones underneath, pheasant plates on sconce shelves

Alycia Nichols, Tablescapes at Table Twenty-One, www.tabletwentyone.wordpress.com, Pheasants & Pumpkins: Fall lantern, pheasant with binoculars collage

Pheasant on stack of decorating books embellished with a flourish of autumn leaves. Binoculars for bird watching or pheasant hunting. The large lantern in the window is filled with a pumpkin stack, gourds, berries and fall leaves. The handle is embellished with a Rapunzel-like cascade of raffia and fall leaves.

Alycia Nichols, Tablescapes at Table Twenty-One, www.tabletwentyone.wordpress.com, Pheasants & Pumpkins: Fall mantel

The fireplace mantel is covered in a swath of fall leaves and bittersweet with raffia-tied, pumpkin-colored chunky candles on each end. The huge initial on the hearth is from Hobby Lobby.

Alycia Nichols, Tablescapes at Table Twenty-One, www.tabletwentyone.wordpress.com, Pheasants & Pumpkins: Fall arrangement in violin case in library collage

The secretary in the library is crowned with a large leaf- and pumpkin-laden birdcage. The antique violin in its original case is decorated with a squash, leaf and pheasant feather spray. Those letters in the violin case are from the 1930s from my Dad to his Mother.

Alycia Nichols, Tablescapes at Table Twenty-One, www.tabletwentyone.wordpress.com, Pheasants & Pumpkins: Fall decor on breakfast bar, in master bedroom collage

The breakfast bar is really more of a wine bar around here in the fall! The other pics are of a corner table in our bedroom.

More fall tablescapes on this site:
September Harvest Breakfast Table
Most Egg-cellent Breakfast
Casual Fall Harvest Dinner
Italian Honeysuckle
Quick & Casual Fall Dinner
It’s the Great Pumpkin
Serape High Style
Raining Orchids
September Wine
Pumpkins & Peacocks
Autumn Blues
Pears & Pinecones
American Royal Tablescape
Shake Your Tail Feather
Autumn White Wedding
Simply Bittersweet
Ap-pear-ently Autumn
Copper Zen
Autumn by the Embers
Celebrating Longview Farm
Morocco for Two
Thanksgiving 2012 – A Contemporary Tablescape
Best Laid Plans
Wondrous Wheat
Thanksgiving 2010

I’ll be linking this tablescape up with Susan’s “Tablescape Thursday” on Between Naps on the Porch. Tablescape Thursday goes live at 9:00 a.m. CST on Thursday.

Tartan on the Tee – A Creekmoor Christmas

November 17, 2014January 31, 2018 / Alycia Nichols / 46 Comments

Last week I brought you Confectionery Christmas, one of the three “fantasy” tablescapes I set up for “Garlands & Gatherings”, a fundraising brunch benefiting Hope Haven of Cass County, MO. This second table runs in a completely different direction with strong, more traditional colors and the pattern that is very often associated with both the Christmas season AND golf: tartan!
(Click on any photo, then click again to enhance/enlarge it.)

You may or may not know that the game of golf has Scottish origins, and that was the inspiration for this golf-themed Christmas tablescape. Tartan is most particularly associated with Scotland (Rod Stewart anyone? 😉 ) and was therefore a sure bet for bringing color and pattern to this traditional table for four. If you have avid golfers in your family or social circle, a tablescape like this could be right up their alley!
(NOTE: The 48″ table used for this demonstration is considerably smaller than most households’ dining room tables. Your finished creation would be better spaced out.)

Each place setting is grounded by crisscrossed tartan table runners from Tuesday Morning in red, black, green, and white with touches of gold thread. Goldleafed glass chargers separate the runner from the red, gold & white Royal Scotland china. (You can see this same china used for Missouri Show Me State Dinner and Christmas Through the Red Door.)

This was one of my favorite parts of the tablescape: a resin replica of a golf bag from the men’s section in Hobby Lobby used as a vase for a nosegay of red spray roses, green hypericum berries, green Pittosporum, and a tiny branch of privet berries. The bouquet is centered in a miniature grapevine wreath that adds texture to the setting.

Gold-rimmed stemware is a nice complement to the setting, as is gold-toned flatware.

I created menus using our home desktop computer. Black cardstock frames white cardstock embellished with printed tartan ribbon. A 3-D effect is achieved by hot gluing a miniature wreath to the center of the top ribbon.

I wanted so much to recreate a version of the “golf club tripod” centerpiece I did for the dedication of my Dad’s memorial garden reception buffet table, but I was afraid it might not be able to withstand the day’s activities. So…

…I finally threw in the towel and switched from a wobbly trio of 9 irons to a sturdy 3-legged iron stand centered in a snow-kissed faux pine wreath with a smattering of gold mercury glass votives around the perimeter. Same effect with a much-reduced chance of catastrophe. (Safety first!) I topped the iron piece with an oversized red ornament ball and then embellished the body with two greenery/ribbon swags. I made the bows using tartan wire-edged ribbon that complements the table runners, red/gold/green wired ribbon for contrast, and black organza ribbon. The result was a very lush and dramatic centerpiece.

Chairs for this table are dressed in bright red stretch chair covers from LinenTablecloth.com. Notice how I chose to lower the black stretch sash to look more like a “belt” than a “bra” on the chair. Here is also where you can plainly see the contrasting red, black, and white linens used to create a layered look for the table that looks great with the tartan runners.

Finally, a golf club embellished with the same tartan ribbon and greenery used in the centerpiece. A pair of these propped up at the entry of your event or tied into a wreath would look great!

Another golf-themed tablescape on this site:
The 19th Hole

Other tablescapes incorporating black in the Christmas theme:
Black, White & Red All Over
Frosty the Snowman
Checkered Christmas
March of the Penguins
Woodland Men’s Tablescape

Later this week, I’ll post a final fall tablescape, and then next week bring you the final installation from the “Garlands & Gatherings” event. Meanwhile, you can click on any of the photos to the right for additional Christmas-themed tablescapes!

Blog parties I’m linking up with this week include:
Between Naps on the Porch – Tablescape Thursday
Rustic & Refined – Table It!

Confectionery Christmas

November 11, 2014January 31, 2018 / Alycia Nichols / 63 Comments

I was pleased to participate as both a designer and one of 4 workshop presenters this past weekend at “Garlands & Gatherings”, a benefit event for Hope Haven of Cass County, MO. Hope Haven provides shelter, advocacy and support services to women and children in our area who have fallen victim to domestic violence or sexual assault. The Saturday morning brunch brought out a nice group of women looking to support the cause, have a little fun, and learn a few tips on holiday decorating (Karen Mills, Interiors by Design and me), personal style (Jennifer Niehouse, It’s So U!), and cooking trends (Jean Ostby, Williams-Sonoma). Over the next 3 weeks, I’ll be posting the tablescapes I designed for the event with the hope that you will enjoy them as much as the benefit attendees did!

To kick it off, this first table is something fun for kids. The pastel/candy/polka-dot theme would be great for a Christmastime birthday party or just to make the kids feel extra-special at their assigned Christmas Day dinner table!

Please pardon the photo quality. The lighting wasn’t the best, and I was under a tremendous time crunch.
(Click on any photo, then click again to enlarge/enhance it.)

Although it generally would not be practical to employ a full-length linen for a children’s table, I used one here to cover the ugly legs of the folding table and to hide scads of storage boxes! The 90″ x 132″ white tablecloth on this table for 8 is from LinenTablecloth.com. (Alternatives to a linen: [1] go bare, [2] use an inexpensive sheet, [3] wrap the ugly legs in festive ribbon, [4] add Christmas elf stockings to the legs stuffed with gift tissue to make them stay up & cover the leg all the way to the top, and then “gift wrap” the table surface.)

I chose to go with paper and plastic goods for this kid-friendly tablescape. Each place setting begins with a colorful polka-dot “placemat” which is actually a piece of felt from Hobby Lobby. Very inexpensive at just 50¢ apiece. Next are Dollar Store plates in pastel blue and purple topped with a ring pop to add a little color, fun, and a bigger sugar high for the kids. 😉

I used various colored flatware to add to the colorful nature of tablescape. A trio of soft paper napkins are tucked beneath each dinner plate.

The inspiration for this tablescape was the pair of “marshmallow and candy” Christmas trees I found at Hobby Lobby. I set them atop a clear glass pedestal for added height and then created a “tree skirt” using scads of curling ribbon. (What a pain in the patootie!)

Keeping with the confectionery theme, I added clear glass apothecary jars down the center of the table filled with all kinds of colorful candies. The swirl pops amidst the Pixie Stix look very much like the inedible “marshmallow” swirl pops from Hobby Lobby in the very center of the table that add even more height to the overall look. (NOTE: If you don’t want to risk your nice glass apothecaries, try using various sizes of clear Mason jars or jars that previously held jelly, mayo, pickles, etc.)

I also found these wonderful pastel nutcrackers at Hobby Lobby to place at each end of the centerpiece and stand sentry over the candy!

I created this fun look by covering ordinary banquet chairs with a white stretchy cover and a bubble gum pink satin sash from LinenTablecloth.com. I then used a length of yellow satin ribbon to affix a melange of candy ornaments to the center. The polka-dot ribbon (Hobby Lobby) was the final touch to tie the chairs in with the dots on the marshmallow trees and the placemats. (Chair covers for a kid’s party? With these easy stretch covers, clean up is a breeze! Just toss ’em in the laundry!!!)

As a final touch, I added a couple of gift bags adorned with candy cane ornaments. The paper gift tissue is a mix of pink and polka dots.

Big shout out to Ebony Jackson of EAJ Events In Lee’s Summit for coming to lend a helping hand in the 6+ hour setup!

Last, just for laughs, here’s a picture of me – no makeup, pancake flat hair, and my “out in public” back brace bulging beneath my sweater – as setup began. Goodness knows that back brace needed to be on, because when it was my turn to present…..well, just watch this 90-second video!

AND MY BACK & SHOULDER PAID A HEFTY PRICE FOR THE CRAZY SHENANIGANS THAT LITTLE BURST OF ENERGY BROUGHT ON!!! 😦
I’m back on my walker now to get around and having sleepless nights from the pain. But it sure was fun while it lasted! 🙂

More kid-friendly Christmas-themed tablescapes on this site:
Pink & Purple Chocolate Christmas
Sugar High
Frosty the Snowman
Kaleidoscope Christmas

A few other Christmas tablescapes on this site include:
“Celebrate the Season”
“Christmas in the Woods”
“Merry & Bright – Multi-Color Christmas”
“Christmas Through the Red Door”
“Life Is A Cabaret – New Year’s Eve”
“Waking Up to Christmas – Bedroom Decor”
“Black, White & Red All Over Christmas”
“Christmas 2012 – Red, Black & Silver”
“Checkered Christmas”
“Contemporary Christmas”
“Gentlemen’s Winter Retreat”
“Woodland Men’s Tablescape”
“Cranberry Christmas”
“Cranberry Christmas Squared”
“Get Me To the Church On Time”
“Christmas Progressive Dinner”
“White Hot”
“Winter Brunch”
“Really Red Christmas”
“Roman Holiday”
“Cardinal Christmas”
“March of the Penguins”
“Winter Cardinal”
“Ideas for Throwing a Winter Dessert Party”
“Christmas Fiesta”
“Over the River and Through the Woods”
“Black Friday Luncheon”
“Noel Progressive Dinner”
“Old-Fashioned Red & Green Christmas”
“Timberland Christmas”
“Christmas Coffee”
“Warm Metal Christmas”
“Let It Snow”
“Tuscan Holiday“

Parties I’m linking up with this week:
Between Naps on the Porch – Tablescape Thursday
Rustic & Refined – Table It!
Style Sisters – Centerpiece Wednesday
How Sweet the Sound – Pink Saturday