Dia de los Muertos Tablescape

 

It’s only been in recent years that I have celebrated Dia de Los Muertos, a.k.a. Day of the Dead. It’s a Mexican holiday, obviously, and one that I find greatly appealing because it’s set aside solely to honor those close to us who have passed away. The celebration is defined by Calaveras skeletons, lots of color, flowers, and great joy. I tried to depict all of that in this table.I struggled with selecting a table topper. I have a number of them probably more appropriate than this one, but this appeal to me greatly. The pattern is called “Los Santos,” and is from Alexander Henry. I hardly know where to begin to describe everything that is on the table, so I’ll start with the centerpiece.

The orange skull at table center was given to me a number of years ago. It came from Trader Joe’s, and had a succulent in it that has since outgrown the pot, and I now use it to hold flowers. Michael’s had a wonderful selection of items, so the sitting skeletons, the delightful Frida Kahlo tea light holders, the black candles with skeleton hands, and the two skeleton candelabras (brought forwards from my Halloween table) all come from there.

Williams-Sonoma is responsible for the tea towels that I used as napkins here, as are the wonderful, colorful mugs that I absolutely adore. The cookies on the small skull plate are from there as well.

The Frida Kahlo wine glasses, I purchased years ago from artist, Kelly Cameron, who hand-painted the design. One side has Frida, the other a skull. They are beautiful either way. 

The red stemware is from Amazon, as are the two floral black picture frames by Laura Ashley, and the boldly colored orange flatware can be found here.

 The salt and pepper shakers, viewable at far left, are from World Market, years ago.

 The wonderful tombstone picture frame (I have a pair of these, but could only find one) I got on Etsy years ago.

I hope you found this table a feast for eyes and soul. If you don’t celebrate this special holiday, please consider it in the future. 

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This post is linked to: Tablescape Thursday 

Day of the Dead Table for Two

If you remember my Festive Fall Table from a couple of weeks back, then you also remember how beautiful the flowers were in the skull vase. They lasted so long that I had to use them again in this Day of the Dead tablescape. It is a simple tablescape, really, but it’s that simplicity that allows the individual elements to come through.

This Calavera fabric from Alexander Henry is quite eye-catching. Because it’s so busy, I tried to keep the table as clutter free as possible, while still driving the point home.

The skeleton candlesticks are new this year and from Michael’s. Aren’t they wonderful? I can see myself using these throughout the year in various mystery tablescapes.

For years I have been stalking the skeleton barware from Pottery Barn, this year I had enough rewards points to finally get a pair of wine glasses. They exceeded my expectations. They are good sized; the skeletons are detailed, and great fun!

The rhinestone studded ruby chargers are usually reserved for Christmas, but I thought they worked well here. They are topped with bright yellow Waechtersbach dinner plates on which I have placed a smaller skull plate that I got a couple of years ago from Pier One.

Gold flatware adds a bit of sparkle to the table.

When coffee or tea is offered up with dessert, I will do so with the addition of skull spoons as well as skull shaped sugar cubes that I found on Etsy.

Framed photos of those past would make a nice addition to this or any other commemorative table. Think of those you’ve lost and celebrate their memories.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

 This post is linked to: Tablescape Thursday