Holiday Table for Two

Despite the fact that many people start decorating for Christmas after Halloween, for me, the Christmas season doesn’t officially begin until the day after Thanksgiving. As such, I have spent the past number of days going up and down the steps carting up my holiday decorations. During this month I hope to have a number of different tables to share with you, beginning with this one.

 

What I hope to convey with this table is that you do not have to have Christmas dishes, or any type of Christmas decorations in order to create a festive, seasonal table. Upon close inspection, there is nothing Christmassy on this table at all, with the exception of the Christmas colors of red and green, colors that I chose because they are the color of apples as reflected in the Franciscan “Apple” dinnerware pieces that I have used here.

A hunter green tablecloth provides the base. I manufactured a red runner out of some fabric that I had stored in the closet. I simply folded it to the size that I wanted and ran it down the center of the table.

The charger plates are Italian ceramic; I inherited these from my mother. I topped them with a bright red dinner plate from Pier One. A Bordallo Pinheiro geranium salad plate was placed on top of this, with the final piece being a bread and butter plate in the Franciscan “Apple” pattern.

The cups and saucers are also Franciscan apple. The red stemmed water glasses are by Villeroy and Boch; the wine glasses are from Rogaska in the “Gallia” pattern. 

The Milano red flatware by Ginkgo International in the Le Pris pattern seemed the perfect choice. The Apple napkin rings that I used here I have had for decades, and have no idea where I got them originally. I decided to go bold with lime green napkins, and I really like the look. 

This is a lovely table that would be perfect for a holiday lunch, while employing no specialty pieces whatsoever. Start shopping at your house for items that you can use for the holidays. 

The pitcher is Fiestaware, the centerpiece is nothing more than a simple candle ring, hurricane, and pillar candle. I scattered apples of various sizes at the base of the hurricane to pull everything together.

 

This post is linked to: Tablescape Thursday

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Hatch Chile Tablescape

I love setting a seasonal table; any season, any holiday, is reason enough for me.  I truly believe in taking joy in little things, and letting my home reflect that joy.  One season that I find particularly enjoyable is one with which you are probably unfamiliar, and that is Hatch Chile season. 

What are Hatch Chiles, you ask?  Considered to be one of the most flavorful peppers in the world (and the official state vegetable of New Mexico), this species of the genus Capsicum is grown in the Hatch Valley.  The soil and growing conditions in the area contribute to the unique flavor, enhanced during roasting.  I had my own hatch chile roast last weekend, where I scented the air (and myself) with a woodsy deliciousness.  Melissa’s Produce is a distributor of these chiles and have produced an amazing cookbook using these peppers that they were kind enough to send me, and that I cannot wait to try.  Spread the word on these tasty chiles!

Hatch Chile Powder allows for the taste of these chiles all year long.  A great enhancer in Mexican food, I pretty much use it for any dish where I want to inject a lot of taste.

I love these placemats that I bought a number of years ago at Pier One (They are still available if you love them too. Plus, napkins to match!  I don’t have those, but they are on my list.)  With all of the colors they contain, it is just impossible not to have something to match. I have used them in many a table setting over the years, but find them particularly lovely with the bold colors of Fiestaware.

This lovely napkin fold is shockingly easy to do.  It does require two napkins in two different colors, but think of the possibilities here.  Pastels for Mother’s Day, springtime, or Easter, earth tones for autumn, patriotic colors for the Fourth of July, or red and green as I have used here for Christmas, or anything boldly festive.  You can find a step-by-step tutorial here.

Plunk a pepper in each mug at the table to add a touch of whimsy, and spread the hatch chile joy.

 I use this yellow flatware in more table settings that you can possibly imagine.  I have had it for decades and never knew the pattern, but someone recently told me that it is “Radiant” by Noritake, available occasionally from Replacements.

This post is linked to:

Show and Share

Table It Monday

Inspire Me Tuesday

Tuesdays At Our Home

Tutorials & Tips

The Scoop

Centerpiece Wednesday

Wow Us Wednesday
Work It Wednesday

What’s It Wednesday

Clever Chicks Blog Hop

Thursday Favorite Things

Tablescape Thursday

Create It Thursday

Home and Garden Thursday

Show and Tell Friday 

Friday Unfolded
Fridays Flash Blog
Simple and Sweet Fridays

Linda’s at What To Do Weekend 
Shauna’s at The Weekend re-Treat

Setting Your Thanksgiving Table

 If you're like me, you are already pondering the centerpiece and potential layout for your Thanksgiving table. Will you go with simplicity, or be over the top?  I may just opt for the simplicity of gourds, grasses, and candles this year. Then again, I may just change my mind. If you're in a quandary, here is a little eye candy from years past to help spur your creative juices. 

 A Thanksgiving table need not be fancy or make use of your best china. This table makes use of my every day Fiestaware, along with a special autumn pattern, and multicolored, fringed placemats. I just used a favorite pumpkin tureen and some berries as the centerpiece. Easy, colorful, and fun. 

 With an October birthday and a tradition of hosting the Thanksgiving meal I have acquired a lot of autumn dinnerware over the years, and I love it! This cozy house always makes a colorful splash no matter the setting. 

 Here it is shown on rustic placemats against a boldly patterned fabric used as a table covering. 

 Yellow-handled flatware and matching chalices as water glasses make this table really pop.

 A busy table cover and dinnerware calls for a simple centerpiece.  This lantern does the trick.

The same, simple pumpkin tureen from the first picture makes quite a showy centerpiece here. I arranged the flowers myself using four inexpensive bouquets from Sam's. I filled in with herbs and cuttings from both indoor and outdoor plants.

 One of the easiest ways to decorate a table is with a cornucopia. I found this one for a couple of dollars on clearance at Michael's. A trip to the produce section of my local market and the job was done. 

Tom Turkey makes an appearance every now and again, along with a harvest swag in which I intersperse gourds and little turkey candleholders. 

However you set your holiday table, whether simple, elegant, or over the top, remember to make it festive and fun. 

This post is linked to: 

Let’s Dish!

Tabletop Tuesday

Wow Us Wednesdays

My Favorite Things
Martha's Favorites
Good Life Wednesdays

Tablescape Thursday

Tutorials Tips and Tidbits

Be Inspired Friday

Feathered Nest Friday

Colorful Cowgirl Table Setting

   I love to play with color when the weather warms up.  One afternoon found me searching through all of the colorful fabric that I’d bought, with good intentions, over the years when I stumbled upon this one.  This particular fabric gave me a smile as bold as the pattern, so I thought that today I’d get in touch with my inner cowgirl.  I’m not sure that all of the colors work here as well as I’d hoped they would.  The vases, I think, have to go, but setting tables is about both joy and experimentation.  I had a good time with this one.

Fabric is a great way to cover a table with something BOLD.  If you like fabric as much as I do – a real puzzle, I suppose, since I don‘t sew – you might consider going through your stash to see what you can come up with; consider layering or cross-crossing narrower pieces.  Go crazy!  You’re the boss. 

Since summer is casual, I thought it would be fun to put the napkins and flatware in the coffee mugs. 

Some patterns, such as this one, run just one way.  When used on a table, the people sitting along the side will be looking at the women sideways, but then, come to think of it, don’t most men look at us women sideways?!

This post is linked to:

Let’s Dish!

Tabletop Tuesday

Wow Us Wednesdays

Tablescape Thursday

Be Inspired Friday

Seasonal Sundays

How about them apples?

 

 An impromptu dinner party calls for an impromptu table setting, and the challenge of pulling something together from things close at hand in fifteen minutes or less. Thank goodness it's apple season!  This isn't the first time that fresh, fragrant produce has saved the day.

Red and yellow apples took center stage in this three-tier centerpiece into which I tucked greenery and filled in spaces with Melissa's Organic Baby Gala Apples (so cute!).

Now, I know you're getting sick of seeing these placemats but, yet again, I'm amazed at their versatility.

I pulled plates, bowls, and mugs from the cabinets in colors to replicate the apples, doing the same with the napkins.

Complementary glassware and a baby apple for each and the table is set!

Placemats – Pier 1
Glasses – Fiestaware

Centerpiece – Oak Tree Furniture (long ago)

Plates, mugs & bowls – Fiestaware

Glassware, pitcher, butte dish - Fiestaware

Red napkins – Crate & Barrel

This post is linked to:

Tabletop Tuesday 
Centerpiece Wednesday
 Wow Us Wednesdays
 Cuisine Kathleen's
 Open House Party
 The Charm of Home
Tablescape Thursday 
 Feather Your Nest Friday
 Show and Tell Friday
 Seasonal Sundays