Design Inspiration

Thanksgiving to Christmas Table

2010-11-23T14:32:00.000-08:00

This is a late Thanksgiving post, but I'm guessing many of you still do not have your tables put together. So, here's a look at my families Thanksgiving table. In a few weeks I'll show you how to quickly transition this table into an elegant Christmas tablescape.

The mums were just cut from a plant we had on hand. A quick & simple arrangement to add a touch or color.

These napkins were a total last minute find & since it's so close to Thanksgiving, I got them 50% off! For the place cards, I simply purchase plain ivory cards, wrote the names with a gold pen, & added the leaf embellishment, found in the scrapbook section of Hobby Lobby.

I really love these tealight holders. They add a lovely shimmer to the table and guess what? They were found at Big Lots.

The boxwood wreaths were made by my mom using a wire wreath form, branches from bushes in her yard, and wire for attaching the branches. That's it. So simple!

I'm so in love with these vintage glasses. They were a wedding gift of my grandparents. My grandmother will be sharing Thanksgiving with us & I'm sure she will be excited to see them in use.

I love the contrast between the earthy green moss and the refined gold mercury.

Gold is the unifying color on this table & all the candle light plays off each other, especially again these gold boxes.

Fab Find: Buttons Bouquets

2010-11-20T11:59:00.000-08:00

I've had a great time bringing you a week of winter weddings. My final wedding post of the week features these gorgeous & unique bouquets, boutonnieres, & cake topper by Liza with Letter 4 Lilly. Her bouquets are what I love about wedding; your only limited by your imagination! Enjoy the eye candy.

Suprise Giveaway: The Posh Event

2010-11-18T15:16:00.000-08:00


I'm excited to bring you a super fun giveaway from The Posh Event! They feature gorgeous printables that will give your next event a truly custom touch! Printables are all the rage in party planning. They allow you to party plan from the comfort of your own home by offering high resolution images that can be printed from your home computer! The Posh Event has a wide range of products that can be used for weddings, dinner parties, holiday parties, showers, you name it!

How To Enter: Just comment on this post what item(s) you love & a winner will be drawn at random on Tuesday, November 23nd at 10:00 p.m. The winner will select one item from The Posh Event!

Pretty In Pink

2010-11-16T14:21:00.000-08:00

This post features the wedding of Josh & Bethany Hoerr. Josh is my brother & my sister-in-law was so wonderful to let me in on the wedding planning. They're coming up on their 5th wedding anniversary & I still just love how soft & sweet this wedding is. The centerpieces above 3 simple vases all found at Walmart. In each vase is a gel product that mimics the look of ice, perfect for a winter wedding. Each vase was wrapped in pink & black ribbon. I love, love, love the pink carnation orbs. Such a clean modern look that can be achieved on a budget! The tulips are a nice addition for softening all the straight clean lines.

This cake is really simple w/ clean lines & little ornamentation. The ribbon was a great way to get a custom look for less!

I'm so in love with this centerpiece. The eifle tower vase was rented along w/ the branches. A little ribbon, a few ornaments, & a carnation orb and you have a really dramatic centerpiece with a lot of height!

These trees have such a soft look w/ white lights, pink ornaments, & white tulle. In between each tree is a fabric stand. My husband, Mr. Handy, made these stands for our wedding so we reused them using a soft white fabric.

On the buffet tables, trays were propped up on glass blocks that my mom found at a garage sale! They give the appearance of ice & have a nice clean look.

Winter White

2010-11-16T11:55:00.000-08:00

Image Credits: Headpiece OriginalsByLynnette Candy Table The Knot Centerpiece HGTV Shrug Wonderful Wraps Centerpiece Atlanta Bridal Bouquet The Knot Cookies O' Holy Sweet

Modern Winter Wedding

2010-11-14T20:20:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited to bring you a week of winter weddings. This first wedding is Rich & Jackie Martin's. Jackie's one of my closest friends, so I knew when it came time to plan her wedding, I had to bring out only my very best ideas! We had a great time planning all the details. Enjoy!

This centerpiece is very simple, but the contrasts in color make it really stand out. We used a very strict color pallet of black, white, & pink. We decided to use this damask fabric throughout the reception to add a lot of texture & interest. Flowers were done by Larisa Wettstein

I absolutely adore these snowy branches, also rented by Larisa Wettstein. The wedding was only a few days after Christmas, so the idea was to have hints of the holidays with ornaments & snowy elements, without it looking overly "Christmasy" The black ornaments were purchased at Hobby Lobby.

So this is a wall that Jackie's dad & my husband so graciously built. Quit a project, but what a great impact! We wrapped it in black fabric, which gave a really smooth finished look that we could have never achieved with paint. I found the votives at Walmart & again, my husband was kind enough to drill holes in all of them so they could be hung on the wall. Using one item in volume like this is what makes the wall such a focal point.

The columns were built out of plywood & wrapped in fabric also.

Runners were made for the buffet tables in the background. I thought it was such a smart idea to run them the width of the table rather than the length. They add much more visual impact this way, rather than getting lost on the top of the table.

The flower orbs were made w/ carnations. They are inexpensive & add a lot of texture when used in this way. They can be added to any oasis or foam form for a quick & easy arrangement.

When planning a wedding, one of the best tips I can give you is to keep color consistency. So in other words, try not to have a lot of varying shades. For instance, if your color is pink, stay with the same shade of pink. It will loose the impact of your color scheme to introduce to many shades of your main color. In large spaces it's really important to have continuity. Also, try to use the same elements as much as possible. In the case of this wedding, we used the black & white damask fabric through out the room. We also used the same ornaments in different ways. Basically you don't need a lot of different decorations, just a lot of the same decorations.

Casual Fall Tablescape

2010-11-11T08:02:00.000-08:00

A few years ago I purchased this melamine place setting from Pier 1 Imports. At the time we were doing a lot of outdoor entertaining, but I haven't used them in awhile. When I recently came across them, I thought they would be great for a casual fall/Thanksgiving dinner. So, I put together this tablescape using items I already have (plus a few from my parents fundraiser) Also, I'd encourage you to swap place settings & serving dishes with family & friends. If anyone wants to swap with me, send me pictures of your dishes. Who knows, you might see them on the site! : )

These last few images are courtesy of Hostess with the Mostess. They have designed a custom printable party collection to benefit Operation Shower, an organization supporting military families. You can down load the entire collection @ http://www.scribd.com/document_collections/2694476 for free! Donations are encouraged. I thought they would be a great complimented my tablescape!

Festive Fall Fundraiser

2010-11-08T13:02:00.000-08:00

Last weekend my parents hosted a fundraiser for Life Song for Orphans, http://lifesong.squarespace.com/about-lifesong/. It was a wonderful evening focused on helping the millions of orphans through out the world. Above is a shot of their garage before the decorating began.

This flower arrangement is so festive & could be done on a larger scale as well. The squash were hallowed out & then lined with plastic wrap. An oasis was placed inside, then the moss, mums, berries, & sage were added. In order to have the squash sit level, the bottom was cut off to create a flat surface & then duct tape was placed over the cut side to keep it from making a mess on the tablecloths. They gave the tables a wonderful burst of color!

The leaves for the place cards were gathered from her yard & were dried & pressed for about a week. Add a simple ribbon & small white pumpkin & you have a creative place marker.

Appetizers served before the dinner.

This table is outside on her lanai & create an inviting outdoor living space.

Some homes lend themselves to certain seasons. I know my home lends itself to Christmas. My parents home definitely looks great in the fall. The golden walls, warm wood, rich reds, olives & browns make decorating for fall a lot of fun. Here are some shots throughout their home.

Inspiring Tablescapes for the Thanksgiving Host

2010-11-06T12:17:00.000-07:00

I've had several friends inform me that they are hosting Thanksgiving this year. As if the dinner weren't stressful enough, decorating the table can be just as daunting. So, in an effort to offer some inspiration, I've posted several simple & elegant ideas. Images found @ www.bhg.com, www.tinyprints.com, & www.hgtv.com.

Simple Fall Centerpieces

2010-11-05T14:12:00.000-07:00

Fall is always a little hard for me in the way of decorating. The colors are warmer & the look is typically more traditional, but with a little creativity I think fall & Thanksgiving can have a contemporary edge. The arrangement above was done for the MOPS food table. I kept it simple, the lines relatively clean, & added a little touch of glam w/ glitter & embellishments.

These wooden bowls add warmth & were a great find at my local Walmart. The acorns were rounded up by my 2 year old & the pumpkin was jazzed up with a little glitter glue.

Maybe you can tell that I'm all about the glitter! Also, the small embellishments were found in the scrapbook section. They really pop on the white pumpkin!

This tiered wire basket works well for adding seasonal items. Dried artichokes & gourds make this a really simple fall centerpiece.

All together this is a very simple table & the contrast of the brown tablecloths & touches of white, make it really stand out. ***Decorating Tip: When purchasing items for a centerpiece, always purchase 2 like items. This will allow you to mirror the look on a long table & give you more options.

I don't have a lot of fall decorations in my own home, but I do decorate a lot w/ pumpkins. Easy, simple, & beautiful. I love mums also & this year I have mustard planters w/ orange mums.

This arrangement is a good example of mixing natural & contemporary elements. They play nicely off each other & fit in any home

For a few other centerpiece ideas, check out these links:

http://www.hostessblog.com/2009/11/simply-stated-quick-easy-thanksgiving-centerpiece-idea/.

http://www.hostessblog.com/2009/11/diy-decor-give-thanks-centerpiece/

Mod Halloween Party

2010-11-01T11:03:00.000-07:00

These cute little ghost votives were purchased at Walmart for $2 ea.

I found this candelabra at michaels. At 50 % off it was only $7! A lot of impact for the price.

All my paper goods including the tablecloth are from target. It's a good idea to add to your theme w/ items you already need.

Everyone brought their favorite candy to share. Treat bags @ target.

Early in the season I bought pumpkins & gourds & have added different embellishments to fit the occasion. I used black glitter glue & free handed these swirls. It's a pretty quick project & wipes off easily if you mess up.

These hedge balls where a great addition to the table & added that punch of color I was looking for. A few spiders glued on made them a perfect Halloween accessory. The black glitter pumpkin was purchase at michaels also.

A bag of spiders ended up being a great purchase and where a quick way to add that creepy touch