Thanksgiving 2013 ~ Dining Table Centerpiece

Ok so I'm going to mix this up a bit and show you my Thanksgiving centerpiece adventure from last week. Since I work for a specialty rental company called the Attic, I decided to showcase Attic items for this centerpiece. {Check out the website here!}

Picture by picture, step by step, I'll show you how I put together this centerpiece using the Attic pieces plus some other extras from my own collection.

First, I needed an plan. I wanted to do something different. I had this slight vision of a centerpiece idea in my head, and I ran with it, even though I was blind in not knowing where I was headed. All I knew was that I wanted some sort of cluster. A grouping of some sort.

I started with my base: A thick and wide log round (no picture). Below are the items that make up the rest, and a picture of the first time I put those items together in order to start getting a visual for what I was about to create.

I used some gold/champagne mercury tea light votives:

Vintage bottles:

Gold candlestick holders and pillar candle holders:

Antlers (from my own collection):

Then after grabbing some pine cones from the back yard, I used this champagne colored spray paint (from Michaels) to spray them with. (You can cover the cones in the paint or just spray on the edges. It just depends on how much you want the cones covered or shiny. I did some of both.)

Next, I bought flowers. I bought them at Fred Meyer here in town. They seem to always have a pretty good selection. I didn't want a whole lot of color though, just a very natural look, with a hint of shine. So I just added a small amount of color using berries which still fit in with my natural look.

Then began the arranging. After I arranged the flowers in the bottles to how I liked and what seemed best, I started arranging the bottles and candle sticks in the middle first. (Most importantly, making sure no flowers were too close to the tops of the candles.) Once I liked the set up, I filled in with pine cones and added the antlers and votives around the base. I took advantage of the altering heights to make this work from all sides.

Then to finish the table setting and the dessert display...

And after all that, time spent with family, and eating delicious food made for a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Thank you to my wonderful mom who sat there almost the whole time watching me, helping and supporting my ideas! She also is the one who planned out the china and place settings. ;)
Thanks for reading!
t.

Christmas Greetings

So the other day we pulled out our Christmas decorations, and also bought and decorated a tree! This really is the most wonderful time of the year.

I thought I'd share a few ideas I had on quick and easy decorating (for Christmas). As much as I love helping my mom transform the rest of the house into a holiday spirited welcoming, I love to change up my room to let it have the same feel. I don't have a ton to work with, mainly because I haven't gone out and spent tons on Christmas decor for my room, as I am waiting until I have my own house to do that ;). But here's what I did.

(1*) My mom had sent me a small fake tree and little ornaments when I was in school a few years ago. So I began with setting that up on a little table.

(2*) I have an old window seated on a wall shelf, where I have previously hung/bunched bistro lights, and accented it with books, and some nick nacks that all have some meaning to me. So I added a few Christmas ornaments to source up the space with holiday cheer.

(3*) With a bit of tulle, a group of silver belles and ornaments, I put them all to use by helping these festive green pine cones and silver branches stand tall and pretty above my desk, in a clear vase. Accented by a nutcracker and a couple candles.

(4*) It's easy to add some Christmas thought to pieces that already stand in your room (or house). I had bought the "antlers" to wear during a Christmas light show. So with a fur scarf, and a small stocking (I probably received a gift in last year,) I propped them onto my dress stand and WA-LA! :P

(5*) Found and bought this cute sign earlier this year, and just had to have it! I had bought the sparkly silver ball ornaments for a party a couple years ago, but wasn't sure what to do with them now. I have had a blank cork board sitting around, so I played with it till I liked what I found I could do. It's a random look, sure, but why not?

(6*) I have a chalk board, that I use for notes, hanging in my wall. So I wiped away the "lists" I was done with anyway, and reminded myself of the joy of this season.

Filling up extra space with whatever I had to use :) (below)