Bric-a-Brac Inspired Fall Table

Yesterday, I opened my calendar to schedule an event. “Holy Cow!” I thought. “Thanksgiving is in just two weeks!”

How did THAT happen?

I picked the last of my tomatoes from my garden only two weeks ago. A quarter-full bowl of Halloween candy still sits next to the front door. I feel like I should be brining the turkey, already.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It’s fun and inspirational and an outlet to create and feed people, which are the two things I love most. Also, I am surrounded by some of my favorite peeps.

With two weeks out, my planning started today. I poked around the house for table-setting inspiration.

A beautiful table setting is a gift to my guests. I want the table to look beautiful, feel special and to have a uniqueness which will be remembered.

I am all for being resourceful and creative without spending a lot of dinero. I also like to putter around the house and pull unexpected things together. I love a table which incorporates color, texture, nature, heirlooms, something Kooky and of course, unpredictability.

I gathered bits and pieces around the house tonight, set just this place setting for fun. Here is what I pulled together:

Pottery Barn Dishes in Orange. I bought these in 1998 when I was living in an apartment in Boston. I have zero idea why I purchased ten place settings. I had a small apartment, tiny kitchen and barely any cabinet space notwithstanding that my table sat four uncomfortably.
The “tablecloth” is a 4′ x 4′ velvet remnant I picked up at Zimmans in Lynn.
Napkins and placemat: Williams Sonoma Outlet less 30%
Accent, embroidered napkin: Thanks, Grammy.
Napkin “ring”: Twine I tied into a pretty tassel
A 1/8 swatch of white fabric with textured swirls that I bought as a sample for a client. I thought the swirls complimented the tassel. This just adds another layer.
A branch I cut this afternoon from a lovely tree I passed. TIP: Carry pruners in my glove box. You never know what flowers or branches you may drive past. I made some beautiful wildflower arrangements this summer just from weeds I found in my travels
The rosemary plant I pulled from my garden
Lillies I won from a raffle at a benefit I attended on Saturday night.
My great-grandmother’s assorted silver
A cork and marble place card holder that I made. I used extra marble tile from a bathroom renovation, a hot glue gun and a cork which I sliced so that the placard slips right into it
Pears in a grapevine “nest”
Silk feathers from a craft shop
A still life I found at an antique shop which I use simply as a backdrop to make this picture look pretty. Of course, I don’t put paintings on the dining table.