Tablescapes

Creating beautiful tablescapes is not limited to those with large budgets,

 or the fortunate few who have inherited Great Grandmothers heirlooms.  

With a little planning and a few dollars you can throw together some lovely tables in no time. 

Stacked dishes

This image is from Juliska.  

Their dishes are the stuff dreams are made of.  

Here they stacked dishes to make sculpture & serving pieces.  

Genius!

I daydream about finding them a garage sale or thrift store someday.  

OR... if someone just happens to have an extra $700 

weighting down their wallet 

they can buy me the soup tureen.  HA!

For a tutorial on how to make permanant tiered serving dishes from thrift store finds look here

Crystal & Tealights

These are crystal & cut glass vases, candlesticks and small dishes 

I snagged at garage sales or thrift store .25-.99 each

Turn the vases/small dishes upside down & top with tea lights. 

Group different heights for visual interest.

Fabric runners

Long strips of fabric may be cut to line the center of a table.  

Cut strips of fabric.  Upholstry & home dec fabric offer varied textures.

Vintage drapes from the thrift store offer a rich look. 

WASH THEM FIRST.

Cut with pinking shears, hem, fray or singe edges for a finished look.

Sheer fabrics may be singed with an embossing gun or candle to pucker & add texture.  

This is a strip of home dec sheer from Hobby Lobby I had cut 

into 12 inch wide strips to go on banquet tables.

Edges & middle were singed to pucker the fabric.

  

I saw this lovely scape recently at a wedding.  

A table covered in tulle with pearls/gems/ flower petals scattered across.

Volintine Design

MASON JARS

At a shower I saw these mason jars filled with candies.  

Layered ribbon & a jeweled button were wrapped around the middle.

Design by LaTrissa

Tablescapes are a fun way to change things up without breaking the budget.  

You can use them on nightstands, dining tables, side tables,

 countertops and when decorating for events.

Would LOVE to hear/see exapmles of your tablescape ideas.

A Bride Blessing

We recently welcomed a new addition  

into our family. 

And another family welcomed 
one of us into theirs.

Being spiritual people, 

I wanted to incorporate a spiritual component 

into the merging of these two families,

 a deeply personal welcome 

and a prayerful blessing.  

I invited the bride, 
 the women of her family 

and the women of the grooms family
to my home for a Bride Blessing. 

We gathered, mothers, sisters, 
cousins, aunts, grandmothers.

I asked them to bring 

a book, or tool, 

that they use in the running 

of their homes, 

to share as an example 
with the new bride to be.  

Each were asked to relay a piece 

of information 
that they were given, 

or WISH they had been given, 

that helps life as a wife 

run smoothly.

After dinner we gathered in the 
living room

to share these bits of wisdom, 

tools of efficiency, 

hard learned lessons.

We shared calendars, 

methods of record keeping, 

recipes and 
household management tips.  

Each of the women, 

her birth family, 

and her new married family,  

told her how they planned 

to pray for her, 

to speak
ONLY GOOD
 OF HER, 

to affirm her 

and support her.  

Then we washed the brides feet, 

in symbol of her new role 
of service to her husband,
and each one 
laid their hands on her, 

and spoke a 

prayerful blessing over her. 

To shower a bride with personal gifts, 

is a great tradition.  

To shower a couple with home goods, 

a great tradition.  

To bless her with the gifts of words, 

spoken in affirmation, 

welcome, blessing, 

  and the promise of 
your continued prayers,
just might be a
NEW tradition
you’ll want to try too.

The groom's mother and sisters

The bride & her mother

Duct Tape Wedding Hat

I have a special event coming up next week.  
I have, in vain, been looking for something special to 
WEAR to the event.  
Something that would make me look 
young, thin.....sigh...
you know how it is.

No such outfit was to be found, 
as no such outfit EXISTS.

So I set my hopes on a special hat.  
They ALWAYS come in your size.  

  

 I do so love this one, alas,
it costs as much as a small car.  
What to do?

As many an Elmore before me 
I determined that lack in the budget 
does NOT have to be the end of the deal.

When you want/need something... 
MAKE DO.

So I have endeavored to make one 
to suit both my hearts desire 
AND my budget.

I started with these.  
Flower pot.  Pretzel container.  
Plastic wrap.  Duct tape.

First I wrapped the pretzel container with plastic wrap.  
This way I can get it off the form when I'm finished.

Next I started wrapping the pretzel container 

with strips of duct tape.

To get a raised ridge I added strips of tape 

and pinched them into shape.

I wrapped all the way to where I wanted the brim to end.  

Then cut slits into the edges to splay them 

out into a brim shape & reinforced 

the slits with strips of duct tape.

Then I began pinning on the 

dupioni silk wire edged ribbon.

The wire edging was soooo helpful 

in getting it to lay smoothly.  

I could pinch pleat it easily as pinned it into place.

after pinning it I used my 

trusty rusty hot glue gun 

to adhere it in place

I lined the inside brim with the same ribbon.

To finish it I made 3 rolled prayer flowers 

from gray/black silk 

to adorn the front.

Viola.... duct tape wedding hat.

Now I just need some matching shoes....

Leather Coat Black Marker re-do

Found a cute orange leather coat at the Coldwater Creek Outlet on the $4.99 irregulars rack.  OH JOY!

Regular price (on their web site $249)  see it here

Seems some unfortunate accident had left the little darling with black smudges.

Used my old faithful stain removers, wd-40 & Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.... but the stains stayed.

Trusty old black Sharpie (permanent marker) to the rescue.

Taaaaaa.......daaaaaaaa.......

Easy Peasy Picky People Potatoes

In an effort to ease sweet potatoes into my picky kid/husband diet 

I devised easy-peasy picky people potatoes.

They are, in the words of my wee friend Anilese, "A party for your mouth".

Ingredients:

Red potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, light fleshed sweet potatoes. 

Garlic.  Butter.  Milk. Sour cream.  S&P

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In a microwave safe bowl put desired amount of potatoes.  

I leave skins on red/gold potatoes & peel sweet potatoes.

Pierce potatoes with fork.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cover and microwave (I did 20 min for these)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now comes the goodies!  Milk (1/2 cup) butter (2 tbsp) sour cream (2 tbsp) garlic (2 to 3 cloves) 

For the non goodie eaters, substitute chicken broth - 

but be warned, the party for your mouth is way less fun.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Add goodies to microwave cup.  Heat through.  

If the garlic is not soft microwave them a wee bit more.

When the potatoes are done, mash with fork.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Add in goodies.  

It will look ugly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Add salt & pepper.

Stir well.  

It will look better!

If you want mashed, here it is. 

If you want soup, add in heated milk and chicken broth, more sour cream.

It is makes a dreamy chicken potato soup.

  Simply add diced or shredded chicken.

optional add ins:

red pepper flakes

chopped jalapeno

cheese

Make it yourself heirloom cake plate

I have heirloom envy.  

The old fashioned pass-em-on-downs that other girls have, hand made crochet runners, old chipped china and pressed glass, faded velvet corsages, embroidered pillowcases & tablecloths, 

they strike a chord in my heart.  

But I do not come from a family (grandparents) that had such things.  

So I collect other peoples discarded heirlooms.  And I make my own.  

Behold, a simple collection of candle sticks, 

ice cream dishes and juice glasses and plates.  

With just a ring of glass glue (E6000) 

they become instant vintage looking cake plates.  

Heirloom envy begone!

Maybe my daughter will throw all my collected heirlooms out.

Or put them in a yard sale.

Or maybe she will love them.  

Either way, I hope they come into the possession of someone like me.  

Some one who loves old things along with new things.  

These make great presentation pieces for bake sales, church dinners etc.

Ice cream (parfait) glass + glass plate

Do it yourself heirlooms, the next best thing to a handed-down one! 

Sweater chop shop

The other day Miss Reagan & I went on a window shopping excursion (read idea shopping) trip through the Wonderland of Beauty.   

Otherwise known as Anthropologie.

We went... we saw... we drooled.

I promptly went to the thrift store (the next day) and purchased some goodies to Anthro-up.

Here is what I did.

Took this Davids Bridal dress (purchased at Village Discount Outlet on Farnsworth on 3 for $1 day) 

Cut the front of the dress into strips and made these flowers.  There is plenty of the dress to make more goodies.

Gap sweater, purchased at VDO on 3 for $1 day.  

Notice it was very large at the shoulders, impossibly small at the bottom.  

No way this... ahem... traditionally built woman was fitting in that.   

So I cut the sweater from the V-neck down to the bottom.   The sides roll inward, no sewing necessary.  

                                                    

Pin flowers on sweater... viola!

Are there any other Anthro girls on Thrift store budgets?  Share your tips & projects w me pleeeeeease.