Over the past twenty six years I have amassed a collection of things with one purpose in mind.
Setting a pretty dining table.
Now, bare in mind one single thing:
I do not own a set of china.
Period
The reason is super simple. I have never seen a china pattern that I could be married to for my whole life. In fact, the only thing I’ve ever looked at and thought, ‘Yep! Now this I could keep forever’ is Big Daddy.
Thank God, huh?
The biggest reason I never picked a china pattern is of course, the cost. Plus, I’ve always gone for a ‘collected’ look. So, over the years I’ve kinda weeded out what didn’t work for me/us and our lifestyle , and kept/built on what did.
Having said that, I hope to bring you over the next few weeks what I consider my tried & true, goto table settings for the Christmas Season.
The first thing I do is take a walk in the woods.
This table setting starts with my favorite evergreen, Little Gem Magnolia. I truly love to decorate with fresh evergreen and natural elements.
Magnolia goes really well with the rustic finish on our dining room table. I simply used one of the largest tureens out of my collection and filled it with these big, beautiful, glossy olive green leaves. No oasis, no floral tape. Just cram them in the vessel of your choice.
And don’t be stingy.
Use plenty.
The burlap runner I made myself. It fits right in with the rustic vibe. Next I dug out my woven chargers for texture. I own two sets of chargers, these woven ones and a collection of antique round silver platters. The woven ones seemed the better choice but I’m of a mind that antique silver goes with anything.
When we painted the dining room gray back in March I sort of fretted about how it would look at Christmas.
I fret no more.
Our everyday dishes are a Mikasa Italian Countryside knockoff that I found on clearence several years ago at Walmart. I have since collected extra solid white plates and serving pieces to accompany it.
I really love the mix.
The two green glass urns I’ve had for several years. I suspect they are something that was mass produced for florists. I’ve used them for all kinds of stuff, I think I even put cranberry sauce in them one year. But they make great candlesticks!
I heart green glass.
The pine cones make great place card holders.
Simple, classic, beautiful
The best part?
I had everything you see here already in my house. I did all of this for zero $$ and whilst in my feety pajamas first thing this morning.
With a big mug of Fresh Market vanilla coffee in my hand.
Happy Christmas Tablescaping!
Paige
Blogs I love
http://www.findingsilverpennies.com
http://www.thoughtsfromalice.com
http://www.confessionsofaserialdiyer.com
http://www.karensuponthehill.com
http://www.stonegableblog.com
http://mobile.homeremediesrx.com
http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net
http://northernnesting.blogspot.com
http://seekinglavenderlane.com
http://www.frenchcountrycottage.net
http://akadesign.ca
http://www.thepainteddrawer.com
SO attractive. SO smart. SO simple!
The first thing I admired was the gray walls. The color works for so many ways. And you can't go wrong with white dishes because you can throw any accent color onto your table without fretting it won't match. Good choices!!
I love your table. It is simple…which makes it quite elegant. I have the Italian Countryside…and love white dishes because you can use them with anything. I need some woven mats like you have. And I would love to know how you made your burlap runner…as i find burlap tricky to work with. Can you wash burlap in the washing machine? Anyway…your table looks wonderful. Oh by the way…I love green glass too! We could be shopping buddies looking for green glass! 🙂 Sheila