"Life isn't about finding yourself, it's about creating yourself."
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Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Tablescape Tuesday


Hello & welcome to another Tablescape Tuesday! Today I am posting pictures of tables from Christmas past. Some are a few years old & not on par w/ what I do today & some are taken w/ an older "not so good" camera but I thought you'd enjoy seeing them, regardless. I don't set my tables for display, I set them to eat at, so many tables will be odd numbers...sorry. I know that upsets the balance of the table but I just can't bring myself to set a "phantom setting."

This snowbaby table is one of my alltime favories...course like I've said before, my kids tease me, that I say, that every table "is my prettiest", every Christmas "is the best yet!" & every new baby "is the cutest!" *grins* But it really is one of my faves so I thought I'd start w/ it.

The little glass domes over the snowbabies are really just votive holders from some candelabra. I never pass up anything I can pass off as a cloche! The tall, goblets w/ beaded edge bases are Boopie by Anchor Hocking & the wine goblets are Indiana Glass Diamond Point. The china is Wawel in the Royal Kent pattern. I got a whole set of 8 full placesettings (minus teacups) for half off at a thrift store, one year...$20 for the set!











I use that cheap, realllly artificial looking pine garland in a circle under the charger (Lace by JCPenny.com...you've seen them many times) as it lays flat. The red toile dinner plates are Pink Peony (although they are just as red as they can be!) by Churchill (another thrift store find.... I got a set of 4 plates & 4 bowls for $10....dinner plates are $20 a piece @ replacements.com) & the faux "crystal" flatware is from Target.


Probably should have left this next picture out of it but it just shows that everybody has off days. ;o) Not sure what I was going for but it's pretty clear that I didn't achieve it. Uness I was going for so-so w/ really bad lighting! LOL

You'll see a variation of this look on my header. I use the postcards-under-glass "runner" nearly every year, in a tablecape. Love the vintage crocheted tree under the cloche! And the old, faux, drippy candles are pretty cool too.

For this look, I layered a gold charger, the cheap pine garland, clear charger, postcard & glittered snowflake & then, clear dinner plate.
I have had this Johan Havilland Moss Rose china for years. I love it & use it often! Some are vintage plates but some are from Tom Thumb grocery store. A few years ago, Tom Thumb carried them as a promotional "give-away" at their stores. They discontinued them before I had collected them all (was back in the day when I thought I must have 12 of every placesetting...even though my table will only seat 10 max!) so I started buying old ones from eBay to finish the set .

Dessert that night was Eggnog Pots de Creme. Yummm!

The Moss Rose china again, this time paired w/ Georges Briard Victorian Christmas salad plates. The centerpiece is a cranberry hurricane w/ vinatge tree-toppers, set into candlesticks. If I ever repeat this look, I'll use silver candlesticks for a neater appearance. Not sure who the maker of the hobnail goblets are...I think they're vintage but I'm not sure. Guess where I got them? Yep! At a thrift store.
The velvet runner is a curtain panel. The green of the napkin clashes w/ the green of the placemat...I bet that drove me nuts! Why didn't I use some white ones instead?
I found these beveled mirror candle platforms @ Hobby Lobby last year, half off @ $5 a piece! So I bought a bunch to use as chargers. Not sure why I took this pic before the silverware & napkins were placed.
This tree-topper centerpiece is on my coffee table again this year.
I love the tiny ornament placecard holders. Last year, Clifton took his & Stacie's home to use as stocking placecards. He's so cute! He may be a 6'6" football player but he's still so much like his mama that it amazes people.
This is a better view of the Wawel china from my snowbabies table. You can't really make it out but it has beautiful embossed edges.
The velvet flocked runner is from Target, last year. The hobnail cranberry plates were a thrift store find.
The mirrored candle bases used as chargers again.


Love the Christmas toile napkins from Hobby Lobby! The cranberry bowls came from Target, a couple of years ago & the twig placemats are from Garden Ridge. The ruby red goblets are a thrift store find.


Santa & sleigh ornament, glittered trees & faux snow under a cake dome. Did it again this year!
I laid a glitter snowflake on the Lace chargers that I use so often, & then layered a glass plate on top. I again, used cheap pine garland to encircle the charger. I bought the dinner plates @ Hobby Lobby. The bell goblets were a thrift find...I got them years & years ago & still use them often.


This was for a dinner party for the grands. Simple but oh so cute! I used a matelasse bedspread as a tablecloth & a couple of wire snowmen & old porch balustrades, as the centerpiece. I plan on using the snowmen in another tablescape this year but I want to glitter them up, add rhinestone button eyes & a satin scarf first. This 'scape probably could have benefited from a pine spray or 2.
This time I layered the snowflake on a clear charger.
Snowman peep, on a bed of sugar, under a stemless wineglass. We upturned the glasses & drank out of them. Functional & stylish!


I hope you enjoyed seeing my tables from Christmas Past! Before you go, I want to share one more table w/ you. Caeden loves to set tables too & is very proud of this one from last year. He walks around my house, "shopping" for stuff for his tables & puts them together w/ little or no help from his Honey. For this one, he used his tree as a centerpiece (the boys each decorate a little tabletop tree for their room, however they'd like) & some peppermint shot glasses (these are filled w/ m & m's) as "party favors". My only additions to this table were the candy canes hanging off the glasses. I'm so proud of him! I think we have a future participant in our Tablescape Tuesdays! ;o)


To see the other tables, head over to Susan's @ Between Naps on the Porch.

27 comments:

Shelby said...

Vinty, everything you do is BEAUTIFUL! I can only imagine going to your home for a family meal - holidays or not!

Gone said...

Oh Cami...what beautiful tablescapes!! When's dinner? LOL!!!

Stacey said...

You are good!! You are really making me realize that I need to pick things up that I like when I see them. Something will work out along the way that will be beautiful!

Thank you for sharing so many pictures. You deserve an award today!

Unknown said...

Thanks for inviting us in your home. That's exactly how it felt ~ Welcoming! So many wonderful ideas ~ especially the apothecary jars and bottle brush trees! I think that was my favorite. Rita

Tardevil said...

Love the snowbabies table the best too, although your grandson's table is awfully cute! Love the shot glasses...never seen any like them. Also like the peep under the glass in the sugar! Too cute. Also love the wire snowman. Can't wait to see them when you bling them up! LOL!

Anonymous said...

Morning, Cami! Everything is so beautiful!
Be a sweetie,

shela :)

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness girl! You must have mega storage for all these beautiful dishes and serving pieces! There are so many great ideas! Like the Snowflake under the clear plate, and the sugar and snowman under the glass!

Pretty pretty pretty!

~Liz

Deb said...

Hi Cami! They are all so beautiful. I love the setting inside the cake plate and the many beautiful goblets that you have. Deb

Bo said...

Hi Cami...you are definitely a girl after my own heart...dishes & thrifty finds! I enjoyed the many variations of tablescapes...neat ideas you showed using unique pieces for chargers! ;-) Bo

Anonymous said...

All absolutely beautiful tablescapes!

J has a table in his "lodge" with postcards from family and friends under glass. I thought about doing something like that with Christmas cards on the back porch table, but didn't get around to it. I guess I could still do it..hmmm...why not!

I love your banner photo!

Carrie said...

Wow, so many different holiday looks..you are very creative. Thanks for sharing these settings!

Glenda said...

You are very, very creative. Love to see the various ways you put everything together. Love your idea of using an unrelated item as a cloche. Enjoyed this post very much.

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

So much beauty and inspiration on this post! What smart ideas! Love the votive candle holders upside down; the cake plate scene; the garland under the chargers! All of it is so creative, and I can't wait to borrow some of your wonderful ideas. laurie

Salmagundi said...

Oh, I saw so much that I loved. Of course, the snow babies are adorable - they are something I thought I could collect, but have managed to resist!! Then, the tree toppers - I only have 2 - one for the top of a tree, plus another one. I think I need more. All of the settings are just wonderful. Sally

Myrna said...

Oh my! So many wonderful tablescapes to choose from! Beautiful! I love how you 'off-set' the napkins on the plates, the silverware all on the right.
The cheap garland charger--genuis!!
I could go on and on...Love it all!

Ceekay-THINKIN of HOME said...

Oh, amazing...I hope you don't think I can pick a fav...no way!

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness Cami! What a lot of wonderful scapes you have shared with us here. I feel so unfulfilled because I do not own a cloche yet :0)

Envoy-ette said...

I can't pick a favorite! I bet people love coming to your house just to look at those gorgeous tables!

The Muse said...

Where oh where does one start? Golly..if you can make a MUSE speechless! WOW, super WOW!

Miss Janice said...

What beautiful tablescapes you have displayed. I think I choose the "Snowbabies" as my favorite. Although I also love the tablescape with the "Merry Christmas" toile napkins. All of them are so cute!

Susan (Between Naps On The Porch.net) said...

Wow, Cami...you've been tablescaping before tablescaping was cool! Sooooo many great tables and wonderful ideas. I love the cloches...love the greenery encircling the plates! Love your sense of humor about having an off day...too cute! Thanks for all these great tables!
Susan

imjacobsmom said...

First I have to say that Caeden is the cutest! It is just as sweet as can be that table that he set. I think we do have a future "tablescaper". It is so sweet that he wants to be like you! You have the cutest ideas! The snowbabies, the the peeps under the glass as a snowglobe, the snowflake under the glass plate, your postcards under glass, Santa & sleigh under the cake dome - darling! ~ Robyn

xinex said...

You have a lot of neat ideas. I especially love the snowbabies and the dome creations!...Christine

Lynne (lynnesgiftsfromtheheart) said...

Your tablescapes are gorgeous..but those snowbabies under the cloche's are my favorites... anything with a cloche dome steals my heart...hugs ~lynne~

tam said...

Wow I love it all! It would be so nice to sit at any of those tables. I especially like the santa in the cake dome-what aterrific idea!
~Tam :D

Knittings Nice! said...

Oh my what wonderful table settings....firstly thank you for visiting my blog...I realize that I am going to have to go back to collecting again....ah! shame!!

Kathleen Ellis said...

Great ideas! My favorite...the whimsical snowbabies table...adorable!
Merry Christmas!