Christmas Table - A Glimpse

I know it is January, but I want to share some of my Christmas dining table with you. This could be applied to any occasion.I had picked up some glasses at the local Salvation Army thrift shop back in December, as you know, and had decided to use them for my as centerpieces. Here is a glimpse of the table.

We were hosting and as you can imagine, it was a busy day. I had taken some pictures earlier in the day as the setup was coming together and then forgot to take some when the candles were lit and the rest of the table was laid but thanks to a family member I got a few great ones.

Going back to what I used in the center. The glasses from the thrift store.

I loved their shape and height and thought to repurpose them as vases. They could be used collectively or individually throughout the year. I wanted to paint them silver and gold.

There was no time to work on a pattern - something I would like to consider down the road. We had a ton of windy days so spray painting was ever so difficult but I was determined. Were it not for the weather, this would have been an easier project.

I spray painted the smaller glasses silver...

....and the larger ones gold.

 

I had to do several coats due to the wind.

 

Overall, I am thrilled with the color and the idea.

 

I will share further details and more of the table with you later this week.

For now, a glimpse.

 

 

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Project - to repurpose my salvation army finds in time for Christmas

I will be hosting Christmas this year. It has been a busy few weeks since the end of October and I have still got a lot of catching up to do in other areas.
My siblings and I take it in turn to host the various holidays through the year so that the bulk of the work does not fall on any one family for all holidays or the same holiday every year but more importantly so that every family gets to enjoy the preparation.

Typically I do a buffet style lunch for Christmas when there is a larger group and everyone is free to sit in the family room, living room or at the kitchen table. This year I have decided to do a sit-down meal - 8 adults at the dining room table and 5 kids at the kitchen table. The food will be laid out on the kitchen island.

 My dining room colors have changed and therefore I have to keep that in mind when setting up the dining table. I do not have time to go shopping for decorative items for the table and neither do I want to spend money unnecessarily. I paid a visit to a local Salvation Army last week in order to look for some glassware I could repurpose.

It is amazing what one can find in any local consignment or thrift store. This is what I came away with.

The glass with the 'X' is my own glass of water which I had forgotten was on the table at the time.

These candleholders have some scratches but could easily be repainted to look as good as new.

 

 

I love the shape and the height of these 6" juice (?) glasses (on the right). The single piece on the left is probably a vase.

 

 

These 7" beer glasses were also in perfect condition.

Apparently, if an item is on the shelves for more than 2 weeks at the Salvation Army the price is reduced by 50%. Perhaps this holds true for other such stores. I spent just over $20 for thirteen pieces.

These came in at half the sticker price. Note the date the items went on the shelves is also stamped.

One of my favorite items which is perfect to have out on display with some candy at the time of year is this crystal dish with lid.

 

I am considering spray painting the beer and juice glasses to use as bud vases along the dining table. I have been scouring Pinterest for inspiration although I have some idea what I want to do.

 

This mini project has to be quick and relatively easy - just 2 weeks to Christmas! And I have to find a non-rainy, non-windy day to spray paint!

 

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I am back, and my dining room curtains

I am glad to be back.

 

My dining room curtains went up a few weeks ago. I have bought a new camera and have been learning to take better pictures and experiment with settings on Picasa so you will see some pictures looking a little different in this post.

 

 

I used the same bronze finish curtain rod I had in the dining room before. I had considered changing the finish but for now it will do.

 

If you recall, I had purchased the curtains on my trip to India in August. I bought four.

 

 

They were about 4" too short in length which I only discovered on my return. I had measured one curtain while in the store and had expected them all to be the same size. Anyway, I shopped online for some beaded trim which would work well with the curtains and came across this Isabella crystal fringe on Warehouse Fabrics Inc.

 

 

 

These curtains, unfortunately, have a noticeable difference in their lengths if you look close enough at the top gold border. This picture shows you two curtains and a difference in the height of the borders.

At the base, though, it is less noticeable. It gives a sense of movement.

I love the overall luminous and flowy feel the curtains lend to the room. This is exactly what I had in mind when I chose them. They also balance the darker stenciled walls. I also like that the patterned border hits just below the chair rail.

 

I had the curtain rod installed so that the beaded trim just skims the floor.

 

Thank you to those of you who emailed me when out of concern I had not posted in a while.

It was a bizarre November starting with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and so many problems of different sorts being encountered by many, many people in the Northeast. We were among the more fortunate with just a loss of power for four nights. We had extended family who had no power for up to 10 days  - from 11 to 18 people - staying over and some over just for meals. Subsequently other events occurred which kept me from posting. Many have suffered unimaginable losses and we continue to keep them in our thoughts as we try to get back to some routine.

 

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

 

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

 

Adding to the Dining Room Curtains

It turns out the dining room curtains I purchased are a little short of the (minimum 84" length) I wanted. There is not much of a hem to work with to add length to them so I decided to add a decorative trim.

 

I shopped around online and found this pretty and elegant trim. I loved the design.

 

 

 

 

This should hopefully be the solution. I will have them added to the base of the curtains. It looks stunning against them.

 

 

 

 

 

Today is the first day of school for us - first year of middle school for my youngest and freshman year of high school for my older daughter. They are both extremely excited - a wonderful thing!

 

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

 

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

 

 



A Purchase For The Dining Room

I am back from visiting my parents with the kids. It has taken a few days to get over jet-lag and I have a lot of catching up to do. Thank you to those who left comments on my posts while I was away. I do appreciate your visits and your thoughts very much.

I did a little shopping while I was in India. If I had had the time there would have been more but the priority was about quality time with my parents.

One of the rooms I wanted to shop for was the dining room which requires new curtains. I have the Silhouette® shades from Hunter Douglas in place already.

I wanted curtains which would be light and airy. I found these. 

These curtains are 100% cotton and are handwoven with this simple copper-like gold-and-white pattern.

 

And this elegant border was a pleasant surprise. The border will fall below the chair rail and the shape of the pattern coincidentally ties in to the ikat stencil pattern on the walls above the chair rail.

 

 

I also like to pair silver with gold in the same space.

Here is a picture of the window from across the room.

 

 

 

 

And here is what will dress it up.

 

 

I am off to see what I have missed in the past couple of weeks in blogland. Hope you are all enjoying your summer!



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The Table Is Set

Saturday's neighborhood event - annual progressive dinner - was fun and our part of hosting dinner for 10 was a great success. We met these 8 neighbors for the first time. We were all an hour late to the next course - dessert/nightcap - as everyone was having such a great time.

The table was warm and inviting with an eclectic mix of styles and formal pieces interspersed with less formal ones. The infusion of turquoise, orange, lapis, gold, hints of green, and of course, white to lighten things up helped create a fun and relaxed space. This was certainly not meant to be a formal event.

Everything came together perfectly.

I took pictures at every opportunity I could during the day therefore the change in the light in different pictures. I set the table in stages and the flowers were added Saturday afternoon.

Much later in the day I added soup bowls for salad so you will see the table set without these in some of the pictures.

Everything I used I already own and I would have used flowers from my own garden if I had anything in white that was in bloom. But I bought 5 bouquets of the daisy poms at $4.99 a bouquet.

And the turquoise shells and glass gems added perfect color in my assorted jar collection and the arrangements were intentionally simple but effective with the mini flameless candles for a soft glow - more effective at night.

Like I had mentioned in my previous post, I kept the floral arrangements low so as to allow for easy conversation across the table.

This table is a beautiful piece and I like to enjoy it without a tablecloth whenever I can.

I only have place settings for 8 and so I had to add white china at the heads pf the table. My formal china is Grande Ivory in Imperial Lapis by Mikasa. It is about 18 years old and so is the flatware which has just a hint of gold in the delicate tassel pattern to tie in with the gold border on the china.

I did not include additional forks for salad as I have noticed in the past for such an occasion these are rarely used.

The placemats are woven vinyl ones by Chilewich. They were a great buy from a few years ago. I even have another set for daily use at the kitchen table. These are strong and so easily washed by hand  - so perfect with kids around. They come in a variety of colors.

I used crystal glasses for water and a set with different tinted colored glasses for wine. The wine glasses did not take away from the overall look and color scheme of the table.

The coasters for the glasses are 2 different sets; old. I need to find new ones. But these served their purpose.

I also had only 8 beaded napkin rings...

...and so I made my own for the heads of the table and did this at the last minute before the guests walked in the door so the flowers were fresh. I used daisy poms and some hemp I already had.

The orange cotton napkins are from Crate & Barrel. These I have had for a few years. I decided to use fabric napkins (instead of paper) in order to soften the space particularly as I have removed the rug from beneath the table and do not have any curtains in place right now.

The dining table, when extended, can comfortably seat 10 and we have even hosted 12 at the table. But we bought 8 chairs for it and so I pulled in 2 extra chairs - the ones with spindles - from around the kitchen table.

I added some of my tallest flameless candles for additional ambient light.

For those who might be interested, on the menu for dinner (this was catered):

Pear Delight Salad - poached pears, mesclun greens, mozzarella, mango and homemade pot wine dressing

Cavatelli in a pink sauce

Chicken alla Sophia - prosciutto with mozzarella, spinach in a  brown demi-glaze.

The table before:

After:

It was a fun evening and we walked home from the last house (dessert/nightcap) after 1 a.m.! 

Linked up to

Between Naps On The Porch

Colours Dekor

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I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Thoughts On Hosting A Sit-Down Dinner

We are hosting part of a neighborhood dinner this Saturday evening.

We volunteered for this Progressive Dinner. It is an annual event  - started exactly 40 years ago - with 100 to 150 people attending . Cocktails, dinner and then dessert/nightcap - offered at a different homes throughout the evening...therefore guests "progress" to the next house after each course. Several homes are required for the first 2 courses and one house opens up for the final course of the evening.  A great opportunity to meet new people and catch up with others. Dinner is a sit-down affair and we have offered to be one of the houses to open for dinner. This course is always catered.

 

I will have 10 people seated at the dining table. I have started to consider what I would do for the centerpiece. You may recall what I did for the ladies' event a couple of weeks ago. This was before the food was placed around the table. I had kept it simple.

For the dinner this weekend, I will have place settings for 10 with wine and water glasses. I do not want the table to look over-the-top or too busy. The Manzanita candelabra will be a little too wide on the table for this occasion and will cut into the space for a place setting or two. I have to work with the china I have - a formal set  - and will balance that with some less formal items I already own. I plan on only buying flowers. The food will be served buffet style.

 

I also decided not to use the woven bamboo table runner like I did before. These braided table mats I have had for many years; picked up in India.

I also have some like these.

I had recently purchased some turquoise shells and glass gems from JoAnn's to infuse this color into the dining room and living room decor. I am considering a floral arrangement with these.

As you know, my glass jar collection is growing and I thought I could perhaps use these in a grouping for the center with flowers and maybe candles.

I like to make sure that people seated at the table are able to view each other across the table without much, preferably any, hindrance from table decorations. The height of an arrangement has to be kept in mind.

Here I am playing around with some ideas involving flameless candles. I love to use these in the warmer months to create a relaxing mood and add ambient light. They give an almost natural glow without the heat of real candles.

I grouped 8 jars together. Candle inside jar.

Or candles between the center and outside ring of jars to create a sort of backlight and add sparkle to the turquoise gems and shells.

Trying out the look. Here are the flowers - still going strong from a couple of weeks ago - without candles. These flowers are on their way out and I will be buying fresh ones for the event. I think I might use white daisy poms again. I like how these are looking with the turquoise.

And with candles.

I might have one of these at each end of the table. With flowers, of course. And you get a glimpse of my Chilewich placemats. More on that later.

By now you might be wondering what my china looks like. Stay tuned.

I will be setting the table this evening and will share more.

And I do need to talk about my new blog design and will do so next week. Thank you to those who have noticed and commented.

Enjoy your weekend!

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.