Hello friends!  NOVEMBER 1st!! Can you believe it? I am not quite ready for the holidays that are coming.  Are you?  I think once I get started it will be different, but for now I picture all those tubs I have to bring down from the attic and go through.  I won’t share with you how many I have, I will tell you it is ridiculous.

How are you and how was your Halloween?  I wish we had trick or treaters, but we live out of town and no one comes trick or treating in our area. BOOHOO!  I loved it when we lived in a subdivision where we had several children at our door.  I think now a lot of parents tend to take their children to participating Trunk or Treats.  I might approach our church to see if I can head one up for next year.  It would be fun and then I will get to see the children all dressed up.

For the people that follow me on Facebook, as you can tell by my daily post I am focusing on tablescapes.  With the holidays approaching some of us will be hosting dinner gathering.  We spend so much time searching for the best recipes, planning the grocery list and preparing the food that we don’t have time or energy to even think about setting a beautiful table.  Remember the table is the first thing your guests will see before sitting down to eat and can set the mood for the whole meal.

I am not a professional at tablescapes.  I do love a beautiful table when hosting a dinner.  I thought I would share with you how you can achieve a beautiful table with just a few basic items.

Below are some basic items that are important for a tablescape (my opinion).  The amount you need would depend on how many you normally have over for your dinner.  I would not buy less than a set of 8.

The Centerpiece – Choose a centerpiece.  Try not to use a tall centerpiece in the center of the table.  You want your guest to be able to socialize with one another.  Once you’ve decided on a color palette, add some sparkle to your table with glass, crystal or metallic elements. Add candles to create a warm, welcoming atmosphere — candles will also make your tablescape glow.  If you aren’t sure about allergies, use battery operated candles.

The White Dishes – Why white?  A set of white dishes will go with everything.  Food looks better served on a white plate.  I use my white dishes on a lot of my tablescapes.  Doesn’t matter if they match.  To me it looks better if they don’t.

Charger Plates – They provide elegance and enhance the table setting’s décor.  They are very affordable.  I would probably start out with silver or gold.   Both sets of chargers I have seen at the Dollar Tree for $1.00.

Cloth Napkins – I would say again….having a set of white napkins are a must.  I think a set of white napkins is something everyone should have.

You don’t have to use a napkin ring.  A great napkin fold will work just as well.  I am sharing how to fold the napkins that I have used in some of my tablescapes (just click on the word): bunny, bow tie, heart and a pocket.

Stemware – On your table a stemmed glass gives a more formal appearance.  You don’t have to spend a lot for stemware.  I found a set at Bed, Bath and Beyond for $9.99 set of 12 and used a 20% coupon.

Flatware – Everyone has flatware.  Shine them up before placing them on the table to make sure they sparkle.  You don’t have to have any special type.  I would love to have a gold set of flatware…someday!

Tablecloth – If you don’t have a tablecloth I would recommend a white tablecloth.  For practical reasons, if it gets stained you can bleach it and another reason white is a great stable to have in your tablescape collection.

 

That is the basic needs to make a beautiful tablescape.  You could always add to it with accent plates, napkin rings and party favors for each of your guests.  You don’t have to have them to create a stunning tablescape.

Do you have any special tricks that you would want to share on how your create a tablescape?  Please share, I would love to read about how you make your table look beautiful!

Here is my tablescape using only the simple basic items.

 

I placed a white tablecloth down.   Color palette – Gold and white

Centerpiece – I used my gold mercury containers and placed white flowers from the Dollar Tree (just bundled them together – 2 bundles.  No adjusting to it).  My two gold pillar candlesticks on each side with a Dollar Tree glass candle holder on top with a battery operated candle.  I placed 6 little glass votive candles around the centerpiece.

Place setting – Gold charger plate, white dinner plate with a dessert plate.  Pocket folded napkin with a twine tied around the bottom.  Placed the flatware inside the pocket.  One stemmed beverage goblet.

What do you think?  Did I master a beautiful tablescape?  Would you not love to have your guest think that you went to a lot of fuss for them?  This actually did not take me long to put together.  The longest part was figuring out what to use for a centerpiece.

I know some of you might not want to use dishes and silverware.  I have saw some really nice plastic plates that you could use in the place of dishes.  Have you seen the plastic ware that look just like the real silverware?  You could easily use throw away items and still have a beautiful setting.  I am all about less work.

Here is my table one last time.

Thanks for stopping by.  I truly appreciate your visits.  Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and Facebook.  And don’t forget to jump over on Pinterest and see what all I pin.  I would love to follow you on your journey.  Come find me and I will join you!

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Stay strong and stay blessed!

Terrie