some last minute table ideas

If you haven’t figured out what to you’ll use to set your holiday table, please allow me to offer the following suggestions:

These are great appetizer plates or they work well to set the table as a salad plate layer.

You can mix them with your everyday dishes—like these green dishes, made in Portugal (don’t you love the simple detail on the rim?) and/or the gold tone dishes.  The placemats and napkins are a great –Christmas-y in color, but they also have that bird theme we love so much.

The bundle of vintage flatware helps to capture the glimmer of the gold-toned plate.

Here I show my personal favorite black and cream winter theme plate on a square embossed dish—also trimmed in black.  A nice simple look which could carry you from Thanksgiving through Valentine’s Day.  The dinner plate has an embossed bird pattern—very subtle.

There are three others in this collection—I couldn’t possibly limit myself to just one!  You’ll also find an elk, wild hares and a squirrel.  The flatware offers enough elegance for your finest china, but can be used for casual settings as well.

Here I’ve started with a basic brown and cream transferware pattern from Mary Carol Garrity.  The dinner plate has a farm scene, while the salad plate has a gardeners scene—again, there are four different patterns.  The flatware has brown handles.   These are perfect for everyday, but I wanted to show how I would dress them up for the holidays.

I thought I’d go with a red charger, to really make things pop.  Don’t you love red with chocolate brown?

Then I added another layer using the gold toned plate I used in the earlier settings.  Notice how it really brings out the browns, though.  Instant elegance with your everyday dishes!

Then I took it one step further with this simple pine and berry wreath.  We’ve used these things everywhere in the the store—on the back of dining chairs and looped three together in a vertical row.  The ideas for this basic accessory are limitless!

Well, the ideas could go on and on, but I’ve got to get this posted and get on with my own preparations for Christmas.  I’m going to post this on Tablescape Thursday, so be sure to peruse the other posts there for more inspiration.

I wish you the Merriest Christmas and hope you spend it with those you love!

Thanks for your indulgence!