TABLESCAPE
Happy Halloween friends! Last post was all about the kiddos, and this one is all about the grown-up table... Here I have created a simple and affordable tablescape that is all about easy clean-up and is sure to wow your guests, or even just your kids, for Halloween dinner. As I have stated before, I am not one to splurge when it comes to Halloween decor and if I do purchase something new, I search for items that can be used year round. Let me take you through the steps of how I created this "spooky" tablescape:
1. I started off with a base, I used a painters dropcloth and placed it diagonally on the table.
2. I then layered a large piece of black cheesecloth over the drop cloth. I found mine at Michaels, but you can find these at any party, craft or fabric store around Halloween.
3. I then took a single panel sheer white curtain and puddled it down the center of the table. Yes, a curtain! I did this for my last tablescape as well which you can see HERE.
4. Now it's time to build up the centerpiece:
To ground the center of the table, I used craft store brown moss and a styrofoam skull and placed them on a wooden plate under a glass cloche. On either side of that, I stacked some of my favorite old books in black and brown colors. Once I had the overall layout of my centerpiece, I stuck glittery twigs and flow-y greenery underneath and in between the books. Lastly, I staged the brass vintage candle sticks throughout and placed black candles in them.
5. For the place settings, I used the same plaid plates (out of stock) from PIER1 that I used for my early fall tablescape, but this time used them as a charger plate. I had found these cute PAPER SKULL PLATES (now on sale for $1.49 a pack!) at Michaels and they fit perfectly over the plaid ones, making an easy clean up come after dinner! You could take this a step further if you wanted and even layer a charger plate underneath the plaid plate. For mine, I just used these black and white striped napkins from the Magnolia Hearth & Hand line at Target for some additional pattern. Once the place settings were complete, I flanked one side with these beautiful printed cloth menus from PORTER LANE HOME use code SIMPLYCIANI20 for 20% off of your order. She does custom orders and can print any menu that you have in mind for your next event! I think it is such a special added touch when having guests over. The other side has my grandmother's silverware which I break out for every special occasion.
I hope this goes to show you how you can easily create a fun and elaborate tablescape by using just the items around your home, or using the same items from previous table set ups but just in different ways! Below I have linked a few of my favorites for easy shopping:
*This post contains affiliate links, this in no way affects the total price that you pay, it simply is a way for bloggers to make a small commission from the linked brand for the time we put in sourcing items to make shopping easier for our readers.
*This post contains affiliate links, this in no way affects the total price that you pay, it simply is a way for bloggers to make a small commission from the linked brand for the time we put in sourcing items to make shopping easier for our readers.
In all honesty, Halloween is one of my least favorite holidays to decorate for... but my oldest loves it! This mama does what she can to make any holiday feel special, and Halloween is no exception. Preferably I like to skip the overly-spooky and lean more towards the kid-friendly side of decor. This year I went for simple and easy, really just sticking to decorating one area other than having the kids decorate their windows and doors with dollar store Halloween cheapies just for fun.
Most everything that I used this year were things that I already had, such as these trick & treat banners that I made 6 years ago now! You can find the tutorial on them HERE.
The cute little paper bats were from Michaels, along with the black & white cheesecloth fabric. The adorable runner was a Target dollar spot find from last year. The spider web place mats and little black trees were dollar spot finds from this year. My favorite part of the whole set up are the Halloween plates from PIER1. While most of this decor is now out of stock, I will let you in on a little secret of mine... I almost always plan my seasonal decor a year ahead and buy everything as soon as it hits the clearance section or after holiday sales. And one last tip: when shopping seasonally, I also search for items that I can use year round. Below I have linked some of my favorites for creating a perfect Halloween table for kids, and all of it is on SALE, so stock up before it disappears!
*This post contains affiliate links, this in no way affects the total price that you pay, it simply is a way for bloggers to make a small commission from the linked brand for the time we put in sourcing items to make shopping easier for our readers.
*This post contains affiliate links, this in no way affects the total price that you pay, it simply is a way for bloggers to make a small commission from the linked brand for the time we put in sourcing items to make shopping easier for our readers.
Fall is here! Well... here in the south we still have 90 degree days and bugs swarming outside,but inside it sure feels like fall. Kicking the fall season off, I wanted to start by bringing warm and rich colors into my home, without breaking out ALL of the pumpkins (just yet).
It is September after all, and I just don't think I am quite ready for the pumpkin explosion, at least until October. So, when planning my first fall tablescape of the season, I wanted to create a warm and inviting table, that wasn't overdone, and all put together on a budget!
The whole starting point of inspiration came from my two favorite signs and fabric pumpkins from DETAILS2ENJOY. I knew I wanted to play on the black accent along with bringing in blush and burgundy tones.
To ground the table, I started off by laying down 2 sheer white curtains as a table runner, yes curtains! I found these as a set of 2 from Home Goods for only $16. I then created a beautiful faux floral centerpiece to set on top of the runner. Are you surprised? Of course not. You know me and my faux floral obsession. Followed by velvet burgundy place mats also from Home Goods, topped with white goodwill dinner plates & plaid salad plates from Pier1. The candle sticks were a thrifted find & finished off with my favorite silverware from my Grandmother.
This just goes to show you that you really don't need much to create a beautiful tablescape for your fall dinners that will really wow your guests. With a simple change of the salad plates, florals and the shelf decor, you could have an entirely new look as the season progresses and can even carry the blush and burgundy tones into Christmas.
Below I have linked all sources for you to shop, or similar ones:
(keep in mind most of mine is thrifted/ goodwill)
*This post contains affiliate links, this in no way affects the total price that you pay, it simply is a way for bloggers to make a small commission from the linked brand for the time we put in sourcing items to make shopping easier for our readers.
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Today I am sharing the sweet little farmhouse baby shower that I hosted for my best friend Ashley, and would you believe that I hosted this whole entire party for less that $60?! Want to know how? Keep reading along...
First off, let's start with the theme: Farmhouse style is "the thing" and it's everywhere you look, Joanna Gaines put it on the map and it's taken off like a rocket ever since. Everyone wants to shiplap their builder grade home walls and dream of living in their very own white farmhouse. My friend Ashley though, has a real farmhouse, and one everyone dreams of. Below are a few photos that I took of her home during my recent visit, isn't it just stunning!
Last Fall I received a face time call from Ashley unexpectedly, she then said "I have something I want to show you..." and held up a baby outfit! I was over the moon excited for her. We became friends 2 years ago after bonding over home decor when she came to my house to buy something I was selling on Facebook marketplace. We exchanged numbers and became instant decor buddies then best friends. When Ashley was nearing the last few months of her pregnancy, she still hadn't mentioned a shower, and regardless of this being her third boy, this baby needed to be celebrated too! Working on a very small budget and a tight timeline, I threw together a little baby shower with the help of her mother and sister. Together we brainstormed a simple and classic farmhouse baby shower that fit Ashely's home and personality perfectly.
To host this shower on a small budget, I utilized what I already had and made the focus more on the decor details rather than "party supplies". When you choose a theme that is focused more on the details rather than a specific theme, you can use the decor around your home and just add touches to make it feel like a party. For example. With the florals, I used my faux florals that I decorate with seasonally to make the arrangements, placed them in tin buckets and the only things I had to go out and buy to add in a touch of blue were the faux blueberries and linen ribbon from Hobby Lobby.
The sign that I used in the entry was one from my daughter's nursery. We didn't think of it at the time, but we realized after the shower, how cute it would have been to have a sign out like this one (with enough white space) for everyone to sign and write their well wishes on for baby. The cow is a creamer from my kitchen, which I just placed more faux berries greenery in.
For the mantle, I wanted to create a cute backdrop for where presents were going to be opened and wanted baby's name front and center when you walked through the front door and looked into the living room. The cardboard letters are from Hobby Lobby in the paper craft section for only $2.99 each, buy wait and buy them when they are 50% off. The greenery again is the seasonal greenery that I use for almost everything, also all from Hobby Lobby in their garland section. White florals were found in the stem florals. Onesies were also from Hobby Lobby and came in a pack of 3 for $9.99 but used my 40% coupon for those. I opted to keep the onesies plain for a clean look, but it would be so cute to have those personalized with baby's name or tiny farm animals on them! To add in more touches of blue but on a budget, I created my own tissue poms out of tissue paper. This cost all of $12 to create 12 of them in various sizes.
For the main table, we used a mixture of candle sticks that Ashley had around her entire home, bringing them together to create a "centerpiece" along with the greenery.
For a focal point in the kitchen, I used one of my favorite cotton wreaths and hand lettered onto a thick poster board from the dollar store, then cut to the circumference that I needed it to fit, hung it on the vent hood and that was it.
The cake was such a perfect touch to the farmhouse theme and was made by a friend of the family. The sweet little mama and baby lamb on top was purchased by Ashley's mom and is something baby can play with as he grows. The greenery embroidery hoops in the window were ones that I had created for another photo shoot, so the cost to use them here was free. But, they were so easy and affordable to make, if you are looking to get a bang for your buck when it comes to party decor, embroidery hoops are where it's at! You can add greenery and florals, add lace for a boho touch, or fill them with colorful and bold patterned fabric. Layer them together on a wall or hang in front of a window as I did here.
Let's talk food! Again, keeping it low budget and simple, we went with handmade tuna salad and chicken salad sandwiches cut into a lamb shape, fresh veggies, cheese trays, jalapeno cheese poppers and crackers. Not shown is the amazing mac & cheese bake that Ashley's sister made... it was like heaven in your mouth! Again, very budget friendly. Lastly, for the favors we made our own fresh popcorn and added the handmade tags that I water colored and hand lettered on to them.
So are you curious as to the overall total to host this baby shower?...
Let's break it down:
Paper Favor Tags: $3
Favor Bags: $4
Tissue Paper: $12
Paint For Water Color: $2
Linen Ribbon: $6
Poster Board: $1
Onesies: $7
Cardboard Letters @ $1.99 ea: $12
Clothespins + String: $5
Cake (Box Cake Mix + Icing): $8
Bringing the total for decor to: $60!
Plus: Overall Food Budget + Paper Plates/ Plastic Silverware: $100
Still, for less than $160 you can host a fabulous party, one that looks like you spent hundreds more than you actually did! Don't think that you have to break the bank to create a Pinterest worthy party, and let this post be the proof.
1. Think of a theme that fits your honoree
2. Utilize what you have around your home or borrow/ trade decor from friends
3. It will take some creativity, but DIY everything
4. Plan ahead and buy items that you need on sale
5. Get friends and family to pitch in to help with crafts, cooking or baking
But the most important reason that this post exists is because of this friend of mine and her sweet baby Keaton who we showered with love!
Happy Saturday friends! Nothing goes better with Fall Saturdays than college football, friends & some delicious food! Today I will be sharing two cheesecake dip recipes that you are for sure going to want to try, along with a chilled sparking cider recipe, all of which I have beautifully displayed using the products that I received from my GREET & GATHER October box.
If you have never heard of GREET & GATHER, they are an entertaining subscription box that contains 4-6 home decor, kitchen, dining items and accessories that differ in theme and contents each month. The theme of each month is based around the holidays and events in that month.
Their October box theme was SLATE & STONE, which included items such as:
- a set of 6 glacier rock cooling stones
- set of 4 slate coasters
- set of 4 ceramic cheese markers
- set of 2 brass spreading knives
- and 1 marble cheese board
The box also came with 2 recipe cards
- one for a brown sugar bourbon
- and another for baked brie bites
All of this for just $39.99 delivered to your door!
(The contents you receive inside the box are an $85 value)
But... just for my followers, GREET & GATHER is offering 10% off
using the code SIMPLYCIANI at checkout.
(this goes for both the monthly box and 3 to 6 month prepaid options)
This month's theme was meant for an evening of cheese tasting & whiskey,
but all of the items in this box work for so much more than that!
We are not huge cheese tasters nor do we drink alcohol in our home, so I took creative liberty when planning out what to feature when sharing this box with you all.
What I came up with was three delicious recipes that are sure to make your friends and family's mouths water!
PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE DIP
Ingredients:
8 oz Philadelphia cream cheese
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin (canned is fine)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tbsp brown sugar, packed
Instructions:
Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and beat until smooth.
Place into desired serving container, and sprinkle brown sugar on top for presentation.
CARAMEL CHEESECAKE DIP
Ingredients:
8 oz Philadelphia cream cheese
3 tbsp caramel syrup
1 tbsp shaved chocolate
Instructions:
Combine cream cheese and 2 tbsp of caramel syrup and beat until mixed well.
Place into desired serving container and top with caramel drizzle and shaved chocolate.
CHILLED SPARKLING APPLE CIDER
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Sparking Apple cider
1/2 cup ginger ale
1/4 cup thinly spiced apples
1 whole cinnamon stick
Instructions:
Combine ingredients together in a chilled glass and serve!
Keep cider and ginger ale chilled until ready to mix.
Greet and Gather not only delivers a unique subscription box option, but also delivers high quality products! The marble cheese board is the real deal and is heavy! The slate coasters, the same. And the brass hand stamped spreaders are not only beautiful but also have a nice weight to them. All items that you receive from Greet and Gather are sure to not disappoint, whether you are receiving the October box or one in the future. Greet and Gather curates only the best and for an amazing price.
Here is how I styled my tasting party using the products along with a marble cutting board from Home Goods, ceramic pots from Michaels and glass mugs from TJMaxx. The small ceramic pumpkins are a Target dollar spot find and the pumpkin centerpiece you can learn how to make by clicking HERE
I hope that you have enjoyed and been inspired! Thanks for stopping by!
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