What do you have planned for your holiday table this year? Are you looking for a few last minute table scape ideas? Well, take a look at the one I did for our Christmas dinner.
I love mixing gold, cream and red with splashes of other Christmas colors. I must confess that most of the decorations that I use are vintage style ones I’ve collected for years, or new ones that I’ve purchased from T.J Maxx, Home Goods and Marshalls. Most are lovely designer pieces, but at terrific discount prices. That’s the way I love to shop!

I began layering of course (I love layered tables) with a beautiful heavy gold and cream linen tablecloth from Home Goods and then added a gold silk table runner down the center with a red velvet circular table topper in the middle. I really think that it’s fun to blend different colors and textures on a table. Next, I carefully got out my vintage holiday china, matching holiday goblets and gold flatware and went to work on creating a festive centerpiece.

I found this lovely vase with Santa working in his workshop at T.J. Maxx for $3.99!! Can you believe it? And it is really well made. (looks like a Fritz and Floyd) Anyway, I decided to fill it with huge rose buds of red and cream. They were so lovely and so fragrant. They came with the greenery and the baby’s breath too!
I decided to really jazz it up a bit, by adding a long strand of garland made with faux pearls and then scattered tiny vintage holiday ornaments around. It really helped the centerpiece to pop! On each side of the centerpiece I added my vintage brass candle sticks and red candles. I absolutely love lit candles for special dinners don’t you?

Now on to the napkins and favors! I found some pretty gold silk/nylon napkins at Marshalls and then I added a sweet old fashioned vintage glass style ornament for each guest to take home. They were simply attached with a soft lovely red ribbon.

For a nice finishing touch I tied holiday ribbon bows to each chair, so that everything would have a special look and feel for my festive Christmas dinner.
I hope that taking a look at some of my ideas have helped to spark your creative thoughts and maybe you will try incorporating some of your special vintage pieces mixed with some new ones this year on your holiday table!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

We don’t often think of “shabby Chic” style as being very harvest-y or using the typical Thanksgiving fall colors of deep greens, reds, oranges and yellows. I mean you wouldn’t even think of using a soft, pale green tablecloth, sweet pink roses or trailing ivy right?
I mean that doesn’t sound very harvest-y!
Or would you??

If you are looking for a Thanksgiving table scape with a very soft, pretty, romantic feel, yet still captures the look of Thanksgiving. Take a peek at my shabby chic style Thanksgiving dinner table.

I began by layering a soft green square brocade table cloth at an angle, on top of a rectangular green tablecloth. I love the layering effect on tables is adds so much character and texture. Then I set my table using my soft green dishes, flatware, goblets and gold napkins.

For the centerpiece I used a fun ceramic vase which has a lovely harvest fall scene painted on it and then filled it with wonderful flowers from my back yard (Yes, I do live in sunny California). I chose pinks, oranges, reds, and yellows. So yummy!
I added greenery like trailing ivy and lemon tree leaves for a full rich feel. Around the base of the centerpiece I added more ivy and lemon leaves. Then added hydrangea blossoms, and several tiny pumpkins. Anchored on each side of the vase were pewter goblets filled with spice potpourri and candles tied with a soft orange ribbon.

Most of the items I used in this Thanksgiving table scape were found from around my home or yard. I totally love that! Just going around your home finding things that you already have and putting them all together in a new and lovely way!
So, try something different this Thanksgiving… add a few roses…find a couple of your treasures from around the house and create your own unique and Shabby Style table setting.

Let me know if you think that maybe pink roses and ivy do say Thanksgiving. Well at least a “SHABBY” Thanksgiving!!

I know Halloween is almost here, but trust me there’s still time to pull of an adorable yet spooky table scape for your Halloween dinner. Many of the items I used, you may already have in your home or from past Halloween parties. Start by thinking roses and skulls!! “What did you say…are you crazy??” Don’t knock it till you see it. It’s pretty festive and I call it “Shabby Shriek“. Take a look below for creative ideas. Turn an ordinary black plastic cauldron into a breathtaking shabby centerpiece using lovely fall flowers (even add violet roses!), or try setting your table using spooky black coffins and skulls, or for the garden lover plant a little pansy in a tiny tin jello mold painted black. Now, these may not be your typical decorations, but they are sure to delight your family or guests and they will add the perfect balance for the woman who wants to decorate for Halloween, but keep that Shabby Chic (Ooops!! I mean Shriek) flair!!

So…. what do your think?

Well, I hope that you saw something that got your creative ideas flowing!! If so, then head off to the Party Shop. Target, or the florist and start creating!! You’d better hurry tho, no time to waste!!
Be sure to have fun and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

I was told the other day by a darling young mother of two sweet girls, that my vintage baby dresses are”GREEN”!! “Green?” I asked “what do you mean by that”? Well, come to find out, by my re-using, re-storing, or re-designing my vintage baby items in new and unusual ways (instead of just tossing them out) I am helping the environment. How about that? I’m “Greener” than I thought.

Let me tell you a little more of what I’m up to. I begin by buying vintage baby items (Mostly dresses, shoes and bonnets) from garage sales, estate sales, thrift shops, or on eBay. I get them home and wash and iron them like crazy!! This is a job that I have never liked very much (being a mother of boys), but for some reason when you’re washing sweet, dainty little girl things it’s quite fun! Anyway, many of the items I purchase are missing buttons, have stains, tears, or are damaged in some way. In those cases it’s up to me to use my creative mind and sewing skills to fix or sometimes even re-make some of these wonderful clothing items, into new revitalized pieces of fashion! You remember the old saying “what’s old is new again”. Well, that’s kinda what I do. Some of these pieces are so amazing too, I just hate to see them unused or thrown out! These vintage baby items are from the 1930’s, 40’s, 50’s , 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. They are true pieces of history. I think it is so fun to see the adorable baby girls of today wearing and using these vintage treasures of the past.

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