a little Thanksgiving update:
I am so, SO happy to be home for Thanksgiving this year. Last year Michael and I stayed back in San Diego because of his work schedule. But we made the most of it and went to a beautiful oceanfront resort for a Thanksgiving feast. It was gorgeous and all, but it truly did not compare to spending Thanksgiving with family.
I’ll take crowded airports, 12 hour travel days, and crappy weather if it means I can be home with my crew. Also, it’s SO special having Michael with me in my hometown. He hasn’t been east of the Mississippi for over a year and a half (!!!).
My mom hosted a Thanksgiving feast today (thanksgiving #1) and it was extremely idyllic + wonderfully chaotic. Our oven started going on the fritz right when there was a 20lb turkey trying to cook inside. This resulted in us peering in with a flash light every 5 minutes to check on the old fashioned thermometer to gauge the actual temperature of the oven. Whew. We had our 4 nieces and nephews running around, and our dog Sandy was literally knocking plates out of the kids’ hands to get their food! LOL. She’s a gazillion years old and pretends to be deaf so she thinks she can get away with it…
But anyways. My mom created the most GORGEOUS tablescape and I had to share it with y’all. She picked up these placemats at Target — she seems to have just discovered the wonderment that is Target and is on a big kick with them right now. She told me she, quote, “would like to be sponsored by Target”. I mean, me too, mom.
Easy + chic tablescape ideas:
These are a few tablescape ideas I got from my mom. She planned this tablescape a few days in advance so she had time to get everything!
depth
I love adding depth to a tablescape by adding items of differing heights. We had these cute pumpkins but didn’t want them to get lost in the view. So we took compote bowls (my mom says that is their name, I’ve never heard of them) and turned them upside down, creating a pedestal for the pumpkins. If you don’t have *compote bowls* you could create the same effect by turning bowls or glasses upside down. You could also use a cake stand.
fake plants 4 life
The main centerpiece was a large garland. To make it feel customized my mom bought extra foliage from the fake plant area (Walmart, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, etc have large fake plant departments LOL). She bought white sparkle twigs and leaves to coordinate with the white plates. She cut the white sparkle twigs and leaves and placed them sporadically in the garland, to make it more full.
twiggy
Another centerpiece/garland idea is to collect twigs and leaves from outside and spray paint them. I’ve done this SO many times and it always turns out gorgeous. Go for a metallic gold or silver spray paint to make it really feel like a glam/rustic vibe.
vintage glassware
My mom had the vintage gold glasses but needed a few more to make a complete set — so she went on eBay and found a woman in West Virginia who was selling some of the exact ones — love that this is a thing. Glassware is kind of expensive to buy at first, but buying second hand is a GREAT value. You can get unique, mid century modern pieces at your local thrift store for such a great deal.
phantom of the opera vibes
We threw in these candle sticks at the last minute for some more varied height. Candlesticks are another thing you can easily find at your local thrift store for a fraction of the price at a big box store. Love the vintage vibe.
Thank you all for reading! & wishing you guys the BEST Thanksgiving week. So grateful for all of you.
for more Tablescape ideas see HERE and HERE.
What a beautiful and festive tablescape! Thank you for sharing. Just gorgeous! Hope you had fun with your family.
Thank you SO much!! We had a blast, it’s so good to go home 🙂 Xx, K