A Guide For Planning Your Thanksgiving Table

Image: Southern Living

Now that Halloween is behind us, it is time to start planning for your Thanksgiving celebrations. This will be the first year that we are staying home for Thanksgiving and hosting a small dinner of our own. While I am looking forward to helping plan the menu (my husband and I will be sharing cooking duties), the thought of setting and decorating the table and our house is what really gets my heart fluttering. I have been looking for decoration ideas, inspiration, and tips to make our first Thanksgiving at home a memorable one. While I haven't made any final decorating decisions, I thought that I would share a few of my favorites tips and ideas for dressing your table this Thanksgiving.

To start off, I found this great diagram on how to properly set a formal dining table. It's always nice to have a reference to go to when you can't quite remember whether the soup spoon goes beside the dinner knife or on the other side of the teaspoon. Martha Stewart also offers some table setting tips, here.

Next, decide how you are going to dress your table.  Table linens serve as an important base for building the rest of your table on and offer an opportunity to introduce color. For a bold holiday table, vibrant reds, oranges, and browns can be used to create an autumn scene. If you prefer a more simple, understated table, select neutral linens (think browns and creams) as a base and add color with your accessories.

Image: Williams-Sonoma

Now it is time to accessorize, be creative, and add a personal touch to your table. Layer items (placemats, plates, napkins) to add depth to your table. Add color with natural items, such as flowers, pumpkins, leaves, and acorns and/or decorative items, such as candles, serving pieces, and sentimental pieces that reflect the season and add character to your table.

Image: Pottery Barn

Put your placecards to work. Not only do they add a personal touch, but they can serve a decorative purpose as well. This is another chance to be creative. Mini pumpkins, leaves, fruit, and acorns are just a few natural props that you can use to showcase your placecards and guide guest to their place at the table.

Image: Better Homes and Gardens

Image: Apron Strings Aflutter

Inspired yet? I hope so. Have any great Thanksgiving decorating ideas? I would love to hear from you.

{What's Cooking?} Pumpkin Spice Creme Brulee

I just couldn't hold out any longer. I started bringing out some of my fall decorations yesterday and I am now officially in "fall mode". Love it! There are so many wonderful things that I associate with the fall season: cooler weather, colorful leaves, watching football as a family (okay, I really have no interest in watching football, but I love cuddling with my family while they watch and making fun snacks for everyone to enjoy), and the smell and taste of anything pumpkin. Pumpkin just takes me to that comfy, cozy feeling that I associate with fall. The sight, the smell, the taste...even the thought of anything pumpkin. So, while on a quest today to find a new pumpkin recipe to help kick off this wonderful season, I came across this recipe from Better Homes and Gardens for Pumpkin Spice Creme Brulee. The recipe itself sounds great, but the presentation of the dessert is what got my attention. I love the idea of serving dessert in miniature pumpkins!

Image: Better Homes and Gardens

Wouldn't these dessert filled mini pumpkins be perfect on your Thanksgiving table. They are definitely going on my "possibilities list" for this year.

Pumpkin Spice Creme Brulee

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whipping cream (no substitutes)
• 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 10 baby pumpkins
• 1/4 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small saucepan, heat whipping cream over medium heat just until bubbly. Remove from heat; set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine egg yolks, eggs, the 1/2 cup sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and cloves. Beat with a whisk or rotary beater just until combined. Slowly whisk the hot whipping cream into the egg mixture.
3. Use a small serrated knife to cut off the top 1/2-inch of the baby pumpkins. Discard the tops. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds.
4. Place the pumpkins in a roasting pan. Divide custard mixture evenly among the pumpkins. Place roasting pan on oven rack. Pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up the sides of the pumpkins.
5. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until centers appear nearly set when gently shaken. Carefully remove pan from oven. Remove pumpkins from water; cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.
6. Before serving, let custards stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. **Meanwhile, for caramelized sugar: in a heavy 8-inch skillet, heat the 1/4 cup sugar over medium-high heat until sugar begins to melt, shaking skillet occasionally to heat sugar evenly. Do not stir. Once sugar starts to melt, reduce heat to low; cook 3 to 5 minutes more or until all of the sugar is melted and golden brown, stirring as needed with a wooden spoon.
7. Quickly drizzle caramelized sugar over the custards. (If sugar starts to harden in the skillet, return to heat, stirring until melted.) Serve immediately. Makes 10 filled pumpkins or 6 custard cups.
* Instead of the pumpkins, you can use six 3/4-cup souffle dishes or 6-ounce custard cups. Place the souffle dishes or custard cups in a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.
**Culinary Torch Method: Instead of caramelizing the sugar in the skillet as directed in steps 6 and 7, sprinkle sugar evenly over custards. Use a culinary torch to caramelize the sugar.

Pretty Printable Place Cards

Pretty Printable Place cards....now say that 3 times fast!

Amy of Delightful Distractions created these sweet printable placecards/gift tags/ note cards that you can download for FREE and put to use in so many different ways. Don't you love them!

So many fun ideas for how to use these come to my mind. Most involve celebrating something special with my little girl... they remind me of her.  You can download you own set of these printables, here. And, don't forget to stop by Delightful Distractions, here, to follow Amy and see more of her wonderful creations. Thank you for sharing these, Amy!

{Recycled} Bottle Beauties

Wondering what to do with all of those empty glass jars that are stashed away, waiting for a second chance to be useful again? Martha Stewart offers a great DIY tutorial for transforming your recyclables into Bottle Beauties with the help of enamel paint.

Any clean and empty glass jar or bottle will work for this fun project. For the jars pictured above, white enamel was used, which yielded different shades of green depending on the tint of the glass. You can used colored enamel, however, to achieve whichever color and look suits your fancy. Have fun with it!

Here are Martha's DIY instructions:

Enameled Bottle How-ToDishwasher-safe enamel paint is sold at most crafts stores. Wash the bottle inside and out with soapy water; let dry. Pour in a small amount of the paint's surface conditioner, which primes the glass for the enamel. Swirl to coat fully, then pour out excess. Stand bottle upright, and dry for an hour.

Pour in enough enamel to easily coat the inside. Swirl, and return excess to container for reuse. Dry bottle upside down on a paper towel for 48 hours, periodically wiping excess enamel from the rim with a damp cloth during the first hour.

A Candlelit Cake Stand Centerpiece

Here is a great way to put your cake stands to good use when they are not displaying your latest sweet treats: turn them into the foundation for a stunning Candlelit Cake Stand Centerpiece! I love this idea from Perpetually Engaged!

Not only will it light up your table, but it is super easy to create. Simply stack a small, medium, and large cake stand on top of one another and top each layer with glass votives. Now, light the votives, sit back, and enjoy your stunning centerpiece. So easy. Love it!

{Fab Finds} An Eco-Friendly Napkin!?!

Yep, there's a fun, new Eco-friendly napkin option out there for your next shindig. MyDrap tear-off napkins! After seeing these "prettier than paper and less pricey than linens" napkins in the June issue of Better Homes and Gardens, I was intrigued and had to check them out for myself. MyDrap tear-off napkins come in five different sizes (from cocktail and dinner to placemats) and are offered in 22 different colors/patterns. These unique napkins are made from natural cotton fibers, are biodegradable and recyclable for other uses, and can be washed and reused up to 6 times. Pretty cool, huh!



There are some great color and pattern options available. The trick is just finding the one that you want. I was able to find some here and here.



Each size comes on a roll of 12-50 individual napkins. Just tear off as needed and toss in the wash after each use (up to 6 times).



These are definitely going on my list of items to try. Has anyone tried them out yet?

{Party Inspiration} Celebrating a 2011 Graduate!

Looking for a fun, inexpensive way to celebrate your 2011 Graduate? Need a little graduation party inspiration? Well, Frog Prince Paperie is providing you with both! Not only did Frog Prince Paperie recently add a new Graduation Class of 2011 printable set to their shop (only $12.50 for the entire set!) but they also put together a fabulous photoshoot to inspire your graduation celebrations.


Frog Prince Paperie created a "Bright Future" theme for their photoshoot. So clever! In addition to their Graduation Class of 2011 printables, everyday lightbulbs and lightbulb containers (from Hobby Lobby) were used to decorate the inspirational dessert table and bring the "Bright Future" theme to life.





Pretty amazing, right! While I personally adore the light blue and gold color scheme, the Graduation Class of 2011 printables are also available in royal blue and yellow or red and black.


You can see photoshoot and vendor details at the Frog Prince Paperie blog, here, and you can purchase the Graduation Class of 2011 printable set here. Thank your for the amazing inspiration. L-o-v-e it!

{Crafty Ideas} Sweet Glow

Spring is here and romance is in the air! I have been working on designing a late-spring bridal shower and recently came across this Good Housekeeping DIY idea for dressing up votive holders. With a little lace trim (found at your local fabric store) and some garment tape, you can transform an ordinary set of votives holders into these romantic, glowing beauties. Wouldn't they be beautiful accessories on the tables of an evening bridal shower or wedding? So, so pretty!



So easy to create: Wrap a lace strip around your votive, secure with a small strip of garment tape, pop in a candle, and light!

{Party Inspiration} Easter Brunch

Need some FABULOUS Easter Brunch inspiration for this year's celebration? Beka and Kimberly of Philadelphia-based Styled put together three completely different Easter Brunch tables for an Easter shoot (photographed by Marie Labbancz) by mixing and matching just a few different elements. I love all of the results that they came up with!







Did you notice the "nest-like" chargers used on one of the tables? How about the strawberry containers to hold the little chick favors? Or the candy robbin's eggs as favors? I love all of the color combinations and the versatility of each element used. So many wonderful ideas! Thanks girls!

Celebrate Spring!

Spring is officially here. Hooray! Here are some fun ideas to help celebrate the new season and spread a little sunshine around.

Floral Cones: Paper cones can be great for popcorn and candy, but what about flowers! Make a stunning display at your next soiree by tucking assorted colors of your favorite springtime flowers (Cymbidium orchids are shown here by Martha Stewart) into handmade paper cones, then affix by ribbon to a board covered in pink linen to create a garden of floral favors. Each blossom is anchored in a tiny vial of water.



Daffodil Candy Cups: I love this idea from Martha Stewart. These would be great for an Easter celebration or spring-themed birthday party. And, they are really easy to make. Simply print the provided daffodil template, trace onto decorative paper, and cut out. next, fill baking cups with candy and place onto flowers. If desired, join cups to flowers with tape.


A Lavender & Lemon Cake: Bake and serve a slice of this Lavender & Lemon Cake by Rosie of Sweetapolita (one of my new favorite blogs to follow!) to your guests and warmer weather is sure to be on their minds.

A Surprising Fruit Centerpiece: Real Simple offers this fun and unexpected idea to turn fruit into a festive centerpiece! So spring-like, don't you think? Click here for the details.



A Garden To Go: A cluster of potted flowers can do double-duty at your next shindig. Grouped together, they make a gorgeous centerpiece for your table. When the party is over, let your guest pick one to take home as a favor and plant in their garden for the upcoming season.

{DIY} Pom Pom Backdrop Tutorial

I have had many requests for a tutorial on how to make Pom Pom Backdrops. They are super easy, very inexpensive, and so versatile. These can be used as a backdrop for a dessert table, art on the wall to add to your parties decor, or as a "photo booth" backdrop.



To create, you will need:

• 1 large piece of foam board or several smaller pieces of foam board, depending on what size you want the backdrop to be
• Tissue paper, in assorted colors of your choice
• Floral wire
• Hot glue gun
• Scissors

If you are using several pieces of foam board, begin by taping your foam board pieces together to create the overall backdrop size that you want. I suggest using a heavy tape, such as duck tape or packaging tape. Simply run tape along the seams of two pieces of foam board (on the backside).

Now you are ready to start making your tissue paper pom poms. Martha Stewart provides an excellent tutorial on how to do this, which I have provided below. (Pictures from Martha Stewart).

Step 1
Stack eight 20-by-30-inch sheets of tissue. Make 1 1/2-inch-wide accordion folds, creasing with each fold.

Step 2
Fold an 18-inch piece of floral wire in half, and slip over center of folded tissue; twist. With scissors, trim ends of tissue into rounded or pointy shapes.

Step 3
Separate layers, pulling away from center one at a time.

Now that your pom poms are made, begin gluing rows of pom poms onto your foam board backdrop using a hot glue gun. I suggest laying the board flat during this process and applying the glue at the center of the pom pom, where the wire has been wrapped. I chose to alternate colors but your backdrop design is only limited by your imagination. Have fun!

An Easy & Inexpensive DIY St. Patrick's Day Party Table

With St. Patrick's Day just a little over a week away, I thought that I would put together some easy ideas and tips to help you create a St. Patrick's Day Party Table set-up without having to spend a lot of time or money. I was able to create a cute party table using items that I already had at home and then adding in a few inexpensive, DIY "extras".


I decided that I wanted to use the traditional St. Patrick's Day decor of shamrocks and shades of green as well as some rainbow elements to brighten up the party table. I started by using a basic white tablecloth to cover my table. I have some great green dessert plates my Grandmother gave me several years ago that I decided would be perfect for a St. Patrick's Day celebration. I layered these with a smaller glass dessert plate and then added a homemade cup of Rainbow Jell-O (DIY instructions to come later this week). The result was a colorful place setting that cost next-to-nothing and is really easy to re-create!


I had some green polka-dotted napkins leftover from the summer that I dressed up with a DIY Rainbow Napkin Ring and a handmade shamrock topper (Sheek Shindigs Etsy Shop)to add some of the rainbow elements that I wanted to incorporate into the table's set-up.


For the table centerpiece, I put multi-colored gumballs that I had leftover from another event into glass vessels and added cut-out Rainbows to each one using Love the Day's free St. Patrick's Day printable download. Skittles, gold "coins" or any other colorful candy or trinket that you have at home would also work well. And, if you don't have glass vessels, use a clear vase.


I used clementines with DIY rainbow flags, snow cone holders, small green paper bags, ribbon, and some easy-to-make chocolate covered pretzels to add a few more fun elements to the table. With the exception of the rainbow Jell-O cups and chocolate-covered pretzels, I was literally able to put this table together, start to finish, while my youngest two napped.







By using similar items that you have around your house, you can easily re-create this St. Patrick's Day Party Table for a playdate, classroom party, or family celebration. Stay tuned for DIY instructions for the Rainbow Jell-O Cups, chocolate-covered pretzels, rainbow napkin rings, and favor bags later this week!