Gather your family and friends for a Thanksgiving feast this holiday season. Here are some great decorating table settings and centerpiece ideas to dress up your table from CountryLiving.com. Thanks Country Living for these beautiful photos and great useful tips on how to dress up and decorate our dining room tables for Thanksgiving.
Photo Centerpiece & Photo Display: Before the holiday, invite your guests to send you copies of family photos that you can then spray-mount to card stock. To age contemporary color digital photos, print them in sepia.Pear Placecard: At each place setting, set out a Bartlett pear. From cream-colored card stock or manila file folders, cut out strips and write guests' names in gold or brown ink. Affix each with a ball-head sewing pin.
Candle Tray: A collection of brass candlesticks in varying heights also provides visual interest. The placement of the photos, which are nestled in a tray of nuts, is varied, too. Keep the candles the same length.
Exquisite Table Dishes:
Family china may steer the table's theme, but introducing a few simple, con-temporary pieces can create an entirely new look that is as personal as it is inviting.
Table: Favorite items like colorful linen napkins or a family heirloom can inspire the overall look. Employ a sideboard to keep plates and glassware handy for the second course and the dining table uncluttered. Serving a sumptuous Thanksgiving feast can be an exciting prospect, especially when the entertaining is fuss-free. All it takes is a little planning and recipes that are delicious and simple to prepare. You too can host an unforgettable Thanksgiving.
Table: Favorite items like colorful linen napkins or a family heirloom can inspire the overall look. Employ a sideboard to keep plates and glassware handy for the second course and the dining table uncluttered. Serving a sumptuous Thanksgiving feast can be an exciting prospect, especially when the entertaining is fuss-free. All it takes is a little planning and recipes that are delicious and simple to prepare. You too can host an unforgettable Thanksgiving.
Dessert Table (Oh yes, we must all have a dessert table for our Thanksgiving feast). Just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without some homemade pumpkin pies. ;) This holiday, expand your entertaining space and move part of the party out of the dining room.
Step 1: Rethink your surfaces. Clear a side table or desktop in another room to create a cocktail bar or dessert station.
Step 2: Vary the height and size of your serving pieces. Incorporate footed compotes, trifle bowls, cake stands, and stacks of dessert plates to add dimension and visual interest to your entertaining surface.
Step 3: Corral your ice bucket, glassware, and libations on a tray that can be easily removed when coffee and tea are served.
Step 4: Mix and match your favorite china and glassware collections at the dessert station. Don't worry about continuing the theme you create on your main table.
Child's Play (When weather permits create a great outdoor dining setting for kids to enjoy on Thanksgiving and if mother nature is not on your side, then move it indoors.)We all fondly recall holidays spent at the kids' table, joking with cousins and passing vegetables to the dog when no one was looking. To create special memories for the next generation, forgo the boring card table in favor of a fun, kid-friendly setup. In good weather, set the table outdoors (within your sight, of course), and offer plenty of treats and activities to keep boredom and squabbles at bay.
SETTING THE KIDS' TABLE
Giving Tree: Have the kids write down what they're thankful for this year on stamped tags, then tie to branches of fall foliage. Vase: Villeroy & Boch.
Sweet Treats: Thanksgiving-themed chocolate turkeys and lollipops make winning favors for tots. Glasses: AOH Design. Chocolate: Bissinger's.
Fun for All: Fill gift bags with rubber stamps and pads, then lay parchment paper on the table so the kids can play. Table: Pottery Barn Kids.
Giving Tree: Have the kids write down what they're thankful for this year on stamped tags, then tie to branches of fall foliage. Vase: Villeroy & Boch.
Sweet Treats: Thanksgiving-themed chocolate turkeys and lollipops make winning favors for tots. Glasses: AOH Design. Chocolate: Bissinger's.
Fun for All: Fill gift bags with rubber stamps and pads, then lay parchment paper on the table so the kids can play. Table: Pottery Barn Kids.
Happy Thanksgiving from our home in Charlotte, NC to your home where ever it may be.
