During the COVID holidays, I challenged myself to come up with really cute/creative tablescapes using only items that I had in the house at the time. Here are some of my favorites from that series of posts.
Toyland Table
For this Toyland table design, I looked through the sweet toys that used to line the shelf in my oldest son’s childhood room and selected these items, along with my own childhood teddy bear. I used candle holders that are not meant for holiday decorating, but echo the colors of the toys and the wooden bead garland. (You will see that I love garland to finish off a look.) I have used minimal artificial greenery here.
I used cobalt blue, green, and yellow Fiestaware to set the table for a Christmas morning breakfast. Red checked napkins and flatware complete the look.
Christmas at the Coast
This is my seasons greetings from the seashore table. I started the look with a navy woven vinyl table runner topped with a large rustic glass and steel lantern, two aqua glass and metal lanterns, and two small black metal and glass lanterns. (Lanterns are another of my go-to items when creating a tablescape–they add height and keep your candles protected.) I interspersed artificial greenery branches and artificial long leaf pine sprigs among the lanterns and topped them with gold berry picks. Then I used loads of starfish to finish the look.
This is a more casual look so I used turquoise and green Fiestaware, paper napkins that mimic waves, flatware and glassware.
A Vintage Christmas
This is the table that started the whole idea of doing a bunch of different tables. It’s a bunch of mercury glass trees and glittery trees and a nickel reindeer sporting a checked “scarf” and a vintage embroidered table cloth in greys and reds. I completed the look with white dinner plates and holiday salad plates, red and white checked napkins with hen napkin rings, flatware and glassware.
Silver and Gold Holiday
For this table I pulled out all my crystal candle sticks and dramatic white tapers and created a dazzling silver and gold themed table. Here I used a pair of 72″ white table runners covered with a silver leaf pattern, artificial greenery, gold berry picks, and Christopher Radko “shiny brite” garland with blues, silvers, and golds. Just a word about table runners–I love them. You can add color and texture to your table without having closets full of different table cloths. I have loads of runners and small decorative table cloths that I can use to change the look of a table.
For the place settings, I used white dinner plates with Wedgwood Amherst salad plates, white monogrammed napkins with silver napkin rings, silver butter pats, along with flatware and glassware.
A Nutcracker Christmas
The theme for this table is the Nutcracker Suite with the extra large wooden nutcracker, large metal Christmas tree and sugar plums. I used the navy woven vinyl runner for this table, artificial greenery, wooden bead garland and extra large pine cones to anchor the ends of the runner.
The place settings consist of white dinner plates with holiday salad plates, red checked napkins with white porcelain napkin rings, flatware and glassware. A word about napkin rings–I found these and the silver ones that you’ll see in these posts at a local thrift store for 25 cents each.
Beary Merry Christmas
I noticed that I had a lot of large bear ornaments which inspired this Beary Merry Christmas table. I started with the navy and embroidered snowflake runner, and began with my oldest son’s and my childhood teddy bears, and then added some handmade felted black bear ornaments, two Stieff polar bears, and a couple of overstuffed white bears wearing red sweaters and hats. I topped it with the wooden bead garland.
For the place settings, I used white dinner plates and rimmed soup bowls, holiday paper napkins, flatware and glassware. (I frequently use paper napkins during the holidays because it’s difficult to keep up with washing all the napkins between meals/events. Tuesday Morning is my favorite place to look for beautiful ones.)
Santa Claus is Coming to Town
I started this table with a rustic table runner with green, reds, and blue stripes on an off white/beige background. I added my large Woof N Poof Santas, a handmade Santa, a little Swedish gnome, and a German incense burning Santa. I surrounded them with artificial greenery topped with the wooden bead garland, and the two large pine cones.
The place settings consist of white dinner plates topped with holiday salad plates, paper holiday napkin, flatware and glassware.
Festive 50’s
I have been planning to use this table cloth because of the great red and green pattern. I thought that I would be using my jadeite colored vases with pink and red flowers, but when I put the jadeite on this cloth, they were too yellow. The green in the cloth is really an aqua color. So I switched gears and used silverplate julep cups with pink and red roses, glittery silver reindeer, and simple greenery.
The table is set for lunch with white plates, flatware, glasses, and aqua napkins.
Cookie Christmas
This table has baking and cookie making as its theme with old enamel refrigerator boxes filled with cookie cutters, greenery, red berries, jars of holiday sprinkles, and measuring spoons. These are joined by a vintage juicer and measuring cup nestled among the greenery and berries.
The table is set for breakfast with white plates, mugs and glasses, flatware, and red checked napkins.
A Victorian Christmas
This is a more traditional holiday look with fresh greenery, pine cones, sugared faux apples and pears surrounding brass candlesticks with white taper candles.
I used a napkin that echoes the colors and textures in the centerpiece. The place settings consist of classic white dishes, flatware, and glassware.
A Woodsy Christmas
We built a wood shed this past summer so that we could get all of Mike’s lumber out of the storage building. We finally got all the wood moved into the shed and I found this slab of black walnut and it looked like a table runner to me, so I used it along with some men’s wool scarves to create a rustic holiday table. I used wooden coasters and aluminum coasters for candle “holders”, with fresh cut cedar and pine cones around a wooden bowl filled with old croquet balls that remind me of Christmas balls.
I kept the place settings simple with all white dishes and napkins.
Refined and Rustic Christmas
This is another look I created with the rustic wooden “runner”. This time I used old silver pieces with fresh cedar and pine cones to build a rustic elegance table. (The candles are flameless, so we won’t burn our house down.)
I used the Wedgwood Amherst dinner, salad, and bread and butter plates, silver butter pats, flatware and glassware for the place settings.
A Natural Christmas
This is a simple table with ornaments made with natural materials nestled among the greenery and pine cones.
I kept the place settings mostly neutral with white plates. I used a russet colored napkin as a nod to red, but more muted to fit in with the natural look.
Christmas Star
I bought these lanterns after Halloween from Target. I never thought they looked like Halloween decorations, but I have used them for the holidays. The look is completed with the wooden table “runner”, greenery, and pine cones.
For the place settings, I used a white dinner plate and Wedgwood Amherst salad plate, flatware, glassware, and monogrammed white napkin with silver napkin ring.
Woodland Wonder
This is a monochromatic woodland table design. I started with the men’s scarves and topped it with some verdigris containers filled with pine and pinecones and nestled a couple of ceramic bunnies amongst the greenery on the table.
For the place settings, I used a white dinner plate and Wedgwood Amherst salad plate, flatware, glassware, and monogrammed white napkin with silver napkin ring.
So which is your favorite?
Cathy At Home on the River 