holidays

Whew, Christmas came in a whirlwind! I may have just recovered from all the activities. We had the privilege of hosting some special people for a holiday meal, and I was so excited by how the table turned out!

Last year, I painted the wooden laser cut village scenes to sit on top of our built-ins in the living room. This year actually turned out pretty sparse on the decor due to emergency surgeries and hospital stays… That’s another story-all is well and on the mend. By the time I got to the village scenes, I didn’t feel like decorating any more spaces. But, serendipitously, that freed them up to be an amazing little centerpiece for our special dinner!

I’ve loved this block printed tablecloth for a while now, and snapped it up along with the LED birch trees for added drama.

I was really eager to use the etched glass chargers I found on clearance from At Home (they were a great dupe for the Terrain mercury glass chargers). And I gasped when I saw the matching napkin rings at Home Goods (almost perfect dupe for the now sold out napkin rings from West Elm)!

Since the punch was such a hit at Thanksgiving, I wanted to make another special drink or punch for this dinner. My punch bowl came with only 8 cups and I needed 10. During my hunt for extra cups (and ones that were not actual leaded glass), I noticed that Crate and Barrel’s hatch glass collection now had teacups with saucers! No lead, dishwasher safe, say less.

I wandered the aisles of Hobby Lobby looking for snowy fabric to wrap around the trees, and stumbled across the most darling place card holders that look like little evergreen trees in galvanized pots. You know how you just know something is going to work? I could literally feel the zing of creative energy when I picked them up. And at 60% off, it would have been a crime to leave them!

A star topper place card and ribbon finished it off, and voila! I just couldn’t believe my eyes when it all came together.

It truly takes a village to love on and support the churches in our area, and my husband has been blessed with the best team for the job. They are kind, generous, hard working and creative people who love their jobs and love him. It’s such a gift to watch, and I love that we got a chance to give a little of that love back.

Did you host this year? I’d love to hear about it!

xo, Amanda

During our trip to London, we stopped at Fortnum & Mason, where I fell in love with the Camellia White tea ware. I could not get it out of my head! Just like the cabbage ware for my brother’s baby shower, it was just meant to be. I love the way it plays with my “fancy” china – Anthropologie’s Old Havana line in mint. Perfection.

I started with my favorite, Microsoft Word, and laid out my ideas. The teal glasses are from Walmart’s line with Drew Barrymore, which are sadly out of stock. There are always options for teal/blue goblets online, or in my favorite place to search: Facebook Marketplace.

These placemats from World Market always help keep the place settings from feeling too feminine. I love a girly table, but just like in decor, there should be balance. The tablecloths are courtesy of TJ Maxx, and they have a subtle gold shimmer.

As you can see, my plan included white florals. But, alas, I could only get my hands on peach. That’s okay! Short of ordering in flowers online or from a florist, you just have to get what works the best. I used similar cut glass vases from Amazon.

The napkins are old Hobby Lobby, but these would be beautiful as well! I chose the darker teal napkin rings to compliment the goblets.