tablescape

2025 Green and Pink Thanksgiving

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The magical Dining Room Makeover has culminated into this beautiful day! You know I love to host Thanksgiving, so what better way to show her off than with a spatchcocked turkey and all the trimmings.

I scoured the internet for the perfect (and affordable, let’s be reasonable here), tablecloth to set the stage but not overshadow. When I stumble into blue and green, something comes over me. I’ve decided that this year calls for Dopamine Dressing – wearing things that make you happy! Blue and green and pink. Always. Forever.

I love a patterned tablecloth! I try, oh how I try, to love a solid. I add table runners, placemats, flowers, and still? It feels so sad. Patterned it must be. I decided on this block print beauty from Amazon. I was torn between this and the purple (more fuchsia-ish), but this felt right.

I wanted sparkle, I wanted glam! This is a debut, after all. Champagne beaded placemats. Is that a question? Not here!

I’ve been drooling over this Ikat print from Pottery Barn since it came out and was able to snag the napkins on clearance! I love the burgundy and pink as well.

Last minute, I decided to make place cards since our group grew overnight! Using Canva, I found this turkey graphic and adjusted the colors to coordinate with my table. They are such a cute, unique touch.

I wanted to use my new ivory basketweave dishes, but it was feeling flat. The moment my Old Havana plate hit the table, all hopes for restraint were lost. I immediately grabbed some pink gross grain ribbon to tie off the napkins and leapt with delight! Restraint? I don’t know her.

Was it relief? Was it a flood of dopamine? Was it all a dream? I don’t really care what it was, I’m just thrilled to step back and see the fruit of so much work. And I can’t wait to share it with the people I love.

In addition to smoked turkey and my usual casseroles (sweet potato and sinful potato), I added a Maple Dijon salad with butternut squash and candied pecans, homemade cultured butter, and did a punch in coupe glasses to dress up the table. It was a hit! We made a sample glass the night before to be sure it was a good choice, and Austin raved all night. Safe to say, we’ll be making more!

I hope you and yours had a blessed and happy Thanksgiving, wherever you are.

xo, Amanda

P.S. Tutorial for these custom china plate ornaments coming soon!

A Jewel Tone Thanksgiving 2023

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I love to host Thanksgiving! I love the planning, the prep, and most of all: the table scape! When planning for this year’s table, I could not get the brown zebra tablecloth from Mrs. Alice out of my head. The second it went on sale I snatched it up! Who even am I?

That tablecloth has sold out, but here are some similar options.


My “wedding china,” if you will, is the mint Old Havana line from Anthropologie. I say that because Anthro started doing wedding registries a month after I got married… So I would buy myself a few plates during sales or with extra money I had saved, and now have enough dinner and salad plates for 14! I love how the mint goes with so many color schemes. Mint and Lime, Mint and Red, Mint and… Fuchsia!


Bam! There it was, the most gorgeous combo for a fall table: Brown, Mint and Fuchsia. I immediately began the search for napkins. I love World Market napkins, so that’s where I went first. They had the fuchsia I was looking for. I linked a few different options, including disposable if that’s your flavor, below.

While looking around, I saw these adorable Table Dare cards from Anthropologie. I loved this idea! Since I had more guests than cards, I opted to make my own. I scoured the internet for appropriate, and non-humiliating dares (which was a little hard to find) and came up with the rest.

“Recite a Haiku about your favorite Thanksgiving side dish”

“Place a roll in your mouth and let Finn [my dog] take a bite.”

“Draw a turkey using either your teeth or your toes.”

We had so much fun with these!

I attached them to place cards made from marbled paper and dispersed them randomly (making sure that the ones for guests or older family members were the easiest and least humiliating, of course). Then I made sure no one peeked before it was time to play. I love the way the marbled paper adds a little more texture to the table.

I added little coupe glasses, also from Mrs. Alice, with little stars etched on them. They are so adorable pared with my favorite goblets from Belk. And how perfect are these dessert plates from Anthropologie!? They have long since been discontinued, but I’ve found some on FB Marketplace and eBay over the years. You can collect the whole alphabet!

My coworker was kind enough to make the floral arraignment for me. Thanks, Katie! It was so good until I had to rush home for an emergency, causing the flowers to dump over in my car… While cleaning my car, I sat the container on the floor and my dog Daisy ATE MY HYDRANGEAS. Well, didn’t eat them, per se, but they were shredded. Why?? So I had to adjust them the next day sans the hydrangeas.

It was certainly an… eventful Thanksgiving Eve. But Thanksgiving Day went off without a hitch. I desperately needed fun, laid back family time this year and that’s exactly what it was! Beauty can always be found in the midst of suffering, and somehow it’s always sweeter.

xo, Amanda

Thanksgiving 2024: Turquoise, Peach and Brown

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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.

We had 14 for Thanksgiving last year, so we had two tables. I love hosting Thanksgiving, and am so grateful for time with family. And pumpkin pie 🙂

xo, Amanda

Thirty-Five and Feelin’ Fly

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Kinda.. Oof, is anyone else starting to feel their age? Do we do this -feeling like life is over- to ourselves, or is it the external voices feeding us Botox and snake oils? Either way, the week leading up to 35 hit like a ton of bricks. So, what did I do? I baked a cake. Well, two actually, arranged some flowers and lit some candles.

The morning of, Austin took me to my favorite local spot for breakfast. I love the Very Berry Crepes! While we were there, we saw two sets of friends and got to catch up for a minute. As we were ending our crepes, our waitress said someone had paid for our meal, and then someone else tried, too! But since it was paid for, they sent us a treat to-go. Isn’t that so sweet!? Needless to say, we both felt very loved!

That evening, we took my family to dinner and then came back to our house for dessert. We talked and laughed, and decided that neither cake tasted all that good… And suddenly, surrounded by love and candlelight, 35 didn’t seem so bad after all.

xo, Amanda

Tablescapes, Just Because

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With no real reason, other than to document at some level, here are a few tablescapes I’ve done in the last couple of years. I really don’t have rhyme or reason to “how to” make your table look nice, and sometimes I struggle with making them feel full or “finished,” but I love the creative outlet of planning and doing a table.

I did not grow up with fancy tablescapes. My mom would put out a turkey-shaped candle, or Christmas tree shaped candles out on the table with a pretty table runner for holidays. (The table runner I accidentally cut while wrapping presents one Christmas, but we still used it for a few years with the cut pushed together!) But outside of that, it was not something I grew up with. And none of my friends’ families really did either. Growing up the 90s (or earlier, if you’re not a Millennial like me), we all had waayyyy less pressure on aesthetics. While I have always cared about clothing and decor that transcends trends, the time before Pinterest was so much more laid back.

Anyway, since getting married and running my own household, I’ve come to appreciate the process of preparing for guests! Is the cleaning fun? No. But the menu planning, table planning, prep, cooking, table set up… That is so fun for me. Working in a left-brained field that does not appreciate right-brained people is exhausting. This helps 🙂

First up: My Birthday. I decided a couple of years ago that I’d rather set up a fancy table, buy flowers and cook for my birthday dinner with family rather than going out. I get to pick my own menu and make or buy my own cake, and it’s just a lot of fun.

For 33, it was a Kate Spade inspired table. I made silly little signs: “Gemini and Feelin’ Fly” and “Let’s Just Eat Cake”. Peonies + Teal + Green = Perfection.

Next up, Christmas. We don’t do Christmas with family at my house, it’s always Christmas Eve at my in-laws and Christmas Day at my parents. Extenuating circumstances caused us to have a small family get together last year. I saw someone on Instagram make these bow napkins and had to try. They are so easy and adorable!

This next set up was fun. We had 27 seated for our college ministry’s Leadership Team Friendsgiving. We designed our house to seat 20 on a dime, and by turning our dining table, we are able fit way more than we probably should… But clear plastic plates and a festive paper napkin can really elevate a budget tablescape. The only thing semi-precious on the table are the vases and table runners. All else is disposable! These chiffon table runners have been used for holiday dinners and showers; they’re a great, inexpensive item to have on hand and you can find any color you like on Amazon.

Did you grow up with fancy tables? I’d love to hear!

xo, Amanda