We host up to 30 people for Thanksgiving dinner, so I have to start planning early. This is the first of several tables we'll have this year.
These round placemats are useless if I center the place settings on them. I need a place to put the goblet, so the place settings are off-center.
I don't have a matching set of ten red transferware plates. I have four Spode dinner plates I bought at Tuesday Morning a few years ago. I have one Johnson Brothers Castles I bought at an estate sale, and several souvenir plates I've picked up at flea markets.
The vintage stemware came from an estate sale.
I bought this Noritake Japan salt and pepper set at a going-out-of-business sale at an antique store many years ago.
Another Noritake Japan salt and pepper belonged to my mother.
The monogramed dessert plates belonged to my grandmother. I'm using them to serve butter for Thanksgiving dinner.
Some of you may remember the story about the auction where I purchased six Fall platters! In the past, I've used them for chargers at a table for six. This year, I'm using some of them to hold the centerpieces. I scattered a few plastic acorns on the platter.
Do you remember a couple of years ago my husband ran for public office? We attended festivals in a lot of towns, and I popped popcorn to give away. I over-estimated the amount of popcorn we'd need, and I had a lot left over. I filled a clear vase with some of it, and stuck some Peacock feathers and ornamental grass into the vase. I still have Lantana blooming in the yard, so I cut a few springs of it and put it in those little water pick thingies to stick into the popcorn.
My Lantana will probably be gone by Thanksgiving, so I'll have to replace it with some flowers from the store.
I'll be doing a lot of cooking Thanksgiving week, so I can't wait until then to organize the place settings and decide what I'm using on each table. While I'm cooking, I'll be loading the dishwasher with the plates, stems, and silverware and re-setting the tables. (I didn't want anybody who is giving thanks with us to read this and think these dishes sat out and collected dust for weeks before I served dinner on them!)
Are you hosting Thanksgiving at your house?
I'll be sharing this year's other Thanksgiving tables in the coming weeks. Thanks for visiting me today.
12 comments:
Very smart. I usually have my ideas in my mind and dishes washed and ready but end waiting till the last minute. I love the Lantana in the vase!
Did you know when I was growing up we considered it a weed? Yep it grew wild all over our property! And now people pay for it!
I'd love for you to come over to The Fabulous Fall Thanksgiving Party.
Share your great ideas with my friends!
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Happy Thanksgiving.
I have a very small family to prepare for and our daughter and son in law have Thanksgiving for our family. After we eat our dinner, we all walk over about 5 blocks and look at one of those houses where the owner decorates anything that does not move. Oh be looking for it on the Great American Light Fight which will be your ABC affiliated stations. It will be shown on one of 3 Monday nights in December. We walked down a couple of weeks ago and watched them record the Grand Illumination for the television show. It was a hoot, however I got to see reality tv up close and it is not real. Your first table looks lovely. I love red transferware, especially at Christmas. I have been collecting napkins and napkin rings. all this year. I doubt that it would even compare to your collection
I lost my husband 3 weeks ago, and we always celebrated Thanksgiving together, as our kids went to their in-laws. I am thinking of celebrating alone this year, as it will be very emotional for me, and then joining my son next year. I love seeing your tables!
Your tables are always so fabulous and different Laurie! Your popcorn vase made me run to the pantry to see if I had any kernels to play with! I am not hosting this year, and it feels like I'm on vacation :) You are such a pro at seating and feeding a large group, it's a lot of work, but a labor of love. I do miss the cooking, planning and chaos, but my turn will come soon enough as the extended family descends on our house. I got a kick out of your comment about dusty dishes!
Jenna
This is styled beautifully! I also agree about those round placemats. If you don't use them with another you can hardly tell that they are there.
Laurie, I love the colors on your table! The big platter used for the centerpiece is gorgeous. :)
Your table, and your home always look beautiful. I really admire you for all you do
love the beautiful decor for me that peacock feather draws my eyes attention
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Wow 30 people is a big gathering! Your center arrangement is an eye grabber! I like those Noritake S & P shakers. Your big platters have become good functional pieces!
Wow, you are having a large group for Thanksgiving. Well the fun part will be your decorating and table settings and they are always beautiful. I love you are using your grandmother's things and love the monogram plate. The centerpiece is a great idea. Everything just as I expect coming from you, gorgeous. Have a great week...........
You know that I adore the mix of red transferware plates, and the offset round placemat is a brilliant idea; but my absolute favorite of your ideas and design choices is the excess popcorn in the vase for your centerpiece. Outstanding! Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for inviting us for a peek. Cherry Kay
You don't need to rewash the dishes if you cover the tables with sheets. I had a friend who's mother loved to give fancy dinner parties, but it was a lot of work. Just like you she set the table(s) way ahead and then covered it with a sheet. A girl friend came over and said, "I see your mother is 'morgueing' it again." The table, draped with a white sheet, looked like a dead body under a sheet in a morgue, but the table didn't get dusty.
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