Pepper Design Blog

Holiday Entertaining: Thanksgiving Inspiration

What are your plans for Turkey Day? Next to a delicious meal and afternoon food comma, the Thanksgiving tablescape is high on my list of what I look forward to. Serious about the food comma – my mom’s apple and pumpkin pie… mmmm.

I love a beautiful table because it can be so inviting and it really speaks to how special a meal is. Plus, it’s an awful lot of fun to plan and pull together.

Here are a few tablescapes that I’m especially inspired by this Thanksgiving (and here’s my list for 2010):

Initially found over here, the color palette of this rustic tablescape is what caught my eye. How beautiful is the teal against the rich brown and pops of bright orange? But the details are equally adorable! How creative are those crossword and wishbone name cards? and the newspaper filled cloche? Lovely job, Chris!

Next up? A modern and neutral table backed by a pop of color.

I love the idea of keeping your table simple (with, say, a basic white tablecloth topped with a wide brown runner) and creating a statement out of your food serving area. Pick up a brightly colored fabric remnant and drape it over the existing tabletop decor (such as a large mirror or picture frames) for an fresh display. More details on this party here.

Statement runner. Enough said. Simple, classy and no need for extra decor which leaves plenty of room for all of the fixen’s right there in the center.

This bridal shower doubles as a beautiful fall tablescape. You know what immediately caught my eye though? How ingenius a simple ribbon running the length of the table is. What an easy way to introduce a new color to your table palette and to reuse current craft room items!

Finally, you can’t go wrong with classic white. Give your Halloween pumpkins new life by coating them in a thin coat of white spray paint to match classic white dishware. I would incorporate bits of thrift store lace and my crocheted doilies to balance out vintage with modern in this refreshing tablescape. Thanks, It’s Overflowing for the inspiration!

Many thanks to Pampers, Play Dates & Parties for getting the brain juices flowin’ – be sure to check out more ideas here.

Decorating for Fall: More with Fall Leaves!

There are three trees in our neighborhood that change colors during the fall. Three. In the entire neighborhood. When Liv and I go for walks I stare longingly up at the branches willing those crisp green leaves to take on their yellow and orange shades.

When my mother-in-law was in town this past weekend it happened! Not only did the trees change color but they shed a good portion of those beautiful leaves to the ground. When she came back from taking Liv for a stroll she brought with her a huge bundle of these:

Naturally I pressed and framed them. I don’t know how long they’ll last but just maybe I can preserve them for the future. Waaaaay better than the fake ones I used over here.

Here they are sitting on a shelf in our dining room:

I first attempted to frame without flattening and the result was a bit sloppy, so my next approach was to organize them on my white sheet of construction paper, attach to paper with a double sided adhesive and then smoosh between two big heavy books.

Then I added the construction paper back into the frame and sealed it up.

I love the colors, especially against the brownish red frame.

I had quite a few leaves left over so I made a very simple garland by stringing the leaves through twine. Here they are on the other bookcase:

I think it’s a nice little fall detail, especially when casually strung up like they are here.

The process to make this guy was so simple and so quick: poke two holes in each leaf and string through – up and over for the first leaf, down and under for the next.

Just like you’re sewing a simple stitch.

Until you’ve finished the whole lot:

They’re perfect for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and I love how they bring just a little bit of the outdoors in!

Decorating for Fall: Felt Flower Wreath

I recently saw a felt flower wreath here and decided that I would love to make one for the house, but with my own spin on the flowers. (The wreath by I Can Craft That is adorable by the way, you should definitely check it out if you have a chance.)

I found the a twig wreath at Michaels for $4.99 (a blank canvas for so many ideas!) and the sheets of felt were on sale for 5/$1. After playing with the felt to create a few different flower shapes, I settled on six that I loved. I generally work in odd numbers but for some reason this arrangement felt right.

Here’s a close up of the various styles. They all involve felt strips rolled up into the shape of a flower, but for some the strips were left with their raw edge out and for some they were simply folded in half before wrapping for a softer finish. The large purple flower in the center is three sets of circles stacked on top of each other from smallest to largest with a wooden button in the center.

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Felt Flower Wreath

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Materials: Any style of wreath, felt sheets, needle & thread, wiring or glue for attaching flowers to wreath

{1.} Cut felt into various sized strips.

{2.} For flowers with a softer edge (more rose-like), fold strips in half horizontally and add a quick stitch to hold. You could use dots of hot glue here as well to keep your sides together.

{3.} Beginning at one end of the strip of felt (which will now be the center of your flower), wrap remaining end around and around and around. With every wrap around the center I kept poking the needle and thread back through the felt at the back to hold the new shape, this helped to spread the petals out to a create a short, flat flower that would nest nicely in the wreath.

{4.} Using thin wire (to later remove the flowers for other purposes) or hot glue, attach your new flowers and leaves to the wreath.

Now she’s ready to display!

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More fall decorating ideas found here. Happy Thursday!