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Phyllis
Perhaps you are still looking for a great idea for your holiday party! Here it is…..
This Tomato Crostini with Whipped Feta is the best appetizer recipe! You can make this ahead, then put it together just before guests come and it doesn’t get soggy like bruchetta! This will be the hit of the party! Everyone will want the recipe! The recipe is from Ina Garten and the Food Network. I’ve made a couple changes, however.
Ingredients:
Other options are to serve this on large crackers. Place the creamy feta in one bowl and the tomatoes in another. Guests are able to make their own.
Great appetizer recipe for that special party!
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I’ve loved sharing these three posts on table settings done by women from our church. In this post, I’ve included table settings from another church that hosts a similar event. Each Christmas table setting shows amazing creativity! There are so many different ideas from casual to elaborate.! Because it is a yearly event, I keep thinking they can’t do better the next year, but they do! If you missed the first two posts, you’ll want to check them out, too! Part 1, Part 2
The first two table settings used centerpieces that they owned, but they embellished them with cranberries, berries, holly and evergreens! You can’t go wrong with those items in various combinations!
Use a centerpiece you may already have, but change out the color of the votives to coordinate with your table!
Here’s a tree of white roses! Wow! This makes a great wedding centerpiece, too! The creator’s daughter of this table setting is newly engaged so it was done as a surprise for her! Notice the “diamond” napkin rings!
Make a huge statement with this arrangement of roses! Love the matching color of the tablecloth!
These next pictures are of a table setting with the theme of the ” Queen of Hearts”! Notice the tablecloth!
This would work for Valentine’s Day, too!
I love how this arrangement is highlighted by the painted antique frame!
At this table, the hostess had a friend make these unusual plates. They were beautiful!
The centerpiece doesn’t show up very well in this picture, but it was a collection of brass angels hung on a brass tree.
This centerpiece was purchased, but notice how the napkins repeat the “package” theme! The green cloth sets off the centerpiece so well!
Also, the cute favors are package ornaments!
Beautiful blue and silver ornaments are lit up with a string of lights all in a large glass vase! Very easy to do, but gives a huge “wow” factor!
The pre-lit branches along with silver twigs and icy branches make a spectacular centerpiece. The large glass vase is filled with artificial snow. Along with the delicate touch of white lilies, this centerpiece makes this table come alive! Beautiful!
Use a favorite collection of houses as your centerpiece!
This next Christmas table setting takes a little description. It is hard to see the little lonely “Charlie Brown” tree in the middle. The whole table is a Charlie Brown Christmas theme! Cute details are added around the tree with small Charlie Brown ceramic pieces.
Hope you have found lots of creative ideas and inspiration for your own table setting for Christmas and the New Year!
Remember the real reason for the season….. the birth of our Savior!
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There’s no limit to creative ideas for Christmas Table Settings! From simple to elegant, easy to complicated, the tables are all awesome and will certainly inspire you for your own Christmas table settings! This is the second post of table settings created by the women of our church for the annual Christmas Extravaganza 2013.
I love the simplicity and bright colors of this table setting. Greens, red berries,white dinner set, red accent plates, plaid table-cloth all make this a beautiful setting!
The napkin rings are a lovely combination of greens and berries tied together! The white plates show off the lovely red salad plates with their design.
By just using a centerpiece of branches adorned with red and white ornaments and candy canes, it works well with this themed table.
Cute hearts made from candy canes!
Lots of elegant drama highlights this Christmas Table Setting with a red, silver and black theme!
Beautiful!
A Barbie Christmas Tree! This table was done in memory of her daughter. So sweet!
Using different pedestal plates and adding levels, dolls are placed on the tiers.
Who says a Christmas tree has to be traditional?
Nice tribute to her daughter’s memory!
Snowflakes, blue and silver are the theme of this next table. Using battery operated lights, the centerpiece is greens with white and silver. The napkin rings are fun foam sparkle snowflakes with the center cut out to insert the napkin. The rest of the snowflakes are coasters.
A simple lit tree with fresh evergreens makes an easy beautiful centerpiece!
A collection of gold and silver trees makes a beautiful centerpiece! Love the gold and silver mixed and with all different textures of trees!
All lit up, they look like this…..
One this table a large bow is beautifully enhanced with icy branches. Simple and elegant!
A fresh arrangement of greens and roses set in a glass with cranberry and nut layers gives a beautiful look to the table.
Red and White always look fresh at Christmas!
Another simple, but beautiful look!
This table setting was the most unusual and I couldn’t figure out how it was made until the creative designer explained it. Who would think of this?
This scene was so cute! Can you guess what it is made from?
The top is from part of a fan….. Can you see it?
The fan is then set on top of a lamp shade! (just the wires)
Each vertical wire is decorated with a small red garland to cover the wires. She then placed it on top of an upside-down styrofoam sectioned deli tray and used Plaster of Paris to create the snow scene on top. The tiny figures including a skating rink look so pretty! Just a special Christmas centerpiece that certainly generates Ooh’s and Aah’s!
What a masterpiece! All upcycled from a fan and lamp shade! Now that’s creative!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you found some creative ideas for your Christmas table!
Another post is coming with more great Christmas Table Settings! Don’t miss it!
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Three ingredients is all that is necessary to put together this great non-alcoholic holiday punch! It is quick and easy, but tastes delicious. I recently served this at an event and people repeatedly asked for the recipe! Thought I’d share it with you!
1 large bottle of CranRaspberry Juice (chilled) 64oz.
1 quart of vanilla ice cream
1 bottle of ginger ale ( or cranberry ginger ale) chilled
Just before ready to serve, pour cran-raspberry juice into punch bowl. Spoon in scoops of ice cream. Pour ginger ale over ice cream and stir to foam up (I use about 1/3 to 1/2 bottle of ginger ale). Makes 12 -15–6 oz. servings.
Now, that’s quick and easy plus delicious and pretty!
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These awesome Christmas Table Settings were done by the women from our church. We have an annual Christmas Extravaganza event and it is such a beautiful way to begin the Christmas season. Women host a table and set the table as they choose. Each one is beautiful and creative! There’s a delicious catered dinner with a special Christmas program. In every way, it is a delightful evening celebrating the birth of our Savior!
This first Christmas Table Setting idea is carried out with all Thrift store finds! (except for silverware and birch candles)! It just shows you that you don’t have to spend a lot to have beautiful Christmas table settings!
This next idea is easy to do and cost-effective, too. Find that perfect branch, add tiny battery operated lights and small gold and red balls. Fill the vase with a red bead garland! Ta-Da! Great centerpiece!
Adding a sprig of green with a red bow, sets off the napkin ring.
Now, this Christmas Table Setting is a cozy setting for a winter table! The bowl filled with small logs has flickering lights to make it look like a fire! Makes you want to have “s’mores”! Fresh greens and log candle holders are accented with cute little skates and a hockey stick.
The table is topped with a warm cozy plaid blanket!
The “chargers” are slices of a log cut from a downed tree! Just another woodsy touch to this outdoor themed Christmas table setting.
Perhaps you have a collection of carolers. Grouping them around a large candle makes a great centerpiece idea. The theme is carried out by placing small excerpts of sheet music of the popular carols at each place.
Notice the music note ornament on each napkin.
Using a collection of whimsical Santas makes a fun centerpiece! Plaids, pinecones and driftwood with tea light inserts all work together beautifully in the table setting!
Red china works well with the plaid runners. At each place is a brown paper bag with some goodies for a hostess gift. Cute mitten and star ornaments attached with a red-painted clothes pin add to the whimsical feel of the table!
The next Christmas Table Setting is one of the tables that I did. It is an” up north cabin theme”.
I used an old log cabin made from twigs that I’ve had for years. I thought it was time to give it a new look!
The china was a $7.00 find at an auction (15 place settings! – What a deal!) I made the napkin rings from birch bark that I found in our woods. I’ll show you how here….
By candlelight, the table looked like this. Under the cotton, I placed several individual LED lights. They gave off a beautiful white light and made the snow look so pretty!
Their small gift was “birch logs” wrapped in a cellophane bag and tied with raffia, (pretzels dipped in white chocolate and drizzled with dark chocolate)
This next Christmas Table Setting features silver and green trees accented with red votives, chargers, and napkin rings.
A lovely table setting, which is atypical for Christmas, highlights Paris in a pink and black color combination! The Eiffle Tower looks like a Christmas tree!
A color combination of blue, black, grey, silver and white accents this Christmas Table Setting!
There are a lot more Christmas Table Settings to come in another post!
Did you find some inspiration for your table?
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While planning my Christmas table for our Christmas Extravaganza at our church, I decided to do a “up-north cabin theme”. It needed some woodsy napkin rings and wanted to try to make Birch Bark Napkin Rings! We live in a wooded area so a short walk produced lots of birch bark from downed trees nearby. It was pretty dirty and stiff! If I tried to bend it, it would break.
I came home and put the birch bark in bleach water. I wanted to be sure to kill any bugs, etc., that may be attached. Also, I scrubbed the inside of the bark and let it soak for 1/2 day.
After soaking, it was more flexible, but it was still hard to work with in such a flat state. I curled the birch bark and put it into a plastic container.
After a few hours, I transferred it to glasses so it would be curled even tighter and let them dry.
When they were workable (the next day), I cut them just a bit larger than the cardboard tube. I formed the napkin rings by hot gluing the bark around the tube. Doing it in small sections and securing with paper clips worked the best. Let a section dry and then do the next section while each time curling the bark around the tube. Be sure to cut it long enough to overlap quite a bit.
I love the green moss on the bark !
When dried, I added a little greenery and a small pinecone (bought these).
The Birch Bark Napkin Rings looked great on the “up-north” table setting!
Each one is unique!
You probably know this, but don’t take bark from a living tree. It will kill it! Use only bark from dead trees or cut logs!
Complete “up north” table setting is shared on the post entitled “Awesome Christmas Table Settings – Part 1” along with many others. Don’t miss it!
A viewer referred to this post about harvesting Birch Bark.
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This is the 4th post of ideas from the Christmas Idea House for 2013. You’ll find lots of inspiration here for this Christmas season! Please be sure to check out Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3, if you missed them.
First a visit to the girl’s bedroom….. Notice the vintage posts used for the canopy bed. Pretty white lights make this absolutely dreamy!
Along side of the bed is a fairy garden inside a vintage bird-cage. It is all decked out for Christmas.
On the dresser, the theme continues….
In another part of the house is a fairy garden in a galvanized container! Small pines make a lovely setting!
In the living room, it is all about red and white….
Notice the wooden sconces alongside the fireplace. They are a smaller version of the ones posted earlier in the dining room. They have wooden stars added to them.
On the couch, the red and white pillows are a stunning accent!
The coffee table is filled with candles, flowers and a bowl of red and white ornaments. This is a simple Christmas accent to do!
On the other side of the living room, lanterns with green plants hang in the window. These are easy to change with the season or just keep as is year-round.
The Christmas tree is decorated with red and white ornaments to carry out the color theme. Notice the small basket filled with a raffia and topped with a red bird. This certainly is an easy ornament to make!
Packages wrapped in plain Kraft paper look great under the tree.
Next, into the sunroom….
If you saved any dried hydrangeas, spray them red and accent with evergreens.
Card hangers were used to display favorite Christmas cards. Well, they looked like the old skirt hangars to me so I went to the thrift store and found some to upcycle into my Christmas Card hangars.
Remove any red plastic ends, paint and add decorations, if desired!
Easy and inexpensive project!
Here’s a cute Christmas magnet made from a rusty bell (or use a small pine cone) and some greenery hot glued to a magnet.
In another area, they displayed star-shaped boxes as wall art.
For my version, I used decorative box tops…..
I also thought of using decorative tin tops, but I realized I had gotten rid of them. Next trip to the thrift store, I ‘ll see if they have some there. They would work well, too!
Finally, putting poinsettias and candles in a corner does wonders to wake up a corner.
Hope you’ve been inspired by the ideas from the Christmas Idea House 2013.
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This is the third post of Christmas decor ideas from the Idea House 2013! Hope you enjoy the ideas and can make some your own.
First, if you have an open shelf, just put all your red and green dishes on display. It certainly is easy to do and give a huge pop of color!
Lots of the ideas are around a Scandinavian theme. “Ya sure, you betcha!”
The hearts filled with greens and hung in the kitchen window could probably last through Valentines, but are very Scandinavian for Christmas. They would be a great match for the hearts and pines china!
In the kitchen, the unique pot rack is a vintage baby bed spring!
Anther idea is to hang a large sectioned vintage drawer and embellish with accents of Christmas in each nook! Change the look for each season!
For this unique Christmas tree, they used vintage fan blades!
Well, not having vintage fan blades or a cute nook, I turned wooden paint stirrers into a similar, but smaller tree.
Here’s my version….
I rubbed the paint on with a cloth as I didn’t want it all the same depth of color. Adding a stain would make it look old, too. I used 8 sticks – 7 for the tree and a partial one for the trunk. For a larger tree, use lathe and cut to your desired dimensions. Hot glue the sticks together and add a loop for hanging! Simple and inexpensive!
Here’s a cute wreath hung off to the side of a larger circle mirror in the bathroom.
I think this idea is beautiful!
It is a gnarly branch painted white and adorned with springs of pine, pine cones, white and crystal ornaments. It is hung against a backdrop of a furry white pelt. It looked spectacular! This was hung on a wall in a room, but I think it would be awesome over a fireplace, too!
Adding wreaths on a vintage mirrored window looks easy……
Now, my knock-off version…..
While I don’t have my other decorations done in the office bathroom , I did make these wreaths from items found at the Dollar Tree Store and place them on my vintage mirror.
The Idea House master bedroom’s headboard is made from cedar shakes. I would call it “Rustic-North Woods Elegance”!
Up the stairway, they used a combination of plain wood with metal accent pieces as wall art.
This is a simple idea for the bathroom. Using fish line to hang your ornaments, use as an accent at the top of your shower curtain!
A simple arrangement in a dish looks great in the bathroom!
Did you find some ideas for decorating? There’s more to come in Part 4 so be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a post!
Check out Part 1 and Part 2 if you missed them.
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The stores are full of Christmas decorations and I’ve seen trees made from everything imaginable! There are burlap trees, felt, wooden, yarn, sequined, painted, feathered etc……
Here are some interesting yarn ones…
Have you ever seen one from a sweatshirt?
Well, the other night, I needed some trees for a cabin themed table setting. I didn’t have nubby yarn so thought I’d make some felt trees. My supply of green felt wasn’t enough so I went looking for something usable for this project. In my closet, I have certain clothes that I have for “painting”. My eyes fell on my green sweatshirt with paint stains on the outside. When I turned the sweatshirt inside out, I found that it had a wonderful texture and decided I would try to make a tree from it.
First, I made a cone from tag-board. I merely taped it together.
Next, I cut a strip of the fabric and glued it on the base so that the white cone wouldn’t show through the fringed layer.
Then I cut the strips about two inches in width for these small trees. Cutting half way up, I fringed the strips.
Start wrapping each layer and gluing in place.
Continue to the top!
When you reach the top, take a small strip and glue together gathering the top and holding in place with a paper clip until dry.
Finally, once it is dry, you can decorate it with snow (paint), add red balls, green glitter or whatever you choose. Paint is easily added to the sweatshirt fabric either before or after you wrap the pieces or add some fake snow.
There you go! Bet you never thought of using a sweatshirt this way before! By the way, I still have my paint sweatshirt as I just used part of the sleeves. Now it is a “short- sleeved paint sweatshirt” unless I decide to make more trees!
Cost: $0.00
You might be on the lookout for green sweatshirts at a thrift store!
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