Holiday Sparkle

Holiday Sparkle -  How to get it

The holidays are fast approaching; it is time to make your home a place that sparkles with light and glamour.  Even if you don’t traditionally celebrate or decorate for the holidays you can still give your home a little lift with some elegance and a bit of sparkle.  Some of us go all out decorating the tree, stairway, fireplace and every nook and cranny we can find, at least that’s what I usually do when I have the time and energy.  But for those who live alone, don’t have family who come to visit or who don’t celebrate the holidays, it is business as usual, the same old surroundings day after day.  Even if the holidays aren’t your thing you can still add a bit of bling to help bring some new light to your daily surroundings and have some fun while doing it.

You don’t have to go all out; you can just make a few simple changes to give things a fresh, new look.  One of my favorite ways to help perk things up is to set my dinning room table.  Several times a year I change up my table, since we only use it when the whole family is home for a visit or we want to have a romantic dinner for two.  You could do the same with your dinner table, if you don’t have little ones, a great trick for all of you empty nester's.  I don’t put out plates, silverware and glasses, just all the pretty things around them.

Here is a list of some of the items I use to change up my table whenever I want a new look or feel in the room.

I have several different colors of plate chargers; gold and copper.  I purchased a variety of tablecloths; brown, red, olive green, copper and cream, pretty basic colors to go with the chargers.  I eventually bought napkins, place mats and table runners in coordinating colors as well as some napkin rings.  I didn’t purchase it all at once, it took me some time, I kept in mind the colors I already had whenever I saw a clearance sale, great time to stock up and Target is wonderful for that.  I had a little 3x5 card in my purse with all the items listed I already had and what I wanted to look for.  Whenever I couldn’t find what I wanted, I made it myself, to fill in the gaps; napkins, place mats and table runners are quick and easy to make.  These are the foundation pieces necessary for dressing your tabletops. 

For several options, start with two table linen colors which are complimentary so you can mix and match; like brown and gold or brown and copper, red and cream or green and cream.  Buy one set of everything in each color then mix and match creating all kinds of elegant tabletops making your whole room feel like new each time you make a change.

Now for the elegance and sparkle; simply add a pretty charger in gold or silver and a couple of different napkin rings, one for everyday use and one with some bling.  You can really get a lot of different looks with just a couple of changes.

This simple brown napkin takes on an elegant look when placed on a gold charger with a sparkling napkin ring.

Add a pretty beaded napkin ring and place it on a brown place mat for a whole new look.

A golden jeweled napkin ring on a copper charger brings in fall elegance.

The brown napkin with a wooden napkin ring, on a copper charger, placed on a brown place mat sets the table for Thanksgiving.

 Put the sparkle and elegance in your daily decorating by adding a few pretty pieces to your everyday dinner table or special occasion dinning room.  Make everyday a special day.

  
Thanks for letting me share just a few of my tabletop decorating ideas.  Look for part two of Holiday Sparkle; I will be sharing how to add some more sparkle and glitz to your holiday dinners and parties.  Let’s glam it up together.  See you very soon.

Where to buy:

Target

Bed Bath & Beyond

Michael's

Pier 1 Imports

Home Goods

A California Fall

It’s finally starting to feel something like fall in California with cool, crisp days and nights.  We haven’t started the turning of the leaves yet and I still have roses blooming, but it finally cooled down last night bringing our first fall rain. 

For me fall means beautiful, lush, warm colors found in flowers, trees, fabrics and fall decorations.  I love to decorate my home inside and out in those lovely fall greens, gold, browns, rust and burgundy.  I enjoy the fall decorations so much I decorate every room in my favorite colors using fall leaf garlands, pumpkins, floral centerpieces, wreaths, candles, and quilted fall table runners.  Most people don’t really bother with decorating this time of year unless they have small children who like Halloween.  I personally don’t enjoy the Halloween decorations so I do fall decorations instead.  In November I add the usual turkeys, corn and gourds, which I leave up until it is time to decorate for Christmas.

The first decorations to come out on display are my quilted and non-quilted table runners; here are a few of the fall ones.  The rest of the decorations will follow soon.

This is a runner I bought from a young seamstress who was selling these at a super reasonable price.  I could have sewn one up myself but I wanted to help a beginning seamstress get a start making a living from the work she did.  I was working in an art gallery at the time and didn’t have time to make them myself, so I actually bought quite a few for several different holidays, she did a really good job on all of them.  I added a few fresh mini pumpkins with a candle centerpiece to bring out the traditional colors. The centerpiece will change again soon.

This little fall quilt sits on a cabinet in the dinning room.  I made this quilt with leftover triangles from a couple of large table runners I use on my dinning table.  I try to use as many of the leftover scraps from the making of my quilts and garments, no waste if I can help it.

One of the first things I change in my fall decorating is the dinning room table.  This table setting has a rust colored table cloth as the base, a leaf print table runner, brown woven place mats, a copper colored charger, and brown napkins with wooden napkin rings.  The center currently holds a vase of fall flowers and two large glass hurricane lamps with candles and burgundy glass pebbles.  The table sets the tone for the rest of the room decorations.

The very pretty little runner sitting on the entry table was one of the first quilted table runners I ever made, the bright colors and patterns make it one of my favorites. 

It’s time for me to go to storage this weekend and pull out the rest of the fall wreaths, ceramic pumpkins, centerpieces, candles and anything else I can find so I can finish my decorating.  I am running a bit late this year from trying to figure out how to write a blog, launching a new business and spending time with my new grand baby.

I was just thinking…one day life is slow and lazy then the next thing you know you get very busy and the holidays have begun creeping up on you when you weren’t looking.  Apparently I was napping in the California sun unaware the seasons had changed.  Better late then never.  So if you were not paying attention either, join the club and get busy decorating for fall.  If it isn’t a season you normally do any decorating for why not give it a try and see if you “fall” as in love with it as I am. 

Featured fabrics came from:  Homespun Harbor A Quilt Shop

www.homespunharbor.com

Where I like to buy fall decorations:

Michael's

JOANN Fabrics

Target

Kmart

Etc...