Use What Your Mama Gave Ya!

Happy Thursday Friends! I can’t say I’m quite ready to commit to summer being over, and ringing in the Fall (although I have to admit, I love love love the fall). So in hope of not giving up the beautiful, sunny, and warm season, I thought I would infuse what last bits of summer we have into my home… and what better way to do such then with a new tablescape. I really enjoy decorating our home, and changing items up seasonally, but I have to admit that with our home not being entirely done, it’s hard to justify buying every new bit of seasonal decor that catches my eye. That’s why I venture to the source of all things pretty – my mom! She is where (as I’m sure I have mentioned before) I discovered my love of tablescapes and decorating your home for the season… did I ever mention to you that growing up, we had 3 large/full sized Christmas Trees, plus several smaller ones around the home! Oh yes, you read that right… and each had it’s own dedicated theme. How fitting to ask her to join me in designing the table today!

So First off, before i show you all of the great designs we came up with, I want to thank my mama!

Today I’m going to talk a little about how a few changes, some borrowed accessories, and a little creativity can change the look of a room… or in my case, the look of my dining room table. This is the table I stare at day in and day out from pretty much anywhere in the kitchen/living room/dinning area since we have an open concept main floor. The point of this, is to treat my dining space as a cohesive part of our house.

When we first were talking about our dining area, both Clint and I agreed we didn’t want anything formal. We love having big get togethers, and lots of people around the table, but didn’t want to loose that with a formal space, or an actual different room all together. So our dining table is our main table for dinners and such. We have an island with 3 stools which helps us with breakfast rush in the morning, or lunches. Since we have two little girls, one more on the way, and are planning one more after that (yes, we are hopefully – god willing- going to have 4 kids), we wanted a table that would stick by us for years to come. This is the investment piece. As it sits now, we have a harvest table, stained with a walnut finish on the top and black legs and black ladder back chairs. We even sprung for the matching bench (walnut stained on top with matching black legs). We went to a local antique store and had it custom built to fit our space. We lucked out since they actually had 2 inch thick oak from Ireland for the top, and pine for the base & legs. Every day it can hold 5 people sitting around the table on chairs, and another 3 – 4 on the bench. It’s 6 feet long to start with… then we asked for two leaves. Since this is a reclaimed wooden table, the leaves actually slide onto either end. This is to maintain the strength of the reclaimed wood, and not compromise it over the years. With both leaves in, the table stretches out to 9 feet long. That sounds massive… and i’m not going to lie – it is. When the table is in full length, we have to put it on a angle to accommodate everyone, but it works. Our hope was to be able to have both of our families over for meals, and not have to have everyone sitting all over the place. Was it worth it? Every. Last. Penny. We are a soon to be family of 5, my in-laws alone are another group of 5, and since I’m only child, it’s another 2 members on my side. That table can squeeze all of us together – and nothing is better then being able to sit around the table with your family and enjoy a good meal.

Back to the tablescape: Since I stare at this for most of my day, I want to look up and see something pretty and something that works well for our family. Yes it would be lovely having a full on table setting, but practically speaking, we are not going to tear down and reconstruct a full table of add-ons before & after every meal. The key? Keep it simple & sweet.

I wanted to show you how easy it can be to set up a beautiful little space with simple things you have on hand. For example, I will share with you some of the details from the Green & White Table above.

1. Who says you need to decorate with fresh flowers all of the time? Like the greenery? It’s Italian Parsley!  Plus there’s a little bowl of green apples, and the pears on the paper napkins tie everything together.
2. Use Mason jars for more then food! I have them here holding my coffee spoons!
3. Levels: not everything is equal. Since the Italian Parsley is quite high, my mom and I decided to add a white cake stand holding two green chevron t-lights! The stand is also holding a ceramic pear (ties in with the food theme on the table), and a simple white pillar candle on a white holder will allow a little candle light in the evening when the kids go to bed, and Clint and I continue to stay up chatting.
4. Like the table runner? What table runner?! It’s a beautiful piece of fabric my mom had left over from covering her outdoor chairs!

Continuing with the theme of using what you already own, and some fruit to decorate, why not add a splash of colour?! I love the blues, green and citrus colours in this table scheme! By re-suing the white pear, and white stand, plus the Italian Parsley, we have a new depth of colour with the blue and green. Simple blue paper napkins, and a blue mason jar help make the white pop against the bowl of grapefruits & lemons. Since the white tray holding them was a little too low for my liking, I grabbed my wooden cake stand, and set it on top. Adds a little bit of surprise and an outdoorsy element.

And since I wasn’t done there, I wanted to highlight one other table set-up, still using what I have from around my home.

This white & green tablescape should not be confused with the green and white table above… ha ha ha just kidding! Yes there are several differences including the table runner (this is an actual table cloth), and I added the white cutlery in the mason jar rather then just the coffee spoons. I also highlighted the wooden cake stand, and used a t-light holder as a vase for my fresh mint!

The point is, with just a little thinking, creativity, using items your have around your home (and maybe a quick call to your mom), you can easily create an inviting space to suit your mood, or the season. While I don’t plan on having 6 Christmas trees in my home, each with its own dedicated theme and ornament selection, I do and can appreciate how small things with a quick refresh can make your house feel like a home. This doesn’t always mean painting a wall, or wallpapering your entry way, but small and simple things can be done to make your personality injected into your space, and when that happens, nothing can compare.

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I always love reading your comments and questions. If you have any leave a comment below and I will definitely get back to you! If not feel free to email me at fuchsiafreezer@gmail.com. I try and return all my emails within a 24 hour period, so yours won’t be forgotten! Want to see what’s cookin’ in my kitchen? Keep tabs on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter! I love connecting with you and always want to see what you’re into as well!

And since you are always so goo to hang around and read the little things, I will let you know what’s coming up next! I have created a 3-part mini series: Cook Once, Eat Thrice! I think it sounds pretty self explanatory, but in the event it isn’t, you can cook once, and get three fully completed meals out of one round of cooking. Keep an eye out Saturday, that’s when the first part gets launched – and this is a dish you don’t want to miss! 🙂

Have a great day everyone! Cheers xo