Happy Fall Everyone! I know I’m a few weeks early but I wanted to try out this tablescape composed of 100% thrifted items from the tablecloth on up. The flowers were from my backyard.
So how do you go about building a tablescape. I usually have some sort of inspiration to start from. In this case it was the tablecloth that I bought at Goodwill for $3.00. I buy a lot of seasonal linens from the thrift store. Just be sure to open them up completely and check the back and the front for any soiled areas before purchasing. Then as soon as you get it home, throw it in the wash. This one had no spots and laundered beautifully.
Next I like to pull together all the things I might use on the table. Here you can see plates, napkins, napkin rings, chargers, flowers, place mats, center piece, glasses and flatware.
Then start building your tablescape from the table cloth up.
The next layer can be a runner or tray or wooden board, garland, whatever you want to anchor the center of your table.
I found these leaf cut out table mats for $1.00 each. There were four different colors and they went nicely with the table cloth and the Fall theme. I coupled them with the stems together and spread them down the center of the table.
Next came low flower arrangements.
I started with two Barking Spider pottery bowls I found at the thrift store. The Pottery still makes them which is nice. They were in a four lot of mismatched pieces. The bowls are not identical but they work. Then I cut some florist foam to fit, wet it in the sink and began to build the arrangement. I just cut some hydrangea from my bushes and quickly put this together. Took about 15 minutes.
Next I placed them where the stems met on the placemats. I love the colors of the hydrangea this time of year. It’s the perfect time to bring them into the house for drying.
The next layer was the actual place setting. Here I used a white wooden charger as the base. It pulled out the white in the table cloth and kept everything from being too dark. On top of the charger I used a pottery plate and then a rooster salad plate as the final layer. Found all of these layers at various thrift stores in the area. The stainless is Nicole Miller’s Serene pattern and this was truly a steel. 12 place settings plus extra pieces for under $5.00. I thought they had made a mistake but apparently not so I very quickly put them in my basket.
Next came the glasses, wines and water. These are blown glass and the green color comes mostly at the base and at the rim. They are really pretty and I love to use them in the Fall and Winter especially. I didn’t buy them together but purchased them at different times when thrifting. I also have a water pitcher in the same blown green glass that came with the water glasses.
I added napkins in a complimentary color, also purchased at the thrift store along with napkin rings. The napkin rings were a little too gold so set them flat on the table and had the napkin sitting more upright.
When I looked at the table I realized it looked a little bare in the center. My husband thought this was where the food should go…LOL. So…
… I grabbed another piece of Barking Spider Pottery and added some faux fall vegetables and this cute little wooden rooster to add a little fun and whimsy to the table. The wooden rooster highlights the roosters on the plates.
I thought the finished product was really fun and I had a good time putting it together.
Unexpected treasures found at the thrift store can be a fun way to decorate for the season without spending a lot of money and makes for perfect screen porch dining.