Welcome, welcome to the Blog today. I’m so happy you’re here to join me for a fun display of Halloween exuberance. This is a special holiday for many children and adults so pour a cup of your favorite beverage and join me as I share with you this Halloween Tablescape Blog. I wanted to put together a fun, not so scary, table setting that reminded me of childhood days going from one neighbor’s house to another to trick-or-treat. Every house had a jack-o-lantern to help light the way. Sadly my days of trick-or-treating are over but these “Ghoulish Gourds” became the theme for my Halloween table.
I am delighted to be joining some incredibly talented ladies led by Rita of Panoply to share with all of you some ideas for setting a spectacular Halloween table.
You’ll find links to all these Blog sites at the end of this post.
The idea for Ghoulish Gourds began with a centerpiece of jack-p-lanterns raised on a pedestal to become the focal point of the table. I wanted something a bit different so I decided to try a neutral palate for my Halloween theme.
You can see last year’s Halloween tablescape here: https://thriftingwonderland.com/2022/10/11/practical-magic-halloween/
Unfortunately, I didn’t have a pedestal large enough or any white pumpkins so I enlisted my talented Hubby to build and stain the pedestal and I proceeded to paint my jack-o-lanterns in a linen color.
To complete the centerpiece I added a real off-white pumpkin and decorated it with flowers and vines from the garden. It was quite fun to do and I think it turned out really well.
To balance the flower pumpkin I baked a pumpkin harvest loaf and formed it into a pumpkin shape. I set this on a beautiful bread board that sits on an over-turned wooden bowl to raise it up from the table. The stem of the pumpkin is a cinnamon stick. This was my first try and, I have to say, with all modesty, that it tasted great. It even looks like a pumpkin.
Here you can see the length of the centerpiece that rests on a neutral runner spanning the entire length of the table.
I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on this very seasonal tablescape so I shopped my home. The placemats are a recent thrifting find and add texture and a neutral background to the place setting. I had the glass chargers which have a hint of orange or bronze to reflect the holiday and have lovely silver filagree flowers scattered around the edge of the charger. Next I used my everyday dishes by Mikasa, “English Countryside” to echo the flowered edge of the chargers and the neutral colors I was looking for. A small wreath of neutral oak leaves sits on top of a beautifully embroidered napkin. These two things separate the setting from the top Pottery Barn pumpkin plate found thrifting. The pumpkin place card holder was a score from Hobby Lobby during their 75% off sale last year.
I found this fabulous set of flatware at a Thrift Store last year. The pattern is Cache by Yamazaki. It is really something and goes beautifully with the charger. The same scrolling appears on both…a happy coincidence.
The wine glass is silver plate that I allowed to tarnish. The patina is perfect for this setting and picks up the colors in the charger and flatware. In contrast the crystal, etched, water glass reflects an old world feeling. The etching in the glass is also of a flower that fits in well with the rest of the table.
All the elements work together to create a neutral setting for a fun Halloween table. Then I decided I had to have the rest of the room reflect what was happening on the table.
The hutch is filled with Fall and Halloween pieces. You can see lots more pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns and even pumpkin plates embellished with floating jack-o-lanterns. Black and gold and black and white plates are scattered around the hutch. A vase filled with yellow sunflowers and herbs from the garden adds a dash of color to the setting.
A visiting scarecrow with a happy jack-o-lantern head presides over the tea tray. Neutral pumpkins and a dash of color from the garden add to the mix.
A wonderful, ornate and heavy candelabra in wrought iron takes center stage on the tea tray.
Above the table floating pumpkins are reflected in the mirror. It all looks ready for a Halloween celebration.
But look what happens when the lights go down and the skies darken. The jack-o-lanterns are lit from within and suddenly Halloween is a bit more real.People have been making jack-o’-lanterns at Halloween for centuries. The practice originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed “Stingy Jack.” According to the story, Stingy Jack invited the devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn’t want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form.
Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. The next year, Jack again tricked the Devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree’s bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years.
Soon after, Jack died. As the legend goes, God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with it ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as “Jack of the Lantern,” and then, simply “Jack O’Lantern.” …from the History Channel
The soft glow of the inner jack-o-lantern lights the table as silverware gleams and smiling faces join the guests.
The candelabra shows its true form as candle flame infuses the night.
Jack-o-lanterns from the hutch join the party as the guest list expands.
So many friendly jack-o-lanterns are present here to wish you a Very Happy Halloween!
You are all welcome at this Halloween Table!
Jack joins me in inviting you to click on the links below to visit my fellow bloggers and their creative ideas for a Halloween tablescape. Happy Halloween!
Panoply – There’s a Little Witch in All of Us
Home is Where the Boat Is – Halloween Rules
Hyacinths for the Soul – Pumpkin Wishes and Candy Corn Kisses
Everyday Living – A Grand(s) Halloween Party
Pandora’s Box – “Hey Pumpkin, What’s for lunch?”
The Bookish Dilettante – October Vignette: Think Pink!
Thrifting Wonderland – Dinner With Ghoulish Gourds
My Thrift Store Addiction – Elegantly Eerie Arachnophile Tea Party
Dinner at Eight – A Hauntingly Delightful Halloween
The Cats’ Whiskerz – Quoth the Raven “Nevermore”; a Halloween Tablescape
Life and Linda – Happy Boo Tablescape
The Painted Apron – The Witch’s Hat
Me and My Captain – Black is the New Orange
Corner of Plaid and Paisley – Broom Parking – Halloween Tablescape
Celebrate and Decorate – Black & White & Red All Over for Halloween!
Red Cottage Chronicles – Orange and Black Halloween Tablescape
My Hubbard Home – As the Crow Flies| a fun tablescape to celebrate autumn
The flatware is amazing and really caught my eye – what a great find! Your table is so inviting and i adore all of your white pumpkins scattered around. The candelabra is amazing and your shelves are filled with lots of “eye candy”! Well done!
Thanks, Patti, I really enjoyed putting this one together. It was pretty stress free and I loved the different color palate. A pleasure to join you for the hop. Have a great week.
Lynne
I like your neutral color scheme, your place settings are so pretty the way you stacked the plates on the chargers with the napkins and leaves. The flatware is gorgeous, what a great find! The pedestal your husband made is awesome and your pumpkin bread turned out so perfect! I love how all the Jack o’lanterns light up at night, and enjoyed reading their history. The whole dining area looks so festive, you have definitely set theme for Halloween!
Jenna
Thanks, Jenna, all the elements seemed to come together easily for this one. It was a really different color palate for me and I found myself enjoying it. I am so lucky that my husband is willing and able to help out when I need it. He is very encouraging and enjoys all the taste-testing when I bake. Lovely hopping with you. Have a wonderful week.
Lynne
I’m really enjoying the neutral colors and that you tied the rest of the room in with the table setting. The baked bread looks like it would taste yummy, and it does look like a cute pumpkin! The riser, made by your husband is beautiful. I like the sleek look and the color you stained it.
Happy October
Thanks, Rachelle. I loved how the riser turned out and have lots of plans for it in the future. It worked well stained and really let the pumpkins shine. Thanks for visiting and a pleasure to hop with you. Have a great week.
Lynne
Such a lovely tablescape. The pumpkins make a great centerpiece. The Cache by Yamazaki flatware is beyond gorgeous. Love the stacked plate with added napkins and leaves. Your hubby is quite handy making the pedestal. How wonderful to make fresh baked bread the shape of a pumpkin. Loving your dining room mirror. A pleasure joining you on this blog hop.
Thanks, Linda, I feel so fortunate that my husband can create what I need. He’s quite the craftsman. He did enjoy sampling the pumpkin after I took the photos. It was fun using a different color palate for Halloween. Always a pleasure to hop with you. Have a great week.
Lynne
Your jack o’lanterns are so cute, especially when illuminated at night! Now…the star of that table for me is that amazing flatware!! Gorgeous! I think I would use that for every single table I styled!
Thanks, Chloe, the flatware was a really good find and I use it quite a lot. It is quite intricate and seems to go with everything. the pumpkins brought back lots of childhood memories. Thanks for visiting and a pleasure to hop with you. Have a great week.
Lynne
Your jack o’lanterns are so cute, especially when illuminated after dark! The star of this table for me is that amazing flatware! What a find that was! It is absolutely gorgeous!
I absolutely love all your white pumpkins and Jack-o-lanterns. Your centerpiece is so much fun! Thanks for taking a photo in the dark (at night): It’s fun seeing them illuminated! Your place settings are beautiful nods to fall, and the pumpkin harvest loaf is pretty, and I bet it tasted delicious, too! Happy Halloween!
Thanks, Ricki, its the first time I’ve chosen such a neutral palate for Halloween but I am loving it. I have a soft spot for lighted jack o lanterns and the room looked quite Halloween (is that a word). Lots of fun. thanks for visiting and sharing. Happy halloween!
Lynne
Wow…just wow!! This tablescape is perfect for the season. That cutlery is amazing…it’s sad to think someone gave it up. But, how wonderful you got it because you knew just what to do with it. I go through spurts of wanting neutral pumpkins then back to orange. Luckily, I have lots of all of them! I didn’t know the bit about jack’o’lanterns. That was really interesting!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
thanks, Marsha, I was very excited by the flatware and love using it. It’s quite dramatic. I go back and forth between color and neutral as well. There’s room for both at halloween. Have a great week and thanks for stopping by and sharing.
Lynne
How fun being greeted by all those candle lit smiling jack-o-lanterns. Love everything about your plate stack including those silver floral rimmed chargers. The tarnished wine goblets add an extra glow to your table too. Nicely done.
Thanks, Jan, I really love how this whole thing came together. The plate stack came together and I loved being able to use the chargers with the flatware. Have a great week and thanks for sharing.
Lynne
Lynne, I really really like the neutral colors that you chose for your table. The plate stack is lovely and those chargers and flatware are gorgeous! I loved the lighted pumpkins on the riser and how you decorated the hutch and buffet. But oh my, I am is complete awe of that pumpkin bread – how on earth did you do that? It looks delicious as well! The history of the jack-o-lanterns was really interesting too. It was fun joining you on this hop and wishing you a wonderful October.
Thanks, Kim, I found the bread on Pinterest and really just followed the directions. The bread is made in a kettle and was really pretty easy. You tie it with string to make the shape and that worked out well. A fun bake. It’s so nice to be able to use things I have put away. I try to do that every day so that things aren’t sitting in a closet or drawer. Makes me feel good to set a lovely table. thanks for sharing and have a great week.
Lynne
So enjoyed seeing your neutral Halloween table! I love the white pumpkins, and elevating them up a bit was a great idea. They especially look amazing all lit up at night! Your floral arrangement in the white pumpkin is stunning! It is so pretty. Your place settings are perfection. Everything from the placemats, to the leaves, the plates, and the pumpkins on top show your attention to detail! I would amiss if I didn’t mention that incredible flatware! Really beautiful 🙂
Thanks, Maureen, this one was a joy to do. I really loved using all the beautiful elements. I’m so lucky that my Hubby is handy and doesn’t mind building something for the table. the flatware really was an incredible find and I was reluctant to buy it as it was more than I usually pay but so glad I did. thanks for stopping by and sharing. Lovely to hop with you.
Lynne
You have such an eye for finding wonderful thrifted treasures. The stemware conveys elegance and the flatware elevates neutral plates. As for the pedestal, it is lovely and gves just the right amount of prominence to the jack o’ lanterns. Neutral colors contribute to a more subdued Halloween celebration (dare I say ‘adult’? lol) but the grins on the jacks bring the mischief. It’s fun to hop with you!
Thanks, Sandra, it was fun to try my hand at a more neutral palate. The flatware was a really nice lucky find. Always a pleasure to hop with you. Have a great Halloween.
Lynne
Lynne, your neutral Halloween table is lovely and the plate stack is perfect. I love the white pumpkins and they look great on the riser. The flatware is so unusual, but gorgeous. The pumpkin harvest loaf looks amazing and I am sure delicious. I really enjoyed seeing the nighttime photos. It is fun hopping with you 🍂🧡🍁
Thanks, Pam. What’s Halloween without a little candlelight? It’s fun to have a “slightly” spooky but friendly Halloween table that welcomes. A pleasure hopping with you. Have a great week.
Lynne
Beautiful blooming pumpkin Lynne and I love that gorgeous and no doubt delicious bread loaf too! The shape of the forks of your Cache by Yamazaki is so unique. So nice to have a handy and willing hubby to build (and stain, no less!) your riser for your pumpkins. Beautiful plate stack and gorgeous chargers! As always, it’s a treat to join you at the table and hop with you. Happy October! 🎃
Thanks so much, Mary. I loved doing the pumpkin. It was a fun project and easier than I expected. My Hubby is definitely a keeper.
Always a pleasure to hope with you. Have a great Halloween!
Lynne
I have always embraced unique twists on decorating and celebrating this holiday, and I love what you’ve done here. The floral pumpkin design and the bread are the stars here with the tabletop plate stacks, in my opinion. I really like the coordinated approach of the mat, charger, plates, place card and especially the flatware (such a cool design). I’ve already mentioned how I loved your chandy design when you shared that, and the spooky appearance at night definitely casts an eerie vibe over the entire design. And let me say that history of the jack-o-lantern is certainly what has likely put the scary in Halloween, I wasn’t aware of it. It might also have to do with why I never really got into this holiday (any devilish theme was too scary, and the fact that my schedule in late October of performing in the ballet was in direct conflict). Growing up Catholic, we always love the holiday because the next day (All Saints’ Day) was a holy day of obligation (no school, just mass), and we’d gloat in the fact that our public school friends had to go to school while we stayed home and ate candy. I appreciate your participating in, adding a bit of history to, and sharing your design style in this Halloween blog hop, Lynne!
There are so many memories associated with the celebration of holidays and each one is precious. I grew up in Canada and Halloween tricks-or-treating was almost always done with snowsuits on when we were little. I really enjoyed putting this tablescape together using a different palate and all the additional elements in the room. It was a little world all it’s own. Thanks so much for your hard work in putting the hop together. It’s always a pleasure working with you. Happy Halloween!
Lynne
Great decorating here–love the whole combination. And that pedestal your husband made–well, all I can say is that that guy is a “keeper!” It turned out great. But as a woman who is a lover of stories, I most enjoyed the story of the jack o’ lantern you included–it made the whole creation even more interesting! And I so love a woman who hangs out at the History Channel–we must be kin somewhere along the line for I tune in there SO OFTEN. Even did a stint on our County History Center Board. You are very creative! and a thrifter like my daughter, so you scored big time.
Thanks so much, Sheila. I always like to know the historical background surrounding a holiday or event that I’m working with. Such “cool” things to learn and the information is readily available. I am definitely keeping my Hubby. Happy to hear you have a Thrifter in the family. there’s lots of stories and adventures at the thrift Store. Have a great week.
Lynne
I visited earlier but couldn’t leave a comment. Lynne, your table is wonderful! I love a long table with interest down the center, and yours is super with the parade of white jack-o-lanterns and the blooming pumpkin. I also love seeing the decor around your home. I’m in love with the folk art painting above the side table. Please tell me about this piece.
Thanks, Sarah. The painting is one we had commissioned to commemorate our first five years of marriage. It shows our home at the time, where we met, our wedding, our parents and kids and other family members. We love it and it is such a nice reminder of our first years together. It was painted by a local folk artist in Maryland. thanks for asking. Hope you have a wonderful week.
Lynne
Lynne, this table is spectacularly ‘spooktacular’!!!!! :>}. I can’t emphasize it any plainer, lol. Every element coordinated, contrasted, blended, blinged. Love, Love, Love. For this holiday I am partial to skeletons & have culled the remaining different thematic objects (as part of my purge). Last year was the neutral palate for me. Question: Your hubby made that wonderful copper & wood long box. Did you try it out upside down or would it have been too high?
Thanks, Robin, I was really;y happy with how this turned out. Glad to see someone else is purging their stash. Culling can be a lonely activity. I did try the box upside down as I thought that would work. Unfortunately, or fortunately since I now have a stand, it was too narrow for the pumpkins. I’ll be using the copper box in the coming weeks and I’m thinking up other things he can make for me. LOL. Thanks for stopping by and have a great week. Good luck with the skeletons.
Lynne
Lynne, Your table is exceptional! And I love your story about Jack. I had never heard that and it certainly explains why I am not favorable to this day as I don’t like all the demon and witches, etc. However, you have risen above all that with your wonderful bread pumpkin…you talented girl you…..and your pumpkins lined down the center of your table. I also like that you carried out your theme on your sideboard, etc. So pretty with all the lights out and your flatware and glass charger are perfect. It is always a pleasure to blog hop with you. Have a sensational Autumn. Kari
Thanks so much, Kari. I really enjoyed putting this tablescape together. It was quite fun and only a little “spook”. Always a pleasure to “hop” with you. Have a wonderful week.
Lynne
So much creativity here – I had never heard the lore behind jack-o-lanterns, but I love all the ones you’ve included! That flatware is really stunning – I’ve never seen anything like it!
Thanks, Janet, the flatware was a really great find. I love the stories behind things so Often try to research the elements of the tablescape. It was interesting learning about the jack o Lantern. Thanks for visiting and sharing. Have a great week.
Lynne
Thanks so much for the feature, Ahna. Always a pleasure to visit your Blog.
Lynne
Love how the tablescape turned out. I’ll be featuring this post tomorrow over at Crazy Little Love Birds link party. 🙂
Party starts at 9 a.m. MST Thank you for sharing it with us at party #9
https://crazylittlelovebirds.blogspot.com/
Really appreciate the feature, Stephanie. This was one of my favorite tablescapes and I’m so happy to share it on your site. Have a great week.
Lynne
I love this color scheme and now you’ve inspired me! Thanks so much for the creative ideas!
Thanks so much, Laura, I’m a little late getting back to you but it’s been a rather unusual week. Hope your Hallowe’en decor turns out beautifully.
Lynne
Congratulations! This post was one of the two most-viewed posts from the Will Blog for Comments #11 linkup! It will be in the spotlight starting today and all next week. You’re welcome to save the “featured favorite at Will Blog for Comments” image and add it to your post if you like. Hope to see you again next week.
Thanks so much Jennifer. I really enjoy your Blog. It’s always a pleasure to visit with you.
Lynne
I love the white pumpkins you used on your table! Thank you for sharing this post with the Home Imagined Link Party!
Thanks, Anna, it was a fun table setting to put together. Looking forward to visiting soon.
Lynne