Welcome to our final post in the Fall Into the Holidays series!  If you are just now joining the series, I have teamed up with a talented group of ladies (Lisa of Shine Your Light, Pam of Simple Details, Julie of Less Than Perfect Life of Bliss, Jennifer of Dimples and Tangles, Katie of Miss Dixie, and Becky of This is Happiness) and we are sharing tips on how to get your homes ready for the holiday season.  We started the series off with kitchens in week one, bedrooms in week two, living rooms in week three, and today we are ending with dining rooms.  I’ll share a full source list at the bottom.

Now that you’re kitchens are in order, bedrooms are ready for guests, and your living rooms are in tip top shape for visitors, it’s time to get your dining room set up for Thanksgiving next week!  Now is when you want to figure out how you want your table to look.  Are you going fancy or simple?  What do you want your centerpiece to be?  Get all of this planned out now so you’re not running around flustered the day before.  Play around and try something new!  This year I decided to go with non-traditional fall flowers for the centerpiece and love the feel.  I’ll show you how I put together a couple of different looks using a lot of the same pieces.

Fancy Dining

I used the same black and white buffalo checked table cloth I used for last years’ Christmas table and also my husband’s backyard birthday party.  I am still digging this pattern, and the extra long length makes it feel a little more fancy.  The china was pulled out for this look and I used some of my stackable bangle bracelets as napkin rings.  There’s a mixture of metals going on and I like the added interest.  I also placed some tea lights alongside the brass candlesticks.  The more candlelight the better!

The centerpiece was quick and easy to whip up using flowers and a couple of artichokes I picked up at the grocery store.  My tip is to just grab stuff you like!  It doesn’t have to be traditional fall colors for Thanksgiving.  I added the artichokes by sticking floral wire into the stem.  The eucalyptus is actually leftovers from my Fall Home Tour.

Casual Dining

For this more casual table I removed the tablecloth and ran craft paper across the table as placemats.  This is actually the paper drop cloth you find in the paint department of the hardware store.  Not only does the craft paper look cool, but it makes clean up a breeze!  Instead of china plates, I used our everyday white dishes.  Same napkins, but they’re folded flat under the salad dish.  The votives were removed for a cleaner look, but the taper candles and floral arrangement stayed the same.

Since the table was already set, we had a candlelit dinner last night.  The kids’ frozen chicken nuggets never looked so fancy!  So, which is your favorite table.  Fancy or casual?

For more ideas and tips on how to get your living rooms ready before the holidays, visit these talented ladies!

Shine Your Light  |  Simple Details  |  Miss Dixie  |

Less Than Perfect Life of Bliss  |  Dimples and Tangles  |  This is Happiness

Special thanks to Lisa for pulling all of this together!!  I absolutely loved learning everyone’s tips and tricks for getting holiday ready.  I’ve never felt so prepared in all my life!

Sources:

Table // Side chairs // Slipcovered Chairs // DIY mud cloth pillows (tutorial here) // Buffalo check table cloth // Napkins // Marble look vase – Homegoods (similar here)// Brass candlesticks – thrifted (similar here) // Black candles // Drapes (tutorial here) // Slipcovered console (tutorial here) // Orb dining chandelier // Mirror // DIY pressed botanicals (tutorial here) // Dough bowl – Round Top (similar here) // Painted piano (tutorial here)