A Formal Christmas Dinner in the Kitchen for a Crowd

Looking through old pics from past Christmases I realized that our 2014 celebration with family never did get shared in a post.
So, here are lots of pics and a few links to some DIY's and a "Freebee" that you might like to try!

Thankfully our kitchen and dining area is quite large because we do not have an separate dining room or an open floor plan.
We were still able to entertain a crowd of 16.

Our round dining table and another six foot folding table accommodated eleven by making it join together as if it were one.
The room is not large enough to seat people entirely around each one and still have room to get around.

Our black Windsor chairs each were adorned with burlap and holly accents.

Mixed plates in white kept the place settings simple. Little tags for take home mementos were tied to each napkin with some jute.

Alternating seats had white with red grain sack striped napkins, that I quickly made, with evergreen wreath napkin holders and matching accents like the others.

Thin masking tape worked perfectly to create the stripes.

Red fabric paint to make them washable was such an easy DIY.

Red and white with some pops of green is always a festive combo.

The two tables sat 11 and four more sat at the nearby "bar."

With the tables tight together everyone was able to move freely around the kitchen, living room and other areas of the house.

Grandma's pearl earring accented the sleigh that became one centerpiece with a wintery look.

Not a perfect pic, but a dinner bell for a formal occasion is just so enchanting.

All 8 folding chairs got easy DIY covers as they always do.
You can find my easy peasy "50 cent" method and a very formal Christmas here!

Another centerpiece was made using an ironstone compote filled with water and held a single floating votive, some festive holly and a sprinkling of some plastic snow. 

Some glasses were red and some were green and all had my ornament name tags.

Free Holiday print out for your own place tags and gifts here.
Use a pen to hand personalize or add a perfected text in any photoshop program of your choice.

My grandmother's silver plate, in a few different sets, were laid upon bread plates for a tablescape twist.

 Here's a little tip that I use when entertaining (like seen on a drawer below) use a cutting board or a tray to fit on a pulled out drawer to create more serving space!

Mismatched stools sat two more of the family with the more formal draped chairs on the other side.

One last thing that I never forget is to decorate the chandy!
This one got it's look way before the tables were set.
It complimented the terrarium centerpiece below.

And, in case you're a tad bit curious for a few more ideas and a closer look you can see more of the bay window decor in that post here!



Now,  I've fallen so far behind in my decorating for this year and I can't wait to start creating all that I have in mind.
I just have to wait 'til Thanksgiving passes, now, before I can start making some really huge messes! 

Love, Hugs and Kisses,

JP

and Gucci, too!

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Re-wind to New Year's Eve 2013 a Celebration in Blue & Gold

I'm re-winding to New Year's Eve 2013.....the celebration was a hit and this post didn't get to make the rounds before New Year's to give you some ideas for your own bash...so, maybe this year!

 I was delighted when I was asked to assist in decorating the clubhouse, in River Run Plantation, the community where we have been residing for the past 1 1/2 years, now. 

Reservations for 30 was planned, so what a thrill it was to be able to create some beautiful, decor on a large scale and a wee bit nerve racking...a first time biggie for me!

I designed and ordered this special banner and beautiful new clock to be used for years to come.

  I always edit my photos using Pic Monkey's editing tools. It's a free website @ picmonkey.com

Since I love to play around with editing I upgraded to their Royale package to take advantage of their fun upgrades....it's worth the monthly $4.99 fee for me!

  Frost is one of my favorites to apply along with some fun bokeh effects, like the stars in the two photos above.

The clubhouse is such a great place for meetings, activities and a wonderful space to entertain! 

 

Here's another pic of the space with some changes using exposure, sharpening and frost. 

Isn't the clubhouse lovely all decked out in carribean blue with silver and gold?

 The band soon fit perfectly, in the corner, under the stars.

Seating areas were re-arranged for groups and intimate conversations...

and even a space for the guests to dance.

This pic has radiance effects.

I had a lot of helpers to assist with the execution of the decor. DIY, chair covers were cut and adorned by many. Plastic, dollar store, rectangular tablecovers were used to transform the plain folding chairs into elegant ones for around 50 cents each.

You can see more of how I used them in my Christmas post here!

The Christmas tree was re-decorated with hats and horns and co-ordinated decor.

And I highlighted the star on top of the tree with a little glare.... a fun touch...don't you agree?

A little lens flare, with more bokeh stars, was added here adding a fun festive touch.

This edit was done using the lipstick tool.

And then more of the same, by adding more highlights, to the centerpieces candle flames.

One of the centerpiece pics with a simple, film grain, touch.

More lens flare was added to the ornament in the centerpiece below.

Film grain, exposure and sparkle bokeh add some punch to this simple vignette.

Hats and horns waiting to be worn sat on the dividing wall.

Some lens flare editing was done here with highlights to the star on the chandelier.

This phenomenal cake was a feast for the eyes and the taste buds, too! Created by River Run's special cake decorator, Sandy Wolfe.

And then entertainment was enjoyed, for the celebration, by all!

 Love, Hugs and Kisses,

JP

and Gucci, too!

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A Formal Christmas Celebration & Our Dining Decor

Since, this post was created after Christmas last year and didn't make all of the "rounds", I'm re-posting it for all that may have missed it.

I hope that you all enjoyed your celebrations with your loved ones for Christmas. Ours was a beautiful one with family and friends here in N.C; but we missed our girls and boys more than ever! It just wasn't complete without them, so I'm sharing a lot of pics to show them what they missed this year :(

We managed to squeeze an extra table, to be able to accommodate twelve, in the dining area of our kitchen.

It worked out perfectly, with no one's back to look at!

Folding chairs were "formalized" with quick and easy covers made from dollar store, rectangle, plastic, table cloths.

 Cut one table cover in half.
  Drape it over the top of the chair back.
Tuck the seat side through and adjust the length to hit the floor.
Gather the backside and secure it with tape or string or ribbon.
Add your own accents with a bow or seasonal touches.
Fabric would be even nicer, but cost was my choice here
 50 cents per chair!

Our own chairs needed a little touch of sparkle, too.

Half of the napkins, with heirloom flatware, were wrapped with a trim of lace and secured with a large, white pearl and pearl head pin.

The other half were adorned with my thrift store, upscaled, metal napkin rings. 

White with glitter updated them from their original red and green ugliness!

My, great grandmother's, linen, tablecloth came out of storage to be admired for the day.

Emma Charlotta Knuckey was her name!

 That table's centerpiece was made from last year's thrift store find...this little, golden sleigh.

My treasured gift from my "Miss Kris" is the golden votive that sits within it.....the vintage necklace just adds that perfect touch of silvery bling!

Our white, garden lantern centered the table in the round....

with a pair of my mother's 1940's ornaments and my rhinestone, star ring for even more festive glam.

Epsom salts and glitter are sprinkled at the base.

Gold heart ornaments with rhinestone buttons added more charm here and there. They were gifts for all of my "girlfriends" as a memento of the day!

Our precious, little, dinner bell made it's seasonal debut.

 The chandy with it's festive glam...

 with pearls and ice in ivory and white....

 and golden heart for someone special.

 This is our bay window's touch of icy sparkle.... a mix of old and new!

 This picture is from my terrarium post before my craving for the day's "pops of red!"

Grandma's, crimson, crystal prisms were the first additions to my adding the reds.

The post of the terrarium is here.

The little, winter nest, with snow and pearls, is the perfect home for our little "love birds."
It's our very first ornament memento!

I tossed a few snowballs into the scene :)

and my glammed up church with rhinestones and gold beads...

with lots of candles flickering in the mix.

This was our beverage station for the day.

Champagne punch for Holiday Cheer.

And this is our table, today, with our Christmas gift for this year from our little "Miss Kris!"

Me and my Tanya sending Love to back home!

and more Love from me and my honey...

he was my man of the day with his cleaning and cooking and cleaning some more!

And now that this big post is over, I'll be resting today for my next really big task...the clubhouse decor for the New Year's Eve 2014 Bash!

  Love, Hugs and Kisses,

JP

and Gucci, too!

 To see more of my holiday inspirations you can check out my November & December 2013 and 2012 archives that can be found the left of this page!

 Like me? Follow me and I will follow you! 

Visiting Southport,  N.C? b e sure to stop by my booth @ the Northrop Antiques Mall and see what I may have there for you.

A very special "thank you" to Miss Stacey from staceyembracingchange
and Tammy from onemoretimeevents
for featuring this post on their blogs!

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