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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Cardinals in our Faux Snow Covered Christmas Tree

I wanted a smaller, really snowy, Christmas tree this year, but I didn't want to spend money on buying a new one. So, I used the top 2/3rds of our old, 6 foot tree and added lots of homemade snow.


This was my inspiration for the tree and living room this year. I wanted to bring the outside in.

I'm not gonna lie, it was a really messy project.  I'm just glad that it was a gorgeous, early November day, in the70's and I could make my big ole mess outside!

I mixed up a batch of plaster of paris with some white paint and water. The epsom salts gave it some added texture to make it look more like snow.

You'll need to keep it on the "soupy side"....my first batch was way too thick and hardened quickly in my bucket!

I just slopped it, heavily, on each branch and sprinkled on some clear glitter to give it a bit more sparkle.
After I was done applying snow all over the tree it then took a few days for it to be dry enough to bring back inside.

It's no longer just a fake green tree....it's wintery and simple and just the right size.

I placed this cardinal, in it's white rope, nest near the top of the tree.

 I stole it off last year's winter white grapevine wreath  

Lots of babies are perched on top of branches 

and beside the rhinestone garland glam.

White, painted pine cones and fall ------------are tucked inside for a natural, wintery look.

I added red glitter to the star on top  of the tree.

This is how tall it was and with a little less snow still set up for Valentine's Day last year.


I'm all ready for Christmas, are you?

I'm really excited about sharing the rest of the room with you. There's a lot more glam and a bit of red cardinal mania.
It's gonna be a really long post!

 Love, Hugs and Kisses,

JP

and Gucci, too!

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