Christmas Dinner with Friends 2017

'Twas a Plaid Christmas that year.

2017

 I chose to tone down the red with some white, antique cutwork placemats. That way the Nikko plaid dinner plate could actually be seen on the table. I topped the dinner plate with a Royal Stafford Joyeux Noel salad plate. Crochet edge napkins were gathered into red velvet bows from Pier One. Community plate Signature forks and Vagabond House shed antler knives.

I chose Mikasa Parklane water goblets and Spanish silver wine glasses. The bold tablecloth needed bold pieces.

The red velvet napkin rings are "stiff" so they retain their shape throughout many uses!

I had made these place card holders in anticipation for this theme a year before. Inexpensive Walmart individual salt shakers, one per person. Discard the tops. Add some faux snow to the shaker. Insert a $Tree wire tree ornament  into the opening of the shaker. Attach with clear glue (keeping the glue out of the snow. Once dry, wrap a ribbon or bias cut plaid fabric around the screw portion of the shaker. The $tree Christmas Tree ornament has a star on top, so i used mini clothes pin to attach the place card to the star. Pretty simple, really. 

I love the lace on the plaid!

I have the sweetest friend who has a wholesale florist shop. He helps me pick out the best combination of flowers. 

 Sterling salt and peppers and candlesticks complete the look.

Monogrammed tea towels tied onto the chairs with red velvet ribbons.

Keeping the red velvet thing going.

Why does photo stitching always make the front look bowed? The buffet decked out with Mackenzie Childs runner.

 A vintage lunch box holds a snowy scene and is watched over by a reindeer with a tartan bow. 

 His mate is on the other side. Instead of candles inside the lanterns, I filled them with trees and fairy lights. 

I love a tree filled with white lights and memories. Do you do a stylized tree? Or one with all the ornaments that make you nostalgic?

 We serve cocktails and apps in the living room. When the theme involves red, the pillows, the dishes, the napkins all play right along.

 The large driftwood nativity is made by a Native American artist and was purchased by my husband in Santa Fe, NM. Happy Birthday to me!!

 'Twas a Christmas to remember!

Christmas Dinner with Friends 2016

Every year we host a Christmas dinner. Each year I try to come up with a different theme or color combinations, use conventional and unconventional Christmas china, and present a different menu. Each year in January the menu, tablescape and decor is set. Next year's theme was chosen while we were in Vail and a trial table has already been pulled together, so I'm way ahead of schedule! 😉

For this year, the theme was rustic; brown with green. I so badly wanted to use magnolia leaves in garlands around the house and on the table. A Williams Sonoma jacquard tablecloth was the first layer and provided the backdrop. 

However, the idea was sparked from this Kim Seybert beaded runner found at Cielo, Santa Fe, years ago. When they were still open. When they had so much eye candy that I could actually feel myself feel faint when entering into the store. It's always a bit sad to know that when we go to Santa Fe, Cielo is no more. Tears flowing! 😭😭😭

I monogrammed the matching napkins to the tablecloth. I just love the addition of a monogram on table linens. 💓 It's all in the details!

Etsy provided the perfect wooden tree slices for napkin rings. A wooden charger is the base for Spode Delamere dinner plates and Noritake Royal Hunt salad plates.

Vagabond stag flatware (natural sheds!), vintage crystal knife rests, Mikasa Parklane iced beverage glasses and Ajka Arabella wine hocks finish out the place settings. 

A recent trip to Bonnes Amies, a delightful store in Plainview, Texas. yielded the wooden tags used for placecards. Some die-cut winter branches, a few beads and handwritten names personalized the tags in a hurry! The name tags rest on some resin antlers sold by the pair as Christmas tree ornaments from Wal-Mart.  

Sterling and not sterling candleholders combine on each end of the table to provide ambient light at the table. A very vintage lace runner that belonged to my grandmother-in-law and then to my mother-in-love ran down the center of the table to break up the mass of brown.

 Lenox Holiday Tartan votive holders add some light at table level. Resin antiqued silver deer gussied up with a double-faced satin ribbon and a small bauble finish the centerpiece.

A silver Revere bowl provided the vessel for the flowers; white roses, alstroemeria, magnolia leaves and pheasant feathers. The arrangement lasted well over a week!

For dinner parties, I like to serve a salad to seated guests and then serve the remainder of the meal buffet style. It certainly breaks up the formality and gets guests up and moving! It's always a nice touch to add a menu to the table. It whets the appetite!

A rustic Christmas dinner indeed. The red touches add the perfect holiday touch to the table. 

Cast:

Tablecloth and napkins - Williams Sonoma

Chargers - Pier One Baroque

Dinner plates - Spode Delamere

Salad plates - Noritake Royal Hunt

Flatware - Vagabond House stag flatware (Horchow or Nieman Marcus)

Iced Beverage - Mikasa Parklane

Wine hocks - Ajka Arabella red cut to clear

I pray you had a blessed Christmas and wish you many blessings for the New Year ahead.