simple solutions: easy fall table decor

[photo credited to Chez Fifi http://fabulousfifi.typepad.com/chez_fifi/page/20/
Here's what she said about this and other photos: "I took the photos below at a wonderful press event held this past weekend at Moss Mountain Farm, outside Little Rock, Arkansas, the home of P. Allen Smith (www.pallensmith.com) the fabulous host of the PBS series: P. Allen Smith Gardens."]

if i could choose anywhere to host a fall dinner party or a thanksgiving dinner,

it would be in a setting like THIS one shown above! 

what a delightful way to create a memorable autumn event. 

this is a wall built with straw bales that fronts a party tent. brilliant.

can't you just picture this at dusk, with candles glowing and soft music playing?

ahhhhhh....

oh, sorry... that's not a 'Simple Solution' at ALL, is it?! enough dream sequences...

let's get back to the real world of trying to fit decorating into our already busy schedules!

one thanksgiving arrived and i had been so busy at work that i forgot about the table decor.

that sounds completely AWFUL, doesn't it??? well, life happens sometimes... we've all been there.

after a mad dash through the house ensued,

with me grabbing anything and everything that looked remotely like it would work....

amazingly, it DID work!

 no one ever knew that i threw the decor together in minutes...

here's how it worked:

*used a fabric scarf - very large, almost sari-like -as the tablecloth.

it allowed the golden wood of the table to show, and created a garden lattice effect.

to continue that unexpected 'fall garden' theme, 

*filled some white ironstone bowls and platters with 'natural' elements i had on hand:

a faux acorn vine, creamy white resin and my sweet sweater pumpkins,
bleached leaves, and dried hydrangeas right from the yard.

*white pillar candles placed in tall glass vases added lots of sparkle

AND kept the flame away from little fingers

*place markers are Scrabble tiles arranged on each salad plate 

to spell out the name of the guest who would be sitting there.

the little plate above was for my sweet almost two year old grandson.

no, he didn't eat from it ;0)

after getting rave reviews on the decor, a little light bulb went on:
stop fussing over the table, Deb! keep it simple and make your day a whole lot easier...

the next year, here's what i did on the table for thanksgiving:

*folded a white linen tablecloth and used it as a runner.
*filled some glass italian yogurt jars with water and CHEAP white carnations
*scattered some bleached leaves and votive cups with tealights in them down the runner.
*set placesettings with my white dinnerware, linen napkins, glassware, and silver.

it only took me about FIFTEEN MINUTES to do this whole thing!

the flowers still smelled good, the candles still glowed and flickered warmly...
it still said 'fall' and 'thanksgiving' and 'family'...
it just WHISPERED it instead of shouting.

(and instead of last-minute fretting, fussing and foofing of the table,.
i was sitting in a chair with a glass of wine, visiting with my daughters and grandsons.
now THAT is something to be thankful for!)