Spooky Inspirations...

Hosted by Susan and Leigh
A little too busy again so I thought I could just regale you with delectably spooky inspirations for Halloween! *cackling* It's FREE (being thrifty) and CREATIVE (inspiring tables)...

Magick Rituals dot com

Semi Homemade dot com

E How dot com

How to Make a Halloween Tablescape (E How dot com)

Things You'll Need:
A roll of cork, approximately one quarter inch thick
Black poster paint
White poster paint
One foam brush
A retractable utility knife or equivalent
Fake rubber snakes, bugs and spiders
An old glove
One old newspaper or magazine
A piece of thick cardboard or a cutting mat
A vinyl tablecloth
Double stick tape
A costume ring or bracelet
Silk or paper leaves

Place the vinyl tablecloth onto the table where you want to make the Halloween tablescape. This will be used to protect the table. An old sheet or old tablecloth may also be used. Place strips of double-stick tape on the vinyl tablecloth. The double-stick tape will help keep the cork layer secure.

Unroll the cork onto the dining room table. Place the cork in a horizontal direction to achieve a flat surface. The cork may be unrolled just in the center of the table, to create a Halloween tablescape that will also accommodate dinner guests. Or, place unrolled cork on all surfaces of the table to create a complete Halloween tablescape.

Cut any excess pieces of cork from around the edges of the table. There will be more cutting required if the table is round, than if it is square. Use the retractable utility knife to carefully trim off the excess cork. Save the larger cork pieces for other projects.

Create openings in the cork for a three-dimensional effect. Draw a square near the center of the cork. From the center of the square, draw a large letter "x" which creates four triangles. Cut along the letter "x" leaving the outside of the square intact. Fold back the cork to create a creepy opening in the Halloween tablescape. Make more openings like this in different sizes.

Paint the cork with the black paint using the foam brush. The paint can be dabbed on or brushed on with a dry bush. Brush on white to create a cork surface that is a blend of white, black and gray. Use a rag or cloth to dab off excess paint.
Stuff the glove with pieces of crumpled newspaper. Paint the glove black. Add a piece of costume jewelry to the glove. Set the glove aside until it's dry.

Decorate the Halloween tablescape with the fake bugs, spiders and the hand. Stick the fake creatures slightly under the cork and through the openings in the cork. They will look as if they are crawling out of the ground. Also set the hand in the largest whole, to look like it is reaching out from the ground.

Scatter silk or paper leaves around the openings, and the table. Add any other Halloween gourds or miniature pumpkins to the Halloween tablescape.

Thanks to our hosts, Susan and Leigh once again. And to all of you, have a great weekend! Thank you, thank you!

Just A Halloween Table

Hosted by Susan and Leigh
THEME:
"Some Cookie Halloween"

INSPIRATION:
New cutters from Walmart
I didn't have any real rhyme or reason for this table, I just played around with the colors and the great buys I found from Ross and Walmart like the cute cookie cutters! I wanted to show them off somehow.

What do you think?

I like this blurry shot, it gave the table an eerie look. "woooooooo!"
Here's what it looks like normal...
An aerial shot of course.
Oh sorry, couldn't hold the camera straight. LOL

Here are the "stars" (get it they're bright like stars?) of the show!

I placed a tealight on top of each kitchen towel inside each cutter. The towels each have a different look (Ross, $4.99 for 3). I used my red Canopy "Cranberry" dinner plates (Walmart, $1 clearance each) and a black denim fabric I also got from Walmart where I got a 50-cent a yard discount because it was the last of the roll...

A pumpkin cutter...
Can't be Halloween without a ghostly form...
No Halloween without a glimpse of a black cat, right?
Or a gravestone for sure.
Heres' another pumpkin for those awesome jack-o's...
And last but not least, a skull form to round out the pack!

Each of the cutters were only $2-3 per set of 3, at Walmart. The tealights were from IKEA, 100 for $2.99 only! And the glasses and the candle holders, I got them from Marshall's and Hobby Lobby, respectively, for a deep discount, too!

Thanks to both our lovely hosts and to all of you for stopping by!

Have yourself a "cookie" Halloween! "mwah-ha-ha-ha!!!" (a bit much?)

Welcome Autumn!

Hosted by Rhoda
Hosted by Susan and Leigh

Hi everybody, I'm back! Well, temporarily anyway... Found some time and space tonight to do a Fall tablescape and it just happens to be Thrifty and Tablescape Thursday as well as a Fall Party! Lucky me!

THEME:
"Fall Is Here"

INSPIRATION:
Clearance Fall Tablecloth
I found this tablecloth at Kohl's a few months back for 80% off or $2.99 only!!! I was so happy when I found it but quickly blanked out on what to do with it. Then this whole uninvited break comes along and I completely forgot about it until just recently when I found it in one of our closets.

The Gibson "Wheat" dinnerware (I'm still not a fan of Gibson; just sayin') beautifully contrasts against the full pattern of the tablecloth. And... I only paid 99 cents each for those dinner plates! My thoughts, "voila!" a great tablescape!

Then there's my another Kohl's 80% find- Food Network's "Currant" dinnerware. Paid only $1.59 per salad plate!
Here's the tablescape. Informal yet with understated elegance. How?
All the pieces used are found on clearance or dirt cheap.

Two colors of paper napkins, purposely brighter than the tablecloth to simulate lightness or "floating" effect. The iron candleholder, also 80% off at Kohl's...
Gorham "Rose Serenade" crystal goblets, only $4 each, normally $15...
The fun setting of the utensils, Hampton's "Lace", deliberate to give each setting its own spotlight. (sorry the crystals are not polished, didn't have time.)
Didn't use any placemats or chargers to give it a more casual and rustic feel. Just like autumn...
Would you like to sit down? Choose a spot and enjoy a feast of your own choice abundant this season...
Aerial shot of the centerpiece- from back in June; candles, my staple white pillars.
A better aerial view...
How about here, by the window and feel the crisp breeze an autumn eve brings.

Thank you much to both our hosts, Susan, Rhoda and Leigh for being such wonderful hosts. And to all of you for being patient with me. I hope to be able to keep up with more memes soon!

TABLESCAPING IDEAS: ("Brain" is happy to have done one!) For busy or printed tablecloths, punctuate and accentuate simultaneously with solid dinnerware. Each piece stands out and blend in quietly, giving a harmonious note to any table.