WINTER GREETINGS (Part Two): A Lenox Tablescape and My 300th Post/No Strings Attached Giveaway!

One year ago (Christmas 2013)), we had plans to go on a trip with our godchildren and their family the day after Christmas, and I had no plans to do a Christmas tablescape.

We had invitations to dine with close friends for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

The following day, we were bound for our road trip.

That all changed, however, when a friend who was hosting an ornament exchange dinner  became ill.

Her illness shifted the event to my house, and I had to decide how to proceed with very little prep time. So this is what I devised...

One of my ideas was to place these ornaments in a punch bowl in the kitchen which was a staging area, an easy peasy, no-brainer centerpiece that nods to the ornament exchange theme...

As to the actual dining table, one of my favorite Christmas patterns is an everyday pattern by Lenox called "Winter Greetings".

The pattern features four varieties of birds, and years ago, I started collecting some dinner plates with chickadees and others with redbirds, the latter seen featured in this shot from Google Image...

 While our dessert plates feature chickadees (also a shot from Google Image)...

As do our mugs (as seen from Google Image)...

Another blogger and friend, Pat from Back Porch Musings, has this same pattern, and I have been interested in how Pat has dressed her hearth room table over the years.  I used this shot of Pat's tablescape (below) as an inspiration point for mine...

But instead of using Christmas trees which I didn't have on hand, I used some twiggy tole candle holders we've owned for many years...

I decided to intersperse those with faux greenery as seen in this inspiration shot from who knows where...

We have a variety of napkin rings, but I thought these old standbys (from Maas Brothers, remember them?) would do the trick since the cinnamon sticks look like mini logs...

And echo the twiggy effect of the candle holders as well as the greenery, pine cones, and berries woven down the center of the table...

The flatware also echoes the twigs...

While the red goblets...

Pop the red from the plates, the napkins, the Christmas crackers, and the berries...

My holiday tables always nod to England with the inclusion of Christmas crackers.

Who doesn't like a corny joke, a prize, and a jolly paper crown??? (Makes me wonder if members of the Royal Family wear them on Christmas!)

These tiny plaid votive holders were purchased years ago and are often used on the table which, in this case, is dressed in a white plaid jacquard cloth...

Next, I tucked candy cane ornaments in with the napkins as one of the party favors for the ornament exchange...

And each guest also received a monogram ornament as a party favor, a prize that sort of softens the blow when things become testy with people stealing ornaments from each other as the exchange heats up to a fever pitch! ;-)

I set the table several ways before the dinner. I debated serving salad as a separate course, but opted out and chose to serve cranberry congealed salad on the dinner plate instead. So just ignore the placement of the salad forks.  This is not a test. ;-)

And ignore the dessert forks which I placed before I decided to serve dessert in the library...

Which is why they were removed from the table in this next shot.  Didn't want you to think I had gone all wonky on you. ;-)

I tried to get shots at different times of the day because the lighting in this room is not kind to photos.

And as usual, I can't decide between shots.

So I will just let you choose and hope you enjoy my nod to WINTER GREETINGS...

Lights, Camera, Action!

There were some beautiful guests who went along with this tablescape, but I don't have their permission to feature them on the blog and have to respect their privacy.  Besides, they were all wearing their paper crowns which sort of squishes your hair! ;-)

Now, I am joining:

Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for TABLESCAPE THURSDAY.

Michael Lee West at Rattlebridge Farm for FOODIE FRIDAY AND EVERYTHING ELSE.

Beverly at How Sweet The Sound for PINK SATURDAY.

I also hope you will join me in saluting the old year and ringing in the new while celebrating my 300th post and SIX YEAR Anniversary!  I simply cannot believe I have been blogging that long and have written that much over the years, and even more astonishingly, that you read it! :-)

CONTEST!  CONTEST!  CONTEST! CONTEST! CONTEST! CONTEST! CONTEST!

To that end, I thought I would reward one of my readers/fellow bloggers with a favorite tablescaping book by the late Joe Nye.  It's called FLAIR.  The thing I like about Joe Nye, aside from his interior design skill and cute eyeglasses, is that he used common, grocery store flowers as centerpieces and made them look special.  He also discussed in the book how to condition the flowers. After all, he started his career as a florist and went on to become a famous event planner and decorator.

You DO NOT have to be a follower to enter, and everyone has the same chance.  I will put each name in a shopping bag and draw a winner.  This is not a promotion of any sort, but a gift from me to one of you. And if you don't want to enter, that's fine, too.  Just say so in your comments. While I hate to limit this to North America, I am afraid I have to because the shipping to other countries on a book this size/weight would be prohibitive along with customs. 

Since tablescapes seem to be what you enjoy most on my blog, I would like to know whether you want to see me do more formal tablescapes or more casual ones?

If you could leave your preference in your comments that would be grand.

I have seen a trend starting with your favorite posts, and I'm wondering whether I should ride the wave or not.

I have had a tendency to feature tablescapes that are affordable and hopefully cute, but if you want to see more formal fare like some of the tables featured on the blog, that can be arranged.

One thing I have no shortage of is china.  I feel a bit like Imelda Marcos and her shoes, though when accused I have been known to defend myself by saying that china is meant to be shared while shoes are not. ;-)

Happy New Year, best of luck, and let the tablescapes begin!

xoxox

Mrs. Magpie (Sheila)

ACCOUTREMENTS:

CHINA:  Winter Greetings Everyday by Lenox (Unfortunately discontinued, but wonderful because it's dishwasher safe!)

FLATWARE:  Dark Faux Bamboo Handles from Horchow (Very affordable and dishwasher safe! Sometimes you can find this as Ross!)

RED GOBLETS:  A gift from my Mother in Law

PLAIN GLASSES:  Dollar Tree (Love the shape of these and the pricepoinr at a dollar apiece!)

TOLE TWIG CANDLE HOLDERS:  Vintage (Thrifted many years ago in North Florida!)

CHRISTMAS CRACKERS: Found at a number of stores from Marshall's, Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Tuesday Morning to Pier One, and you could probably find them at World Market, too.  Right now, they are on sale at Pier One as I saw some there earlier this week!