Thanksgiving Table & New Tradition - Pinehurst 2011

While I am not really bummed about not having to cook for Thanksgiving,

I am a little bummed that my IRL folks won't get to hang out at this table.

It has a lot on it, but I wanted to use plenty of nature, lots of thrifty goods and just some unique finds to decorate the table.  Come sit for a spell.

        

(l) I have had a bowl of potpourri that has moved a few times already.

And by moved, I mean, been packed and shipped across the country.
Anyhow, I ship it because it has these really big pods and chunks in it.
I spread those across the table in between the pinecones.
The "candle holder" was blogged about on my Fall Mantel blog entry.
I picked up the cute bread plates from Goodwill for $1 each.
The white plate, I may have a few cases of.  May.
The gray plate was the first set of dishes I bought when we moved into the Gray Lady
(as I might sometimes refer to my big gray house).
The gold charger is from my wedding
(we had a small 60 person gig and actually brought in a lot of our catering service pieces).
The placemat is a felt leaf from BigLots.
Instead of centering the charger on the placemat, I offset the two.
I'll zoom out in another photo to show you.

(r) Close of up the almost Glassybaby-like not really candle holder.
Nope, those pinecones are not flocked.

(l) View of the table from the kitchen.
Instead of six settings (there are two of us, plus mom, sis and nephew),
I did five settings.  When we actually eat, we can use that end for the 6th as a serving space.
I actually used one of my turkey platters (I have three and yes, I still don't eat meat)
to set an overflowing cornucopia on top of.  I had the large iron pumpkin frame last year ($3, Goodwill).
I picked up the small iron pumpkin frame for $3 this year (Value Village).
The Love is Patient yellow wood sign in the window was $1 from the North Bend thrift store.
The framed and unframed Native American prints are by Edward S. Curtis.
They are both beautiful and help my family to stay grounded in my grandmother's roots.

(r) On top of the bread plates, I used wood salad bowls.
You find these for practically a dime a dozen at the Goodwill.
I never found a full, more rustic set.  So I bought mine in 2s or individually.
I love the mix match and the more rustic nature of the bowls.
Promise, I don't feed my family rocks.
I am a better cook than that.

(l)  From the chandelier. Because I like to hang out up here, evidently.
Here the table is filled out more.  You can see the place mat and charger offset from each other.
You can also see (we'll get closer), what I used to let folks know where to sit.
And you can see the fun chalkboard rocks we used last year.
Love those napkins.  Got them at Macy's because we had a gift card.
We thought we were going to get something else, but ended up with the Martha Stewart Napkins because we only had a couple bucks left and they were on clearance.

(r) I used three glasses for each setting. 
The small amber glass is for water.
We don't drink much water around these parts unless it was squoze from grapes.
Which explains why there are two wine glasses.
One for white (salad, desserts); one for red (meal, football, everything else)

(l) Close up of the chalkboard rocks that the one kids (young and old) got a kick out of last year.

(r) Close up of the Curtis photos.

(l) Close up of "placecards". I actually used Boggle letter cubes to spell out each guest's initials.
I would have gone with Scrabble although it is significantly easier and cheaper (in my experience) to find boggle sets in the thrift store than it is to find non-Jr. versions of Scrabble.
Don't know if I was missing a cube or if it is by design, but I didn't have a B in my set.  Not stressing.
No one else has my middle and last initial (smile).
Only splurge to the whole table was the flatware.
I LOVE it.  So much, I was shopping at one of those places that shall not be named (the likes of Ross, TJMaxx, Marshalls...) and came across a set I loved.  They had a bunch of sets, but didn't have two of any one.  I have a table that actually seats 8. The service came for 6.  I figured I was really only meant to have one set when I stumbled upon (at a different one of those said places that shall not be named) a set that I thought I loved even more a couple of months later.  Having not unpacked the original set, I was totally shocked, awed and pleased as punch to find that I had picked up the EXACT same set.  You'll be impressed to when I tell you that I actually almost got a different set but then walked back and was summoned back to the set that matched the serving for 6 in the trunk of my car.
Just. Saying.
Karma.

(r) One more long shot down the table. 
Here you can see that I added two tall, skinny vases.  They are packed pretty tight and narrow.
They are great for everyday, on the table.
For dinner, I would just pop the vases back in to their really neat wall holders
(they are actually wall sconces for holding flowers or candles or...whatever).

And the food view.
Once we're ready to eat...everyone knows where they are seated,
the tall vases are out of the way, the far end is cleared off for the real turkey.

Still promise I'm not feeding anyone rocks.
But an interesting tradition (if you will)
especially if you are in mixed company (some grace sayers, some not).

See the chalkboard rocks?  

I think it would be cool to break out the chalk, ask each person to write or draw one word that captures what they are thankful for.  Then, before digging in, go around the table and see what everyone said/drew.

I could see a particularly creative interpretation even being framed in a shadow box and displayed until next year.  When someone else could be the grand champion.

So doing that.

Linking up ya'll!
Tutorials & Tips Link Party at The Stories of A to Z
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