Tablescape Thursday: Christmas Dinner for Six

It's been awhile since I put together a tablescape for Tablescape Thursday and I was very excited to have some time to do one for this week. I didn't get a chance to do one for Halloween because I was so busy preparing for our costume party, but I was determined to do one for Christmas, even if I had to do it after the holidays.

This table is sort of a re-creation of a table I did many years ago at my mother's house for Christmas Eve dinner. I used plaid ribbon to "gift-wrap" the table itself.

A beautiful poinsettia plant, a hostess gift from my mother, forms the centerpiece of the table. I placed the plant in a silver wine bucket and decorated it with red berries. It is probably too tall to have on the table during an acutal meal, but it is easily removable.

An elegant holiday dinner calls for my formal china, the good crystal and formal silver plate flatware.

Taking a look at the cover, I have placed the cup and saucer to the upper left, with the bread plate at upper center. Just below it, a crystal salt dip for each guest.

Dark red damask napkins have been folded into a simple, yet elegant fold called the Chloe, and placed to the left, under the forks. Vintage linen hemstitch place mats have also been used. I have used several layers of linens on the table. A festive red tablecloth that was a $5 find at Goodwill, is underneath a vintage crocheted tablecloth. Over the top of those, a white table runner with a red embroidered monogram down the center.

 

A water goblet with matching wine glass, each with a platinum edge, are placed to the right of the cover. These are made by Mikasa and are called Jamestown Platinum. The platinum edge on the crystal matches the platinum edging on my formal china.

Small ball ornament place card holders are on each bread plate, with a name card.

Santa salt and pepper shakers with snow globe bellies.

A be-ribboned candy cane as a sweet after-dinner favor.

Thanks for joining me! I'll be linking up with Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.

  Formal china: Noritake, "Knottinghill"  ,1996

  Crystal goblets and wine: Mikasa, "Jamestown Platinum", 1996

  Silver flatware: "Baroque" by Godinger. Nieman-Marcus, 2010

  Tablecloth/linens: red damask napkins, Boston Store, 1997.

    red tablecloth, Goodwill. Crocheted tablecloth, vintage.

     Monogram hotel linen table runner, Pottery Barn, 2007.

     linen hemstitch place mats, vintage.
   Individual salt dips:  vintage, antique store purchase, 2010

   Silver wine bucket: Unmarked, pattern and maker unknown.

Santa brought vintage dishes...........

Hopefully everyone out in blogland had a nice holiday and found some lovely things under their Christmas trees........

I know that I found some nice things under mine.... (Gucci perfume,a great new book, a new All-Clad covered skillet and an ice cream/sorbet maker attachment for my Kitchen-Aid mixer from my darling hubby!)...and a number of other wonderful gifts from my family. Our cats, E.B. and Olive, even found things from Santa under the tree; new toys and a kitty window perch.

There were so many wonderful gifts this year, but I have a couple of favorites that I must show off.......

Aren't these Santa salt and pepper shakers adorable? Each Santa has a snow-globe belly too, complete with snow and silvery snowflakes inside. Shaking salt and pepper onto your veggies was never so fun! These were a gift from my stepmother.

I also received a set of vintage Pyrex bowls in the turquoise 'Butterprint" pattern. I have wanted a set of these forever!

I got all four of the sizes! The "Butterprint" pattern is sometimes also called the Amish Farmer, Farmer and Wife, Buttercup or Rooster & Corn. The turquoise color was supposedly the most common, but it was also offered in pink and white, or orange-yellow and white. I have not been able to find a picture of this pattern in red and white, but I could swear that someone, either my mother or grandmother, had a single white bowl in white, with this pattern in red.  My mother definitely had a set of the "Early American" pattern Pyrex bowls, brown on white.This color and decor scheme was very "in" when my parents built their first house in 1973.  Click HERE to look at other vintage Pyrex patterns. This set was a gift from my mother-in-law.

What did you find under your Christmas tree this year? I hope it was something good! Thanks for visiting!

I'll be joining Coloradolady for Vintage Thingie Thursday....check it out!

Christmas Goody Gifts

I always like to make up a little gift package for co-workers and my boss every Christmas. This year I put together  "cookies in a jar".

The dry ingredients, nuts and chocolate chips are layered in a large Mason jar. A recipe card is attached with instructions on how to make the cookies ( the recipient will have to add eggs, butter and vanilla themselves). I photocopied the recipe and attached it to pretty card stock and used ribbon.

It's an easy and inexpensive gift that is a perfect give-away to neighbors, teachers, co-workers and the like....

 I found a pair of nested painted wooden boxes at Michael's for about $3.00 and used them to package my gifts. Each box got a cookie jar..........

....and an assortment of  home-made Christmas cookies and home-made roasted pecans in small gift bags tied with ribbon...

A pretty card that I made gets tucked in with the gift bags..............

Ribbon and glittery tags that I stamped  decorate some of the gift bags as well..........

Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Open House; December 18th

This year we hosted a Christmas Open House on December 18th and my holiday preparations for the party, and then trying to get caught up on  Christmas shopping and wrapping gifts, has kept me very busy for the last week or more, which is why I haven't had a chance to sit down and post some pictures of our party until now!
It was a great party, we had a houseful of guests coming and going and I think everyone enjoyed themselves very much. Everyone loved our "Victorian Tea" and our decorations; we even played a few records on our c.1916 Mandel phonograph, which everyone delighted in very much.

I did manage to take a few photos of the food set up in the dining room before the guests arrived.

I bought some fresh flowers from Sam's Club to make a fresh flower arrangement for the sideboard.

We served the Christmas punch on the sideboard in our silver punch bowl.

I made a lovely little chocolate cherry bundt cake

There were plenty of home-made Christmas cookies and fudge:

For cookies, I made spiced hermits, Linzer squares, buried-cherry cookies, triple chocolate peppermint cookies and Santa's Whiskers. I also made two kinds of fudge; chocolate walnut and peanut butterscotch.

And of course, sugar cookie cut-outs decorated with icing and sugars.............

Light and tasty vanilla crescents with walnut chocolate fudge..........

I put out my coffee and tea tray with a variety of flavored creamers for coffee and lemon and sugar for the tea. The carnival glass spooner came in handy for holding the teaspoons.

One thing about collecting random creamer jugs is that I always have plenty on hand!

I also made these Almond Pine Cone cheese balls;

Here they are plated with crackers, as well as two trays of tea sandwiches in the background;

A collection of pretty plates for the treats.................

On the table in the kitchen we had wine and a drinks tub of bottled water and juice boxes on ice (for the children). Erik bought this beautiul silver wine chiller bucket for me on the day of the party:

It was a lovely party and lots of fun!

Have a safe and happy holiday! Merry Christmas!