Not-So-Spooky Spider Tablescape

Welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday, where I share what's on my mind and invite you to join in by linking up and sharing your thoughts too!  Today I'm sharing my Halloween tablescape!

Halloween will be here before we know it.  We skipped putting up our Halloween decorations this year and went straight into Fall.  But I couldn't totally ignore it so I decided to do a not-so-spooky tablescape in honor of Halloween.

Target had the cutest Happy Halloween plates this year and I couldn't resist picking some up.  I only got 4 and now I'm thinking I might get a few more.  

The buffalo plaid placemats are from Amazon.  When they arrived, the package was super thin and I was afraid there really wasn't four in the pack.  Wrong!  They were all there.  The upside is they won't take up hardly any room to store.  :)

A couple packages of glittery spiders from Michaels went a long way!  I used glue dots to attach them to the glasses and candlesticks.  

Overall, the table came together super quick leaving me plenty of time to move on to the menu!  

Shop the Post

Buffalo Plaid Placemats

Happy Halloween Plates

Gold Flatware

Black Candles

Candlesticks

Now it's your turn.  What are you thinking out loud about today?  Link up and share!

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2024 Year of the Dragon

The Year of the Dragon 2024 is upon us!  Seems like a perfect theme to use for a dinner party!  In the Chinese folklore, the dragon is a majestic and lucky creature.  It symbolizes bravery, creativity, and innovation.  Here's how we creatively celebrated with our tablescape!

I found a three-piece dragon on Amazon and thought it would be perfect to use as the centerpiece.  When it arrived, it was much smaller than I had anticipated so I improvised by propping it up in three floral centerpieces.  Hidden beneath each dragon piece is a shot glass holding it up.  

At each place setting was the traditional red envelope with gold chocolate coins tucked inside.  The Chinese tradition of the envelopes is those who receive one are wished another safe and peaceful year.  

I had just bought a black tablecloth and napkins for our New Year's tablescape and was happy to use it again so soon.  When I buy new stuff like that, I always think "I'll use this a lot".  Then most of the time it sits in the closet for years.  Not this time!  

For dinner, I made one of our favorite things - Sukiyaki!  You can find the recipe HERE.  We served the Sukiyaki over rice and had pre-made eggrolls and crab rangoon on the side.  It was such an easy menu and made putting the dinner party together so effortless!

People born in the Year of the Dragon are said to be charismatic, ambitious, adventurous, and fearless.  They possess confidence, independence, and vision.  Cheers to embracing the Dragon's energy this year.  I hope you set your intentions and soar toward your dreams!

Mardi Gras Tablescape

Mardi Gras is right around the corner and this year I decided to honor the holiday with a tablescape to celebrate!  That's what I'm thinking out loud about today!

Mardi Gras occurs every year the day before Ash Wednesday.  This year that falls on March 1.  The first thing I did when I decided to decorate was called my friend Carol to solicit her help.  And boy, did she come through!  

Carol created the dining room centerpiece and the decorations on the light using the colors we've come to know as those that represent Mardi Gras - purple, green, and gold.  Purple symbolizes justice, green reflects faith, and gold represents power.

I scoured Amazon looking for accents and found purple placemats and napkins with a fleur dis design. 

A few months ago, I bought the gold-accented china on Facebook Marketplace.  They are perfect for this tablescape!  I think when I bought them, Eric wondered if I would ever use them.  Yes, Eric - I'm using them!  🙂

This weekend I'm hosting a girls' weekend at our house.  I can't wait to have everyone sitting around the table and raising a glass to Mardi Gras!

So that's what I'm thinking out loud about today.  Now it's your turn!  Link up and share ~

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Happy Thanksgiving

                             

On this day of thanksgiving, many of us will hustle and bustle around trying to get our meals together or travel to someone's house to enjoy the day - never stopping to relax and reflect.  There are so many things in our lives that we take for granted or expect, we sometimes forget to be thankful for them.  As we celebrate today, please take a minute to reflect on how truly lucky we are -- not only for the things we currently have in our lives, but also for the opportunities we have to make our lives better.  

We will be celebrating with our son and daughter-in-law, my parents, my brother and his family and Eric's mom.  I love hosting holidays!  Here's a picture of our table.

The silver I blogged about HERE is making its first appearance (but definitely not the last).

I would also like to thank each of you for stopping by my blog.  I appreciate you, your comments and your loyalty.  Hope you have a glorious day!

Enjoy more Thoughts for Thursday at

Home of Malones

East Coast Chic

A Handful of Everything
Hodges Podges