Fun and Festive Holiday Table - A Colorful Christmas

"Tis the season for something Fun, Fresh and Festive!

It seems like everywhere you look it's red, green, gold and white Christmas decor.  Well I say break the mold, liven it up.  Surprise your holiday guest with some new and non traditional this year.  My client had his employee Christmas party as his house this year and he wanted it to be fun, so I said "COLOR PLEASE"!

These beautiful hand painted Italian plates were just the thing to get it on an poppin'.  I love the fun design and use of varied colors, but what made these work most was the fact that they still had hints of the traditional Christmas colors in them so it was easy to make them relate to the holiday.

So let me show you what I did.  First remove all the chairs from around the table.  It will keep your walk around space free and clear of the "Oh Sugar I dropped the hand painted Italian plate that I can't replace" from happening. Then I used a deep green velvet table cloth over top of a vinyl table pad to protect the table from drunken holiday spills (you know someone always gets tipsy at these things).  Why green you ask, well after all it still is the holidays and I wanted to make sure everything still linked to that.  Then I added the centerpiece in the middle.  For the video on how to create this easy centerpiece check out my Youtube channel.  The reason I added the centerpiece now instead of at the end, was I am adding quite a bit of dishes on the table and I didn't want to have to worry about reaching over them and knocking them down after setting everything up perfectly.

Next I add leather charger plates, as anchors for the place settings.  I liked these chargers instead of the shining gold or silver traditional ones because they are unexpected.  You might think it looks out of place right now against the green velvet but the juxtapose of textures is going to make the dishes pop off the table more.

Next I added the plates and soup bowls.  Remember it's important to plan out your menu before hand to make sure you have the appropriate amount of plating, flatware, and stemware for your meal.  I knew the menu a week prior so that gave me plenty of time to get it together.

I added glasses to the table, as I rule of thumb I always make sure there are at least two piece of drink ware on the table.  One water goblet or glass and one wine glass, red or white.  Now that is not to say that you have to have can only have two, but you should always make sure there is fresh water on the table, hence the water goblet or glass,  Then you can opt to serve whatever wine you like or have a non alcoholic option for the other glass.  At my family holiday dinners we usually have a toast, so I add an extra champagne flute.  This holiday party was actually an inhome cooking seminar so everyone stood around the chief with a glass of champagne and listened to the chief it was really AWESOME!

Then I added the flatware.  We had to pack in NINE people at this table so the settings were going to be tight.  I wanted to make sure everyone had the correct amount of flatware so I added to the table in the formal style to the table utilizing all the area around the place setting.  I added the napkins and the place cards.  The napkins are slightly tucked in between the plates and chargers.  I like this method because it makes it easier for people to grab their napkin and place it on their lap.  It also adds a layer of negative space when using white linens and a good contrast to the table cloth.  Now, in this picture the napkins aren't ironed yet, but I always prefer to iron them with a lite starch before putting them on the table.  I just wanted to show you this as soon as I could!!!!

My client brought these cute nutcracker Christmas crackers.  No no no, not the kind you eat.  Here is the definition if you should feel so inclined, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_cracker.

These are those fun toys that look like big piece of candy wrapped.  Two people pull on these and they pop open.  Inside is a fun prize.  They have a lot of different kinds out there as it is becoming popular in the U.S.  I added them to the top of the soup bowl to prompt people to open them prior to their meal.  It just adds an additional element of holiday fun for your guest and sets the festive mood.  Here are a few links to some pretty ones.  I saw some in Costco the other that had jewelry in them...SAY WHAT!!!!

1. http://www.amazon.com/Set-Bows-Berries-Christmas-Crackers/dp/B001HW71PC
2. http://www.basbleu.com/cgi-bin/hazel.cgi?ACTION=DETAIL&ITEM=UH0672&websource=GOOGLSH&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=PLA&coupon_code=BBGOOGLE7&gclid=CMX987yws7sCFaxr7Aod-XAAqQ
3. http://www.worldmarket.com/category/seasonal/christmas/holiday-decor/christmas+crackers.do

Well I hope you enjoyed that read, Happy Holidays and Happy Crafting!  

Don't forget to subscribe to my blog and Youtube channel for the lastest "How To's" from yours truely!

Ciao for Now!

-Q-

I want one that looks like me! - Black Angel Tree Toppers

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!

Usually, I use a Star at the top of my tree, but since my Christmas tree theme was inspired by a peacock feather I wanted an Angel with feathers on top of the tree.  My cousin told me she has a difficult time finding Black Angel Tree Toppers....I said get out of town, it can't be that hard.  MAN, she was right.... not only was it tough to find the topper, but when I did they did NOT fit my theme...SSSSSOOOOOOO, that's right you guessed it.  I made one myself.  What do you think?

FROM THAT

TO THIS!

I went to Walmart and found this inexpensive ballerina doll called " Funville Sparkle Girlz".  I liked this doll because her facial features resembled my own.  Cat eyes, round nose and DARK skin...ding I found the winner.  It also helps that she was only 5 BUCKS!  (So getting one for my niece for Christmas!)  Then I searched their craft department for peacock feathers, I was in luck because I got the last two..PHEW!  Then in their fabric department I looked in the quilting section.  Those of you who quilt know this, but for those that don't, you can buy pieces of fabric in quarters in the quiliting section instead of having to buy a whole yard.  I didn't need a lot of fabric so this was the ticket.  I bought a pack of quarters and got 5 coordinating pieces of fabric for $7.99.  Took the guess work right out of searching for more complimentary fabrics. Lastly, I hit the trim section and picked up a 1/2 yard of trim for $1, and a stool of ribbon/trim for $1.  I went to Michaels to find the remaining feathers I needed, found some for $6.99 with a 40% off coupon.  Bam I was on my way with only having to spend about $25.00.  Loving it!

I got home and stared at my hual...hum...I had to figure out the construction.  Meaning, I had all the materials, now what the HECK do I do with them...lol.  Well I figured it out, but first I needed to take care of one issue, my ballerina had this silky straight hair and I wanted mine to have kinky curly hair.  So, I took locks of it and braided it into about 8-10 braids, then I rolled the braids with drinking straws.  Dipped the whole head in super hot water for about 10 seconds.  I let that dry on a towel, came back an unraveled everything and was PLEASANTLY surprised to find a SUPER COOL AFRO!!!! YES, it worked.  So I styled it and then started putting everything together using the rest of my materials.  I used poster board to construct the skirt/cone for stability.  I made the wings of feathers separately on poster board then glued them onto the back.  I wired her hands together and I was done.  I used a hot glue gun for everything, NO SEWING REQUIRED.  I think it took me all of an hour or so.  So pleased, even my husband was amazed that I could go from what I started with to our Angel.

Here are some more Black Angels that I thought were nice if you don't have the time to make your own.

http://www.christmas-forever.com/thestore/prods/NS7281021-16B.htm

http://www.christmas-forever.com/thestore/prods/NS8285824-14A.html

Happy Holidays and Happy Crafting.  Thanks for reading.  Ciao for Now!

-Q-

DIY Festive Christmas Votive Candles

Every year I get a little nuts around the Holidays and I go crafting crazy.  Surprise Surprise right....

I just can't help myself.  The stores are filled with holiday items that I swear I can make myself.  

Well I was in Homegoods yesterday looking for some votive holders to place on my foyer table for an "Everyday is a Holiday" kind of look.  I wanted something sort of traditional that I could use every year. After walking around the store saying over and over again "THEY WANT HOW MUCH FOR THAT!", I decided to make my own.  Holiday decor can get expensive fast and if you're like me with a large Santa list, then you know how important it is to save money by doing some things yourself.  Once I purchased the supplies, I was able to make several of these votives for the price of ONE in the store. SSSHHHH LISTEN, did you hear that?  That was the sounds of money dropping in my piggy bank, CHA CHING!

Super simple an expensive project!  Try it!

 Things you'll need:

1. Glass votive jar http://www.dollartree.com/household/home-decor/Candleholders/Rocks-Glass-Candle-Holders-4-inch/500c542c911p294384/index.pro?method=search
2. Colored burlap similar to this one.  http://www.walmart.com/ip/Design-It-SimpleStyle-FloraCraft-Burlap-Roll/23717565
3. Lace ribbon http://www.walmart.com/ip/Berwick-Offray-Antiquity-White-Lace-Ribbon/22700348
4. Thin Ribbon, Yarn, Hemp or Cording, you can find this in many craft places even the Dollar Tree.
5. Small jingle bells.  Look in Michaels or Hobby Lobby.  Sorry I can't seem to find a direct link.
6. Some sort of embellishment.  A berry, miniature bow, rhinestone...whatever you want
7. Hot glue gun
8. 10 mins of your time

Ok, so let's get started.

1. WRAP THE BURLAP AROUND THE GLASS JAR TO MEASURE THE LENGTH YOU NEED AND CUT IT

2. HOT GLUE ONE END TO THE GLASS JAR LEAVING EXTRA AT THE TOP

3. GLUE THE OTHER END OF THE BURLAP TO THE JAR OVERLAPPING THE OVER SIDE

4. MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE ENOUGH BURLAP AT THE TOP OF THE JAR FOR EFFECT.

5. TRIM THE TOP FINISHED EDGE OFF YOUR BURLAP

6. FRAY THE BURLAP BY PULLING ON THE TREADS AND UNRAVELING IT FROM THE TOP

7. IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE THIS WHEN DONE

8. WRAP YOUR LACE RIBBON AROUND THE BURLAP, MEASURE AND CUT

9. GLUE ONE EDGE OF THE RIBBON DOWN AT THE SAME SEAM AS THE BURLAP

10. WRAP THE RIBBON AROUND THE BURLAP IN THE CENTER AND GLUE DOWN OTHER EDGE OVERLAPPING THE FIRST EDGE

11.  WRAP THE CORD AROUND THE GLASS LEAVING EXTRA TO TIE WITH, MEASURE AND CUT

12.  ADD SMALL JINGLE BELLS TO THE ENDS OF THE CORD WITH HOT GLUE 

13. TIE CORD AROUND LACE IN THE MIDDLE MAKING A KNOT

14. GLUE DOWN THE KNOT SO NOTHING MOVES WHILE YOU WORK 

15. MAKE A BOW OUT OF ANOTHER PIECE OF CORD

16. GLUE THE BOW ON WITH HOT GLUE AT THE POINT OF THE KNOT

17. THEN SNIP THE EXCESS OFF

LASTLY, ADD YOUR EMBELLISHMENT OVER THE BOW AND KNOT
 YOU'RE DONE!

Thanks for reading and don't forget to subscribe and follow for more crafting and DIY tips.  Happy Holidays and Happy Crafting.  Ciao for Now!

-Q-