Rustic Winter Tablescape
When I was a little girl, my brother and I had the chore of setting and clearing the dinner table. We’d take turns between the two and sometimes I’d try and convince him to help me when it was my turn to clear the table – that was my least favorite (his, too) and for the record, he rarely took me up on it! But, when it was my turn to set the table, I was in my glory. That was, and still is today, my favorite part.
If you know me personally, we’ve probably had a conversation about how much I love styling tables and that if I could do it for a living, I’d jump at the opportunity. My favorite part of the whole process is coming up with a theme and then figuring out how to make it happen on a shoestring budget. That’s exactly what I did for this Rustic Winter Tablescape.
I really wanted a simple, modern Winter plate for this theme, but couldn’t find anything that really went with our decor other than something that was way out of budget and that wasn’t going to happen. Didn’t someone say necessity is is the mother of invention?
Several years ago, I had a friend that gifted me a coffee mug she had drawn a picture on with a Sharpie and I thought, why couldn’t I do that with a dessert or salad plate? So, off too the Dollar Tree I went in search of some inexpensive white plates. I already had a black Sharpie and the only other supplies I needed were rubbing alcohol, paper towels and my oven.
I didn’t even practice before I started, I just jumped in and started scribbling my simple tree on the center of the plate. If I made a mistake, I just dampened a paper towel with the rubbing alcohol and wiped it right off. After I finished drawing on each of my plates, I placed them in a cold oven and heated it to 350 degrees. Once the oven reached that temperature, I set the timer for 30 minutes and then turned the oven off. Then I left the plates inside the oven until they completely cooled. That’s it! So simple! Just as an FYI, it’s probably best to hand wash them if you decide to try making your own. Once I had them baked and cooled, it was time to set the table!
I used a dark green and white check runner and napkins from HomeGoods that we’ve had for a couple of years. Then layered a burlap runner over top of the checked one. Many layers make things much more interesting.
The Hearth and Hand galvanized chargers and black stoneware plates are staples that mom and I use quite often. Having basics like that make creating fresh, new tablescapes easy with the simple addition of linens or flowers or even DIY Sharpie plates!
I placed one of our unused faux cedar garlands down the center of the table and zhuzhed it up a little with a few pine cones. For height, I grabbed a DIY globe from our family room coffee table, stole the silver antlers from the living room and some old Target Dollar Spot votive candles from several years ago. Some stemless glasses and sparkly gold flatware we’ve had for years and the result turned out exactly as I pictured in my mind!
Simple, rustic, a little modern or contemporary and the perfect setting for a casual dinner with family and friends.
– Carol
