Thanksgiving/Fall Tablescape!

Last week I hosted a Stampin' Up party.

My friend/neighbor is a demonstrator and I have been wanting to host a workshop for quite awhile now!

I decided to set up a little table for the treats.

The catch... I challenged myself to only using what I had on hand, no shopping!

I will be honest, by this time I was burnt out with Halloween decor and I was in the middle of switching items around in my house preparing for fall.

I decided to go with a Fall/Thanksgiving inspired table.

I started by layering the table with burlap then brown fabric and finally a burnt red table cloth.

I really wanted to send the girls home with a homemade goodie, so I decided to make the caramel that I had seen here.

As I was thinking about where to set it on the table and walking around my house looking for inspiration, I found this shelf (which I had yet to hang up).

I added the jars of caramel to it, but it needed more. I fiddled with the hooks and realized that I could get them to turn upside down too, so I hung apples from them.

I loved how it turned out, and I decided that it would make a great focal point for the table.

Here is where I confess... I didn't have time to photograph the table before the guests arrived, so I had enough food left over to take photos the following day.
I had a hard time deciding how I wanted the table to look in the photographs.

Should the back drop be completely brown, no brown at all, or draped open?

Should I add height with candle holders, etc?

Should I hang the shelf or set it on the table or the hay or...?

So you see where I am going with this, I had a very indecisive day!

I designed and redesigned and along the way I took pictures.

The picture above does not have risers for the plates! 

Below I added risers!

 The picture above does not have a background, the picture below has a brown backdrop.

Although, these are suttle changes, I feel they make a BIG difference!

Thankfully I was able to decide on desserts :)

I ultimately did enjoy styling this table! I added a few personal touches with the thank you tags for the caramel and the table labels for the desserts. I also designed this welcome banner.

I enjoyed the challenge of only using what I had on hand. It is fun to repurpose items around the house, and to come up with your own unique ideas of how to use them!

I didn't quite make the challenge of not buying anything, I ended up buying these flowers! (does that count? :)

The "thank you tags" and "table labels" are part of my Fall/Thanksgiving collection that will be available soon in my little boutique! If you need them sooner, you can email me at partydesignsinbloom@live.com

Have a Fabulous Weekend!