We hosted a Friendsgiving dinner last night and since I don’t cook, all I can really contribute is ambiance. A big part of that for me is having a beautiful table.

I knew I wanted the table to be neutral, Fall-inspired, and simple. We’ve had this burlap table runner forever and it was the perfect first layer. That’s how I always think when creating a table– how the different elements can be layered together.

My initial idea was to reuse the pumpkins I had painted from Ella’s birthday party. But since they were mostly childlike and whimsical pastels, I added some darker ceramic pumpkins to give the table a more refined look.

I added candles for some easy elegance.

I wanted to have fresh flowers, my new favorite table decor item, but didn’t know how to have them displayed. All my vases are pretty big or didn’t have the soft, simple look I was going for. I’ve been saving these Yoplait jars for a while now, waiting for inspiration to strike and it finally did for this project! I wanted to create an ombre effect with white and gold to match the color scheme and I like how they turned out. They aren’t uniform and I think that works better with the rest of the elements.

I chose white flowers to keep the colors really minimal but put the leaves on the burlap to tie in the green pumpkins. I added the birds for just the faintest touch of whimsy (I can’t help it at this point) and the tablescape was done!

The plates were fun to set up, though I had to google where exactly all the silverware should go. My Mom taught us when we were younger but I can still never remember. I love the gold, though, and those patterned plates were a wedding gift. They’re actually one of the mysteries of our marriage, we have no idea who gave them to us. And the cloth napkins, from Hearth & Hand, were the perfect final holiday touch.

We had a great time, Matthew did an excellent job with the food, and I would say our first Friendsgiving was a success!

xo

eb