Last Christmas Tabletop post for 2009!

Not only is this the last Christmas tabletop post for 2009 but this will also be the last official post of 2009.  2010 is sure to be a great blogging year, especially since we will be starting the year off with a very exciting announcement first thing on January 1st!

Today's tabletop photos are of the kids table.  This, in my opinion, turned out super cute, and was really thrown together at the last minute!  Out of all of my tabletops I thought this was the most fun.  So without further adu...

This table was the perfect mix of fun and fancy that the kids really enjoyed having their own table (much unlike my sad days at rickety card table)!  As with all of the tabletops featured here the cost for this was incredibly inexpensive since I spent $0.  I especially loved this table because I was able to mix-and-match different seasonal items together.  The plates, green tray, and cups were all items I picked up in the after spring clearance at Target.  The other items were all things picked up in previous years during the Christmas season.  I also really loved the fresher green color mixed with the sparkly chargers - just hte perfect whimsy for a kids table!

I hope you've enjoyed your tour of my holiday table tops.  If you're anything like me this past year left me feeling like this:

Don't forget to tune in first thing tomorrow morning!

Have a safe & Happy New Year!

More holiday tabletops

Don't forget to check the blog on Friday January 1, 2010 for an exciting & important announcement!


Today I'm featuring two of my tabletops that are very similar to each other, which is why they are being posted together, but they are a little different.  Last Sunday our home was host to a small dinner.  The following photos are the dining table settings.

I love how the ornaments from the chandelier look when photographed!

The place settings were pretty bare, but I was exhausted this year!  Looking back I wish they weren't so plain, but considering everything was pulled from what I had in house I don't think they were bad for last minute!

The following two photos are of my dining table the week prior to Christmas.  The settings are pretty similar to the ones above except the tablecloth is red and I used the coffee mugs from a Christmas set I was given to add a little more 'holiday' to the table.

Thanks for looking - don't forget to check back tomorrow for another table top!

Appetizer tray

On Christmas Eve my curly haired husband and I were able to host his family over for a Christmas exchange.  Although we didn't sit down to a meal we wanted to make the extra effort to make the day special.  In that vein I pulled out a gold serving tray, some monogrammed appetizer plates (thanks mom!), ice bucket, candy dish, cheese dish, small dish caddy, and a few juice glasses to create this afternoon snack station.  I'd like to note that outside of the food and drinks purchased the cost for pulling this together was $0.

Don't forget to check back on Friday for the big announcement!

Christmas Wrap Up!

I had high hopes of blogging about holiday table tops pre-holiday, but alas found myself too busy to actually do it. However this week is very exciting in that I will be announcing some big news on Friday here on the blog. In anticipation of such a monument us occasion I've decided to do a rundown of the various tabletops and entertaining enjoyed over the past 2 weeks as we've made our rounds for Christmas.

So to start off this week here is the tabletop enjoyed at my dad's family dinner table; planned & executed by my step-mom.

One of the things that I loved about this setting was that the majority of the things weren't 'Christmas-ey' and that very little was actually purchased for this tablescape to happen.  The gold chargers were a new purchase but the white plates, red bowls, and wine glasses were all in-house items.  Once again this just goes to show that a beautiful table doesn't have to cost a lot!

Thanksgiving Place Settings

Today is double dose day on Junebug!  I've had these pictures from our Thanksgiving table on my camera for a month and just now downloaded them to share.  Sorry for the out of season post, but sometimes late is better than never!

This year we spent Thanksgiving day with my dad's family. My step mom had purchased some really adorable autumn items to dress the table with. At the last minute I found myself putting the table together. Here's how it turned out:

These two pics are of the 'kids' table (Note the paper napkins).  This is just a simple card table that was transformed with a fall tablecloth and some simple accessories.

These two pictures are of the adult table.  The placecard holders are some of my old favorites of Martha's.  My dad and I literally made these Thanksgiving morning in less than half an hour from sticks in our backyard and a glue gun!

Birthday Invitation Design

As I shared earlier this month I am planning my 11 year old sisters 12th birthday party.  She has requested a smiley face theme which I am turning into a black and yellow affair with smiley & damask accents.

I finished the invitations this morning and I think that they turned out super cute!  So without further adu, here they are:

For these invites I used free Target jewelry boxes which I painted white (I'd recommend finding white boxes, but hey, free is free) and the candies are lemonheads.  I found the damask ribbon and the smiley face foam stickers at Hobby Lobby.  The envelope wraps are by The Fussy Designer which can be found here.  Overall I have to say that I think these turned out just perfect for the occasion!

 

Entertaining Essentials

The more I entertain and party plan the more thankful I am that I've invested my money wisely in useful, multi-funtional entertaining pieces.  Recently I've found myself in the midst of planning several upcoming events and the fact that I already own a good stock of foundational pieces really makes planning much easier.  Not only is purchasing entertaining basics better for the environment, but it helps keep your budget down!  I find myself able to invest in more specialized decor elements instead of having to worry about taking care of the basics.  So in the interest of sharing I've compiled a list of my entertaining 'must-haves'. You'll notice that the majority of these aren't expensive (several can be found at Target!) and aren't hard to find items.  If you're looking for ways to spice up a blah party or are looking to build your collection I highly recommend starting here!

Silver Chargers

This set is from Target, $5.99 for 4.  I always buy in at least sets of 8 or sets of 12 when it's availalbe.  $5.99 is already a great price for this set, but I always try and pick mine up during the seasonal sales when things are marked down 50% or more!

A long tablecloth

My dining room table seats 8 and has no leaf, which means that I have to go out of my way to look for extra long tableclothes.  My mom gave me this one for Christmas and it has easily worked it's way into my favorite entertaining items.  It's neutral in color so it works in nearly every season, it is simple and stylish.  This one is currently $25 at Target.

White Serving Dishes

I own a variety of white platters, bowls, and other serving pieces.  Some of these have been purchased a chain stores like Bed, Bath, & Beyond and the late Linens-n-Things, while others have been picked up at antique stores and garage sales.  My thought is that if they are white, I don't care what design they are because they match!  The one pictured is from Bed, Bath, & Beyond and is $25.

Appetizer Caddy

One of my favorite purchases is the appetizer caddy from Pampered Chef.  This is by far the priciest item listed at $60, but I really love it.  It is great for parties because you don't need to worry about buying little party plates, you can whip this out in a second, it is dishwasher safe, and I just flat out love it (did I say that already?).  It is handy and stylish which gets 2 thumbs up from me.

These four items are the ones I would recommend purchasing to start an entertaining collection.  As I said most are very affordable and can be found in many different stores. 

Happy Entertaining!

Damask wedding cake

I was over at A Practical Wedding looking at Meg's Wedding Graduate post and check out their wedding cake:

How perfect would this cake be with the tween birthday party I detailed yesterday?  L-O-V-E it!!!

Tween Birthday Party

Recently it was decided that I would help throw my 11 year old sister's birthday party.  This may not seem like a big deal to most people but when your 11 year old sister (who thinks that you are the most awesome thing ever) starts telling her friends that she's having a 'professional party planner' do her birthday party, it becomes a big deal real fast.  My sister's name is Emma and she told me that she wanted to 1) have a sleepover 2) do a smiley face theme and 3) give out gift bags.  Armed with those requests I decided that 12 is the height of the 'tween' years.  This party needs to be fun, but not kiddish, and grown-up, but not boring. 

Here are the main bullets of the party:

• Black and Yellow with damask accents
• Smiley faces will be used as accents and in the gift bags
• Photo booth with a black backdrop and yellow props
• Nail station with yellow & black nail polish
• Candy buffet

And here is the mood board to give you a feel for what the party will be like:

The party will be announced with party invites very similar to the ones pictured below.  White boxes with yellow lemon heads (kids love candy, right?) and damask printed invites.  They will be wrapped with a printable damask label (pictured in the mood board, upper right corner) that I found online at The Fussy Designer Blog.

I think this is going to be super cute!