[ Thanksgiving: a Cozy Table ]

We always talk about the family gatherings with many guests to give thanks. I remember

when I lived too far to travel home. Some of my friends were going to be solo for the holiday. So, I decided to invite them to my home for a cozy Thanksgiving.

I wanted the table to be warm and inviting but traditional, and rustic. I also wanted to use my "new" flea market find soup tureen.

My table was a glass top, so to warm it up, I added a tablecloth. For the rustic harvest theme, I found some dark, burgandy Indian corn, white pumpkins and seed pods. A good start for my centerpiece. On a hike, I found some wood "slices", that added a more woodsy texture. When I started building the centerpiece it just was too dark and dull for me. I continue to look around to see what would soften this - trimmings from my cedar shrub and mini lights. You can see in the photo below, I lost the rustic feeling. So, I pared down the accesories.

The place setting has been used for several Thanksgivings. The turkey plates are from Williams Sonoma. They looked lonely on the white dinner plates. Rolling the napkin, wrapping it with left over ribbon, and adding some cedar sprigs helped. Home Goods to the rescue, my favorite go to store. I found, acorn tea lights. As you can see from my posts, I adore these mini tea lights. Home Goods doesn't get many, so when I see them, into my cart they go!

Tip: When creating your center of focus, start simple add, and subtract. Reflect on the fashion wardrobe theory, before you leave the house, look in the mirror. Can you remover one or two accessories, and still look good? Then, remove. Below the centerpiece has greens, and 2 sets of Indian corn which I removed in the above photo.