The Love Of Home Files #4
Today I’m focusing on Thanksgiving. How to create a welcome and cozy atmosphere for all.
Thanksgiving is weeks away yet. But the planning begins. The menu gets written down and the ingredients to buy noted.
Who is coming to dine is figured out. Then figuring out how much each person will probably eat.
It’s all given a lot of thought.
Thanksgiving Decor:
Leave it to Liz Marie to spice up fall with lots of browns, which I now consider a neutral. And she does it so well.
She adds “chippy” and “distressed” and everything vintage.
And how many decorating books does she have published? I think three if I’m not mistaken.
No, I looked. She now has four books. The latest one comes out this month. It’s called “Create Your Own Cozy.”
Forgiveness:
We should always be able to forgive. When we forgive, we set ourselves free. And until we do, we are imprisoned in our anger.
The Thanksgiving Table:
I love seeing all the different dining tables set up for Thanksgiving. Home With Holliday has a casual holiday table.
Amber & Light:
It’s so beautiful, how the light shines through glass. When you have natural light, you have something that is priceless.
Ella Claire’s table is somewhat casual as well.
Meaningful Words:
Going Back In Time:
These people look pretty somber, but I guess that was just the way people looked in photos from the past. No one seemed to smile.
I wonder why that was?
Place Settings:
When I first moved to Tulsa, Kendra and I went to an estate sale. I think it’s the only estate sale I’ve been to in all the years I’ve lived here.
Anyway, I bought a brown and white transferware platter. Oh, how I loved that platter!
But somehow it got broken. It was perfect for fall decorating.
This is an interesting place setting. I would never have thought to add the plate she used.
Isn’t that a leopard skin pattern on the plate? I tend to get the animal skins mixed up.
This place setting is so pretty with the mother of pearl charger underneath. And a pumpkin salad plate on top.
“Gratitude is one of the most powerful human emotions. Once expressed, it changes attitude, brightens outlook, and broadens our perspective.” — Germany Kent
Cozy Kitchen: Molly In Maine
Molly In Maine has a lovely home. It’s so cozy and welcoming. Below is her kitchen.
Simple wood cabinets. The upper cabinets are white and the ones below are a golden brown.
Below you see what a view she has when dining. Oh my, what I’d give for that view.
She has one of the coziest homes I’ve seen on a blog. It’s not fancy. But it’s everything you could possibly want.
And you couldn’t put a price on that view either!
Something To Nibble On:
I’m not gifted in creating these animal-themed appetizer plates. But there are many who do an outstanding job of “painting” a scene using food.
Arrange The Veggies:
I just love this plate of vegetables shaped like a turkey. All ready to eat with the dip as you wait for Thanksgiving dinner to be ready.
Thanksgiving is a time to give and gather…
Design The Mantel:
I would not have thought to put plain sticks into bottles, but it works here.
And the couch pillows along with the decor on the fireplace completes the picture.
Style The Shelves:
Some people have a talent for styling shelves. I see it all over Pinterest and Instagram.
They know what to put close together and how much space to leave in between.
Some really beautiful decorating and food ideas in this post! Never heard of Liz Marie. Nor Molly in Maine. Love her kitchen. Looks cozy and welcoming. Will have to check out her blog.
Like the past few years, it’ll be a small family Thanksgiving for my family. Just me and Brian, my mom, and my aunt and uncle. Don’t know if I’ll be hosting or if my mom will. It depends on how she’s feeling.
I will be here with Ivy. Sometimes my girls drop off leftovers, as I’d rather stay home than go out.
The old photo reminds me of gathering at my great grandparents on holidays and everyone would have been smiling and laughing then. But maybe whenever this old photo was taken, perhaps those old cameras meant you had to be very still. I agree with you that forgiveness is important (at least within ourselves, whether the other ever knows or not). I think often we must be oh so careful however, as sometimes relationships are just too dangerous to resume, even if forgiving the other. There are so many with mental issues these days for some reason.
Some relationships are toxic.
I had my husband make me chargers when he sawed down an old Eastern Red Cedar. Those thin slices look beautiful with my dishes. And like many of you I don’t know we have chargers. I use some of them just to provide height when styling the table, mantle or shelves.
Ann (who has your polka dot plates)
Well Ann, who has my polka dot plates, if it makes you happy to style your table with the chargers, then that’s what you should do. It’s nice to look at a pretty table. Particularly if it’s your own.
So many beautiful ideas and such. I’ve never understood the use of chargers either. Something else to store and/or dust. Ugh!
I wonder who thought those up? A Martha Stewart type?
I loved the “old” photo – looks like it’s something out of the 1940s or 1950s and reminds me of gatherings around my paternal Grandma and Grandpa’s dining table (and the card tables dressed up in white table clothes where the overflow kids sat). None of them look sad to me – except perhaps the one little boy who looked like he was pouting because he had to behave at the table. They look like a typical family of grandparents, adult children and grandchildren. No fancy place settings with a useless charger plate that only takes up space, the actual plate you eat on, no “bread” or “salad” plate on top of that – who needs or even uses all of that for typical family dinners? (Maybe the Rockefellers, but who among us are Rockefellers?) The pretty (or best) china/dish ware and napkins were brought out of the china hutch for this special gathering (reappears at Christmas and Easter) and the center piece steals the show.
Well, I know I’ve never sat down at a table to eat that had chargers under the plate! Who even thought up chargers???
Beautiful pictures right in time because our weather has finally turned cold. It is November after all! Our pine trees seem to have extra pine needles but hardly any pine cones. A few years ago we had tons of pine cones! I don’t know what if anything that signifies. Went to 2 consignment shops this morning and saw lots of pretties. I finally bought a flocked 4 foot Christmas tree with clear lights to keep up all winter. I decided to just use the birds that I have collected over the years. Left all the pretties at the shop, I want to continue to downsize. Have a good weekend.
I don’t know if I’m going to be able to put up a tabletop tree or not.