Monday, November 4, 2013

Where I get Inspiration & My Thanksgiving Tablescape!

Happy Monday! I'll be back later today to announce the big winner of the Susan Branch Calendar Giveaway... I am so excited!!

I get a lot of questions from people as to where I find my inspiration & where I buy my decorations. To be honest, everywhere! I find inspiration in window displays, magazines, outside, & talking to people ( I don't have cable but I do get ideas from movies & shows on Netflix, too)& when I did have TV as a child I remember lots of inspiring commercials & shows (oh, trading spaces how I loved you)! 



Where I Get My Inspiration


As to where I find my treasures, three main sources come to mind:

Thrift stores- (I go once a week & find lots of fun things that cost a few quarters & that makes it easy for me to try new things, succeed or fail & move forward), remember the vintage Halloween pictures, those frames were .25¢ a piece!

Clearance- For example, I love Target holiday decor & buying things when they go on clearance is a wonderful way to keep your decorations fresh every year! Over the weekend I went to target & loaded up on Halloween decorations at 50% off. Soon they will be 70% off & I will go back. Sure every once in a while I miss out on something, but my patience is always rewarded with major savings!


 Lastly garage sales- this is where I find large items & vintage items. A garage sale is a great place for outside decorations that are hundreds of dollars new but only a few dollars now. For example back in August, I bought a 9' inflatable santa with LED lights in the box for 3$ (you just have to ask to plug things in before you pay).



One major tip I have for year round saving is to buy year round. If you see a Christmas decoration you want in March, buy it, put it away & forget about it! I have a tote bin in my office year round for decorations, when I see something I want big or small throughout the year I buy it & place it in the bin, put the lid on top & forget about it! Then at the end of September I open the bin & remove & organize the items for the upcoming holidays! It's really fun!

I thought it would be fun to show you my Thanksgiving tablescape for the buffet while also telling you where I got the items, I know sometimes it's hard to come up with places to get things you like & I realized when setting it up this year, I shopped around.


 Thanksgiving Tablescape


1.  An old frame from a thrift store, spray painted gold with a piece of shower wall board to write on (the dry erase markers work just the same!). Dry erase boards are expensive, one this size is 150$ or more! So making this one for less than 20$ was my idea of a good time! We've had it up & used it for about 5 years now & it's still going strong.
2.  Paper decorations make my heart pitter-patter, they're just so delicate& growing up I always had them in my home, in the past, the dollar store has always been a wonderful source for these sweet decorations



3.  Candle sticks make everything festive! These are from Home Goods, & were sold individually for a few dollars a piece.

4.  I love this bowl! It was a Better Homes & Gardens Exclusive at Walmart a few years back & it is just the perfect size for mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving day!
 
5.  What is Thanksgiving without a peace offering cornucopia?  This one was a thrift store find & I just bought some leaves & berries at Michael's & use some mini pumpkins to make it pop!



6.  Mr. & Mrs., these adorable pilgrims are from Cracker Barrel. That store is such a hidden gem of holiday decor! I always find items to love there & they always have a clearance corner from the season before!



7.  A wreath, I like to use wreathes on tables as well as to hang, I'll switch year by year where the wreaths go & this year it's a great centerpiece for the table.


8.  Turkeys, these turkey candle holders were another thrift store find, I just loved their charm!

9.  Pumpkins, but really any gourds or apples would work, I love incorporating plants & food as much as possible, it's all part of the bounty of Thanksgiving!

10.  Lights; candlelight, twinkle lights, or a dimm-able over head light can make a place feel so warm. I always find a way to layer it in. ( yes, my husband snuck in a toy in this last photo)...do you see him?



It's just another everyday, holiday with jillie



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