Tablescape Contest: Home Goods and Centsational Girl

   Whew! Where did November go?  Thrift Chick was finishing up her student teaching and working on the last major projects of her college career.  I have been swamped at school working on a grant and proofreading all of Thrift Chick's papers.  All of the sudden, November is almost gone!  However, a sudden snowstorm tonight has given us a two hour delay tomorrow (I just love a school system that makes that call the night before!)  We decided to use the time to create our first ever tablescape and enter Censational Girl's Contest.
   It is just a simple red and white theme.  Nothing fancy because we just are not the fancy kind.  Everything but the tree is thrifted or handmade.  Last year we started a Christmas morning brunch tradition with our immediate family and we used these red dishes.  This year I will add a few more touches.  Check back in a few years, we might just make it to :"fancy."

     The base of the centerpiece is actually a vanity mirrored tray I got at Salvation Army.  I sprayed the frame white.  The reindeer were a Goodwill find.  They were brass and had these huge candle holders that I removed before I sprayed them white.  The trees were another Salvation Army find.  Two bucks for all three.  I love their shape, but let me tell you the glitter drives me insane.  They shed piles and piles of red glitter whenever you touch them.  I have tried and tried to get the glitter off, but I think it multiplies.

The ruby red dishes were one of my first thrifting purchases.  Thrift Chick had convinced me to join her at a half off day at Goodwill.  We saw the set but even with the half off, it was still $25 (I am really really cheap and hate to spend a lot at one place)  I debated and debated and at the last minute put them in my cart.  One of the best thrifting purchases I have ever made.  The set includes 8 plates, 8 fruit bowls, 8 glasses, the serving bowl, the pitcher, the creamer and sugar and a small syrup jar.   The white milkware dishes came from the last half off Goodwill sale I went to.  I had been buying  grapevine pedestal glasses whenever I saw one.  Then low and behold, there were the dinner plates, luncheon plates and pedestal fruit cups.  This time I didn't debate or hesitate...I snatched those babies right up.

  Okay I lied.  Not everything was thrifted.  The picture frames came from the Dollar Store.  I printed off old winter pictures of the family to put inside.  (My brother transferred 150 boxes of family slides to digital pictures and gave us all CDs...talk about a gift of love!  I now have digital files dating back to 1950.)

The scratch off card I made using the reindeer from Eat Drink Chic and the recipe for scratch offs from Martha Stewart.  Thrift Chick wants to know what you win, but it is a Christmas secret!

The Christmas tree is not part of my tablescape, but it is my favorite part.  My mom used cookie cutters like these when I was growing up.  A few years ago I saw a tree in an antique store that had red cookie cutters for ornaments and I fell in love.  They bring back memories of sugar cookies with rock hard icing.  (My mom was a fan of the powdered sugar and milk type of frosting.)  I have been buying them whenever I find them.  I finally have enough for a tree.  I think I need a lot more to be real impressive, but that just means the hunt goes on.  The white bells came from a bin at the Goodwill.  Twelve bells for a quarter.

Since I am throwing everything in but the kitchen sink, I will show you a picture of my counter.  It never looks like this.  Thrift Chick laughed when she saw it and asked how long I thought it would be before everyone started piling stuff on it.  I am a Dr. Seuss nut (it is my classroom theme.)  The white frame is really plastic and I cost me less than a dollar at the Goodwill.  White spray paint makes everything look better, don't you think?  The white pedestal vase and the round swing top jar were from a local thrift store.  The green glass jars were my best summer find.  Only $1.50 each at a Goodwill I stopped at while I was out of town. (Do you do that?  Do you look up thrift stores when you are in a new town?)  They look very vintage don't they?  I think they are reproductions, but I am not picky.  The hexagon large jar was a Home Goods clearance item.

My oldest son stopped by tonight.  He looked over our handiwork and said, "It would be a lot more impressive if there was food."  Sigh....like I said, we are just not fancy people.


Mama Thrift.

I am linking up to Censational Girl's Tablescape Party 

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