Hey Guys! I hope that everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving holiday! This was the first time in several years that I had Black Friday off, so I was VERY GRATEFUL for my 4 day weekend! I just wanted to circle back and share the casual, cheap, and chic tablescape that I created, just in case you might want a little inspiration for something similar during Christmas!



This Thanksgiving was hosted by my amazing in-laws, and naturally put me in charge for setting the table! Of course I love a good decorating challenge, so I obliged! First I met with my mother-in-law to determine the vibe and what I was working with. Then I created a quick scheme board to solidify a couple of ideas... yeah, I'm extra.


Links to these images can be found on my Pinterest page

I'm not a huge fan of table cloths, but I LOVED the idea of using "craft paper" as a runner. I found this one at Lowes which is actually called "builder's paper drop cloth"  for only $10.98! Best thing about it, I have so much paper left over for another occasion!




 I wrote on the paper with a white oil-based sharpie marker. The placemats were from IKEA, which my mother-in-law lovingly stocked up on because she loves to entertain.






I also wanted to incorporate block candles for ambiance, and greenery that looked as if it had been plucked straight from the yard. The candles were purchased from IKEA (which were only $7.99 at the for a set of 5 at the time).




I found the greenery at Kroger for dirt cheap because the Kroger Manager's Special ALWAYS comes through! In fact, I can't think of many instances where I paid full price for anything from the floral department. I bought 5 bouquets of mixed greenery for $1.50 each, yes, a whopping $7.50 total!  We also used a mixed bag of green and red apples, and oranges.




I knew I wanted to add a little bit of luxury to the dinner by using cloth napkins, but quickly realized that it would be pretty pricey for a large crowd (there were 13 of us total, and most napkin sets max out as a set of 12). So I chose these cotton kitchen towels. They come as a set of four, each with a different pattern. To complete the look, I used the twine I had on hand to attach the greenery. For the additional chairs I used a wide roll of burlap to dress them up a bit. The huge leaves were hidden in the greenery bunch, and it was such a sweet little surprise to see them when I opened the bouquets. :)




Huge shout out goes to my lovely sister-in-law for jumping in to help me prepare the tables, and my amazing hubby for taking photos while I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get everything just right. Of course the biggest shout out goes out to my in-laws for hosting this year. Everything was wonderful!




So what do you think? I know, I know... I did probably too much for a family dinner, but you have to admit, it's pretty nice to treat yourself and the ones you love to a beautiful tablescape every now and then! :)