Christmas table ideas and decs... help needed

[BankerMommy2010]

Were having Christmas at our house for the first time, never had the room before but now we do hubby has decided hed like Christmas at home and to ask the family over, I have a beautiful Christmas service that im desperate to use, but I want my table to look wow! Has anyone got any simple and not overly expensive centre piece ideas I can pinch?? And what else can I add to make my table look lovely and christmassy :)

Get thee to Pinterest, they have literally thousands of stunning ideas on there

Ive heard of pin interest but don't have a clue what it is :(

This Pinterest page may give you some inspiration.

Pinterest is essentially like having a notice board that you can pin pictures to or videos or tutorials.

So instead of having bookmarks you have "boards"

I started mine because I was having a kitchen extension built and it meant that on one "board" I could see photos of the cabinets, worktops, sink, tap, oven, hob, flooring, lighting etc all one on page rather than on lots of tabs. Like a giant mood board.

The homepage of Pinterest shows what people have been pinning, then there are general catagories (top left grey button with lines on it next to the search box) then you can search for specific things too.

TheWoollybacksWife has linked you to one person's ideas to get you started. In the search box you could type Christmas table decorating ideas and it will bring up loads. You can then "pin" your own.

Plus it doesn't just have to repinned off pinterest, if you were on Laura Ashley and liked a duvet cover you can "pin" that to your own board.

Also if you click into a "pin" to see it, if you scroll down there are even more options to look at. You may lose hours looking at things, but it could make you ever so happy

How many are you catering for and what ages?

What colour is your crockery?

I alternate :
I've got a white and ivy patterned dinner service and a white everyday dinner set (which is easy to pimp up) and white oval plates.

If I use the ivy plates I have a dark green table cover + green/red holly pattern tapestry runner and placemats

If it's the white then I use a white cover + a white organza with silver spots cover.
Or a rich purple organza over white cover.

I put confetti (not the wedding confetti , it;s sparkly) under the organza (gold stars, silver stars )

I've got a brand new this year cream cover and napkins that I think will go better with the ivy plates.

Then candles - lots. Either tall, slightly ornate dinner candles or a large glass bowl with water, confetti stars , floating candles

Party poppers
Crackers

The more you have on the table though, the less room for food..
It depends if you want a sophisticated plate-up-in-the-kitchen-meal or a Family Dig In meal

I bought a lovely table decoration but you could make similar as long as you were careful that the candles were safe in it. Mine is a long oblong tray with 4 tealight holders spaced down the centre and slightly raised, in the tray you put Xmas baubles. You can vary it by changing the baubles, I have done all gold, mixed colours, etc. It is lovely when the candles are lit and the light reflects.

My dinner service is white with red and green (traditional xmas colours) so I think ill stay traditional. I shall look on pin
Interest and see what ideas I am capable of putting my limited abilities too...

White/Red/Green gives you loads of potential

Red candles?
Crackers?

It depends on how big your table is and how much there will be on your table at the time.

We have a huge table but with all the food on it there's no space for all sorts of decor. So as a result, I usually use a nice table cloth and runner, a fancy napkin ring with real fabric napkins. I decorate each plate with a christmas cracker (not the super cheap ones!) or a little gift box with a couple of truffles inside and a big bow on the outside. Or tie your napkin with a piece of ivy or foliage that has been spray painted gold.

Less is more when it comes to table settings I think as there are usually so many dishes to fit on the table plus wine etc that you don't want spills and accidents.

Have a look at VV Rouleaux website or shop if you are in London. VV Style - Christmas - is great. I have used the table decs I bought from them for years now. Good quality and special.

OOh yes I buy tiny boxes (last year M&S had them) to put a couple of table sweets in for each setting.