My dear readers…..I was all set to go all traditional with my Thanksgiving tablescape for this year.
Remember when I did this tablescape?
And this?
And this one.…
Or maybe you remember this tablescape.
Yep! all pretty traditional.
And then, I sat down with a cuppa tea and had a meeting with my traditional dishes, you know the Spode brown transferware with the painted turkey in the center.
It wasn’t easy.
The white turkey kept interrupting my thought process by sitting so close to the edge of the shelf in my dish pantry that he kept distracting me.
I talked a blue streak trying to convince them and me that it was time for a change.
Then I showed the straw turkey up close and personal to the white turkey.
“Isn’t he pretty?” I cooed.
No answer was heard.
Hmmmmm.
I’ll try another approach.
“Look! change can be good,” I said to myself.
Still silence.
Well, OK then.
The decision has been made. The Straw Turkey would take center stage.
The next step after convincing myself that a change was in the air, was in the choosing of a tablecloth.
I decided on a burnished gold tablecloth that I have had for years.
Next came the centerpiece…the object of much thought as this was not just any turkey, it was made of straw.
Knowing there would be candles around the table….I pursed my lips, the frown deepening on my brow.
Nope! The decision had been made and I knew I could use flameless candles, but I was also determined to use the real birchwood candles.
There was one more thing…….
The snood and wattle, (the cap and the flap under the chin) of the turkey was made of red thread and looked to be a bit unraveled.
Are you confused?
…then here is a bit of turkey 101.
I have raised turkeys when living on a farm in Kansas and ranch in New Mexico and many of their wattles looked a bit dis-sheveled. That is natural.
You may not know this but when a male turkey gets upset or when he is courting…the wattle turns a bright red….and the snood can turn either red or blue.
My Tom turkeys were docile….for me! However children and grandchildren had other experiences, such as being chased around the barn yard.
Another story for another time.
As for the straw turkey, I left his snood and wattle as is.
The next thing I did was place more straw and pumpkins around the turkey centerpiece.
The birch-look-a-like candles add to the rustic look of the tablescape.
I found the leaf placemats at Pier 1 this year and the flatware came from Home Goods last year.
I decided not to use the napkins that matched the tablecloth, going instead for the colorful leaf napkins that I secured with pumpkin napkin rings from Pier 1.
For the plates I started with white chargers followed by white dinner plates.
I topped the dinner plates with the sweetest salad plates with thankful phrases in a script.
The water glasses and wine glasses are a dollar store find from a couple years ago.
The copper mules or tankards just seem to fit as the writing on the plates is sort of coppery.
Finally, I added two pilgrims that I found at Hobby Lobby along with a native Indian. The salt and pepper shakers came from Cracker Barrel.
I stood back and looked at my creation on my dining room table and said…. it is good.
Now it is time to light the candles, and let there be light.
To give all the fire & straw a test run so to speak.
And everything worked together just fine. For now anyway.
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you”. I Thessalonians 5:18
Be sure to visit my Instagram and Pinterest as I post almost every day. Just click here for Instagram and here for Pinterest.
I want to thank Chloe at Celebrate and Decorate for organizing and getting all the admin stuff going on with the Thanksgiving Tablescape Blog Hop and for all the wonderful tablescapes from all the different bloggers around the world.
Thanks again Chloe…you are the greatest.
Tuesday
My Kentucky Living
Savvy Apron
Rattlebridge Farm
Living with Thanksgiving
Wednesday
Belle Blue Interiors
From My Carolina Home
Bluesky at Home
The Painted Apron
Corner of Plaid and Paisley
The Red Painted Cottage
Thursday
A Casa di Bianca
Dining Delight
Sweet Sensations
Our Crafty Mom
Panoply
Friday
My French Twist
Hey Fitzy
B. Lovely Events
Me and My Captain
Life and Linda
Your table is beautiful and your story is too cute! This looks like a great place to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal!
Thanks Sherry, I can hardly wait for Thanksgiving so I can enjoy the turkey dinner. It is one of my favorite meals and I like to make it often. I also enjoy telling a story, it is the kid in me I guess. Thanks for stopping by.
So many nice details! Love your pilgrims figurines, and salad plates are so sweet and elegant. Bravo!
Thank you Donna, I couldn’t resist the purchase of the salad plates, we have so much to be thankful for. thanks for stopping by.
What a beautiful Thanksgiving table! Your stemware is so pretty, and the copper mugs add such a pretty touch! I hope you enjoy your week!
thank you for your comments. The copper mugs were a purchase a couple years ago but the style is always popular….and I really enjoy using them in tablescapes.
Kari, change is good just hard sometimes! I love the birch-like candles and your straw turkey is the perfect change! I enjoyed your commentary, funny and informative! The salad plates are perfect! Blessings~
Hi Pam…thank you for your kind comments, I probably could have titled the post, Turkey in the Straw! LOL Have a Blessed day.
It is good and very good! Mr Turkey looks right at home in the center of your table and I hope his turkey friends aren’t jealous. The native american and pilgrims are so perfect for this setting and it all came together beautifully. It’s been a pleasure hopping with you again.
Thanks Sandra for your encouragement on Mr. Turkey. I did put the white turkey in the kitchen in a vignette so I think he is happy too. LOL
Love that you let your straw turkey take center-stage this year! You coordinated all your other elements wonderfully with him for a very pleasing colour scheme. The pilgrim pieces, corn, birch candles and decorative items all look terrific. The pretty salad plates with the script writing on them are perfect for the occasion. Love seeing the evening views too!
thanks Lori…I loved your beautiful tablescape also. The variety we have is what makes these hops so great. thanks for stopping by.
I love how you decided to change things this year and about the conversation you had…ha ha! Your table is very pretty for Thanksgiving and I’m so glad to have met you. This is my first time joining Chloe’s blog hop of amazing bloggers.
thank you for commenting….we all need encouragement and so many of us are so creative and inspirational. Welcome to the blog hopping.
Kari, What a warm and inviting tablescape. I love how you incorporated the copper mugs that have been so popular this year, and the different Thanksgiving inspired messages on the plates. This warm glow of this table was so inviting, and there were so many beautiful elements throughout the centerpiece like the birch candlesticks! I am thankful to have you as part of my tablescape blogging tribe.
thanks Chloe….and thanks for hosting the blog hop. You are the perfect hostess and I love your videos on making wreaths and swags, etc! You make it look so easy. I am proud to be called one of your tribe. 🙂
Gorgeous, warm, inviting–who wouldn’t love to sit down to this Thanksgiving table? Love your brilliant mix of components, along with festive items–pilgrims, turkeys (and I adore the turkey trivia), pine cones, leaf motif, and pumpkins. Candlelight adds exquisite magic. What a joy to play with you this week!
Thanks Michael Lee, I have had such fun blog hopping with you and all the others. The inspiration and creativity are beyond measure. Anytime I can play with dishes, I am happy. thanks for you comments.
Kari, your tablescaping commentary was funny. Truth be told, those of us who love our dishes (am I preaching to the choir here? yes, I think so) probably all go through similar conversations as we mix and match our things. I bought those same leaf placemats this year, only in the paler tones, which I used in my table for this hop. I love your table, and the test run with the candles proved a success with your choices.
Happy November!
Oh, and the wattle? I became laughingly familiar with that term when Ally McBeal was on tv….the character Richard FIsh was strangely attracted to women with a neck wattle, lol.
Attracted to the neck wattle? How funny Rita….I don’t believe I ever watched but a few episodes of that sitcom but lets just say I can identify with it. Happy November back at you. thanks for stopping by.
How fun to raise your own fowl. Your table is lovely. The plates are so special with the scripted words. Loving the copper mules. The pilgrims are a perfect touch along with the turkey. Candlelight is awesome. A pleasure joining you on this blog hop. have a fabulous weekend.
Thanks Linda, I fell in love with the salad plate script also. We are so fortunate and thankful for each day we are given. I have such fun on these blog hops and the inspiration is endless. thanks for stopping by.
ha ha, you really were talkin turkey! Fun stories, and all the tables look fabulous. Your straw turkey is so cute, and I do understand your concern about a straw turkey with candles! Love the Indians and the copper mule mugs, Very Thanksgiving festive!! Have a wonderful time!
Jenna
Thanks Jenna….it is always fun doing a blog hop with you. You are so creative and we all get inspiration from each other.
It’s fun to change things up a bit, and I love how you did it! I especially adore those birch candles. So pretty!
Thanks for stopping by….and it is fun to change it up every now and then.
Loved your commentary. I think the birch like candles really made your table pop. The script plates are fabulous and adding the copper mules was perfect. I enjoyed how your table came together and learned so much about real turkeys. Very interesting.
Thanks Bonnie, I raised all kinds of fowl when living on our ranch as I detailed to Mary. They were all very interesting and fun to raise. Thanks for your comments.
Tell those turkeys, change is good!! Because your table came out lovely!!! I like your worries about the straw turkey with the real candles, my father was a fireman- he would never let us actually light the candles on the table. It was fun getting the turkey facts straight from someone who actually knows her turkeys!!
I think my Tom turkeys had a crush on me …either that or they knew the hand that fed them because they would follow me around protectively. LOL But, they did chase my children and grandchildren and peck at their shoes, etc. They would spread their tails out full and lower their wings to the ground which produced a loud fluttering noise. I called it their Bravado, but the kids called it mean. haha
Thanks for your kind comments.
Yes, change is good, and your table is lovely! The white turkey can always grace the kitchen table, LOL, if that would make him feel better. I like the rustic touches of straw and your salad plates are super! Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks Carole…we bloggers are like little children as we love to play with dishes, don’t we? I did place the white turkey in my kitchen and I think he is smiling.LOL
thanks for stopping by.
All your components have gathered together beautifully at the table…from the candlelit details of your straw turkey, to pilgrims to beautiful script plates and copper mules! I need to brush up on my Turkey 101, I didn’t know that tidbit about the color of snood turning red or blue. 😉
Thanks Mary…I didn’t raise turkeys for food, but I simply liked having them among the other fowl on our ranch and farm.
We had Call ducks (they were like miniature white ducks, so cute), guinea (better than any watch dog), Toulouse geese (could get mean if not worked with while young), Beautiful peacocks (males are majestic, females claim to fame is iridescent green under their chins), Domestic White ducks and of course Buff Orpingtons chickens (fresh brown eggs every day) and white leghorn chickens (white eggs). No nutritional difference between brown or white eggs.
When one included the Santa Gertrudis and Black Angus cattle we bred and sold, The horses we had for pleasure, various cats and dogs….we had quite a menagerie. I miss them now that I am a city girl.
thanks for stopping by.