DIY Thanksgiving Tablescape with American Farmhouse Style Magazine

Last year after a nation wide search with thousands of entries, I was honored to selected one of the top four finalists for the 2022 American Farmhouse Style Magazine Ambassador contest. Below is the DIY table riser I built for the final project. You can view the magazine article here.

As the seasons change, fall ushers in cool crisp nights, falling leaves, pumpkin decor, cider, and cozy sweaters. 

A Time for Gratitude

Thanksgiving will soon be here and families will gather around a loved one’s kitchen or dining room table to celebrate the season of gratitude and renewed blessings. Creating a fun and festive thanksgiving tablescape is my way to welcome family and friends into my home and help make the holiday feel special.

DIY Centerpiece for the Thanksgiving Tablescape

I love to think of an empty table as a canvas, and the pieces as the paint. Creating a Thanksgiving tablescape can be a wonderful way to be creative and expressive. I always start with the centerpiece and make it the focal point of the table.

My table is just over eight feet long, so I wanted to use an extra long elevated centerpiece. But I couldn’t find one in the stores so I decided to make my own! I went to my local hardware store and bought a large board and some furniture feet.

Once home, I gathered the materials and planned out my next steps. To make this centerpiece a bit more interesting, I used a router to create a decorative edge. If you don’t have a router, or want a simpler technique, just use sandpaper to round off the corners for a smooth finished look.

Afterwards, I drilled holes in one side of the board and hammered in threaded plugs to attach the feet. With the feet attached, it was time to paint. I chose a satin white spray paint for a quick durable finish. After the paint dried I went back over it with sandpaper to create a rustic texture for my Thanksgiving tablescape.

 Creating Coziness with Decor

With the board complete, it was time to decorate the table. (My favorite part!) Going around the table I started layering the plates using a charger as a base, followed by the dinner and salad plates. By putting the largest plates down first, it gives me an idea on how much room I have to add the decorative pieces, uch as candles near the centerpiece. 

Next I place the glasses, silverware napkins with napkin holders. (There’s a wide assortment of napkin holders available.) I love to mix in florals, pumpkins, faux leaves, and sprinkle them around the Thanksgiving table to create ambiance. You could also incorporate a small charcuterie board mixed in with the decor. 

I hope these ideas spark your creativity and get you excited for the upcoming holiday season! 

DIY Thanksgiving Tablescape with American Farmhouse Style Magazine (Copy)

After a nation wide search with thousands of entries, I am honored to selected one of the top four finalist for the American Farmhouse Style Magazine Ambassador contest. Below is the DIY elevated tablescape riser I built for the final project. You can view the magazine article here.

As the seasons change, fall ushers in cool crisp nights, falling leaves, pumpkin decor, cider, and cozy sweaters. 

A Time for Gratitude

Thanksgiving will soon be here and families will gather around a loved one’s kitchen or dining room table to celebrate the season of gratitude and renewed blessings. Creating a fun and festive thanksgiving tablescape is my way to welcome family and friends into my home and help make the holiday feel special.

DIY Centerpiece for the Thanksgiving Tablescape

I love to think of an empty table as a canvas, and the pieces as the paint. Creating a Thanksgiving tablescape can be a wonderful way to be creative and expressive. I always start with the centerpiece and make it the focal point of the table.

My table is just over eight feet long, so I wanted to use an extra long elevated centerpiece. But I couldn’t find one in the stores so I decided to make my own! I went to my local hardware store and bought a large board and some furniture feet.

Once home, I gathered the materials and planned out my next steps. To make this centerpiece a bit more interesting, I used a router to create a decorative edge. If you don’t have a router, or want a simpler technique, just use sandpaper to round off the corners for a smooth finished look.

Afterwards, I drilled holes in one side of the board and hammered in threaded plugs to attach the feet. With the feet attached, it was time to paint. I chose a satin white spray paint for a quick durable finish. After the paint dried I went back over it with sandpaper to create a rustic texture for my Thanksgiving tablescape.

 Creating Coziness with Decor

With the board complete, it was time to decorate the table. (My favorite part!) Going around the table I started layering the plates using a charger as a base, followed by the dinner and salad plates. By putting the largest plates down first, it gives me an idea on how much room I have to add the decorative pieces, uch as candles near the centerpiece. 

Next I place the glasses, silverware napkins with napkin holders. (There’s a wide assortment of napkin holders available.) I love to mix in florals, pumpkins, faux leaves, and sprinkle them around the Thanksgiving table to create ambiance. You could also incorporate a small charcuterie board mixed in with the decor. 

I hope these ideas spark your creativity and get you excited for the upcoming holiday season! 

Stay tuned for lots of new blog posts coming!

Transitioning from Nursery to Little Girl's Room

My youngest daughter is growing up so fast! I’ve been meaning to write this post for a long time but life happened and then I forgot about it - until now. 

When our daughter Annalise turned three it was time to take down her crib and put up a twin bed. It was time to transition from nursery to a big girl’s room.

We fun have playing tea party in this cute corner of her room. The chair and tables were given to us 14 years ago with our older daughter’s Kay-Lynn. The table and chairs were originally white, but I spray painted two of the chairs pink for a pop of color.

I knew I wanted a princess themed room and with a canopy to hang from a crown. I found several beautiful ones at Pottery Barn Kids - but they were way over my budget. So I decided to create my own - with my husband’s help. I found this resin crown at Hobby Lobby. It was originally hot pink so I spray painted it gold to match the blush and gold princess theme. We then screwed the crown into the custom made wood box. My husband built the wooden box from scrap wood in our garage. Then we attached it to the wall. I then added the white chiffon fabric that I bought from my local Joanne’s fabric store and fastened it to the back of the wooden box with rope. I also sewed the bows and made the crib skirt. For the pink edge on the chiffon canopy, I used bias tape The crib bumper and quilt are from Pottery Barn Kids.

My husband and I dressed up this @ikeausa dresser by adding new feet, moldings on the top and bottom, and new mirrored knobs. I also added a glass top for elegance. And do you see that pretty pink dress hanging on the hanger? That was mine from when I was a little girl! I love sentimental pieces - do you?

As much I loved this cozy corner where I would cuddle up my baby girl, I knew the tufted arm chair had to be removed to make room for a table and chairs that would inspire childhood play.

Here is is! Her beautiful grown up princess bed! I knew the exact bedding I wanted and needed for her. I chose Beddy’s in Vintage Blush because it works wonderfully with the existing room decor, paint and throw pillows. (Use can use code NISSALYNN for 15% off your entire purchase at Beddy’s.) I also ordered the gray poka dot minkey blanket from Beddy’s.. I picked up the gold dot and blush throw pillows from Hobby Lobby. The small white monogramed ruffle pillow sham is from Pottery Barn Kids.

My husband added the white trim work on the walls.

Even though Annalise has a big girl room, I still kept these new born photos of her on her dresser.

Annalise is loving her new room! She spends hours playing in her new space!

You can shop similar items below, or you can click here to shop more decor from this post.

It's a "Spooktackular" Halloween!

When I found out I was going to have family flying into town for Halloween, I was so excited to decorate for this holiday! Every year I’ve always just decorated my living room for Halloween, but this year I wanted to branch out and do a “spooktackular” Halloween tablescape! And I must say, I think it’s my most favorite tablescape ever!

With it being halloween, I chose a black and white color scheme, and then added pops of orange. The first thing I did was pull out this black and white striped table runner from my decorating closet and put it on my table.

Then I was on the hunt to find some fun Halloween decor. When I saw this Mackenzie-Childs witch’s hat - I was obsessed! I knew that it had to be the center of the tablescape. After placing it on the table, I wanted the hat to stand up a little taller, so I put the hat on a white tray and then raised it a couple more inches by putting it on a couple wood boards. Then I covered the boards with fabric and fake leaves. Next I added patterned and solid colored pumpkins on either sides of the hat. (The Mackenzie-Childs Courtly Check gets me every time! I just love the black and white whimsical pattern.)

These glasses are from the Dollar store! Can you believe it? I only needed eight for this table setting, so I bought each glass at a dollar a piece. That was cheaper than buying 2- 6pk glasses at Walmart or Target - I checked!

Tip: When putting together a place setting, think of it as a pyramid. Start with the largest piece on bottom and layer until the smallest piece is on top. I usually start with a placemat, then a charger, dinner plate, salad plate and napkin and napkin holder to finish it off. 😊

*These darling bat napkin rings and Sit for a Spell sign are from Krumpets Home Decor. Use code NISSALYNN at checkout for 10% off your entire purchase, plus free shipping on orders $25 or more.

I wanted to throw this photo in for fun. This is my Halloween decorated living room.

I hope you have an amazing Halloween! I hope it’s a day filled with fun and laughter.

You can easily shop my Halloween tablescape by clicking on the products photos below.

A Southern Graduation Celebration Part 1

High school gradation is always an event to celebrate! (Especially this year!) So I definably wanted to honor my senior graduate. My daughter Kay-Lynn is a true Texas girl at heart - she even wore cowboy boots to walk the stage when getting her diploma. I wanted to create a graduation celebration that reflected her southern girl style.

Look at this adorable cookie my friend Jaime made to fit the event decor! Love the sunflowers and wood details. It’s too pretty to eat!

Because of the craziness of this year we did not have a traditional graduation. The school district decided on a ceremony where the graduates and parents would get dropped off in front of the stadium, with a driver staying in the car, then the graduate would quickly walk across the stage and get their diploma. The parents would take photos and return to their vehicle where the driver was waiting. It turned out be be a great alternative! 

My daughter Kay-Lynn isn’t a fancy girl so a rustic celebration was the perfect theme. I decided on having a taller bouquet of flowers in the middle of the table and two smaller bouquets on either side. I also added two eucalyptus garlands as runners down the middle of the table. Kay-Lynn’s favorite flowers are sunflowers, so they were a must have! I picked up two bunches of sunflowers from my local Kroger grocery store, along with some Baby’s Breath and some other filler flowers for the main bouquet. I added red gingham ribbon as an accent color because it’s one of the main colors of her high school, as well as giving the tablescape a pop of color. 

I wanted to stay with natural colors and textures for my place settings. I always begin by layering different pieces starting at the bottom and working my way up to the top. I started with seagrass plate chargers then added white dishes with brown distressed edges. I went with a neutral linen cloth napkin, and topped it off with these silverware pouches with cream bows from Cutlery Couture. The silverware pouches were the perfect focal point of the table and in my opinion, one of the best entertaining inventions ever! The make place settings look perfectly polished. Plus they are super functional! #ad 

These silverware pouches from Cutlery Couture were a hit. Everyone complimented them. I will definiently be using silverware pouches again for future tablescapes and party decor.

To make these fun, super easy decorative centerpieces, I took a mason jars and covered them with burlap and plaid ribbons, then wrapped them with twine. (You can see a tutorial here on my Tik Tok account.) I then added two sunflower stems per glass, the Baby’s Breath and the cute graduation toppers - which I purchased from Hobby Lobby.

I purchased the goblets from the dollar store! I needed eight glasses and it was much cheaper to pay $1.00 per glass then buy a box of glasses from Target or Walmart. (Tip: I get lots of my party decor from Dollar Tree!)

I love these adorable custom made cookies! Class of 2020 will never never be forgotten!

These silverware pouches from Cutlery Couture are my favorite!

Hope you enjoyed this rustic tablescape. Stay tuned for the second part of Kay-Lynn’s graduation celebration, where I share all the details of the buffet table display. Part 2 will to go live Sunday, June 7th!

You can shop the products in this post by clicking on the images below.

Bringing in Blue for this Year's Easter Tablescape

Spring is such a wonderful time of year! Decorating an Easter tablescape is a yearly tradition, and even though life is crazy right now, I still wanted to do it. In fact, I believe now more than ever, it's essential to create a positive environment by surrounding ourselves with things we love and  make us feel good. That’s what this tablescape does for me. So lets discuss the details.

The pieces I chose this year are bright and calming, as I think this is something we all need. I also really wanted to concentrate on adding different textures so I arranged each place setting with multiple layers. I started first with a wood charger with a bead trim, then a navy melamine dinner plate, and topping it off with a white scalloped salad plate.

The bunny ear napkin rings I had from last year, and I used them again. In fact, I think I might use them every year because they’re so festive and fun. For napkins, chose plaid cloth napkins because they add an interesting pattern to the table.

You can create a beautiful dining room center piece simply by using three jars or vases that you already have around your home, and filling them with faux flowers. It is more attractive if the largest vase is in the middle and the two other vases are placed on either side.

To save money I wanted to reuse a lot of the same pieces that I’ve used in prior tabelscapes. The gray diamond patterned table runner I got about a year ago. I’ve used it a few times because the neutral color goes with so many looks. I would recommend buying a couple neutral colored table runners that you can use in multiple settings. I would suggest a white, a gray, and an ivory one. Those colors will pretty much work with any tablescape.

Another item I reuse a lot are my glass goblets. If you switch up the decor on the tablescape, but reuse the same glasses, the tablescape as a whole will still look like new.

I hope y’all have the best Easter making it magical with your loved ones!

*For more information on the items in this post, you can shop them by clicking on the photos below.

*If you’re interested in the wood eggs, birdhouses, or wood bead garland, you can use code NISSALYNN for 10% off your order on the product’s website.

Thanksgiving Tablescape with DIY Wooden Box

Tablescapes are my favorite! I love setting the table for family and friends to help make an occasion extra special. To me, decorating the dinner table brings family and friends together and traditions are formed.

As I was thinking of what kind of look I wanted for my Thanksgicing tablescape, I decided I wanted a long wooden box with fall florals to run down the length of the dining room table. I found some online, but there were super pricey. So I asked my husband to make one for me. He already had leftover wood in the garage from past projects, so we didn’t have to buy anything! We measured how long I wanted it, and then he started cutting and assembling the box. You an see a short tutorial video at the end of this post.

The faux floral stems are from Hobby Lobby, and lanterns can be found here. The place ats can be found here.

Step By Step for Decorating a Christmas Tablescape

You can find the video tutorial footage in my Highlights on my Instagram page.

I’ve come up with easy steps to decorating a Christmas tablescape.

1. Start with table runners. I have an 84 inch long table so a lot of table runners don’t go the entire length of my table, so I use three table runners. One down the middle and two on either end of the table running horizontal.

2. Add a charger plate at every seat.

3. Add the dinner plate.

4. Add the salad plate

5. Assemble the cloth napkins. I like to use a patterned napkin paired with a solid napkin and sparkling metallic napkin ring holder. The solid napkins I have here are from Target.

This gorgeous Boucle rug from Orian Rugs is the perfect rug for my riding room.

6. Place napkins in center on place setting.

7. Add silverware. Remember to ask yourself: Do you need a dessert or a soup spoon? Add all the silverware you need and place them in the proper places. (Salad and dinner forks on left, knife and spoon on right.)

8. Add glasses to the right side. Ask yourself what drinks you are having: Do you need wine glasses and water goblets?

9. Start adding the centerpiece. Place largest pieces first. I place chunky candles and accessories then fill the middle space with large pieces of greenery.

10. Keep building with smaller greenery stems to fill in the holes, then add taper candles. A trick my mom taught me was to put tin foil in the candlesticks to keep the taper candle from falling over.

Sharing my dining room Christmas tree. The heart ornament in the middle has special meaning. I gave it to my grandmother last Christmas. She passed away last February. I went back to home this past July and brought it back with me to always have.

The decorative white and black, and gold gift boxes are from Target.

My Fall Tablescape

Fall is my favorite! I love walking past my dining room and seeing it all decorated for fall! 🍂I enjoyed using neutral colors, like sage, creams and whites this year because it blends well with my everyday home colors.