A Southern Graduation Celebration Part 2

Hello! If you saw my last post, you saw the fun tablescape I did for my daughter’s graduation party. Here’s all the info on the lunch buffet we held to honor our graduate!

For starters, we carried on the same rustic and sunflower theme as we did with the graduation tablescape. (We used sunflowers because it’s her favorite flower.) Kay-Lynn’s school colors are red, navy and white, so I decided to incorporate touches of red throughout the decor by placing red ribbons around vases and making a red fabric garland banner. To make the garland, I took a piece of strong twine and tied it securley to each end of the front of the credenza. Then I cut up strips of the gingham fabric about 15 inches long. I also cut the white ribbon 15 inches long. (I used white ribbon because I couldn’t find a bright white fabric that I liked.) Then I just looped the ribbon over the twine and pulled it through - making sure the knot side was always showing towards me.

My little ones got to the candy before I took the photos! Hence, the half filled candy bowls.

The graduation was in the afternoon so we had a late lunch. We had chicken salad sandwiches with croissants, fresh fruit, and chips. We also had dessert made of delicious custom made sugar cookies, cupcakes and a lemon Nothing Bundt Cake. (It’s Kay-Lynn’s favorite cake.) To save money, and instead of ordering the graduation topper through Nothing Bundt cakes, I decided to decorate the cake myself. I incorporated fresh sunflowers and baby’s breath, topped with a sparkly Class of 2020 cake topper. I also added in a few graduation cap and diploma cut outs that I bought from Hobby Lobby.

We picked up the croissants from Costco. The deal around on lots of croissants.

My husband and I designed the sign together. We made it with inspiration from a logo we made for a North Texas Church Prom we were in charge of a couple years back. We had the sign printed at Office Depot in a 24’x30’ size. We then used spay adhesive and attached it foam core to give it a sturdy backing. The backdrop my husband Justin made from a piece of bead board we had in the garage. We then added a shiplap peel and stick wall paper to give it the look of wood paneling. I added the eucalptus garland to the left side with faux sunflowers popping out. To be honest, I wish I had used more garland as to cover the entire left side of the board to give it a more dramatic look.

Would you believe it? I bought these yummy cupcakes at Walmart! You can find these 2020 toppers here.

We definably had to have Coca-Cola, as it’s Kay-Lynn’s favorite drink! I wanted to use Coke in glass bottles, but everywhere I went they didn’t carry it or they were sold out. It was only after the party I found some vintage bottles of Coke in stock at Costco. They would have looked awesome!

Her’s a photo of my daughter graduation cap. It’s tradidion here in North Texas to decorate your cap. Her hat said:

God made, Jesus saved, Texas raised.

Hail the conquering Graduate!

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my daughter’s graduation celebration! Check out the previous post for all the decorating details about the table decorations. Hope you enjoyed this that it will inspire you and give you ideas!

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

A Happy St. Patrick's Day Breakfast

Top O 'the Morning to Ya! 

I love celebrating holidays- it makes life happy! The kitchen table is my favorite space to decorate as it brings the family together! Growing up my Mom went all out on holiday's to make life exciting and magical. I try to carry on those traditions for my own children. 

A lot of my party decor I actually buy at the Dollar Store and the Dollar Spot at Target! The paper shamrocks seen here came in a pack of 20 from the Dollar Store! The green placements and small silver buckets were $1.00 each at Target's Dollar Spot last year. The shamrock straws and green pinwheel also came from the Target Dollar Spot.

Check those stores out next time you're celebrating a special occasion- they have great deals!