Reflections: A Holiday Tablescape

For me, Christmas is the most wonderful and elegant time of the year.  It’s the time of year when new and heirloom crystal pieces find their way to the holiday tablescape.  The colors in the runners are favorites, and I practice the a touch of ebony ensures instant elegance rule.

The search for placemats started back in October.  I found a gorgeous set, but the three figure price tag dashed any hopes of a big brown truck bringing them my way.  I decided to go in a most cost efficient direction and add the embellishments myself.

My mother called me from the local dollar store to tell me she was sure she had found placemats I could work with.

I was skeptical (very skeptical), but she was right, very right.

Building the tablescape suddenly cleared another decorative hurdle.  My bright idea was to attach the napkin to the placemat with highly decorative buttons.  That idea was becoming too involved, proving it was time to go in another direction.

I found clear rhinestone buttons at a local bridal shop, selected a grosgrain ribbon in peppermint theme, and sewed the pairing to the ebony placemat.

The ribbon is loosely tied to the dinner napkin, which is folded handkerchief style.

I made the vintage style crystal prism ornaments for our open house at the shop.

They fit in perfectly with the other crystal accessories and make lovely substitutes for traditional place cards.

Oatmeal glass goblets and mirrors from Dollar Tree pair well with my heirloom Waterford salt and pepper shakers.

A deconstructed chandelier provides the prisms to fill the cut glass heart shaped dish.  Red and glass ball Christmas tree ornaments with strands of Mardi Gras pearls grace an antique cut glass bowl as the centerpiece.

I am amazed at the beauty of the crystal prism, and the pristine holiday image it creates as the light hits it just right.

Santa’s rosy cheeks and a deck the halls in red grapevine tree- it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas indeed!