Holiday Tablescapes – Part I

Hello, friends! I have some great news to share with you. Please meet the exciting new project on my blog – the AZ Tablescapes series. I’ve been thinking about this project for the longest time, and finally the time has come to bring the idea to life.  My friend Viktoria, who is quite crafty and creative, and has awesome decorating ideas, will be helping me in this new endeavor.

Here we’ll be dressing up our tables with beautiful themed decorations for various occasions, sharing tips, DIYs, and many more. We believe that beautifully set tables are not only pleasing to the eye but are also inviting and make guests and family feel special. And we all deserve to feel special, don’t we?

So, are we ready? Let’s begin.

The very first tablescape in the series coincides with the holiday season – Christmas and  New Year are just around the corner. So let’s get in the holiday spirit and set up a beautiful holiday tablescape. And let’s get decorating. You can get some ideas from this table setting for either of the holidays, or both.

We wanted to give our holiday table a big splash of  colors – red, golden, and green. Warm, yet luscious and rich. We love these beautiful leaf-shaped plates from Pier 1 Imports – such an eye candy. Speaking of candies, notice a candy cane to the right of the table. Just right for the theme.

Here’s Viktoria, at work (with lollypops).

Don’t you just love this Christmas-tree shaped napkin holder? I do.

A bird’s view. How do you like our Christmas mantel? Easy to get a similar look in your home too.

A beautiful candy vase from Pier 1 Imports,  filled with Russian candies (from our own pantry).

Fill in the space with mismatched candles (most of ours come from Target) , and  holiday ornaments of various shapes and sizes. They add warmth to the festive table. On another note: spot my favorite wine glasses – a gift, all the way from Turkey.

Ahh, this napkin holder!

Chocolate on a serving plate – extra sweet surprise for your guests. They’ll appreciate it.

Holiday-themed placemats from Pier 1 Imports are in tune with all the items and colors on the table.

And here’s an easy Christmas decoration idea  – a candy cane candle (you can call it CCC). Great to involve your kids in the project too!  Here are Viktoria’s hands, busy making one for our table.

To make your own candy cane candle, you will need a tall candle, lots of candy canes, a rubber band, a pretty red ribbon, and a pair of scissors. Cut off the plastic wrapper on both ends of the candy canes but leave the rest of the wrapper on the canes. Place the rubber band around the candle. Stick the candy canes inside the rubber band, continuing all around the diameter of the candle, until it is all covered with the candy canes.

Tie a pretty red ribbon around the candle. Either cut off the rubber band or hide is skillfully underneath the ribbon, and voila! Your masterpiece is ready! Ours is sitting pretty next to the glittery pear decorations on a beautiful Target-bought red tray.

Hope you enjoyed! What are some of your favorite holiday table setting ideas? Share it with us in your comments. Happy Holidays! And stay tuned for more AZ tables capes!