Thanksgiving Table Ideas

Wow!  It has been a while since I posted last.  My Etsy shop has been keeping me very busy and entertained.  But now I'm back to share some thoughts and ideas for the Thanksgiving table.

We are hosting Thanksgiving again this year...this time for 10 people!  Not only do I need a bigger table (fingers crossed the folding table I ordered from BJs works), but this year I am actually cooking a turkey.  Last year I chickened out and just did a chicken :-)

Of course, more than the food, I'm excited to decorate for the holidays.   I thought I'd share some inspiration images...

EmersonMade

Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart

House Beautiful

Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart

I love this for the kids table! 

For our table I want to create a Dutch still life vibe.  Muted tones, fruits and veggies, natural linen, pewter and silver....

Martha Stewart

Still life photography by Kevin Best

http://www.bestshots.com.au/flash/home_splash.html

http://www.wolheimstyle.com/aftermathframeset.html

Willem Claesz Heda "Banquet Piece with Mince Pie"

I think I'll start with a a heavy painters drop cloth as the underlayer.  Getting that much linen would start to get too expensive. Then I'll layer some white muslin strips to act as place mats and add depth to the setting. Then I'll load up the table with a collection of pewter and brass candle holders, beautiful fruits and gourds, and a collection of antique silverware.  The table should arrive tomorrow so I'll post some pictures of the preperations in action!

Kate 

I'm Opening an Etsy Shop!

My mom and I have decided to open an Etsy shop to find homes for all the treasures we discover. I don't know if you are like me, but I hate...HATE passing up a good find. And most of the time those diamonds in the rough just need a little TLC.  Unfortunately, unless I have an outlet for all these treasures, I'm going to end up on the next episode of Hoarders (except they will have to title the episode Hoarders...buried alive in a house full of really awesome stuff ...)

The shop is called Behind the Orange Door (behindtheorangedoor.etsy.com) - named for the striking orange front door at my folks house. We will be selling unique, vintage and antique items for the home.  There are a few items up now, with many more on the way.  Here is a little sampling of what BTOD has to offer!

I'm going to post a link on the side of this blog as soon as I figure out how.... 


As a new member of the Etsy community, I figured I'd share some other shops that grabbed my attention the other day!

Kari Herer - absolutely beautiful photography! I'm obsessed. I might need to order a few for myself...

Graphic Spaces - fun quirky clocks, mirrors and bookends to add some kitsch to your space.

Cutting Edge Stencils - great designs give you the look of wallpaper for a fraction of the price.  That is if you have the patience to stencil....Here are just a few of the patterns I liked.

Jason Tennant - these macabre birds will add some drama and movement to any room...one part creepy, ten parts awesome.

Brasilia TV Stand and Living Room Tour

I finally have pictures of the Brasilia TV stand in place!  For some reason it is really difficult to take good pictures in our living room so I apologize for the quality of these pics.

It fits that inset perfectly!  The cords are still an annoying problem but I think that is about as good as it is going to get.

We have another new addition to the living room.  It is a mid-century Lane side table.  Here is the before.  

It was in pretty tough shape.  However my mom the master refinisher worked her magic with a little bit of this...

And look at it now!

Isn't that dovetail detailing fantastic!  

I replaced a small metal tray table with the new Lane piece.

Here are some additional pictures around the room.

The big picture is actually a framed cloth print that my hubby and I got in New Zealand.  The bird is a Weka (wild chickens)...not a kiwi. The giant frame is a Ribba from Ikea.

Aren't these little birds cute!  I pick them up for $5 at the Helping Hands thrift store in New Haven.  They look like little wekas.

I'm off to Denver tomorrow to see my friend.  So hopefully I'll have more progress pictures of her house.

KK

Christmas Already? Now this is just too early....

As sad as it is, I expect to see this when I walk into a store this time of year...

But this is just too much too soon...

 Holiday crafting!? Snowflakes!? It is 85 degrees!

The entire back of the store was loaded with Christmas stuff.  Already!?  We aren't even out of August!  I haven't even been to the beach or had a lobster roll.  On the bright side, there were some neat things in the mix.

I think they have the same one at Pier 1...fun and $140.

Sorry this picture is so terrible.  Cute flower votives.  Wouldn't classify them as Christmas but I do like them.

Sigh.

Oh and the J.Crew in Westport apparently redid their store.  Look at these amazing lights they have over the check-out counter.

I love these!  Anyone out there know where they are from?

KK

Broyhill Brasilia!

I've been searching for a new tv cabinet FOREVER.  The tv was one of the first things we bought when we moved into our place and it has been rather sad and messy looking ever since. The biggest problem is the space where the tv has to go. There is an inset next to the fireplace which is unfortunately the only option in the room to put the tv. I originally got this tv stand from IKEA...

Unfortunately it didn't work out. I made the very silly mistake of measuring the distance of the inset from wall to wall...not trim to trim.  The piece was too big by about two inches. Grrr. That's one mistake I won't make again!

So right now, this is the state of our tv. Oh it is so embarrassing!

I'm watching Top Model....Don't all those electronics look great strewn across the floor. The tv is now on a very pretty bench/coffee table that does NOT work as a tv stand.

Just when I thought there was no hope along came the fabulous Brasilia!

My mom found a beautiful buffet and hutch piece from the Broyhill Brasilia Collection at Salvation Army.  It was $59. Amazing. And even more amazing is that similar Brasilia pieces sell for $1500...not that I can part with it. The Brasilia Collection was produced by Broyhill in the 1960s and was inspired by the then newly developed capital city of Brazil....Brasilia! Here are some cool pics of Brasilia. You can see where the designers found their inspiration.

look familiar?

Pretty cool right? I'm setting up the tv now....pictures to come tomorrow :-)