Dashing Through the Snow

Welcome to the 274th Tablescape Thursday!

Thanks sooo much for all the comments yesterday helping me decide which garden seat I should use beside the blue and white check chair in the guest room. I had planned to return the bluebird seat if I didn’t use it in that room but you definitely convinced me to go ahead and keep it no matter if I use it in that room or not.

If you get a chance, be sure and read the comments on yesterday’s post. So much great information about how we all approach design and how we evaluate a space. I wanted so badly to join in and leave a comment thanking you for your insights or to say, “Yes, I was thinking the same thing” but I didn’t want to say anything to influence you in any way, really wanted to hear your thoughts. I need to go through and add up all the yays and nays. I think it’s going to be a close one!

Tablescape Thursday

I’m back this week for Tablescape Thursday with another table inspired by the now famous, Better Homes and Garden, Walmart Dishes. 🙂 I love a themed table, even when the theme is subtle and not overly obvious.

Christmas Table Setting Tablescape with Sleigh Centerpiece_wm

 

Looking at the centerpiece, if you have some of this dishware, which salad plate pattern do you think inspired this table?

Christmas Table Setting with Better Homes and Garden Dishware

 

Christmas Tablescape Table Setting with Plaid Plates and Deer Centerpiece

 

I used antler-handle flatware along with cinnamon-color flatware for this setting. Love how they look together and work with the colors in the place setting.

Christmas Table Scape Table Setting with Sleigh Place Cards

 

I’m up to my old tricks again, using a tree ornament as a place card holder. Have you guessed which salad plate I’m using in this week’s table setting? This place card holder is a big hint!

Christmas Table Setting with Sleigh Place Cards

 

This pattern was one of my favorites in the B H & G dishware.

Christmas Table Setting with Plaid Plates and Antler Flatware_wm

 

It features a beautiful scene with a sleigh bringing home the family Christmas tree.  ~~~SIGH~~~  I can hear the lyrics now:  ♪ “Dashing through the snow, In a one horse open sleigh.” ♫

Christmas Table Setting with Plaid Plates

 

There’s even a little tree tucked into our open sleigh.

Sleigh Place Card Holders

 

I also used an ornament for the napkin rings.

Antler Napkin Rings

 

This little antler ornament works well with the antler handles on the flatware and with the centerpiece. If you use these in a table setting as napkin rings, you can leave the little metal hanging loop and hanging cord in place (as I did) and it becomes a gift for your guests to take home at the end of the night, something to remind them of that wonderful evening for years to come.

Antler Ornament Napkin Ring

 

If you’ve been reading BNOTP for a few years, you may remember this table setting from December 2011. The centerpiece included 4 sleighs, one I had purchased many years ago and the other three were received as gifts over the years.  (Table setting can be viewed here: Santa Claus is Coming to Town)

Christmas Table Setting with Sleigh Centerpiece

 

I used one of the sleighs in this centerpiece and added a live Norfolk Pine Christmas Tree to continue the theme from our plates. I’m always asked about tall centerpieces. Use tall centerpieces  to your hearts desire, they create a wonderful setting for any party. When you and your guests sit down to dinner, just move the arrangement to a sideboard or a table. The deer in this centerpiece could stay since they aren’t that tall and can easily be seen around/over, as seen in this dinner party I had one Christmas:  Dinner Party with Friends

Christmas Table Setting Tablescape with a Deer and Sleigh Centerpiece

I’ve used these cute deer in several table settings over the years and in a Christmas mantle here: Hunt Themed Woodland Mantel

Glittery, gold stars dot the greenery surrounding the centerpiece. This setting would be beautiful with some lit votives to set off the sparkle of the little stars.

Norfolk Pine for a Christmas Tablescape Centerpiece

 

Merry Christmas, dear friends!

Christmas Table Setting with Better Homes and Garden Dishware

 

Looking forward to the beautiful tables linked for this week’s Tablescape Thursday!

Christmas Table Setting Tablescape with Sleigh Centerpiece_wm

 

Resources:

Deer: Don’t remember now, probably Marshalls
Woven Chargers-Pier 1
Dinner Plates-Pottery Barn, last year
Salad Plates: Walmart, this year
Napkins: Plaid- HomeGoods a few years ago;  Linen with velvet trim-Pier 1 a few months ago
Flatware: Red-Pier 1
Flatware: Antler-eBay
Ornaments: Sleigh & Antler Wreath-Walmart, this year

Tablescape Thursday

If you are participating in Tablescape Thursday, please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on your post name, then copy and paste the address showing in the address bar, into the “url” box when you link up.

You’ll need to include a link in your post back to the party in order to link up and participate. That’s so visitors to your blog will be able to find the party and the other Tablescape Thursday participants.

If you would like to use the Tablescape Thursday logo button in your post, just copy and paste it to your computer and upload it to your post as you would any photo.

Please, don’t add your post name/blog name ALL IN CAPS…it tends to create big spaces between the rows of links.

Click on the Blue Frog below to see the links to all the participants in last week’s Tablescape Thursday:


Welcome! Thanks for coming to the Party!

*If a post is sponsored or a product was provided at no charge, it will be stated in post. Some links may be affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases. *



 Never miss a Between Naps on the Porch post! 

*Subscribe to have updates delivered to your Inbox. 



Comments

  1. Love both of your table settings !The little sleigh ornaments are adorable !I used the same Walmart plates in my table setting 🙂 Love them !

  2. I love your table Susan with your creative use of ornaments as place card holders & napkin rings! I think you’re responsible for Walmart selling out of the BH&G salad plates in record time! Thanks so much for sharing your sources and the inspiration!

  3. What adorable plates! Lovely table as always Susan…thanks for hosting!

  4. Susan…your tablescapes for the holidays are always such a beautiful inspiration to us all…I so love the Wal-Mart BH&G plates…so nostalgic and reminds me of Currier and Ives….thanks for hosting and presenting us with this gorgeous table today!!

  5. I love your table, Susan. I have those pair of deer but I never thought of putting hem on the table cause they are pretty big but they sure make a statement. I love the woodsy feel….Christine

  6. Susan – I love everything about this table, but I am crazy about your re-purposing of the Christmas tree ornaments. I think that is brilliant! I definitely will steal this idea (not illegal, if I warn you, right???). I know your house looks fantastic and hope that you and your family have a fabulous and merry Christmas!

  7. Beautiful tablescape, Susan! I can hear the sleigh bells jingling. You really captured the holiday mood!

  8. I remember those posts with the deer in them! The tall sleigh is a perfect holder for the Norfolk Island pine! Those are sweet dishes- do they still sell them? I adore those little sleighs- those are keepers! I see what inspired you to use them 🙂 Thank you as always for hosting the Tablescape Thursday party!

    • Thanks, Liz! ♥ Some Walmarts may still have the dishes, it’s probably hit or miss. I’ve gotten some comments in the last day or two from folks saying they found some, so you may still find them in some locations.

  9. Gorgeous Susan! The pride in the deer as they strut around your centerpiece in the star studded greenery is just joyful! the sleighs with the bottle brush trees are SO CUTE! Thanks for sharing another incredible table!

  10. Another gorgeous table. Love dashing through the snow with the cute sleighs and of course those wonderful plates. Those plates make me happy everyday!! You make such exciting tables- I look forward to your blog. I adore all your tables but still number one for me is the one you did with your houses. That one was over the top !

    • Thanks so much, Peggy! I think that table is still my favorite, too. It was so much fun to create and I got to be 10 years old again! 🙂 These plates really do make you smile, don’t they. The scenes are just so heartwarming and beautiful.

  11. Susan, I love these plates, too. Your sleigh centerpiece is perfect with them! I love how your deer are versatile enough to use in other settings besides Christmas. I noticed you chose to leave off a table cloth. The rich wood looks really nice with the natural elements on the table. Thank you for hosting each week!
    Christmas blessings!
    Kim

  12. Beautiful table, Susan. What clever uses for ornaments. The sleighs make such pretty place card holders, and a wonderful idea to use napkin rings that can be gifts for your guests. I love the way you mixed the flatware too. laurie

  13. Susan, I love this tablescape. Those antler ornaments are the cutest thing. Where did you find those? You have probably had them awhile.

    • Thanks so much, Kim! I found those in the ornament section at Walmart this year, so they may still have some. The prices for their ornaments are always so much less than in other stores that I’ve started checking out their ornament section each year. The ornaments are usually only $1.99 each and they always have some really cute ones. I especially love how they almost always have some kind of “antler” ornament. I’ve had a “woodland” themed tree in my head for years so maybe one year I’ll actually create it. 🙂

  14. Oh sigh Susan,
    Your table gives me such a nostalgic feel!
    I just bought those plates too, I had to buy the set because I couldn’t find any of the salad plates around me.
    Thanks for sharing your beautiful tables, so much inspiration!
    Cindy

  15. Gorgeous table….I have always loved and had a serious crush on your Dining Room, but never more then the Holidays….

    Gorgeous table!

  16. Susan,
    Your table is so pretty..Thanks for hosting this party. There are so many beautiful blogs to visit this week..
    Love, Mona

  17. Such a beautiful table , and so creative. I always wait eagerly every week to see what whimsical item you have used in your tablescapes, but I think antlers is the best yet! Thanks for hosting.

  18. Just BEAUTIFUL, Susan! I’m impressed with how many DIFFERENT looks you achieve with many of the same elements used before. The little trees in the sleighs are precious!
    I almost bought those salad dishes yesterday, but several of the ones at my store were chipped & I was afraid that would happen to any that I might bring home. DH isn’t the most careful person in the world when it comes to emptying the dishwasher! I guess I shouldn’t complain.
    Thank you for hosting TT again…I was glad I had a few items that qualified for the subject. I won’t do my *official* Christmas table till next week …I hope! Crazy~Busy Season!!
    hugs,
    Rett

    • Thanks, Rett! Wow, they must have been really rough with them in the store because they feel so durable. I haven’t had any problems so far with mine. At $3 each, I won’t be upset if one gets broken but they don’t feel like they will break easily. The other BH & G plates I’ve purchased from Wally World over the last few years have held up well, too.

  19. Susan, I absolutely love all your tablescapes. I have always thought you are a woman after my own heart. I could move into your home without changing a thing. However, I was wondering about the height of your centerpieces. Do you find they annoy your guests? When I do more height, people seem to kind of want to reposition their chairs, etc. to be able to see across the table. How do you handle this? I love height, but I want my guests comfortable too. I’m always at odds with this:(

    • Gayle, if it’s a really tall centerpiece, I just move the tall part to the sideboard to enjoy during the meal. I love a tall centerpiece! I’ve also read that in books about entertaining and table setting…to just move tall centerpieces to the sideboard. Click on the link I have above in this post for the dinner party I hosted last Christmas and you can see how the deer looked in that setting. They were short enough, they weren’t any problem. If I were dining at this table, I’d move the sleigh with the tree to the sideboard as every sit down. I think guests love to see a beautiful table when they first arrive so don’t limit yourself on the centerpiece…just do what you love and move it to the sideboard or to the kitchen when folks sit down for dinner. Hope that helps.
      XO

  20. Hi Susan, Ever since you first posted those cute salad plates I have been hoping to find them–they are so versatile and you have made some wonderful tables with them!! The sleigh plate may be my favorite too, as I just love sleighs and sleds! Thank you for hosting this excellent party. Happy December! Linda

  21. Love, love, love this dining roomThis is just such a beautiful table! It is elegant, warm, Christmasy, a bit of whimsy, everything is one gorgeous setting! I so enjoy seeing all you can do with your different tablescapes. This is one of my very favorites–until the next one!!!!

  22. Beautiful! Everything looks so festive and I love giving the napkins rings as gifts to your guest to remember this special dinner.
    Patty at Home and Lifestyle Design

  23. Susan, I love your table and the ornaments as placecard holders are fabulous. You make dining fun and I love your blog all the time but especially at Christmas time!
    Hugs
    Becky

  24. Very festive, Susan, love the sleighs! I used my WS tartan plates too, got them at the outlet last year very cheap!
    I am waiting for the tablecloth to be marked down. Today they have 50 off all holiday. Off to check it out.
    Thanks for hosting!

  25. This tablescape is just “superfantasticgreatwonderfulbestever”! Stunning! I love the deer. They are just exquisite and perfect in this woodland setting. I love the little sleigh ornaments for placecard holders! What a great idea. I have decided that I can wait until after Christmas for you to dismantle your house and ship it to me!!!!!! Isn’t it terrible to covet an entire house!!! And it is all YOUR fault, lady!!! lol

  26. Yup, I have the Walmart plates too! I started collecting them last year and only got the cardinal and chickadee designs. This year I have gotten the deer and the bunny ones. I LOVE THEM!!! Now, where did you get the little sleigh/name card holders? They are sweet and very nicely detailed. I love the live norfolk island tree AND the sleigh it is in! Gorgeous table. XO

  27. What great ideas…so lovely! I need MORE Christmas plates like I need a hole in the head…but…those with the sleigh…..sigh….

  28. It is my mission to take advantage of after Christmas sales and get some reindeer. I love these on your table and I totally agree about moving the centerpiece when it’s time to sit for dinner. Your choice of flatware works perfectly as well as the napkin ring/ornament. Merry Christmas!!

    • Sandra, check Cracker Barrel if you have one in your area. I don’t know if they have them this year, but in past years they’ve had some beautiful deer…I came close to buying more and barely resisted. They usually put their holiday stuff on sale well before the holiday is over. I think I may make a run by the one near me today to just see if things are on sale and what they have. Also, check HomeGoods, TJMax and Marshalls…hope you find some!

  29. Love your tablescape, Susan…so festive! I bought the same little sleigh ornament and eyed the deer shed wreath! Wish I had been able to find more! They look fabulous on your table! Thanks for hosting!…hugs…Debbie

  30. Susan, your tablescape is just perfection with the way you blended all of the elements of it. The sled accents on the plates are my favorite…enjoy your Holiday entertaining and thanks for hosting!
    JP

  31. Love this one, Susan. And, I am still drooling over those napkins. But, don’t worry because I didn’t drip on them. hahaha

  32. Marilyn Comer says

    Stunning, sophisticated but warm and cozy: my idea of perfection! Just gorgeous. Marilyn in Mt. Vernon, Virginia

  33. And merry Christmas to you dear Susan!! Lovely tables!!! Love how you used the sleigh ornies!!! Everything is so festive and you make it all so much fun!!! Thank you for that!!

  34. Love this tablescape! Must find some plaid dinner plates. It’s funny that you your sleigh ornaments/place cards came from Wal-Mart this year. Just yesterday I checked our local Wal-Mart for ornaments and they did not get these adorable sleighs; would definitely have honed in on them. This year, I’ll have to settle for the BHG salad plates & platter and several newly added reindeer. Susan, if your Wal-Mart has any more sleigh ornaments, do you ship? 😉 Just kidding but you seem to have a really good Wal-Mart; and you’d expect all of them to get the same inventory. Hope you are having a wonderful Christmas holiday & enjoying all of the favorite things you love to do. Thank you for sharing all that you do with us!

    • lol I doubt there are any left…too bad they don’t sell them online…or do they. I’ve never looked online to see if they have their ornaments there. The Walmarts around here vary a lot too. One near me doesn’t get very many dishes at all, but the super Walmart in this area got a lot more. If you have one of those near you, those are usually better stocked, I guess because they are bigger.
      They bring things back so if you don’t find what you want this year, Paula, look in November next year because they brought the little antler ornaments I used a few weeks ago back again this year.

  35. Susan Jones says

    Love, Love, Love this tablescape! Especially the sleigh-ornament place cardholders!! But I have to tell you ever since you first posted about those dishes I have probably been to 10 Walmarts looking for the salad plate with the bunny rabbit and not one I have been to has had it. I was able to find the others but still pining over the bunny one…..But not giving up!! Merry Christmas, Susan!

  36. I am in love with this table setting! For the last 2 weeks shopping Walmart (Mr. P. has been with me), I veer over to those BHG plates. Today he says, “you have so many plates” (which is true, but totally beside the point). They’re almost gone now, but those sleigh ornaments now…! I may just have to make a trip alone. It is gorgeous, Susan! Absolutely gorgeous, and I love how you put high-end, low-end together.
    Rita C. at Panoply

  37. First of all your table is gorgeous. I think the plaid is the showpiece. It makes everything look good.

    btw – the Afternoon Tea was served on Lady Carlyle.

  38. Susan, I just love your dishes, it definitely does feel like Currier and Ives. I see in the background, a small tracing of mistletoe, just lovely. The tartan plates are pretty too.
    Another great tablescape, thank you for hosting.

  39. Beautiful tablescape with the gorgeous dishes and the Brown raindeers…really fabulous, elegant an special, Susan! Merry C’mas sweet lady. Thank you for the wonderful holiday party.
    FABBY

  40. Beautiful table. Everything is lovely. Just a reminder, those adorable place card ornaments look like they have glitter on them. I worry about them on the plates and in the food. Whenever I have glitter around it gets everywhere…

  41. So so… LOVE your theme Susan.

    THough, as I mentioned, am allergic to pines twigs (is that what you call in the US?) I still use some of them. Me & GH just sprayed our meds, LoL* honest to goodness, we both do. Just to make me happy.

    Have a great day & weekend ahead too. See you next party.

    Greetings from D´Box,
    /CC girl

  42. Susan you r so creative. I love love those carriage place card holders and the anthlers napkin rings! U set some table and I wish I could join u for dinner. Can u imagine the conversations we could have on dishes!!! Have youself a Merry Christmas

  43. I just love this table. Thank you for sharing your talents again this week and for hosting the party! I am going to have to try and find some of those salad plates. I have some dishes from Target from way back that would look great with them.
    Susie

  44. I’m walking around the house singing ‘just hear those sleigh bells ringing and jing jing jingling toooooo…come on it’s lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with youuuuuuuuu…’
    It’s all your fault!

  45. Hi Susan,
    I have discovered that not all Wal-Marts are created equal. Our local Wal-Mart had very few home decorating items this year. I am in there pretty often and they had very few of the salad plates that went with that set. They did have a really pretty large platter that went with the set though. I have loved seeing all of the different tablescapes using the dishes though.
    Suzan
    Ladybug Cottage

  46. Susan, this is an adorable tablescape. Love the theme! I’ve antler flatware envy! That’s the one things on my Christmas list, but I doubt my Santa even remembers. I think I need to give some more hints. Perhaps I’ll send the link to this scape. Ha! Ha! Love the little sleigh ornaments on those beautiful dishes. Perfection!

  47. charlottem34 says

    Susan,
    Love this tablescape with the deer, sleigh, antlers plus the pretty dishes. You always give me such wonderful ideas.
    Merry Christmas!
    Charlotte

  48. Hi Susan,
    I love your beautiful tablescape. The salad plates are so pretty ~ I will have to look and see if I can find them here.
    Thank you for hosting,
    Carolyn

  49. This is so lush and beautiful, love it! You have a lot of new things I haven’t seen before – the napkin rings and sleigh place cards, etc., really neat! I didn’t see those beautiful salad plates at Walmart 🙁 wish I had!

    Thanks for hosting!

    Katherine

  50. Susan, Sorry to be so late, darn that work thing! I had not given any thought to Currier and Ives being the inspiration for the Walmart plates until now. They are very Currier & Ives with a touch of Norman Rockwell. But here nor there, your tablescape is lovely and as always, very creative. As I have said before, you have conquered the art of knowing when enough is perfect. I really have to study your work more closely to learn your secret of knowing when stop, step back, and say this is just right.

    Candy

    PS: thank you for hosting!

  51. I FINALLY scored the bird plates today and posted a pic in your links. This is my first time to participate and my pics aren’t great, but I was so happy!!!

  52. Hi Susan! I’ll be sharing your site with my husband again this week and saying “these are the plates I didn’t buy!” That should make him happy!

  53. Susan. I am doing the Happy Dance..I found 3 bunny and 3 deer plates at my Wal-Mart today. I added them with the birds. I was so happy to find. Even had my son in Miami look at several stores there. Could not find a one. Hope to find at least 1 more of the bunny plates. Maybe one of the Columbia stores will get another shipment.
    Thanks again for showcasing them in your beautiful table setting. You are the best!

    • Yay! That is sooo sweet that your son looked, too. What a great son! I hope you find another bunny plate! They are all so cute!

    • We usually spend the winter with them for about 3 months. Love going to all the store there. We are not lucky enough to have them here in Columbia it’s a big city but not good shopping. Have to to St. Louis even for a Ross store. He’s really good about trying to track down something for me.He went on the hunt for some eyelet edge heart plates,but never found those either. Finally found them on eBay. Which I am sure I will be able to do if I don’t find that bunny plate here.We are in the midst of a really bad storm so no looking for awhile.
      Vicki

  54. Hi Susan. You always come up with the best tablescapes ever. Thank you so much for hosting this wonderful event week after week!! I am jumping in and joining, this is so much fun. There’s so many thing on your table that I would love to have on my table, but the antler napkin rings are my favorite and I love how you mix 2 napkins, I never though of doing that. Have to try it!

  55. Pat Crowder says

    Susan, I always enjoy your blog so much, and especially your dining room tablescape. Would also love to see a picture taken of the other side of room, toward your china cabinet sometime.
    Pat

  56. Susan,
    Oh what a lovely tablescape, dear friend!!!
    I adore the deer!
    I’ve been looking at some salad/ dessert plates at Wal~Mart,
    but I dropped some subtle hints and now I’m waiting for St. Nick!!!
    Thanks for hosting each week. . .filled with inspirational tablescaping ideas!!!
    Fondly,
    Pat

  57. Susan Kennedy says

    Hello! I sent an email yesterday, but am not sure I did it right! I want to paint my kitchen red, and love the red wall colors and off white molding colors you showed on your Tablescape Thursday yesterday (12/12/13). Could I ask you the names and brand of these colors? The red on the wall, and the off white molding colors. It is the picture with the beautiful chandelier, reindeer on the table, and the 2 lamps on the side table, with a mirror between them!! Thank you so much! These colors would look great in my kitchen!! Thanx!! Susan

    • Hi Susan,
      I’m a little behind in my email so it may be in my Inbox. 🙂 Sure, the red color in my dining room is an older Benjamin Moore color called Raspberry Truffle. I still love it after all this time. I saw it in a beautiful den on a Christmas home tour and had to have it in a room in my home. I don’t remember the color of the white paint now but it was a standard BM color right out of the can, not a custom mix. It was from their Muralo line…not sure if they still have that but if they don’t, I’m sure they have something just like it. BM can probably recommend a great white. In person, in my dining room, it comes across as a bright white, but an off white or cream would be beautiful, too!

    • Susan Kennedy says

      Uhhh, Ohhhh! Sorry, but I found it when I dug a little further on your Tablescape Thursday on 12/6/13!! I am a new subscriber, and have a lot learn!! These red colors will be beautiful on my kitchen walls!!! Thank you so much, and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours!!! Susan

  58. Hey Susan, I have been following you for a very long time, but I don’t think I have ever commented on anything accept to myself. I love your ideas and I love keeping up with your blog. I really have gotten a lot of decorating ideas from your home tours, which I love, the movie house tours, which I love, and your own decorating themes. I too bought the plates from Walmart this year. I ordered them online, 2 complete sets, because I never could find them in our local store. I will see if I can take a pic and send it to you, I have gotten so many compliments on my breakfast room table where I used them. Have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year. Thanks for keeping us up on all things new and beautiful for our homes. Peggy

  59. Susan, I’ve loved your tablescapes and used to be a regular reader, but have been so busy with life that I haven’t had the opportunity to check in on your wonderful blog until tonight…or morning (3 a.m.!!!) while contemplating what to do with my dining table this year. I love your silver, red and white table from last year but your table this year looks similar to what I did last year. Love it!

    I wanted to ask a question too. Do you leave your table like this for your Christmas lunch/dinner? When I have used tall objects in my tablescapes, my stepdaughter removes them form the table and it really threw me for a loop the first time she did it. It wasn’t that she couldn’t see across the table, but I guess she was taught differently by her mother than table decor should be removed to allow for food on the table. So just wondering what you do for your dinners. Do you leave your tablescapes exactly like they are in the photos we see, or do you remove certain things? These are just some of the questions that keep me up at night! 😉

    Thanks so much!

    • Thanks, Victoria! If it’s a really tall centerpiece, I will move it to a sideboard when folks sit down to eat but in most cases I don’t need to do that. You can see a table setting where I used deer that were low enough to stay on the table here: https://betweennapsontheporch.net/a-christmas-dinner-party/

      For this table setting with the Norfolk Pine, if I had served guests at this table, I would have moved the pine since it would block the view of the guests. I don’t ever put the food on the table “family style.” I prefer to place it on the counter in my kitchen and let folks serve their plate from there. I usually have way too much food for it to fit on the table, even if I did remove the entire centerpiece. No way would it all fit on the table so it’s just easier to leave it in the kitchen and let folks serve their plate from there. When I have dinner at my friends home, they do the exact same thing, place the food on the counter and we serve our plates from there. I do sometimes bring the tea into the dining room and place it on the sideboard within easy reach for refills, but the food stays in the kitchen. Hope this kind of helps explain. 🙂

  60. Thanks so much for your reply, Susan. I do the very same thing that you do — have the spread of food along the bar in the kitchen area and allow guests to serve themselves and have the dining room set with place settings, etc. It really took me by surprise when my stepdaughter removed some of the elements of my tablescape that weren’t at all that tall or in the way of our view across the table. I think maybe she wasn’t used to it or her mother removed things from the table and used it for food. Not my way at all. Just wondered what you and others practice was. Thankfully, I’m finding it is very much like my own practice.

    Thanks again and one other quick question. Do you ever have sales of the pieces or dinnerware sets that you no longer use or want? If so, put me on the list. I’ve been trying to find pieces of the some that I believe I spied on your website some time ago. I’m sure you probably still use it, but if you ever decide to part with any of it, please let me know! I’m in the market for a lot of it — Ma Maison.

    Have a blessed and beautiful Christmas!

    • So far I’ve never sold any because I keep using it all over and over through the years. I don’t think I could ever part with Ma Maison…it’s one of my faves. I keep hoping HomeGoods will get it again one day since it’s been one of the more popular patterns with my readers.
      Yeah, I’m sure your DIL was just doing what her Mom did. Maybe you can just gently tell her that you prefer the centerpiece stays. 🙂

      • Haha! I can relate! I’m sure I wouldn’t want to part with it either, Susan. I keep acquiring and probably need to purge a bit. But it’s hard to do when you love them all!

        Thanks for the advice!

  61. Linda Louise S. says

    Love the sleigh/place card holder. Where did you get them? Would love to do that too.

  62. Jeannie Collier says

    OMWord!! What a beautiful tablescape!!! I love it all!!!

  63. I love, love, love your sense of decorating! Simply gorgeous.

    I was wondering where you got your gold stars scattered on the table setting in the Dashing thru the Snow article?

    You are so inspiring! : )

    Merry Christmas!

    • Thanks so much, Holly! Those were sent to me around 3 years ago from Colonial Candle. They are actually supposed to be little ornaments I think, because they had hanging strings/cords on them. I snipped off the cords to use them for this table.

  64. I have looked/called Wal Marts from Kansas to Dallas trying to find the BH&G dishes…found a pic of a set online, but no one has them. Are they somewhere else online? I even tried to find them on BH&G website, no luck.
    Thanks for any help!!!!!!

    • Kathleen, they sold out online at Walmart a week or two ago. I’m still getting comments and emails from readers who are finding them in some stores, but it’s total hit or miss now. The only thing I could suggest at this point is to look up their corporate number or call a store and ask to speak to a manager and get the corporate number from him, then call that number and asked them to look in their system and tell you which locations still show some left in their inventory. If you don’t find them this year, maybe they’ll bring them back again next year. They have been soooo popular, they would be foolish to not make them available again.

  65. What a wonderful setting! I especially love the sleighs as placecard holders! Have a wonderful holiday season! Thank you for Tablescape Thursdays, such a beautiful way of sharing.

  66. Christina McCall says

    Hey Susan, Well it is so funny, each Walmart now has the Christmas Heritage Collection. One I bought the large dinner plates since they did not have any of the salad plates (a larger bowl was also there (did not care for it)
    The one that now has the salad plates has all 4 designs )minus the red cardinal and bird. Here is my question…as I see a lot of your posts I notice you have 6 of the tree with the small rabbit on your green hutch (Which is darling), then in this post you have 6 of the Barn with the sleigh. Not to be nosey, but since I am a believer “you better get it while it is there” kind of person (you can always return, but once it is gone it is gone. Do you mind telling me just how many plates you do have of each salad plate pattern. Thank you!!!

    • Glad they are finally turning up…have no idea why the Walmarts get them in the way they do…so random! I think I have 8 of each. The reason I try to buy 8 is because that’s how many my dining room table will seat when the leaf is in it. Of course, these plates easily mix together in a setting so a person could do with fewer of each pattern and just use them all together. These were inexpensive, I went ahead and bought 8 of each pattern.

  67. i just picked these up and noticed they don’t say dishwasher safe and R made in China. Have u washed yours through the dishwasher with no harm done?

    • The owl plates that I just bought this winter but haven’t used all have stickers on the back that say Dishwasher and Microwave safe. When I used them for a Christmas dinner party last year, I think I washed them by hand, but the paper/removal sticker on the back of the ones I have do say they are dishwasher and microwave safe.

I'd love to hear from you! Please leave a comment!

*