Welcome to the 265th Tablescape Thursday!
When I created a fall mantel in September…
…mischievous ravens took up roost among the books, candlesticks and antlers. (Mantel can be viewed here: An Autumn Mantel and Fire Screen)
Then they threw a Halloween party out on the porch and invited all their friends!
Some nerve, huh?
At least they dressed in festive bow ties for the occasion.
The napkin sheaths are inexpensive tulle purchased from the fabric store and cut into large sqaures…no hemming required.
A raven’s-eye view…
Trick or Treat! Flatware is by Gourmet Setting and is available on Amazon here: Gourmet Settings Treble Clef
Found this cute dishware in HomeGoods this season.
I think the black cat is my favorite, although the haunted house is pretty cute, too.
One cheeky fellow took up roost under the cloche alongside a wee mercury glass pumpkin.
Mercury Glass pumpkins are available around Halloween in Marshalls and in Pottery Barn here: Mercury Glass Pumpkins
Not dark yet but couldn’t resist lighting the candles for you. It dawned on me yesterday, I haven’t had a single crow on the birdfeeders hanging from the deck while this table has been set here on the screened porch.
Do you think they are afraid the crazy woman who lives here will stuff them and turn them into a decoration? 😉
I’ve always loved Halloween! It’s a time when even the grown-ups get to dress up for costume parties and pretend they are 10 years old again without a care in the world, even if it is just for one night.
A few words from Mr. Poe
Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore;
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.
Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore.
“Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,” I said, “art sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the Nightly shore
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!”
Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”
Excerpt from The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
Happy Halloween!
Links to previous Halloween table settings can be found at the top of BNOTP under the category Tablescape/Holiday/Halloween AND under the category The Holiday Home/Halloween/Tablescapes. Or, check them out here: Halloween Table Settings
Looking forward to the beautiful tables linked for this week’s Tablescape Thursday!
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Welcome! Thanks for coming to the party!
Love your crows at the table Susan! They look so festive with the ribbon around their necks among the mercury glass ornaments!
Thanks, Mary!
Hi Mary, I am the queen of theme and go crazy with seasonal and holiday decorating. I have lots of dishes, but never found the perfect ones for Halloween. I adore yours, especially the black and white which is the underplaying color palate for my home (I even have a black Scotty!). Anyway, I’d love to search out the bottom layer plates in particular, they r fabulous! Can u tell me who manufactures them and if they have a pattern title?
I should have included that info in the post, I must have forgotten. I just pulled out the bottom plates and on the back it says: 222 Fifth PTS International. Then it says Wiccan Lace white I think is the pattern name. Then under that it says: Fine China, Porcelaine Fine. You may want to check Replacements.com or eBay for it. Or, perhaps HomeGoods will get it in again this year.
The Raven quote is so clever Susan! Your table does scream EAP! Your ravens are wonderful, and those plates are the cutest things I’ve ever seen!! I will not let myself go into Home Goods, it’s wayyyyy too tempting!! Your table is fabulous of course, I must go back for another peek!
Thanks, Jenna! Oh, you are so right…lots of tempting things!
Susan, you made this table fun and elegant at the same time. I love those dinner plates, and the ravens and mercury glass pumpkins make such a great statement. I thin the ravens enjoyed your porch as much as everyone else does. laurie
Thanks, Laurie! XO
Hi Susan, You are hilarious and inspiring at the same time!! Maybe you should put up a stuffed squirrel in your window this winter to keep Mr. Naughty Squirrel from attacking the bird feeder too! I might even try that–my squirrels already know me as the crazy lady who runs out of the house with a squirt gun aimed at them. I just love this table with the well-dressed ravens and the mercury glass. The candles lit during the day on the black candelabras actually are quite spooky! Happy Fall! Linda
LOL Now that’s an idea! 🙂
You know, the same thing happened last year when I decorated the small oval table near the screened windows with those feathery crows you buy in Michaels. I didn’t see hide nor feather of a crow the whole time those were out there. I think they were afraid, they would be next! 😉
So cute! I’m glad they wore their neckties! I wonder if the crows noticed them! Love both of the plates and the mercury glass accents! Thanks for hosting!
Thanks, Liz! 🙂
Your crow table is such fun and yet elegant. Love the cute trick or treat plate and the other ones. It is such fun to mix things up. Halloween and October is such a great time. It can stop raining in Virginia!
Hope it does, Peggy…I know how old that gets after our summer of constant rain.
How fun, I love your black and white table. Gorgeous. Thanks also for hosting. Hugs, Marty
Thanks, Marty!
I love the dishes you found this year. I so wish I had space to collect fun dishes for different seasons/holiday’s. It would be so fun! Thanks so much for hosting.
KC
Thanks KC!
Love the black and white table! The dishes are so cute. Homegoods can be a dangerous place! Jennifer
Hi Susan, love your table setting. So pretty. Not all Halloween has to be orange. Love the black & white. Love the dishes with the little children. I’ll have to get over to Home Goods to see if they have any here. Have a great Fall day.
Susan, I just love those plates, you find the neatest things. As for the crows, I would let the one out of the cloche occasionally, he is looking a little blue around the beak!! 🙂
lol He may need a break, huh?
Susan, what a cute setting! You must have a ball creating it….and especially I love your flatware!
JP
Thanks, JP! It’s amazing how many settings look great with black flatware. I thought I would just use it for Halloween when I bought if a year or two back but I’ve used it a good bit.
Fun Table! So dramatic and elegant at the same time! Beautifully done! Thanks for hosting, Susan!
WOW, this table is a real ‘SHOW-STOPPER’…..I can just imagine my Little grands having fun creating this table with you…and someday soon you will be having a ball with your own, what a granny they’ll have!!! Your dishes are awesome Susan and so is the flatware…..wish I could find something for Halloween like your plates. Very inspiring this table, I love the fact that it’s elegant at the same time and not so over crowded with spooky elements . Thanks for sharing.
Big hugs,
FABBY
Thanks, Fabby! I can’t wait to spoil those future grandbabies! 🙂 About the plates, I’ve seen them on eBay but they are about 4X what they were in HomeGoods. Crazy pricing!
Susan, looks fabulously spooky. Reminds me of The Birds – a movie I was terrified by as a child and when we had our teenage kids watch it they laughed at how silly it was. My how special effects have changed. Looks like we shopped at a lot of the same places this year! My plates today are the salad plates that go with your plates. Thanks a million for hosting.
Oh, cool! I love those! I remember that movie…scared the heck out of me when I saw it! It will make you paranoid about birds for a while. 🙂
Love your halloween tablescape, Susan. I want some black candleabras! and crows!
Susan, I love your table and those plates from Home Goods are adorable. By the way, I could not help noticing you candelabras. Where did you get them? Are they black or dark brown? Some scenes they look totally black where in others maybe very dark brown.
Thanks, Margo! They are black…it’s probably my lighting on the porch that makes them look brown in some pics. I found those in a thrift store back in 2009. They were already painted black when I found them. You can tell in some places they were originally brass, but it didn’t look like good brass so I’m glad someone painted them. I love using them for Halloween. The design and curly cues on them seem perfect for a spooky table setting. 🙂 The first table I ever used them in was for this one: https://betweennapsontheporch.net/halloween-tablescape-welcome-to-the-60th-tablescape-thursday/
Susan, that is a very elegant table scape! Very pretty. I’m glad you showed us close ups of the ravens. They are even more elegant than they looked when on the mantle. Very nicely made. And I love their little bowties, lol. The mercury glass pumpkins also land an air of elegance with their cool, silvery tones. And those plates! You find the cutest things at Homegoods! I really like this tablescape. It’s simple and elegant and the colors are very toned down. Very pretty! Thanks. 🙂
I know…that is a dangerous store! They have my number!
Thanks, Pam!
The ravens! The cloches! The feathers! The mercury glass! Oh! And those DISHES! There is not a single thing I would change, my friend!
xo
Andie
The Raven is one of my favorites from EAP. I always was drawn to the eerie movies and stories and such when I was young and I still am. I was a big fan of the scary/creepy Vincent Price movies and everyone once in a while will catch The House of Wax on AMC or Turner Classics and will watch it again. I love your table setting. Really cute and the ribbon on each raven is just the perfect touch. You do great work. P.S. I am starting to work on an itenarary for the plantation homes on the River Road next spring.
Love the black crows with the mercury glass pumpkins = scary and classy at the same time! The plates are perfect for the theme! Thanks for hosting TT!
DD
Hi Love your tablescapes, but was wondering if you ever have company to eat and what is your menu??
Sure, it just depends on the theme, the party and the time of year. I don’t always post pics since no one would ever come to dinner if they thought they would end up on the world wide web 🙂 but I did post some pics for my Christmas dinner party last year with the permission of my good-natured friends. You can see those here: https://betweennapsontheporch.net/a-christmas-dinner-party/
For today’s table, I recommend Martha’s suggestions found here: http://www.marthastewart.com/856534/halloween-party-menus/@center/276965/halloween ,
although brain cupcakes may not be to everyone’s liking. 😉
Beautiful tables, Susan. Love the plates especially the Trick or Treat ghost plates……Christine
I just love this one! Those plates! Those crows! I’m so inspired to do something Halloween now. P.S. Love the Poe excerpt 🙂
Those birds are for the birds having a party on your porch! But at least they set a beautiful table!
Thanks for hosting Susan!
Forgot to say how darling those plates are! Too cute!
I love this table Susan! The black candelabra are perfect and the dishes are adorable. I’m a sucker for mercury glass and pumpkins so when I see them made into one item I always want them. Yours are especially nice and how cute is that pumpkin under glass?!
Have a great weekend…Vikki in VA
Susan, I laughed out loud when I got to the poem. I was going to comment with a snippet of that poem. How’s that for spooky? 🙂
Stunning Halloween tablescape Susan – so many beautiful details! Those bowties on the ravens – adorable. Lov’n the haunted house plates and the mercury glass elements are gorgeous.
Oh, Susan,
who knew that even ravens can be that cute? I love them, especially those “well-dressed” ones on your porch! 😉
Oh, and of course, I ADORE those “Trick or Treat” plates and those from Home Goods!
What are the letters and the figures made of? Ceramic? They’re really cute!
Oh, Susan, another question: who is the crazy woman who lives there? Do you have a boarder in your home, we don’t know? LOLOL
~Hugs to you~
Cecilia
Well susan I simply adore your tablescape, it i delightful, love the mercury touches and I love the black birds, I have some of the same…Those napkins are beautiful with the scalloped edges..It is all just perfect, and inviting…I do love it when you do tablescapes….I am adding the final in a series of three of goulie house guests, I may have added it last week, but not sure so forgive me if you have seen it…thanks for the poem, I have always loved it….Phyllis
Hi, Susan! This is the best Halloween table setting I’ve ever seen–just my taste. I’m gonna look for some raven figurines and paint some candlesticks black! the entire setting is perfect, including the dishes and tableware. Thank you for taking time to make your tablescapes and post your interesting and helpful blog! I look forward to reading your messages every day.
Most. Elegant. Halloween Décor. Ever. You made even ravens appear sophisticated. Love the cloche arrangement. Love, love, love it! And the bow ties are just the perfect touch of contrast. Well done.
Where, or where did you find those fantastic crows??
Karen, those came from Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago. I loved them the minute I saw them because they are good and heavy. They feel and look like wood, not resin. I caught them on sale, 40% off. Hopefully their Halloween stuff is still on sale.
OMG! Susan this tablesettings is the fave of my family. Lil man (my son’s stepson is asking if I can make this for him).
Love the centerpiece.
Happy THursday.
GB,
/CC girl
I love everything! I have the same salad plates with Trick or Treat on them but I found them at Home Goods in 2009. I wish I had seen the dinner plates this year. The flatware is wonderful too! Hope your Halloween is something to crow about and I know it will be.
I’ve been haunting Home Goods hoping to find something very cool for Halloween without any luck. You definitely had better luck and your finds are adorable. The crows/ravens would fit right in here.
What a CUTE table! and I do love those plates. I was at Home Goods the other day and I didn’t see anything near as fun as those. The Poe quote is perfect for your table.
You always come up with the best tables. =)
Mary
from Virginia
http://marysflowerworks.blogspot.com
Hey Susan,
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the tablescape!! I don’t know what I like better, the crows and the great black & white dishes, or the fact you used the mercury glass pumpkins to complete the tablescape!? I don’t have a Hobby Lobby in my area, but I do have Michaels…..hoping they have some similar crows!
Thanks for the inspiration!
Lanita
I am such a sucker for black and white. This tablescape was love at first sight for me. Love the crows with their little ties, simply darling! The plates are terrific. I love them too. You have done another fantastic job Susan. The truth be told though, you could make any tablescape look good especially with your porch as the lovely background. Have a great Evening! …….Candy
I love, love, love this table!! Your ravens are wonderful and I LOVE the bottom plate with the haunted house and assorted Halloween objects on it. I sure wish we had a HG near me, but the closest one is 2 hours away. I love the black candleholders, too, did you buy them or paint them? Have a wonderful weekend!!
LOVE the crows and the mercury glass, perfect Halloween combo! I haven’t had time to do a table for this week. Hopefully next week.
Fabulous Halloween Table Susan! I love those plates – I never saw those at my Homegoods- they were probably scarfed up as soon as they were put out- too cute. Your ravens look like they are having quite a party!! Thanks for Hosting!
Susan, I hope this makes sense. This table has lots of feeling. You created a mood and I totally get it.
Thanks, Sandra! Tables often do to me too…I think that’s why I love creating them so much. 🙂
Susan, you definitely have the spirit, or should I say spirits, of the season. This is a very cool tablescape. And I love the Poe quote. One year my husband and I stayed in a hotel in Oregon where each room was decorated after a famous author. Our favorite room, where I would never sleep, was the Poe room. Truly creepy, even had a largo pendulum hanging over the bed. Can you just imagine sleeping there. I digress. I love the idea of the napkin sleeves. I have seen you use this idea before. My question is what do your guests do with them when they using their napkin and are eating. Just set them on the table? Thanks.
Thanks, Nancy! Normally they just put them in their lap under their napkin. If it’s close friends or family, they may all hand them to me and I just put them aside.
Susan, this is my favorite Halloween table! Love the black birds and those sweet plates!
Looks amazing. Love the place setting!
Great table! Love your new dinner plates. I missed those at HomeGoods.
Thanks for hosting.
– The Tablescaper
Great tablescape Susan. Love the birds – they are great. Everything looks amazing.
Mary
You have the most amazing tablescapes!! Love this ~ The dishes are perfect!
xo
Pat
Susan, just L-O-V-I-L-E-E and fun at the same time. The ravens paired with your candlesticks are perfect; speaking of which I am still keeping an eye open for those ‘wacky’ candelabras (as in your post of Oct. 3rd) but haven’t seen any yet. ☺ -Brenda-
P.S: Re adults dressing up; last month treated the family to ten days in Disney World and upon the insistence of the grandchildren; created two costumes for myself and hubby as we had tickets for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Went as Jessie and Woody (Toy Story characters) and even ‘trick and treated’ with the children. All in all it was worth the effort as it really was lots of fun.
Thanks, Brenda! I’ve googled a little just to see if I could find them, mostly out of curiosity because I have a feeling if I found them, they would be pricey since they loo so large, but they are a riot! 🙂 So fun that you went to Disney World AND had awesome costumes to wear! You are so talented to make those! I loved that movie, Toy Story. I remember when it came out and we went to see it. Sounds like you had a wonderful time in DW.
Actually Susan when I saw how Disney was decorated for the occasion, I immediately thought of you and of course your friend Marie … and that is the truth. Both you gals would be hired in an instance. ☺
Regarding the costumes, thank you for your vote of confidence re my talent. As I knew they were just a one time thing and wanted to keep cost to a minimum, I did cut corners and improvise where I could. For those who might wish to do similar (or be making a costume) hope you don’t mind Susan, me sharing some tips that might assist them:– To duplicate,
Woody’s shirt for example was an old white dress shirt (of my husband’s) that I dyed yellow and with a red paint pen added the checks as I had to do with a black pen for the DIY striped welting on his vest which I did make. As for Jessie’s blouse; I found a dress shirt in the young men’s department at Walmart for $8.00 (which I could not have made cheaper) and used Tulip Fabric paint to create its yoke and dyed some Roman Shade cording for it and the cuffs’ to create the decorative faux/looped embroidery detail which I just fabric-glued on. For the buttons on both costumes, I used ‘button frames’ (6 mm thick craft foam for their center) and positioned a piece of 1/8″ elastic to their back so they could be slipped over ‘n off the existing garment buttons.
For Jessie’s cuff’s, Woody’s holster, two belt buckles and Woody/Jessie masks; I used 2 mm and 6 mm thick craft foam which is really amazing to work with and cheap, cheap, cheap. Did you know that when it is heated it can be molded and shaped while still warm; painted or even sewn? Best invention since sliced bread IMO … winks. (FIY many of the suits of armour you might see in Movies have probably been made with it. ) As for both their hats they were actually plain foam ones that I found at the $-Store and dressed with cording plus a band. Jessie’s chaps I did make by using the front of my existing blue jeans as a pattern and they were just hand-basted on (over them). Jessie’s braided pigtail was made out of ‘chunky’ wool yarn and I attached it to the inside of her hat with Velcro as the masks that I made were of their faces that I photo-edited and printed off to scale so when held up, the hairline met the hat. (As I knew it was going to be warm (and crowded) I opted for a masquerade type mask, mounting the faces on 6mm craft foam and a stick.)) As both Woody and Jessie are (talking) dolls; for pull cords I used one ‘cheap’ (there is that word again …. thank goodness for $-stores ) white plastic curtain shower ring each, a piece of Roman Shade cording with an eyelet brad attached to the backs of their shirt/blouse.
Additional Tips:
Glues: Krazy Glue (gel) or Super Glue works best on craft foam. Liquid Stitch is an excellent fabric glue.
When sewing craft foam: if you do not have a ‘teflon’ sewing foot, sandwich your foam between two pieces of tissue paper. One piece under the foot and the other on your sewing machine bed with the foam in between.
Purchasing of craft foam: It comes in a range of thickness as well as size of sheets. (For the holster and cuffs you will need 9″ x 18″ size sheets x 2 mm thick.)
Heating craft foam: Sandwich the foam between paper if using an iron. A heat gun can also be used, as well as a curling iron or the cooking element on your electric stove. In each instance ‘use caution’ so not to burn yourself or melt the foam. Keep all settings low to warm. (You may have to experiment a bit.)
Painting Craft Foam: It will require at least two to three coats of white (diluted) glue before any application of paint. Let glue thoroughly dry between each coat. (Modge Podge ‘matte finish’ works well, both as a glue and for sealing the paint.) Use a sponge brush for application or a spray paint.
Cutting Craft Foam: A fabric ‘rotary cutter’ works well for straight cuts, whereas conventional scissors are best for designs.
Transferring patterns to Craft Foam: Lightly prick with a pin to create pin dots or use an embossing tool. (Tracing paper will not work.)
Button Frames — by Dritz Home. They are reasonably priced, come in various sizes and can be found in the Home Décor or Sewing Notion section(s) in many fabric or department stores.
Think I have covered just about everything Susan, and I thank you for letting me ramble on . Hopefully the description and tips I included will help those who want to get into the Halloween spirit of creating a costume of their own or dressing up in one. -Brenda-
Brenda, You are SOOO nice to share how you made the costumesl. I’m sure some folks who are looking for costumes this Halloween will appreciate it. The costumes sound brilliant! Wish I was half as crafty/clever to think of all that! Thanks again for sharing the details! Love hearing how you made them!
Being a Ravens fan, I can definitely see using some elements of this tablescape for a football party. Great job!!
Am glad I didn’t bore to death Susan with ALL the details and hopefully I have helped a few with my description and tips. After reading over what I wrote, something that I did neglect to add which is quite crucial when working with paints and fabrics is —
always ensure that you line ‘the back of the area you are painting’ with cardboard (or similar) as most paints will bleed through to the wrong side of the fabric to some extent.
Thanks again Susan for your patience and letting me post such a lengthy comment. Warm hugs -Brenda-
P.S: Originally I wanted to go as Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, but my hubby just couldn’t see himself wearing leotards . Talk about vanity …. ha, ha.
LOL That’s funny! 🙂 I dressed as a red M&M one year for Halloween and wore red tights, red tennis shoes, etc… I even painted my whole face red. When I went to pick up my son from the card store where he was playing with a bunch of friends that evening, his friends recognized me and said hey, before he did. The look on his face was totally worth all the itching I felt that night at the costume party. 🙂
Oh my gosh Susan; what a cute and novel idea! Shall store that one in ‘my memory bank’. Know what you mean by the look on your son’s face as when the Grandchildren seen us dressed up; their reaction was so rewarding as I had kept it a secret up until then what our costumes were. (That evening we also ended up posing in photos with a lot of strangers as well who requested us to do so which surprised me.)
As it is our Thanksgiving here in Canada, best scoot and do something productive as expecting the family for dinner later this evening. (Tom turkey is in the oven at present and the desserts are all made, so I think I am more than half way there re preparation. “No rest for the wicked” as they say …. LOL!) HAVE A GREAT DAY! -Brenda-
Happy Thanksgiving, Brenda! Enjoy that turkey! 🙂
susan,
i’ll be using your ”ravenous” ideas for my upcoming halloween dinner party for 8 !
thanks for the ideas!
ann
Now, that’s a Halloween table I can love! Beautiful Susan . You have an eye for putting together a story on a table.
How beautiful is this! wow..
I want to do this for my wedding, in a fashion. Would you be able to tell me where you got the crows?
-Mary
Mary, I found those in Hobby Lobby a few weeks before Halloween last year. They may get them in again this year. They get things in early so you may want to check an HL starting in late summer.
Thank you. I will keep my eyes pealed. I have been looking in there. Most useful. Thank you and this is an awesome set up. THANK YOU FOR THE DETAIL on everything!
-Mary