Do your homework! And set the TABLE!

Next week is Thanksgiving! While its been a few years since I've hosted a Thanksgiving dinner and set our table, I love looking at the inspiring pictures of great holiday tabletop. Thanksgiving these days means visiting all of our family in a manathon of driving/eating/visiting. Starting with a breakfast at one set of parents, we never slow down.

Before we moved back to our hometown, we hosted smaller gatherings around our own table. There is nothing like trying to figure out how to use what you've got when you are first married and trying to set a pretty table. Really quickly you can name 10 items you wished you owned! My first Thanksgiving married, I used a doily-like lace tablecloth that could not look less like something I'd own... but it was all I had! (A wedding present, of course.)

The magazine images of beautiful tabletops usually involve stylists displaying china and centerpieces that look like fall harvest. But how many of us actually have suitable fall themed tabletop in our cabinets? My own mother has probably 7 sets of china, but I do not recommend it. That's a lot of dust collecting for one gorgeous meal! My best china is blue. So I am always looking for non-traditional tabletop ideas....

I like the fall colors embraced with the blue chinaI tend to simplify everything, but this is a color story I can repeat.Gilded fruit is an easy, beautiful solution. Works with any color scheme you've got!Real Simple has an article that walks you through how to gild fruit. (Admittedly, I'd just use spray paint, maybe throw some gold glitter on it while it is wet. Who can tell by candlelight?)

Probably my favorite: Sugared Fruit. Any holiday is more sparkly and festive with a little sugarded fruit centerpieceArticle on how to make sugared fruit from ehow.com

I also like the idea of making pumpkins into vases and using flowers that match your specific china.

Any gourd can become a vase for florals that match your unique decor.Or bring fall into the table top with pinecones or leaves mixed with other colors that do match your table top.Even if you don't have the time and energy to go all out, a few tricks I've learned over the years:

1. Anything on a pedestal looks more charming. So, if you have a cake stand, a footed urn or anything with a little height, build from there. Even a simple pumpkin on a pedestal with some leaves from the yard will work.

2. Play with the napkin. When in doubt, tie a ribbon on the napkin. Or here are some napkin folding tricks (from a vintage promotional card for Belgian Linens) my friend Amelia gave me.

3. Sometimes the imperfections and irregularity of the table make it the most charming. So if you dont have enough of the same goblets/plates, embrace it and make every other place setting match.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all. Go set the table! Or in my case, drive all over town!