More From Your Tableware

Still Life of Pink and Yellow Roses

by Alfred Godchaux 1835-1895, France

Table setting from Pinterest

Chargers are round plates usually made of wood or plastic, which are designed to hold china plates and protect the table.  They used to be quite expensive, and sometimes cost even more than the plates themselves, but lately, they are found at dollar stores and discount stores.  I got some of mine at Walmart for only 95 cents, and some were 50c each after the Christmas season was over.  The Dollar Tree has some with the pretty beaded edges. Chargers are a great substitute for place mats, and they do not take up so much room on the table. They look very elegant when combined with matching napkins and other accessories. 

Here is a sample of how you can use one dish in several different settings and give your table setting a new look. I've linked to a few blogs which feature table settings, which show the endless ways to use dishes, place mats, chargers, centerpieces, napkins, napkin rings, and tablecloths.  Today I spent some time preparing tables for guests, using the same plates with different chargers. 

The name of the plate is "Enchanted" by Corelle Livingware, and the plates are available at discount stores like Walmart, on open stock. This means you can buy a plate to add to your supply, whenever you like. This dinnerware is lightweight and feels like china, and is unbreakable. I've used it here in three different settings, to share how you can get more use out of one set of dishes and enjoy them in different ways.

For a centerpiece to match the green chargers, use green ornaments, green apples, limes or fresh cut greenery from outside. Anything from laurel to cedar makes a lovely centerpiece. The round ornaments here are shatterproof, as many are made of styrofoam or unbreakable materials these days.

This is what the chargers look like. They are very lightweight, and I like them better than place mats.

Here is the plate with green chargers, matching napkins and green glass punch cups. 

These green chargers were available at Walmart this year for less than a dollar each.

A variety of things from the dollar store that could be used to brighten up a table when used with your ordinary, every day dishes.

This is the same plate used on a bright red charger from the dollar store, the ones with the beaded edges, also available in gold and silver.  A sparkled bow ornament is looped around a napkin, to match.  If you have guests for a tea or luncheon, you can let them take home the ornament as a party favor.  They come 5 in a box for a dollar. Roll up the napkins tightly and slip the thread hanger over them, showing off the pretty bow by laying it on the front of the napkin. 

Here is a gold charger with gold cutlery. One of the bird and pine branch clip-ornaments is used for a napkin holder. These birds come in glittered red, gold and silver, at dollars stores, and slightly cheaper at Walmart.

If you eat at home most of the time, it is always nice to have a change by using chargers and colored napkins and accessories and exchanging them.  Try a snowflake ornament on a red napkin, as you see here on the left, which can also become a gift to send home with a guest. These usually come in a package of 6 for a dollar or less. Tie jingle bells around the napkin for a delightful touch.  All kinds of things are available at the dollar stores that could be used for this purpose, for centerpieces, or for table decor in general. 

If you have no colored goblets, just fill clear glass stemware with cranberry juice to match your setting, as shown above.

Look through your fabric supply for prints that match your chargers and table settings. I have used a piece of clear plastic (available by the yard), and can insert any kind of fabric under it that I'm not using, and it will remain undamaged in case I ever get around to sewing with it. 

Hand make ornamental napkin rings by cutting similar shapes as these ornamental bows,  from heavy scrapbook papers. Cut out  houses, trees, bells, candle shapes or candy canes, and attach a strip of paper to wrap around the napkin.

Someone just told me that pink chargers are available, and has a picture of them here http://acupofglee.blogspot.com/2010/10/pink-chargers-have-arrived-at-fancy.html  

Look here also for the many different colors of chargers: http://www.koyalwholesale.com/pages-main-category-286_1232/index.html?gclid=CI2yuLnI5qwCFWgaQgodiGRpiQ

If you want to make ornaments with styrofoam balls, there are instructional videos available on you tube, including this one:  http://pattyschaffer.typepad.com/capture_the_details/2011/11/five-ornaments-in-five-minutes.html

Autumn Paper Crafts

Autumn Solitude

Among the variety of hues produced by the autumn chill are the soft pastels of coral pink, pale yellow and sage green. Make Mine Pink hosted a pink autumn sale in October, to celebrate the pinks of the season. By looking closely at my own back yard I found a huge array of shades ranging from burgundy to chartreuse, which made me want to make simple things for the table, to imitate the glorious nature displayed in this lovely, brisk weather. Below are some samples, instructions and a pattern you can use for children to decorate your fall table.



This craft was made using textured card stock and polymer paints, which cost about a dollar each at JoAn Fabrics, and a little less at the craft section of Wal-Mart.  Glue the pattern on to a heavier paper or cardboard from cereal box or any cast-off box you have that can be cut with ordinary scissors.

Lay the pattern on your cardstock or paper and trace around it with pencil. Attach stands to anything you want to use as a stand-up item, as you see above.

Outline the edges and the little veins with your choice of glitter glue or glitter paint. You can make them to match your dinnerware, or just put them in a bowl as a centerpiece.

With the paint I use, shown in those bottles in a previous photo, it has to be allowed to dry for at least an hour before handling the leaves, but you can find paints for paper at scrapbook stores, which dries more quickly. Another technique that can be used, is to draw your outline with the tip of liquid paste, such as white school glue, and sprinkle glitter on it, being sure to allow a good drying period before using the craft.

Here is a pattern for you. Its copyright free. You can use it to make things for yourself, to sell, or to give away and put your own name on it.

This one has a stand-up piece on the back and  is made with white cardstock, outlined in platinum-gold paint (Polymer or Scribbles are two brands that work), and then painted with white glue, on which is sprinkled a flaky glitter called mica or snow.

A few autumn leaves from my back yard.

Use the patterns for cards, also.

An old craft here: take a a leaf and put it on a paper, then place a blank piece of white paper on top. Color over the leaves with crayons, pressing down with the crayon enough to bring out the edges and veins of the leaves.

They can then be cut out and used for a fall banner by joining them together, or used for tags, place cards, envelope inserts, large confetti on banquet tables, or anything you like. Attach a circle of paper behind each one, and make napkin rings.

There is a very nice paper bag pumpkin tutorial here.

Before my friend in Canada, Candy, closed her blog, she showed pictures of this cute plastic bag that you can carry in your purse. It is a bag inside a smaller drawstring bag that has a sparkled white rose on one end.

When you are finished with the bag, you can put it back inside the smaller rose bag and put it in your purse. We do not have these here in the States, but I sure would like it if they could be purchased here. The brand is called Niftii, and it comes in other colours.





This is one of those empty spools from wired ribbon from the dollar store. Using batting or some kind of stuffing, it can be made into a country pumpkin.

Cut a square of fabric, and as an option, place a square of batting inside it, and tuck the corners into the hole of the spool, til it looks like this:





Instructions are Here.http://www.highcountrymomsquad.com/kids-craft-turn-a-toilet-paper-roll-into-a-pumpkin/

I've used some pearlized dots of Scribbles fabric paint on this fleece pumpkin that I made earlier.

Someone phoned me recently and told me about a physician she knew who would also recommend to his patients that they try to make something and include creativity in their lives daily. He believed that it helped settle the mind and contribute to healing in some ways.

Creativity also gives you a visible results, as your efforts produce things you can own, that  you did not have before. When the hands are at work, the mind is engaged in a special way that produces even more ideas and creativity. Children brought up knowing how to make things will be resourceful adults. When you create something you control your results and you banish discontent. It is better to create something beautiful than to complain about the dark days and bad news.

Someone mailed me a piece of that nice fabric from Wal-Mart that I was using in the beginner's sewing projects, and I wanted to see what one of these style of pumpkins would look like in a print.

The leaves are calico cut into a shape and outlined with more of that glitter-glue in platinum.

Finally, here is one made from a stretch chenille type fabric, decorated with embossed leaves made with the glitter-glue, and wired ribbon for vines.

The fabric on the pumpkin is a wonderful golden butternut with a pretty chenille print on it.