Setting a Fall Table

Hello friends!  I thought I would share some fall table setting inspiration with you this morning.  We held a dinner party at our house outside on the covered patio a few nights ago and it was just lovely.  Wonderful fellowship + eating outside in nice weather + beautiful lighting is a passionate belief of mine. ;-)

I've come to realize how much I don't invite people into my home and how much the Bible does talk about hospitality.  So, hosting more and becoming a more welcoming person is sort of a mid-year resolution I've made.

All of the following decor was used from every cotton pickin' thing I already had around my house.  

{I'm working on that too!}  

I used the following:

Mailing paper {you can get at the dollar store}, clearance pears from Target, Raffia {you can find in floral sections}, green ink pad, dollar alphabet stamps from Target, big sewing needle, fabric scraps, scissors, baker's twine, and hole puncher.
These items are my staples when it comes to wrapping gifts, creating tags, and general decor.  And most of it lasts me for a long time!

Here's the table setting I came up with...

Candles are so nice at dinner and instantly add ambience...

I turned a bucket from Ikea upside down, and placed the candle on top.  It fit perfectly!

I also embellished the candle holder by adding a ribbon using a strip of fabric from my scrap fabric basket.

Burlap strip I had in my stash of fabric that I used as a table runner.

Burlap will cost you mere pennies and it's all the rage, so even if you don't sew,
pick up a strip and you'll find good use for it this fall with a little creativity.

Using the silver dish I picked up at Goodwill several months back as a silverware holder for the buffet line.

Canning jars used for drinking glasses.

Canning jars are great for many things all year round, but I love them especially during the fall.  Maybe it's because I'm a canning-wanna-be, I don't know, but I adore them!  If your grandmother doesn't have extras lying around, you can pick them up for cheap at Wal Mart and I guarantee you'll find uses for them all the time.

I used mailing paper as a tag, punched with a hole puncher, and stamped "GIVE THANKS" on it with my little stamps.  Tied the tag and a fabric leaf around the drinking glass with baker's twine and some raffia.  Instant dress-up!

Canning jar used as a flower vase - also pretty for a fall table setting!

Now this next idea kind of cracks me up, but I loved how it turned out so I had to share.  I've had this wrought iron candle holder {pictured below} drifting about my house, but didn't want to fork out about $20 for 5 chunky candles to go on it.  On a whim I placed some ivory mugs {I thrifted for about 2$ for 8 of them} on top. It worked like a charm and made the perfect cozy centerpiece!

I dolloped the mugs with a pear on top...

I adore!!!
I only had 1 of these West Elm napkins since I snatched it from a clearance bin at Pottery Barn.  However,  I thought I would show an easy way to make a napkin ring and personalize the place setting.  

Simply fold your napkin in half and gather in a bunch as shown above.  Gather 3 or 4 strands of raffia and wrap around and around the napkin, then tie in a bow.  You can add a personalized tag like I did by hole punching some mail paper {or any other heavier weight paper} and stamping it. 

 And I couldn't not share these 2 photos from this morning's breakfast with you...

Good grief!  The girl is crazy even in her sleep! :-)

If any of you all put together a Fall table setting, please link up in the comments below.  I would love to see your ideas!!!