Hey everyone, It’s Heather from over at Barely Measured. < I don’t know if I have to say that, it’s weird 🙂

One of my favorite things about the holidays are having friends and family over to our place. I especially love the hours before everyone arrives; putting the finishing touches on the meal, last minute cleaning and of course, decorating- the best part!  I think back to when I was a kid and how chaotic the house was, bustling with people hugging and laughing, eating and dancing. The mantle strewn with holly and pine cones. I try to recreate that toasty, inviting atmosphere at our gatherings. 

If you’re having people over for a seated dinner then you’ll probably want to put most of your creative energy at the table. You don’t have to run out to Crate and Barrel and spend half of your savings on decorations and napkins- I mean, that could be fun.. Instead I always start by looking through what I already have. Then if I need a few things to add a bit of flair I can make a quick trip out for only a few things. Tiny details make your guests feel special and they don’t have to take a lot of time or money. Here are three different no-sew holiday inspired table settings that I came up with using things from around the apartment and a few things I picked up a Paper Source where I spent $25.

1. Experiment with color: While I love all things Christmas, I’m not always into the whole red and green thing. I love when people think outside the box and use other color palates. I looked through my fabric and used a linen fabric with a fun, vintage feel. It’s festive and warm and adds some spunk to this earthy theme. Hint: cut the fabric with pinking shears and there’s no need to hem!

2. Charming details: I used natural linen napkins that I already had and tied them with twine. A vintage feather brooch adds a special touch. Packs of feathers can be bought a your local craft store for cheap and they really look great- imagine peacock feathers! Use a hot glue gun to glue the feathers to whatever you tied your napkins with, twine, ribbon..

3. As for flowers- I love them- I even worked at a flower shop for awhile. BUT I always spend way too much on my centerpiece and we have to move it anyway for all the food! So- use plants you have around the house. I used a mini terrarium. It was super inexpensive to make- a cheap thrift store vase, soil, rocks, one tiny plant and a little moss. It doesn’t take up a lot of room and it looks great! 

4. Anne Taintor- she is amazing! Have some funny napkins out for hor dourves or coasters for drinks

1. Cheap vases from IKEA (.99 cents each) allow you to do a small vases at each setting- leaving the center of the table clear for food. Try using a few sprigs of dried lavender- it looks so elegant and you can get it pretty inexpensively plus, it will last much longer then your party. Also- go OUTSIDE! Grab some pine or holly- just be careful if you’re venturing into some else’s yard 😉

2. I cut some card stock down to place card sizes. Of course, you can by them ready-to-go. Hand stamped anything is super cute so that’s always a fun way to go. I then glued on a few ostrich feathers and a rhinestone bead. A single ostrich feather is less than a $1 at a craft store and contains many plumes. Packs of gems or rhinestones are pretty cheap too.   

3. Make your own glamorous napkin rings! I had some rhinestone brooches that I thrifted awhile back. Simply pin the brooch on a piece of ribbon, elastic or scrap of fabric and then tie around your napkin, hiding the knot underneath!

2. I broke out the crystal candle sticks- a wedding gift it dress up this simple table. Also, loved the way the white teapot looked- so what if we aren’t having tea! Wouldn’t it look divine filled with red roses??

3. Other than the hand stamping- these place cards are super quick to make! Bought a pack 10 of those paper flowers from Paper Source, on sale for $2.95. They have they’re own sticky back so no glue needed. I think they look super adorable.

4. Ribbon can be the easiest way to add a little flair- and often it can be re-used! A simple red ribbon around the napkin really pulls everything together. Plus a spool of ribbon is what, $4 at most? Sweet deal.

So, I hope these inspire you to look around your house, and dig through your craft box the next time you have a holiday get-together. With some creativity, unexpected details and a killer Pandora playlist your party is sure to be unforgettable 🙂

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Thank you SO much to Heather from Barely Measured! What a LOVELY guest post. I LOVE your table settings. 😀 Thank you for joining my 50 DIY Days of Christmas!

This mini pine-cone bunting is a super easy cake topper, and I think it’s adorable… Perfect for a winter wonderland party! You need to build your little bunting first, and then when it’s assembled, stick it into the cake. First measure the length for your bunting with embroidery floss; for stability’s sake, you don’t want to put the candy canes super close to the edge of the cake. Wrap one end of your embroidery floss around a candycane, and secure  the end with a dot of hot-glue. Then, put a teeny dot of hot glue on top of each pinecone, and one at a time, add them to your bunting. Secure the end with hot glue, just like you did with the first one. Then, go back and add your teeny little bows on top of each pinecone. I used a strand of burlap, but you could use embroidery floss, or thin ribbon. Now you can place your bunting on the cake! Yay!

Because my home is super colorful, I tend to gravitate toward holiday decor that is more understated. This pine-cone swag looks great hanging on my red dining rooms french doors. You could easily make it to fit your own decor, and I think it would look great any color!

1) securely wrap a piece of craft wire around the pine-cone. 2) dip the pine-cone in your paint. 3) hang your pine-cones out to dry overnight 4) hot-glue a piece of jute rope to the top of each pine-cone 5) construct your bow by folding over a rectangular strip of burlap 6) pinch the burlap in the middle, and secure with craft wire 7) gather all of your jute strands together, and tie them in a knot. Be sure to create a loop, so you can hang your swag. 8)Secure your bow around the jute knot you created. 9)cover the wire in the middle of your bow with a piece of ribbon  10) Taada! 

Oh you know, just because I love you, you internet peoples, you 😉 

Print these to add that extra little handmade touch to your gifts. Click here or the image below!

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Thank you SO much to Lindsey from Out of Alabaster! What a LOVELY guest post. I’ve already printed those gift tags! Thank you for joining my 50 DIY Days of Christmas!

50 DIY Days: