Thanksgiving Tablescape Part 2: Accommodating Guest Overflow

There are only about a handful of occasions where my guest list exceeds my table's seating capacity and this Thanksgiving dinner party is one of those occasions.  So the question became, where to seat my overflow of attendees?  

I spent a lot of time researching various table options (fold outs, party tables, rentals, etc..) and in the end realized that the most practical option would be to convert my coffee table into a separate dining space for three.  This seating arrangement would not only keep the living room/dining room walkways cleared and seat my remaining guests perfectly, but also save me the added expense of ordering/renting an additional dining table.  Such a beyond perfect solution!  

A lot of thought went into designing this table and figuring out who would sit here.  I wanted to create a table look that was harmonious with the bigger table and felt just as thoughtfully put together.  In addition, I needed to decide on 3 individuals who would be best suited for this table.  After much deliberation, I realized that this table would be the perfect dining setting for my husband, brother and brother-in-law.  Why?  Aside from the fact that they are probably the three most easy-going members of my family, this table is situated in front of the living room television (aka prime seating for thanksgiving football watching!).  Yes, I know that sounds a little tacky to have the television going during dinner, but it will be on mute and most importantly, I want all of my guests to be comfortable and happy. 

Mini Tablescape Details:

• Tablecloth- Brown Kraft Paper (Wrapping Paper Roll)
• Placemats- Chilewich Dahlia Pressed Vinyl Round Placemats, Gold
• Chargers- World Market Rattan Chargers
• Centerpiece- Nate Berkus Gold Geometric Votive Holder Centerpiece
• Place Card Holders- Williams Sonoma's Dome Place Card Holders, Bronze
• Place Cards- Small Fall Paper Leaves (Available in Stores)
• Salt and Pepper Cellars- See here and here
• See this post for all remaining tableware details not mentioned above. 

Since this table still needs to remain functional up until right before dinner is served on Thanksgiving, I am not going to be able to leave this table set and ready to go (bummer).  The bright side is that I have taken the time to do a complete dry run, make sure I have all necessary table accessories and document how the table should be set up the night of the dinner.  

I am thrilled with the way this mini tablescape has come together.  With all of the Fall accents, it looks thoughtful and cohesive. Of course the added entertainment (watching football during dinner) is really what has me feeling most confident that these three guys will love their seating assignments.

Now it's time to get cooking!  Stay tuned for Friday's post, where I will be discussing my phase of Turkey Day prep.  Lots of great tips to help you get prepped and ready for serving up a delicious feast on Thanskgiving Day!  

Thanksgiving Tablescape

If I am going to be completely honest, offering to host Thanksgiving actually came about because selfishly I had wanted two additional dining room chairs to complete my table.  I knew that the only way I was going to be able to get those chairs would be by convincing my husband that there was a legitimate need for two additional chairs.  Of course what could be a better business case than volunteering to host Thanksgiving dinner for all of our family members!?!

I did end up getting the chairs, but HOLY MOLY!  I have definitely been earning those chairs over the past few weeks with all of the Thanksgiving prep work.  Seriously, hats off to everyone who is hosting and those who have ever hosted Thanksgiving dinner.  Pulling off a dinner of this magnitude is no easy feat and I have nothing but praise for all of you who have walked this path before me.  I have been planning this dinner for some time now and not kidding, I have needed every bit of that time to get all of my ducks in a row. 

Over the weekend I put the finishing touches on my Thanksgiving Tablescape and am thrilled to not only have this task checked off my to-do list, but also be able to share all of the details with you today!  I am over the moon in love with the way this table has come together.  It speaks to the Fall season and my personal style (elegant but not too stuffy).  Below I have compiled a list of everything I used to "scape" this beautiful setting with sources included for each item.

Tablescape Details:

• Placemats- Pier 1 Dark Brown Round Rattan Placemats
• Chargers- World Market Driftwood Chargers
• Dinner Plates- Pillivuyt Basketweave Dinner Plates
• Accent Plates- Williams-Sonoma Acorn Dinnerware Collection
• Steak Knives- Vagabond House Natural Antler Handle Steak Knife Set (or see here)
• Napkins- CB2 Uno Natural Linen Napkin
• Napkin Rings- Nate Berkus for Target, Gold and Gem Accent Napkin Rings
• Water Glasses- CB2 Marta Olive Green Double Old-Fashioned Glass
• Wine Glasses- William Yeoward Fanny Goblet
• Coasters- Chilewich Dahlia Coasters, Brass
• Candle Holders- CB2 Bronn Candle Holder
• Votives- Tiffany & Co. Rock Cut Votives
• Placecard Holders- Pinecones from Amazon.com
• Place Cards- Caspari Gold Leaf Place Cards
• Glam Pumpkins - See This Post
• Twig Balls- See This Post

For those of you who have been following along as I take you through all of my Thanksgiving preparations, you may have noticed that there are only 6 seats here and wondering where the additional 3 guests will be sitting.  Stay tuned for Wednesday's post!  I will be sharing my mini tablescape addition I will be using to accommodate my remaining 3 guests.  Great ideas to come on creative seating solutions that will still have every guest feeling like they've received the red carpet treatment. 

Thanksgiving Prep Part 1: Get Organized

Two weeks from tomorrow it will be Thanksgiving Day, so suffice it to say the countdown to Turkey Day has officially begun!  To kick off my official preparation process, I am getting organized.  As I may have mentioned in recent posts, I am going to be hosting my entire family for thanksgiving this year.  While the idea of hosting Thanksgiving for nine people is definitely intimidating, I have devised a plan for how to go about preparing and executing what I think (hope) will be a fabulous turkey dinner.  Leading up to the big day, I plan to walk you all through my preparation process to hopefully provide some guidance and ideas/inspiration for hosting your own Thanksgiving.  Selfishly, I am also hoping that this blog project will also keep me from feeling overwhelmed during my own prep!  In any event, here is what I am focusing on this week for "Operation: Turkey Day Prep!"

Decide on your Menu

Once you have your guest list set, you need to get your menu planned.  The majority of prep work for hosting thanksgiving dinner is determined by the menu, so take some time to go through all of your recipes and figure out exactly what you want to serve.  Here is a list of what I plan to serve for thanksgiving dinner, with links to recipes I have found online. 

• Thanksgiving Turkey (*Turkey 101 will be up on the blog this Friday)
• Fluffy Mashed Potatoes (found in this issue of Cook's Illustrated)
• Gravy (Recipe on the Jar)
• Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar and Pecans
• Sausage, Chestnut and Wild Mushroom Stuffing
• Mom's New England Creamed Onions
• Steamed Green Peas
• Cranberries with Apples and Brandy
• Dinner Rolls (from a local bakery, purchased on Thanksgiving)
• Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Swirl
• Sea Salted Caramel Apple Pie
• Pumpkin Pecan Pie with Whiskey Butter Sauce
• Dean & Deluca's Acorn Sugar Cookies (*Matches my Tablescape Theme)

Make a Master Grocery List

This sounds really nerdy, but oh how it has helped to make a master spreadsheet that details the exact ingredients (+ quantities) for every recipe on my menu.  The beauty of creating a master spreadsheet is that you will have ability to see exactly how much of every ingredient is needed.  Why is this a beautiful thing?

1. You can make a comprehensive grocery shopping list, which should mitigate the grocery store trips.
2. You can crosswalk your list with what you already have in your pantry and fridge, to avoid buying duplicate items.  

Clean Out Your Fridge and Pantry

This brings me to my next point…right now is the perfect time to completely clean out both your refrigerator and your pantry.  We all have those forgotten perishables that are still being stored in our kitchens and taking up valuable real estate.  This is the time to get rid of them to make room for all of the food that is about to come into With everything I plan to serve for thanksgiving dinner, I need to make as much space available as possible. 

Assess Your Inventory

In addition to organizing your menu, pantry list and grocery shopping, it is just as important to make sure you have all of the proper equipment needed for cooking and serving thanksgiving dinner.  One trick I like to use for assessing my inventory is the good ole Post-it!  Label each piece of cookware and serving dish with what they will be holding or cooking.  This way you can see what goes where and identify any menu items that do not have a proper serving dish or if you are missing any necessary cookware.  One thing that came to my attention while conducting this exercise, was that I was in need of a baking dish for the creamed onions.  It is so much better to find out now what you are missing while you still have time to go out and purchase those necessary items.  Below are the questions I ask myself when it comes to assessing my inventory:

• Serving Pieces- Does every menu item have a designated serving dish and corresponding serving utensil?
• Cookware- Based on my cooking timeline, does every menu item have the appropriate piece of cookware available for use when it's time to cook that particular dish?
• Dinnerware- Do I have enough Stemware, Flatware, Glassware, Dinnerware and Linens for (insert # of guests) to properly dine?

Start the Cleaning Process Now

The one part of entertaining that usually puts me over the top with exhaustion is the cleaning.  Not only do you have to plan a menu, set the table and cook the meal, but you also want to have a clean house to entertain your guests.  I recommend getting those cleaning projects that are less frequent but still need to be done, out of the way now.  For example, I am going to be polishing my silver, dusting my light fixture and cleaning my windows.  These are tasks that are only in need of monthly cleanings, but still need to be kept up with because it's noticeable when they are not properly maintained.  

Just writing about getting organized with my Thanksgiving preparations has already helped to calm my nerves.  Personally, I feel like accomplishing this list will help to reassure me that I really CAN DO THIS!  Regardless of your guest size, hosting Thanksgiving Dinner is no easy feat, so having an action plan can really help to get you on track for hosting a fabulous turkey dinner. 

Host a Pumpkin Carving Party

This past Friday, I invited a small group of friends over to my house for cocktails and pumpkin carving.  Since none in this group (myself included) has kids, which is typically the most compelling reason for carving pumpkins, we had been missing out on this fabulous holiday tradition for quite some time.  So as you could imagine, the response from my guests to this party invitation was an enthusiastic "yes!".  After extensive plotting and planning, I came up with a pumpkin carving party that struck a perfect balance of sophistication with splashes of festive Halloween accents thrown into the mix. Below is a breakdown of the various elements from my recent pumpkin carving party, filled with great ideas and tips on how you can recreate this holiday tradition with your own group of friends!

Pumpkin Carving Station

Since there were a fair number of us carving pumpkins, I decided to transform my dining room table into the pumpkin carving station.  Here is a list of the supplies I used to create this space:

• Disposable Painting Tarp
• Pumpkins
• Set of Assorted Foam Brushes
• Carving Knives (I just used my favorite Victorinox Steak Knives)
• An assortment of paints (see this post for more details)
• Glitter 
• Glue
• Tea Lights
• An assortment of Halloween candies (to keep everyone's energy levels up)
• Free Pumpkin Stencils courtesy of Better Homes and Garden (so many fabulous options!)

Pumpkin Trivia

Instead of just sitting around the table carving pumpkins in silence or with generic conversation, I thought it would be a fun idea to take this time to share a little pumpkin trivia with my guests.  Not only was it fun to see what my friends knew about pumpkins, but it also added an extra element of fun to the party.  This site has everything you need to know about pumpkins. 

Food and Beverage

What cocktail party of mine would be complete without a cheesescape?!?  Here is a breakdown of what I served at this party:

• Cheeses: Jasper Hill Farm Clothbound Cheddar, Cypress Grove Midnight Moon, Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog
• Chutney: Virginia Chutney Co. Balsamic Fig Chutney
• Crackers: Raincoast Flats Kale and Walnut, Dr. Kracker Pumpkin Seed Cheddar
• Ina Garten's Tomato Crostini with Whipped Feta
• Other Nibbles: Edamame, Somersaults, Assorted Nuts, Veggies and Hummus
• Wine: Napa Cellars Pinot Noir

Goody Bags

What Halloween party would be complete without a little Trick or Treat!  Well, in our case it was more of a nod to Trick or Treating.  Each guest received a goody bag and mini bottle of Prosecco at the end of the evening  to take home along with their carved pumpkin. See my post on Halloween Treat Bags for more details.

This party was a huge hit with my friends and the perfect culmination of the various projects I had been sharing throughout this past month.  Even though it may seem at times like pumpkin carving should be more of a kid centric activity, there are so many ways to enhance the sophistication level of this activity, ultimately making it worthy of adults and even a cocktail party!  

Halloween Treat Bags

Halloween is right around the corner and while those days of dressing up in costumes are far behind me, I still can't let this holiday go by without indulging in a little Halloween candy!  Looking through stores and Pinterest for inspiration, I came across the most fabulous (and not too juvenile, but still festive) Halloween treat bags, that of course I couldn't resist buying.   Even though my condo building doesn't receive any trick-or-treaters, I still wanted to put together a little something for my friends to enjoy.  This DIY is a easy and delicious way to share in the Halloween spirit with your friends.  Plus, who doesn't love a little candy during this time of year?!?

Halloween Treat Bag Supplies: 

• Meri Meri Something Wicked Party Bags
• Coffin Gift Tags
• World Market's Bat Cello Treat Bags
• Brach's Candy Corn and Autumn Mix
• World Market Skeleton Chocolates
• FIKA Gold Mini Chocolate Skulls, Set of 3
• Assorted Halloween Cookies (Similar here)
• Mini Prosecco Bottles
• Raffia Ribbon
• Gold Sharpie Pen

I am super excited to hand out these gift bags next weekend to my close group of friends.  While I may not be getting dressed up in a costume this year, I can still indulge in a few fun and festive Halloween treats with my friends and of course enjoy seeing Dolly dressed up in her Halloween costume!  Yes I dress her up in a different costume every year, so stay tuned! I will be revealing Dolly's 2015 Halloween Costume on my Instagram page next week!