Where do you find inspiration when you design a tablescape?  Sometimes I find my design catalyst in a particular china pattern, or perhaps a tablecloth.  Seasonal flowers can also set the creative juices flowing, but for my Thanksgiving table this year, I didn't start with any of the usual suspects...

When we moved into our home about twenty years ago, I decided that I wanted a matching pair of tall antique celadon and blue jars to flank the fireplace in our living room.  I looked high and low, but the few times that I came across just what I wanted, they were always either the wrong size or incredibly expensive...certainly never even close to my desired price range.  Even so, I never gave up the search.  At long last...several weeks ago, I struck pay dirt at the tail end of a very good estate sale, and these bad boys came home to live at our house.  If you peak at the reflection in the mirror, you can see that our mantle currently features Autumn leaves and an assortment of copper pumpkins.  Come Friday, the Fall decorations will be replaced with a lighted evergreen garland, and the needlepoint Christmas stockings.  The mantle won't be open to receive my new treasures until about the first of next year.  I couldn't bear the thought of these lovelies languishing in their boxes all that time...and then I had a thought!  I could build my Thanksgiving tablescape design around the jars!  And so it began...

 Come on in!  The Simpich Pilgrims are waiting for you on the center table in the foyer.  They want to give you a clue about what waits just around the corner.  This old table used to belong to our dear Nana.  Taking inspiration from all of you who create such wonderful cloche designs, I filled the lanterns with glittering pumpkins.  The fallen bed of leaves is really just a garland that I picked up several years ago on clearance at Michaels.  Tip:  I keep an assortment of seasonal garlands hanging in the garage.  They always prove to be a quick and easy way to create an effective holiday decoration in a matter of minutes.  I pick up a few after the holidays, and I use them year after year.  Lots of bang for the buck!  Okay, let's take a left and head for the dining room...

The table is set for ten guests.  Only eight are coming so far, but my family has the blessed knack of calling at the last minute and saying, "Mom, our friend doesn't have any place to celebrate Thanksgiving.  He can't afford to go home this year, so is it okay if we bring him/her/them to share our dinner?"  My answer is always the same, "Sure!"  If we happen to be blessed with even more guests, I have already placed extra leaves in the table, so it will only take moments to add even more place settings.  Enough food?...Have you ever had a Thanksgiving dinner without a plethora of left overs? 

The centerpiece is really pretty simple.  Assorted sizes of the Pottery Barn Mercury Glass Pumpkins meander down the length of the table.  I've interspersed three pair of antique Barley Twist candlesticks between the pumpkins and scattered loose leaves that work like a runner for the table.  Tip:  Did you notice that the pumpkins are elevated on old wooden stands of varying heights?  When I walk through estate sales and antique or junk stores, I always keep an eye out for these wooden stands. They usually sell for just a couple of dollars, and they have an abundance of uses.  Using stands of different heights creates movement and interest in the centerpiece.  Just remember, try to keep your centerpieces at about 12 inches or less in height.  That will allow your guests to have an unimpeded view of the guests on the other side of the table.

That's another Michael's garland resting across the arms of the chandelier.  The Williams-Sonoma Pumpkin Hemstitched Linen tablecloth was an appropriate choice...We all remember from our childhood art classes that orange is the complimentary color for blue on the color chart...one of those random things that we learned in school that is still useful all these years later.  Who knew!

The place settings were kept a bit subtle; I had plenty of high color elsewhere...  The stack included...

The Myott Turkey Accent Plate will be removed at the beginning of the dinner and appear later filled with German Chocolate pie for our dessert.

Our traditional Thanksgiving dinner will be served on the Coalport Athlone Brown dinner plate, an eBay find. 

The Maryland China Company Bernadotte Charger anchors the place setting.  

Tip:  Fact:  Not all dinner plates fit properly in all charger plates.  Solution:  Do you have a pile of those quaint old lace and tatted doilies that your grandmothers used to lovingly place on lamp tables, vanity tables, on the arms of upholstered chairs,...really any and everywhere.  I always kept them because they belonged to her, but I never had a purpose for them.  Then one day, I realized that they made the perfect buffer between my charger and dinner plates.  It prevents the dinner plate from sliding around as my guests are cutting their meat, etc.  Now I look for piles of them at estate sales and in antique stores.  A 9" doily is just about perfect, and they are always very inexpensive.  I think that they're kind of cool.  Give them a try.

The light blue hemstitched napkin pulled the celadon color of the jars onto the table.  My Waverly Beaded Tassel napkin rings were a give away gift from Cuisine Kathleen.  The Argent Sophia Gold flatware picks up the soft golds found in the leaves and mini pomegranate berries strewn down the table.

To complete my place setting...

I chose the Vietri Amber Optical goblet and the Waterford Simply Blue wine.  I like the point-counterpoint effect of the contemporary paired with the traditional.

I enjoyed having the time to capture some candlelight shots...

A few final thoughts...As we gather around our Thanksgiving table, I shall remember 1Thessalonians 5:18, "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  If you have a desire to read about a life spent giving thanks in the direst of circumstances, may I encourage you to read The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom.  I remember a moment in a long ago Bible study when the question was asked, "If everything in your life is a complete disappointment, a total failure...will God's grace still be sufficient for you?"  I have to say, "Yes!"  I pray that you will have a blessed Thanksgiving surrounded by family and friends.  I pray that you will have and take an opportunity to reach out to others and be a blessing to them.  2 Corinthians 1:3-4, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."  This year I am thoughtful of those who have lost so much because of Hurricane Sandy.  They will be on my heart and in my prayers as we gather around our table.  May you know the peace and abundant blessings of God's love for you.  Happy Thanksgiving!