table centerpieces Archives - Jacaranda Living

Make Your Home to Look Like Downton Abbey

Are you a fan of Downton Abbey? Maybe you dream of being Lady Grantham. Mahogany walls, crystal glassware, silver platters and the like.

Here’s a few touches to easily add to your home to get that Downton feel.

1-Incorporate a few nice china pieces.
You don’t need to display and use all your fine china set (think of all that washing by hand!) But use a few pieces from your set for things, such as the sugar bowl, teapot or serving platters.<a href="http://blog prix viagra pharmacie.jacarandaliving.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/china.png”>

2-Make use of trays
Whether it’s a small silver valet tray, a wooden tray for serving or a large silver platter, using things like this will give that luxurious feel.

3-Mood lighting
Try using candles and dimmable lights. If you’re not a fan of the open flames, try this battery operated candelabra for the same effect.

5-Enjoy the Fire.
Light up that fire place of yours for the ultimate ambiance. Enjoy your time there with a cup of tea or glass of scotch.

6-Set a perfect table
Use this guide to help you with place settings. Accent with charger plates or a nice table cloth and pressed white napkins.

7-Buy an antique or two
Buy an antique piece to put on display, like a sofa table, cast iron bell, or writing desk.

8-Create a library
While you may not have a large room dedicated to books, consider putting in a bookshelf. Don’t have many books or want that antique book look? Use these “book fronts” that look like old time hardcovers.

9-Nice Flatware
No, you don’t need silver, but having a nice flatware set that matches and has a classic look will do the trick! If you really want to have some silver, seek some out at a consignment shop. Usually it just needs a good polish to get it looking new.

10-Chaise or Chair?
Seek out a nice tufted chaise or leather tufted arm chair. This can be a comfortable place to unwind or read like Lord and Lady Grantham. This leather chaise is perfect for enjoying your fireplace.

Creating a Simple, Elegant Tablescape

Thanksgiving is almost here. Families will be joining together around a table to share in a meal and that table will be the focal point for the entire day. Here’s some tips on how to make your holiday table beautiful and functional:

1-Linens:
Fresh, clean linens create a beautiful canvas for your tablescape. Keep it elegant by using white table cloths and beautifully embroidered napkins like the ones from Jacaranda Living.
White linens can be multi – use as you can use them over and over again throughout the year for other holidays and celebrations.

2-Charger Plates
Use a Charger Plate instead of a place mat like this glittery orange one from Pier 1 Imports. This will help to protect your white linen tablecloth, but also provides a pop of color. The glimmer in this charger makes it look subtly elegance and reflects a bit of that table ambient lighting.

3-Candles
Candle lit dinners aren’t just for romantics. They make everyone at the table relax and who doesn’t look great in candle light! Use these silver plated candle stick holders from Pottery Barn with simple, white candles to create an luxurious look that you can reuse throughout the year.

4-Centerpiece
Create a centerpiece with natural elements. Seasonal flowers or even fruits and vegetables (like the persimmons in the photo below) or in our previous blog post about a DIY Centerpiece here.
Make sure your centerpieces are kept away from flames and are low enough so that your guests can see each other from across the table.

4-Proper place settings
Nothing completes a table more than a proper place setting. Can’t figure out which fork goes where? Use Pure Wow’s guide to place setting here.

5-Napkin rings and place cards
Use natural elements like wheat stalks and a pendant to create pretty and reusable napkin right that can also help your guests find their seats.

6-Leave room
Be sure to leave plenty of room on the table for platters of all that delicious food you slaved away making!

7-Use a Sideboard
There’s a reason why many dining room sets come with a sideboard. This can be used as a buffet, to stow dirty plates, or display your desserts. If you don’t have a sideboard, use a simple pop up banquet table and place a nice matching table cloth over it.

8-Have your cleaning kit nearby
Spills happen, but don’t fret! When you set your table, create a bin full of fabric stain remover, carpet cleaner, and plenty of paper towels nearby.

9-Use a Chalkboard for a Menu
Display your menu to guests by using a simple chalk board or vintage sign. This will help them prepare by not over indulging on apps while they wait for the star of the show. Check out this DIY Chalkboard Menu from House on the Way’s Blog.

10-Enjoy yourself!
As a host, you need to make sure you enjoy yourself as well. Your guests aren’t there just for your catering, they want to enjoy some time with you as well. The dishes can wait, relax and have fun!

5 Survival tips to cooking with the kids this Thanksgiving

Get your kids involved while you prepare your holiday meals this season.
It’s a great opportunity to bond with your children, teach them how to cook, entertain and help them feel like a bigger part of a family celebration.
Here’s a few things to get them more involved:

Looking the part.
Entertaining is messy business! All that cooking, cleaning, and caring for guests can leave your clothes dirty. Allow your child to wear an apron to not only protect their clothing, but also they will feel like a bigger part of your event. Jacaranda living offers aprons just for kids to wear. See more on our site here.

Show them measuring basics.
What’s the difference between a cup and tablespoons. Once you teach them how to measure and even read a recipe, they can pre-measure out all your ingredients for you.

Let them use their hands.
Kids love to play with their hands. As adults, we forget the joy in that sometimes. Show you kids how to mix up a sauce, cookie dough or knead some bread dough. Here’s some more tips from Food Network’s Giada DeLaurentis on how to make cooking fun with kids here.

Preparing for dinner.
To many children, a nicely set table for dinner looks like something out of a fairy tale. Think of Cinderella’s Ball or the grand table from Beauty and the Beast. Show them how to properly set a table or fold napkins. They will feel like they made a huge contribution to making the dinner look beautiful. Plus that frees up time fore you to do some last minute preparations for guests. Here’s some inspiration on table settings from HGTV.

Clean up.
It’s never fun to do dishes or put everything away. By having some extra hands, no matter how little, this can be a big help. Kids love to be involved and feel helpful. Give them a task, like clearing the table, putting dishes in the dishwasher or bringing out containers for leftovers. Reward them for their hard work with dessert! Use this helpful checklist from Earlybird Mom here to help with clean up.