Hey guys! I’m so excited to share my Christmas table setting with y’all! But first, I thought I would let y’all know what has been going on with us in the last few months.
So around the end of the summer, my sisters and I made a commitment to post consistently on our Instagram account to help build a larger audience for our blog, Life Full and Frugal.
It has been such a blessing to be a part of a community of creators and makers! We love all the beauty and brilliant ideas that are showcased on the Instagram platform. Unfortunately though, it can also be a slippery slope for comparison and self-diminishment…which obviously is no fun!
As I was preparing my Christmas table setting for this video/photo shoot, I was discouraged because I really wanted to go out and buy a lot of stuff. My vision included brass candle holders, little gift boxes to go down the center of the table, beads, ornaments, etc. I was really feeling the (self-inflicted) pressure to create something Instagram worthy!
Beauty is for Everyone!
But a big part of our philosophy at Life Full and Frugal is that beauty is for every budget and people living in all different financial circumstances. So, I made a decision NOT to go out and buy a lot of stuff for my Christmas table setting, but to shop the things that were already in my possession.
I am so pleased with the results! Sometimes being a pack rat really does pay off! HAHA!!!
I hope you are encouraged by the possibility of beauty and celebration without having to spend a ton of money! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the sisters at lifefullandfrugal.com!!! ~Shanna
***For details about all the found items I used to create my Christmas table setting, keep scrolling!
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The Table Cloth
The table cloth is actually raw fabric that I bought a few years ago to make Kilts for my boys! We homeschool and we had done a unit study on Scotland while reading Wee Gillis by Munro Leaf. I had thought it would be fun for the boys to wear kilts like little miniature William Wallaces. Obviously that did not happen, so the kilt fabric was re-purposed as a table cloth! The table runner is floral craft mesh that I had purchased from Walmart a while ago.
The Place Settings
I bought these gold chargers from Hobby Lobby years ago at 50% off for $1.00 each. The crystal tea goblets were a gift and the green goblets were purchased from Dollar Tree in the spring for my Easter Table Setting. I used two different sets of linen napkins: I bought the green and white napkins from Chip and JoAnna Gaines’ line at Target in the spring. The other set is pink and gold and was purchased last year on clearance at West Elm for $4. I used my plain white plates, but added the loveliest paper dessert plates that I had purchased from Big Lots. The Christmas tree print is so lovely!!
The Centerpiece
Originally I had envisioned brass candle holders all down the middle of the table, but I would have had to go out and buy them. Honestly, I just didn’t want to do that! So I started looking around the house for items I could use to hold candles. I have a lot of these green glass bottles around and they looked like the perfect festive green! I also used votive candles and even placed a couple of them in another set of green goblets that my mom gave me. She collected an entire set of them from an Arby’s promotion years ago!! Haha!!! The candle sticks are from the Dollar Tree. They came in a set of 6 and are actually emergency candles that are supposed to last up to 4.5 hours…all for a dollar of course!
Traditional Colors for my Christmas Table Setting
I added a lot of random ornaments down the center of the table along with gold and silver beaded garland to tie everything together. Red and green will always be my favorite traditional colors for Christmas, but I love to add in all the colors and jewel tones. And of course, the more shimmer and glitter, the better! I love to purchase tons of these tiny glass ornaments after Christmas from Dollar General when they mark them down to 70-80% off. They are the easiest little gems to scatter over shelves and tabletops with the bedazzled jewels of Christmas cheer!
Merry Christmas!
I hope this inspires you to create beauty in your home and to usher in the gift of celebration, for your own heart and for the people you love! I pray that you (and I) will not feel pressured to create perfect moments (especially for Instagram…) but in creating beautiful moments! May we remember that these are the foreshadowings of things to come! Here in the shimmer and glow of this season, we can steal little glimpses of the glories of heaven!
Merry Christmas and God bless! ~Shanna
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How lovely, Shanna!
There is such an elegance in simplicity. I too just used what I had already for Christmas decor. I made a few things as well. I got most of my greenery from the Home Depot Christmas Tree sales . They were giving away cart full of clippings from sold Chr trees. There was a time & not too long ago, I was that person that had to have “new “ things every Christmas. But it only lead to much anxiety & debt. We live & learn. I love the idea of using decorative bottles as candle holders. Your table scape is lovely. I can see There will be lots of love filling those chairs 🙂 Happy Christmas Ladies & Thank you for all the inspiration!