Whimsical Christmas

This weekend I’m hosting an intimate dinner party for me and my friends. A month ago I was at Target browsing my favorite place – the dollar rack – and found this awesome wrapping paper. I grabbed it up and stored it for the holidays. I completely forgot about it and when I began to start thinking about party ideas I was so excited when I remember I had it! Instead of wrapping presents, it became inspiration for my WHIMSICAL CHRISTMAS theme!

I already had a bunch of the things I ended up using on the table. A few things like the napkin rings, Ikea ornaments and red wine glasses were gifts I’ve gotten recently. My best advice is use what you have and you’ll end up saving a lot more money! I hope this theme can “inspire YOU!”

Centerpiece:

This centerpiece makes a great big shiny statement! To recreate this silver masterpiece, we used a rusted wrought iron Christmas tree we found at an import/export shop in South Texas. We spray painted it silver. Trees like this can be found at import/export shops in the South, especially in Texas where imports from Mexico this time of year are commonplace.

We topped off the tree with a glittered star tree topper. A candle would have worked as well but the star added an extra level of elegance. We used simple silver ball ornaments wired on using silver pipe cleaners. To add the extra gaudy appeal, we took a silver sequined swag and took it apart and then wired it to the tree, again using silver pipe cleaners.

Tabletop & Place setttings:

• Start with a clean white tablecloth for a base. Use brightly colored wrapping paper (the polka dot paper found here was a $1 a roll at Target) as a table runner.
• Use silver chargers for an inexpensive burst of color.
• Dress up your place settings by placing a starburst ornament on the center of each napkin. For an alternative to name cards, put a sticker with the first initial of your guests on the ornament or if you are handy with a paint pen, hand letter the initial.
• To add some extra shine, place like-colored balls and other shiny accessories on the table. The snowflake napkin rings used here were too small to fit a napkin inside so I repurposed them!

Shopping Resources:

• Silver Charger Plates – $1.87 a piece at Hobby Lobby
• Red Starburst Ornaments – $1.67 (reg. $3.34) a piece at Hobby Lobby
• Dotted Letter Stickers – $1.99 at Hobby Lobby
• Red & Green Polka Dot Gift Wrap – $1.00 at Target
• Snowflake Napkin Rings – $7.95 (reg. $11.95) at Crate & Barrel
• Red Mini Ornaments – $4.99 (48 pack) at IKEA
• Red Wine Glasses – $3.95 a piece at Crate & Barrel
• *The ones used in the pictures are last year’s Pier 1 Holiday collection. These are similar glasses on sale at C&B
• Bobbleheads on table for Christmas – $6.99 for 4 at Ross Dress for Less
• Green Napkins – 4 for $4.99 at Ross Dress for Less

** Thanks to my Grandma for letting me take my pictures in her garage since my apartment was too small and poorly lit. Also thank you to my photog sister, Bailey, who let me use her oh-so fancy camera and attempting to teach me how to use it.