glittery gold votives

Seeing these pretty glittery gold votives just make me smile, so I’ve them sprinkled throughout my house. On the dinner table, on my mantel, and in the other special spots where we spend time in the evening. 


When lit, they add just the right amount of sparkle and glimmer. It’s the little things, during the holidays, that help to make it the most special time of the year! 


What's your favorite thing to add to your home during the holidays? I'd love to know!  

The glittery gold votives can be found here.

ciao! fabiana

a beautiful new year's celebration

Elegant white roses and hydrangeas, glittery stars and
brass candlesticks are simple elements that work perfectly with the tablescape.

Do you get sentimental about the year ending? Somehow, the passing of another year seems a little sad, but for me it’s ultimately overshadowed by the thoughts of what the new year will bring.

To celebrate the incoming new year, I love to set up a lovely table that celebrates the passing of time.

Time will definitely be on your side with a table set with festive clocks, glittery details and mixed metals. That’s what it’s all about when decorating for New Year’s Eve!

Everyone will want to ring in the New Year surrounded by opulence, and an upscale end-of-the-year dinner party like this is so easy to put together when you start with an amazing tablescape like this.

Setting a table with a mix of our favorite metals,
includes gold rimmed champagne glasses, silver chargers, copper lanterns
and a glittery rose gold table runner.
These fun clock plates are a cinch to make!

Clear glass dinner plates, silver chargers and a selection of pretty paper clock faces are all you need to create this festive party idea.

Simply layer the paper clock cutouts between glass plates and silver chargers.

Don’t be afraid to mix and match plates, glasses and other tableware. 

It only adds to the interest of the tablescape.

A striking bouquet of white roses and hydrangeas prove to be the perfect focal point for our dinner guests, while the cascade of glittery stars surrounding the table reminds us of 

the magic of midnight, 

when the ball drops, 

the fireworks go off 

and kisses are exchanged!

It’s all in the details, so finish of the year entertaining in style and

 make sure to have plenty of “midnight kisses” on hand for everyone

 to indulge in some decadent chocolate treats.

All that glitters is not gold. Don’t stop at one metallic element for your table. For this tablescape, I’ve selected a mix of gold, silver, copper and rose gold accessories.

This combination of metals creates that opulent look everyone loves on December 31st!

Copper lanterns and glitzy votives provide this table with just the right ambiance, while vintage brass candlesticks and elegant white tapers create a luminant backdrop.

Wishing you a very  Happy New Year!

ciao! fabiana

💕

This article appeared in the January 2019 issue of Romantic Homes magazine.

Check more of my favorites here, at “Tablescaping Essentials”.

Get this New Year's eve kit now from Amazon:

ciao christmas table

Our dining room is small and adjoins our living room, so this month I’ve decided to keep our dining room table set in a pretty way so we can enjoy our Christmas tree all month long. 

The warm glowing lights on the tree and the sparkle of the glitter of the ornaments is so cozy and is instantly a mood lifter. I love this chunky macrame table runner. It reminds me of a warm fishermans' sweater and adds great texture to the table.

To continue our winter white theme, I’m just using white ironstone dishes, paired with Gammy's silver and stemware. These glittery gold votives and small brass candlesticks add just the right amount of glitz to the table. I've picked up the candlesticks over the years, here and there, at thrift stores and such.

A few greens on the table can be switched out every few days. I like to clip my italian cypress, olive tree and eucalyptus to keep the table fresh and fragrant.

And it all came together like this: 

Macramé Table Runner:  (similar one) anthropologie 

Dinner Plates: Home Goods

Salad Plates: vintage

Silverware: our Gammy

Glassware: our Gammy

Gold Glitter Votives: Oriental Trading

Brass Candlesticks: vintage

Candles: Trader Joe’s

Table Greens: Trader Joe’s

Silver Lantern Pair: Oriental Trading

Christmas Tree: King of Christmas 

Remember to enjoy the little things! Get out your wedding china and good silver and set a pretty table for yourself or the guests that may stop over during the holidays. 

ciao! fabiana

thanksgiving planning

I found this adorable pillow at Home Goods this week and it's perfect on our backyard swing. Funny how just a little thing like this can bring a smile to my face, because I've got a perfect view of it from my desk during the day.  And now each time we go out back, we have a cute and cozy place to sit, swing and contemplate J

This pretty plaid throw is from Pottery Barn. I love how versatile these lightweight throws are. It’ll probably make its way back into the house and make an appearance at my Thanksgiving table!

And speaking of my Thanksgiving table, some of my favorite items have already made their way into the dining room as inspiration. Some will make the cut, and some won’t!! I'm starting to play with a few different ideas, and these turkey salad plates are always so festive, but I may go whole other direction...

One thing for sure, little accents are so important! Something like a stalk of wheat can finish off the look for each place setting, and I like the organic element it brings to the whole tablescape.

One of my favorite rustic elements for the table is the burlap charger plates. I used them last year for Thanksgiving and a couple of other holidays, and they always add great dimension and texture to the whole look. 

This year, I paired them with my favorite seashell embellished raffia place mats, and they really compliment each other nicely.

I have a couple of different options for glassware. Don't you love how these vintage amber glasses add so much vibrancy to the table?

A pretty border on the plates features acorns, so I thought a few real ones would be fun scattered on the table to repeat this decorative element.

Here’s my other option for glassware. I love the subtle amber color and the gold detail of this set, and the way the light just sparkles on them. These were also a score from Home Goods, and are made in Italy. (I also have them in amethyst). They're much more elegant and totally a different look than the other choice. Which ones do you think would work better for the table?

Glittery gold votives are the easiest way to add sparkle to the table. These are from Oriental Trading and you get a whole dozen for about $15. I've used these so much over the past year!

The little white pumpkins that I bought in early October will fit in perfectly with this whole rustic and glittery autumn look!

A few more of my favorite fall accessories were pulled for inspiration, like these adorable squirrel place card holders and a few pheasant feathers from last year's table. They might work nicely with the wheat and the little acorns.  

Another score was this small bolt of robin’s egg blue floral fabric found at my favorite thrift store. The colors are perfect for my Thanksgiving table and dining room. I’m not sure yet if I’ll create napkins, a runner or table cloth with this material.  

LMK what you think I should make with this fabric...   

Well that's my inspiration so far... 

We'll have to see how the final table turns out soon! 

Two weeks until Turkey Day...

ciao! fabiana

this year's halloween tablescape

Why do I love Halloween so much?

I think it’s because I have the happiest of memories from my childhood filled with creating costumes, carving jack o’lanterns and heading out on cold nights to trick-or-treat to our hearts content.

I still can’t resist all the fun of decorating for Halloween. 

It’s fun setting a themed table for my family… this year’s tablescape features my favorite black and white transferware plates. 

They both feature birds with a floral motif, so why not add a few black birds to the centerpiece?

Elegant with just a touch of spooky is always my m.o. so this vintage looking bird cage was the perfect focal point for the center of the table. 

I just pulled some of my favorite pieces out and reimagined them in a new light. You may remember some of these accessories like the black wine glasses from last year’s Halloween table.  

To add a touch more drama, I connected all the elements with twigs, green moss and spooky cheese cloth, also from Oriental Trading. I like the cheese cloth better than spider webbing because you get a neater overall appearance.

A little bit of orange was added with napkins and glass votives. Black and white all over is lovely, but this year I felt like the table needed a pop of color.

The little crow looks quite comfortable in his mossy nest. 

Transferware plates are my favorite table top accent and these black and white patterns offer the perfect juxtaposition with all the rustic and slightly eerie holiday décor. 

Candlelight is essential for Halloween and these cheery votives evoke thoughts of orange pumpkins and jack o’lanterns.

Another feathered friend stands guard over the stash of white and glittery gold pumpkins.

These glittered pumpkin votives will make a perfect transition into my Thanksgiving décor.

It’s just a casual setting for four, and now I have to work on my menu…

A little roast chicken would be perfect for the night and maybe some roasted butternut squash soup. 

My favorite recipe is from Michael Chiarello, and includes cinnamon, coriander, molasses, sage and balsamic vinegar. I’ve made it several times and it’s amazing!!  

Halloween dinner will be tonight because 

tomorrow is reserved for lots and candy and pizza! 

ciao! fabiana

Click on each item to see how it all came together:

Black Wine Glasses

Orange Glass Votives

Dinner Plates

Bread Plates:  vintage Wedgwood

White Salad Plates

OrangeNapkins

Hammered Silverware

Spooky Cheese Cloth

Green Moss

Bird Cage

Black Crows

Bundle of Twigs

Glitter Pumpkin Votives

Glitter Spiders

Spider Web Runner

Round Placemats

All Pumpkins: Roger’s Gardens

Riviera Side Chairs:  Serena & Lily

💕

While I’m here today, I wanted to share some of my "Tablescaping Essentials" with you. I have a whole page on the Amazon website with my favorite picks for setting a beautiful table.

Quite often time is of the essence, and I have last minute projects or events to work on, so I turn to Amazon for one or two day delivery. You’d be surprised at how many amazing items they have to offer! And I'm constantly updating this page with my new favorites. 

You can check it out here, at “Tablescaping Essentials”.

valentines dinner for two

 

What could be more romantic than a cozy little table for two by the fire on Valentine’s night? Flowers, candlelight and a roaring fire are sure to spark a few extra emotions from our hearts! Oh, and the glow of the fire offers the perfect lighting too! 

My starting point for setting this table was copper and burlap. I love how the two textures, one earthy and one polished, play off each other. 

I found a set of mini copper lanterns that were the perfect size for this table. The copper dipped water glasses and copper chargers work perfectly for this tablescape. 

To add to the glow, I used gold flatware which plays up the pretty glittery gold heart garland, and is a natural companion to copper. The burlap runner was easy to make. Here's how I did it.    

White and lavender pink flowers add a little color to the table, and varying heights of simple pillar candles brighten up the mantel.   

This viny little fern is growing wild in my garden, so I used it to soften the table and connect all the elements of the centerpiece.

I love the glow of the copper.

I’m not sure what will be on the menu yet. What are your favorite romantic dishes?

I was going for a romantic but relaxed look. I love using high-low pieces, like our grandmother’s Wedgwood china with the new chargers and fun heart salad plates, and the heirloom wine glasses with the new modern water glasses. 

The napkins offer a vivid pop of color!

 And it all came together like this: 

 Dinner Plates: Patrician by Wedgwood
Salad Plates: Home Goods
Copper Chargers: Home Goods
Burlap Fabric: Oriental Trading
Mini Copper Lanterns: Oriental Trading 
Napkins: World Market

Gold Flatware: ebay

Wine Glasses: vintage
Water Glasses: World Market
Gold Glitter Hearts Garland: Oriental Trading 
Flowers: Trader Joe’s

Love Mantel Sign: Ciao Blog Shop
Pink Votives: CB2
White Pillar Candles: IKEA

ciao! fabiana

Thank you to Oriental Trading for sending me these products to review. 

The opinions expressed in this post are truly my own.

Oriental Trading always offers great prices. 

Unique Gifts & Accessories for Everyone on Your List at Cost Plus World Market.