How to Create a Rustic Table Setting

I thought I'd share a little here...
my fav. The rustic table setting.

with fresh cut black walnut chargers

I added stripes of black striped burlap webbing from burlapfabric.com

I tied the silverware up with a black toile napkin, and some springs of pine nestled in a paper cone.

The place cards are made of vintage book paper and logs. I drilled a tiny hole into small logs and inserted a twisted wire to hold the name card.

I added these paper ornaments to the back of the chairs for an extra little pop.

In the center of the table I placed glittered and paper wrapped candles on a silver tray with pine cones and logs sprinkled around about.

Another centerpiece I showed was this one made from mostly vintage Christmas balls.

An easy trick to add some interest to your food display is to add different heights.

we ate all the cheeses while filming.

We added a drink station for kids too.

So easy, which by the way, I need to stop saying.

Gallons of cider poured into a glass container.

Piles of country fabric.

Apples and pears galore.

A simple hand written sign.

And mason jars with brown and white striped paper straws.

The mantel needed to be spruced up a little.So I added a few things.

like these mason jars filled with green lentils.

See anything you'll try for turkey day?

See where I get LOT's of inspiration - my pinterest page

How to create a farmhouse dining room on a budget

Whether your traditional or cottage, farmhouse or industrial creating the ultimate dining room is easy if you follow these simple tips.

The table - every dining room should have one.

My favorite type of table is a big hunkin' farmhouse one.  I love the aged wood from the reclaimed lumber tops, mixed with all kinds of legs. My friend John Duffy, from Stable Tables specializes in making custom tables with all kinds of wood, mixed with all kinds of bases and legs.
He recently made this round table with a iron knitting base for the bottom. Awesome!

My dining room table was made by John about 4 years ago, and it is my favorite thing in the whole wide house!

The Chairs  - lot's of them.

The whole point of using my living room as a dining room was so I could have a giant room, with a giant table, and have tons of people over, and hopefully have giant plates of food (that's edible).

So, I needed chairs, chairs, and more chairs.

I find them everywhere. People leave them at my back door. I find them in the trash and at yard sales. I might even purchase some from time to time. And I almost always spray paint them. Seasonally.

When not in use in the dining room, I place them around the house. Bedrooms, hallways, even my powder room has a chair in it.

Dishes - pretty much anything goes.

I mix and match. I buy sets, partial sets, half sets, broken sets, one of a kinds, pairs, WHATEVER I like.

Then I throw them all together on the table, and voila. Dinner for 72.

Fun, quirky, cute, and nobody gets the impression that they need to be on their best behavior, or that anything near fancy is coming out of the kitchen.

In other words, it sets the mood for the whole night. It's eclectic, just like the people there. And that's how I like it.

A place to put all your stuff - a buffet.

If you're like me, your not serving each person individually and plating the food like your some fancy smanchie chef. Nope. Your throwin' it all in one spot and telling everyone to get up, cause it's time to eat.

But I will put in on/in something cool. So, while my cooking is not so hot. I can put together a mean display.

Yes. I found this buffet in the trash. I know. Crazy.

And don't forget the drinks.

Slap those bad boys somewhere interesting, and you'll have your guest ewwing and ahhing all night. 'Cause the bar of course is the most crowded part of the house when you're entertaining.

So, all in all these are the basic parts you'll need to create your own "ultimate dining room". 

Want more dining room ideas?

You can peek into my boards on Pinterest.

Here for Thanksgiving ideas. And, here for dining rooms.

{Place Settings For the Holidays}

I hosted Thanksgiving last year, pre-turkey day, I laid out what my place settings would look like.

I came up with a few different styles and wanted to share them with you, for your holiday dinners.

The first is the most formal (for me).

I use music sheets for the place mat and a silver goblet for the wine.

I'm using 2 dishes from a turquoise milk glass set I found at a yard sale, and a random brown patterned soup bowl.

Second reminds me of the farm. And might be my favorite.

I cut up some black buffalo check fabric for the place mat and used a mason jar for the drinks.

I added a little candle by the setting made from a clean tuna can and remnants of yardstick cuttings from a project I did on my steps.

Next was another favorite of mine. 'Cause just about anything thing with maps is a favorite of mine.

Notice what country I used.

I had my husband in mind with his next place setting. He's woodsy and rustic, and I wanted to make a place setting that seemed very him.

I also scored this trout fish gravy boat at my local thrift store. It's perfect.

MaryJane (my Mom) was the inspiration for this shabby chic setting. She loves all things pink and pretty and romantic.

This one is a combo Danny/Denise. A little bit country, a little bit rustic farm. Pretty much one in the same.

But I love that I found a Pennsylvania Farm Show dish. (Since we live in PA, and Danny wishes we lived on a farm)

For a clean cut look I tried a black and white look.

And the grand finale....The Christmas look. The perfect combo of red and green, farm and rustic, with a little whimsy in the santa mug.

Which setting would you pick for you holiday table?

The Painted Home's Crafty Camper at Clover Market

Come visit the

which will be at the one day event at Clover Market, Chestnut Hill.

Experience for yourself what is so wonderful about

Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint at

The Crafty Camper will be set up with Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint and accessories for you to purchase.

I will also have a great Fall themed make and take craft that you'll be able to make

with the MMS milk paint and mason jars.

Stop by and see what craft we will be making that day.

For $10. per craft you will be able to dig in and sample what it's like to paint

with MMS milk paint. 

Come see why everyone's talking about and using MMS Milk Paint

on their painting projects for Fall.

How to turn a dresser into an island

A few months ago I found this dresser at 

my favorite thrift store for under $100.

Pretty typical thrift store dresser.

And by typical, I mean bleck.

To steal all the good stuff before I get there, visit

(psst. sign up for their mailing list for a 20% off coupon!)

This dresser was originally featured on a Fox29 segment I filmed with Jenn Fred.

(click the picture below to watch the whole sha-bang)

And, just so you don't think I am some amazonian giant, Jenn Fred is tiny.

I'm tall, but not like freak show tall.

Let's begin, shall we?

Start with your preferred cleaner.

Mine is Simple Green.

And paint.

I prefer Annie Sloane or Miss Mustard Seed.

Today is Annie Sloan.

Why? Because I don't want to prep, sand or prime this sucka'.

So, I need the super adhesive power of Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint.

I mixed this color myself, so ignore the color

"Florence" on the label.

I covered most of the piece with the paint, including the hardware.

That's the beauty of Annie Sloan - you can paint right over the hardware and it will stick.

(Although, in the end I wound up removing the hardware and spray painting it black)

I wanted to use this island in the middle of a room, so I painted the back with chalkboard paint

(not CHALK paint, chalkBOARD paint)

  

Once you paint the back with chalkBOARD paint, let it dry 24 hours.

Then season the entire surface.

What the heck does that mean?

It means cover the whole chalkboard area with chalk dust.

 Then wipe it off with a DRY paper towel.

You'll create a dust covered surface that won't hold ghost marks of your last note you wrote on it.

For the top of the island, I went to Home Depot and purchased a 1" thick piece of pine board and

had it cut to size right there on the spot.

I stained it and sanded it smooth.

I used liquid nails and a few screws to attached it to the top of the dresser.

I let it hang over the back edge to create a little bit of a bar.

And a little bit on the left and right sides too.

It's awesome!

And it's for sale.

You can find it in the window of