by Debbee | Dec 1, 2020 | Christmas, Holidays, Winter
For this year’s holiday season, I’m sharing a winter woodland tablescape featuring a rustic deer centerpiece.
Three years ago, the first Christmas table I ever styled and shared on Debbee’s Buzz had a similar theme. But, I was brand new to blogging, and a novice at using the software and photo editing tools.
As part of this month’s Christmas Tablescape Hop, I’ve updated and restyled the rustic look. A standing deer on a toboggan centerpiece sets the scene for the winter woodland tablescape.
To create the casual holiday table, I’ve mixed everyday dishes with seasonal plates, flatware and linens. By swapping and rotating tableware in and out of the dishwasher, I’m able to reuse the same basic table setting for multiple meals.
It’s an easy, practical way to continually set a festive table throughout the month of December.
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by Debbee | Nov 19, 2020 | Favors, Projects, Thanksgiving
To decorate this year’s Thanksgiving table, I’ve hand painted some fun turkey glasses.
Dear hubby and I had been hoping to spend Thanksgiving with our adult sons in Philadelphia. Because of the horrible-no-good-very-bad-awful virus, our small gathering of seven is now five down to four in Pittsburgh.
Regardless of the size, I think it’s still important to count our blessings, eat a fairly traditional meal (even if scaled back), and set a festive table. So, I decided to do a little craft therapy, by painting glasses with a pilgrim hat topped gobbler.
If you’re hopping over from Rebecca’s of Zucchini Sisters and her adorable DIY gnome garland, welcome! Seventeen talented bloggers are sharing their creative endeavors this month.
Here, I’ll show how to paint Thanksgiving turkey glasses in five easy steps, using my template method.
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by Debbee | Nov 10, 2020 | Holidays, This and That
On Veterans Day, I’d like to pay tribute to my dear father-in-law, a World War II veteran and POW.
Dad’s military service left a legacy to our family I hope will endure for generations.
After graduating high school, he initially attended West Point. But several months after D-Day, in June 1944, dad shipped across the Atlantic to Europe.
There, he took part in The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Counteroffensive. The last major German campaign on the Western Front during World War II took place from December 1944 through January 1945.
It was the biggest and deadliest single battle of WWII for American soldiers. About 19,000 Americans were eventually killed. Some 47,500 were wounded, with another 23,000 captured or missing in action.
Dad was one of those initially listed as missing in action. For many months, his family and the army did not know he had been captured and was in a German Prisoner of War (POW) camp.
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by Debbee | Nov 3, 2020 | Fall, Tablescapes, Thanksgiving
Today, I’m sharing not one Thanksgiving table setting, but a trio. Because three’s a charm right?
Last year, we ended up having 16 family members for a sit down Thanksgiving meal. It was served buffet style from the kitchen island.
Up until about a week before the gathering, the final number fluctuated as high as 20. So, I had to be flexible in my Thanksgiving table setting plan.
I normally keep one extension board in my dining room table, with six chairs on two sides. On either side of the china, the host and hostess chairs are against the wall. Although the mahogany table can sit 12, that would require using all three boards. There’s just not enough space in the dining room to add even a second board. But, the table does comfortably accommodate a Thanksgiving table setting for eight.
That meant at least eight more guests needed to be seated elsewhere.
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by Debbee | Oct 25, 2020 | Centerpieces, Fall, Halloween
Remember Stella, the silly skeleton who made quite the splash recently in my silver punchbowl? 
She commanded the spotlight as the centerpiece on my Halloween Gothic Glam Table with Skeleton Napkin Fold.
It was part of the Halloween Tablescape Blog Hop, an annual spooktacular event.
As I was styling and photographing the table setting over several days, Stella continued her antics! It was like a skeleton version of Elf on a Shelf lol.
Every time I returned to the dining room, the silly skeleton had struck a new pose! .She’s such a diva! So, I thought I’d tickle your funny bone by sharing the photos I captured.
Think of it as a Happy Halloween card from me to you — boo!
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by Debbee | Oct 22, 2020 | Centerpieces, Holidays, Thanksgiving
Sure to delight and impress Thanksgiving guests, is transforming dough into a bread cornucopia or edible pumpkin-shape dinner rolls!
For this month’s Craft Blog Hop, I’m sharing how to form bread, roll or pizza dough into fun fall food displays.
It’s surprising fast and easy to do too!
These aren’t recipes, but just shaping and molding packaged dough into iconic Thanksgiving symbols, like a horn of plenty or pumpkin.
And, you don’t have to be a gourmet chef or talented crafter to assemble an impressive bread cornucopia or twist dough into a mini pumpkin!
Let me show you how I did it — even in the midst of preparing a Thanksgiving feast.
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by Debbee | Oct 13, 2020 | Fall, Halloween, Tablescapes
For Halloween this year, I’ve created a gothic glam table full of posh and otherworldly details.
Styled as an elegant dinner party for six, the dramatic black and white tablescape is set with fine china, crystal and silver.
But, it’s the table length centerpiece that creates the spine-tingling atmosphere. Meet a diva skeleton who literally crashed the Halloween party, landing in my punchbowl!
To tie in with the skeleton soiree theme, I’ve also adapted an easy napkin fold to resemble a skeleton-mummy.
I always look forward to participating in the annual Halloween Tablescape Hop! Hosted by Chloe of Celebrate & Decorate, 14 blogger stylists have conjured up seasonal settings. If you’ve just come from Rita’s wonderous Hallows Evening, pull up a chair and have a seat at my gothic glam table!
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by Debbee | Sep 30, 2020 | Decorations, Halloween, Wreaths
Shiver me timbers, today I’ve created a pirate wreath to decorate the front door of my sister’s waterfront home for Halloween.
It’s part of a Fall Wreath & Door Decor Blog Hop hosted by Rachelle of My Hubbard Home.
To those coming by from her charming Autumn Hoop Wreath, a big ahoy mateys! And, if you’re looking for more seasonal ideas and inspiration, check out all the links at the (dead) end of this post.
I’ve crafted a Halloween wreath to greet trick or treaters. But, it would also be perfect to welcome little buccaneers attending a pirate theme birthday party.
So, batten down the hatches and be on the lookout, as this pirate wreath tutorial contains numerous bad puns. Savvy? (more…)
by Debbee | Sep 24, 2020 | Decorations, Halloween
For this month’s Craft Hop, I’m sharing easy-to-make black pumpkin decor, for an eerie but elegant Halloween look. See both black widow and masquerade stylings.
To those coming over from Liberty’s and her Crocheted Scarf Patterns, welcome! Check out the links to all sixteen fall and Halloween theme craft projects at the end of this post.
Last year, I made Easy Fall Sweater Pumpkins and a Festive Fall Grapevine Wreath— appropriate to decorate a home from September through Thanksgiving.
I didn’t make any new Halloween-specific decorations, but did acquire some accents on post holiday clearance. For this season, I repurposed a few Halloween embellishments from old decorations into new black pumpkin decor. You could say I breathed new life into them lol!
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