9 super easy ways to dress up your table for the holidays

AB Home Interiors

Every year the holidays come around faster than anyone can prepare for, and the same dilemma occurs: What on earth can I do differently this year?

I always have my  go-to staple items, but isn’t it nice to mix it up and do a new twist on an old favorite? Adding new items is a great way to update your existing

holiday decor but this year here are some excellent ways to update your holiday table with inexpensive items from around the house from Real Simple.

1) Candy Cane lollipops:

Easy to find, inexpensive, and adds a super sweet twist to your holiday table! Lollipops are great centerpieces and can be thrown into a planter box, styrofoam piece or a bucket,

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2) Wine Glasses:

Well, you cannot get any easier than this. Wrap up your wine glasses with pretty ribbon for easy and decorative place settings. Add complimentary napkins and for a little panache I take wine corks, gently slice with a razor and use them as stands for place cards. Super sweet and super easy!

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3) Everyday Party favors:

We all love getting a gift so why not add a simple party favor to your place setting to make your guests feel extra special? One of my favorite gifts is contributing to the garden. Give your guests seeds to their favorite food, or plant and wrap on their plate with twine, or ribbon.

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4) Rubber bands:

Snappy, colorful and charming, bands can be added to drinking glasses, votives and  premade buffet plates. Also an excellent tool for outside dining when the wind picks up!

For decorative rubber bands click here.

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5) Fruit:

Apples in hurricanes from around the house can be piled into a vase or combined with water for an elegant and easy centerpeice

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Use limes for decorative bowls on the table or as placecard holders

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6) Chalkboard placemats:

A quart of chalkboard paint can be picked up at any hardware store. Take peices of cardboard cut approximately 19×15 and paint them up for custom handmade placemats.

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7) Votives:

Most of us have various votive holders laying around the house. Take tissue paper from a recent purchase and cut them out for votive wrapping. Colorful, cheap and easy!

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8) Candy:

For $4 a few bags of hershey kisses can instantly turn a hurricane into an instant holiday charmer. Combined with candle light a few kisses make an evening!…

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9) Foliage:

Take items from around the yard and combine them with table settings. For added punch, spray paint with left over paint in the garage for instant holiday glamour.

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So many of us have things laying around the house, that with a little twist can be made into something great, and all inexpensively.

Often times, the simple items are what add charm and clever appeal. Be creative and look beyond ordinary items to make them extraordinary!

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About Amanda Gates
Amanda Gates started AB HOME Interiors in the fall of 2004. With over 12 years of experience in the field of interiors, and a passion for all things art and design, Amanda has become an expert on building interiors for an active lifestyle. After six years of working for some of the best design firms on the west coast, Amanda opened AB HOME Interiors after moving to Nashville. Amanda believes that a home should reflect your personality and and encompass your style. An advocate for living a true lifestyle, her firm focuses on bringing you beautiful interiors, that are deceptively functional, and as a result her clients get an amazing space without all the fuss.

Comments

  1. I think I may be adding some of those lollipops! I already have the red and white peppermint sticks, but I think they will play off each other nicely.

  2. Amanda,
    These are great ideas! I love the chalkboard idea of course, and the votive and wine glasses are perfect.
    Have a great day.
    Teresa

  3. Jude says:

    These are all such wonderful ideas – I esp. love the chalkboard placemats and the candy cane lollipops! Sweet and nostalgic and different all :)

    Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving!

  4. I love the simplicity – yet fabulousness! – of all of these ideas! They are truly achievable for anyone searching for easy ways to spunk up their holiday table! Thanks for sharing!

  5. michelle says:

    Going to say the same thing…simple and beautiful…

  6. Karena says:

    Amanda what great tips, so fun and easy!! I love your ideas!

    Come and Enter my giveaway from Fifi Flowers!
    xoxo

    Karena
    Art by Karena

  7. Ooooh, candy cane lollipops might be just what I need this year!!!

  8. mydesignchic says:

    Love these ideas…great inspiration!!

  9. slamdunk says:

    Great tips Amanda. I would not have thought about the chalk mats–they have an appealing look to them.

  10. I love them all! Now to pick which one to use! ;-) .
    Abby

  11. Lovely photo styling, Amanda! Thanks for all the tips.

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