New Year’s Tablescape
Well, friends, we made it through the holidays!!! I’m hoping we all survived and only put on a few extra pounds from all the goodies. I don’t know about you, but I could use a salad…and stat!
This time of the year always seems a little sad for me. There’s so much build-up to this magical time of year and then it’s just over. Then what? The Super Bowl seems like the next big celebration, and unfortunately (or fortunately…depending on how you look at it), we just don’t get into that at all. So…we’re kind of left waiting and looking for something to get excited about. That just sounds pitiful doesn’t it. I mean, how blessed we all are…why do we need something to look forward to? Just be happy already! That’s a subject for another day, though. Let’s keep things light today.
A few years ago, I realized that I didn’t want to bog the house down with a bunch more decorations, when Christmas came down. When I put the Christmas decorations away, I simply left all the other decorations and accessories, that had come down earlier in the season, tucked away. At first, the house seemed a little sad, but then I realized that I finally felt like I could breathe, and all our spaces didn’t seem so filled-up and heavy!
I love pretty spaces, though, so I couldn’t just leave the house as is. It was then that a light bulb went off (well, also, when I made a sweep through the Target Dollar Spot and found some marked-down flower bulbs). After Christmas and the bleak month of January, is the perfect time to add some greenery and flowers to your home. Now, I’m an old-lady-plant-lover at heart, so plants and flowers have pretty much taken over our house year-round, but just in case you haven’t accepted your grandma status, this is definitely a great time to start!
I was perusing the goodies in the Target Dollar Spot a few years back and saw that they had these cute little flower bulb kits. Everything you need to grow whatever’s inside is right there! Pot, growing material, and bulb. Winner-winner, chicken dinner! Bonus, they’re cheap. I mean, I could buy them full-price, but after Christmas, they’re marked down 50% right away. I bought three paperwhites kits this year for $1.50 each. That’s bananas…and, unfortunately, I’m not finding any deals like that online to pass on to you. My hope is that this post reaches you in time, so you can make it to your own local Target and grab some for yourself! If not, they are available on Amazon…and most local garden centers will have them too! I always have luck at Trader Joe’s as well…if you have one of those near-by—and I hope you do because I love T.J.’s with all my heart.
Potting the bulbs couldn’t be easier. They come with everything you need (other than a bowl, measuring cup, and something to scoop the planting material). Just follow the directions on the package to get the bulbs all nestled in and ready to grow. I do add some moss to the tops of the pots because I think it looks prettier than just plain-old dirt. I add this to all my house plants…and it helps with moisture retention as well. You can buy some HERE. I prefer the natural color because it doesn’t take away from the green of the plants.
Once you have your bulbs potted, the fun begins! Other than the bulb kits, I didn’t buy anything for this New Year’s table scape. I grabbed items from around the house to create this fresh and natural display.
What you’ll need:
Table runner: I found one similar to mine HERE.
A tray—I thrifted mine, but I found a beautiful one HERE (bonus…it’s on sale!).
Candle sticks—Mine is vintage, but if you don’t have something already, THESE are gorgeous!
Taper Candles—I like an ivory color…it’s a little less stark than pure white. I’ve linked some HERE.
Pinecones—I cut the ones here off a thrifted Christmas tree, but if you don’t have any, THESE are on clearance!
Paperwhites bulbs—run to the Target Dollar Spot or Christmas aisle and see if they still have them!
Decorative figurine—I have a little stash of vintage brass animals and this little rabbit is perfect for a wintery New Year’s table scape! I found a few similar ones HERE, HERE, and HERE!
Cupcake stand or custard cup—If you want to add a bit of height to the bulb pots, you can prop them up on a cupcake stand or custard cup. I had the custard cups on-hand, so I used a couple of those. You can find a set of cupcake stands HERE. These are super useful in tons of way for decorating—candle holder, jewelry catcher, even just for actual cupcakes!
Once you have all the pieces, you can just play around with arrangement! This isn’t something that has to stay just one way either. Even now, I can see myself moving the candle stick more to the middle of my display and putting one of the flowering bulbs behind it.
The fun part about growing bulbs is that you get to watch them progress! They’ll send up a bright green shoot first and then you’ll start to see the blooms form. This display will be pretty for quite a while, and by the time the blooms fade, you’ll be ready for something fresh anyway!
Some people save bulbs, but I don’t usually mess with them. I get them so cheaply, that I don’t feel badly tossing them and getting new the following year. You could always, of course, save the pots for another project! I keep a stash of small things like that to help to fill-out my displays throughout the year. Soon you’ll have a stash of your own to help decorating and creating vignettes a lot easier!
Have fun creating…and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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