Good morning! I hope everyone has been having a fantastic fall. September was beautiful here in Calgary and now into October, our leaves have changed color and are starting to drop. It’s fall y’all! I’m so glad you are here because we are moving towards Halloween and today I am joining 12 other super creative table stylists in a Halloween blog hop hosted by our lovely leader, Rita, from Panoply. Thank you Rita! The links to all the other stylists’ tables can be found at the end of this post.
I had this tablescape all planned out in my mind several weeks ago as I knew I had enough items to make a bat-themed table. But when I went to put it into practice, I encountered some challenges, the first of which was this Williams Sonoma bat table runner. Logically, I knew that it was 108 inches long and would therefore hang over the ends of the table quite a bit. What I didn’t appreciate until the runner was actually on the table was that most of the bat pattern was on the ends leaving a large white space in the middle. I wondered how I would fill it.
My second challenge was/is that I can’t find my 222 Fifth Wiccan Lace dinner plates that I wanted to use for this table. Anywhere. In fact, they have been missing since we moved last summer. I’m still hoping against hope that they are in the garage somewhere but as I chip away at culling and organizing the garage, it seems less likely as time goes on. And it’s even stranger when I consider that the salad plates are here. Thus, a plan B was needed. Here I am contemplating some possible alternatives.
Hmmm. They’re okay, but sadly, neither setting is sparking joy. The dinner plate on the left is more of an ivory color that didn’t look all that great with the very bright white on the table runner. The bat pumpkin planned for the centerpiece had the same issue with it’s ivory background. The setting on the right had too much pattern when I paired it with the bat napkins. I finally settled for white on white (which I actually really liked given the napkins and napkin rings). I guess orange will be my accent color 🍊.
The third challenge arose when our Thanksgiving dinner celebration abruptly changed late last week from gathering on October 19th to October 5th. With the new date and all my dithering and procrastinating, (and some moaning and groaning on my part), I had backed myself into a time-crunch corner. Basically, I now had Saturday evening to set the table and Sunday morning for taking photographs before dismantling the table in time for Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday afternoon. Here we are Saturday evening – still uncertain about a centerpiece. No pressure lol.
So, let’s get ‘er done, as the saying goes. Here we are early Sunday morning…
The centerpiece came together when I found a bag of black twigs, garland, and hydrangeas in the garage that had been used on previous tables. Some bat candlesticks and Halloween ornaments completed the arrangement.
The final place setting:
For expediency’s sake, favorite Halloween “cobweb” flatware and skeletal stemware:
Resources:
HomeSense: Wineglasses, bat candle holders, napkins, flatware, dinner and salad plates, Rae Dunn appetizer plates, bat pumpkin, all several to many years ago.
Amazon: Valery Madden ornaments, butter knives, several years ago.
Napkin rings: Kim Seybert, several years ago.
eBay: Williams Sonoma bat table runner, several years ago.
Dollar store: black stems, garland, shot glasses, charger plates, and Halloween pillow, several years ago.
Michaels: Ichabod pillow, black hydrangeas, several to many years ago.
If you are wondering how I managed to pull off Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday, I had lots of help (as always). Middle son offered to smoke the turkey in the smoker (sooo good that way) while youngest son volunteered to bring his signature mashed potatoes. Oldest son and DIL brought pumpkin pie and whip cream for dessert and picked up my mom so she could join us as well. So all I had to worry about were the veggies and appetizers. But yes, most definitely, we are all batty here!
Thanks for visiting and wishing everyone a happy and safe Halloween! Please check out my fellow stylists’ tables at the links below for some fabulous Halloween inspiration!
P.S. I’m still having issues with WordPress – this time it seems to be about spacing between text and images. I have no idea what the format will look like once I publish but thanks for bearing with me.
Kim, I love how you have taken us through your thought process! The result is really stunning. I thought it looked great with just the place settings and the bat table runner, but when you added in the centre decor….wow! It took it to a whole other level! Stunning! And, I do love how the bats continue down the overhang on both ends!
Maureen, thanks for your visit and sweet comments. I honestly had no idea what to do with all the white in the middle of the runner and I’m so glad that I happened across these items (all together in one bag, believe it or not) and they made for the centerpiece. I kinda feel like I dodged a bullet there lol. I hope that Halloween was warm for the kiddos there and that you had a fabulous Thanksgiving!!
Kim you are adorable!! I WAS wondering how you pulled off Thanksgiving, and now I know! Plus I’m sure your innate table setting skill allowed you to re-set the table in record time with beauty and grace!! I love how you did this one – you know I love the black and white, and the orange accents are so fun and, dare I say, even elegant! It’s all reallly lovely and Halloweeny! Way to make lemonade, my friend!
Ha Barbara – you give me too much credit lol. As it turned out, we just set the Thanksgiving table with our everyday dishes, cutlery, and wine glasses. It made for a really quick clean-up after dinner and that was a consideration because everybody had to work the next day. Plus, oldest son and DIL has just come back from two weeks in Italy and were pretty jet-lagged. The evening was short by necessity and at least we didn’t spend it cleaning up. Love the comment “way to make lemonade” – thanks so much my friend!
Kim, your table looks great even with all your challenges!! I think we all go through that – what we have in our head may never really make it to the final table – but we can call them happy accidents because your result was a fun, beautiful Halloween celebration!! I love the festive napkin rings and the bat napkins!! The Fright appetizer plates are adorable!! I hope your Thanksgiving dinner came together this nicely as well!! The help from your family is wonderful- much to be thankful for🧡enjoy the celebrations 🎃🍂🙏🏼🧡
Ann, oh my – I love the idea of “happy accidents” and thanks for saying that and your sweet comments. Thanksgiving dinner was fun, especially when all the schedules jive and everyone can make it. It’s always a bit chaotic, but it’s a fun chaotic and there’s much to be thankful for, as you say, at the end of the day. Happy October to you and I hope you have a wonderful Halloween!
Hahaha, this made me laugh at myself. This is the kind of [over]thinking & analysis, I bet, many of us go through (even not being able to locate certain items). The ivory vs white is a real life conundrum, lol. I must say, the final result is pretty darn awesome, especially given your time crunch! I always forget about the Canadian Thanksgiving being in October. I hope you took photos of that table too. 😉I LOVE those bat candleholders, and wish I would’ve found some of those, very cool. Honestly, the black centerpiece turned out really cool, and the orange pops are perfect. Those Kim Seybert napkin rings are really festive. The flatware definitely gives the pattern as an alternative to the Wiccan Lace. I can definitely see where your title came from now. Too funny. Kim, thanks for taking time to participate in this hop. I hope your Thanksgiving dinner was less hectic.
ps I love that Wiccan Lace pattern, and now you have another year to search for them.
Oh my goodness Rita – I swear the white vs ivory thing drives me nuts sometimes lol. It’s probably because I have so much ivory in the house that I really notice how dirty it looks when white is placed next to it. If I would have had 8 of everything on that table I would have just left the table up for Thanksgiving (not like I haven’t done that before). As it was, we just set the table with our everyday stuff and it made for a very fast and efficient clean-up after the meal. And yes, I have another whole year to search for the Wiccan Lace plates but I hope it doesn’t take that long. Thanks so much for your lovely comments and the pleasure is mine in participating in these wonderful blog hops. And thanks for hosting as you do, you are much appreciated. I hope you have a wonderful Halloween – little J must be about the perfect age for it!
Kim, even though you encountered so many challenges during your limited time to put together your Halloween table, I can say it does not at all show and your table is over-the-top beautiful! I love the bat theme and it all came together as if there was not one single problem. I love your choices even though it was not your first choice. Your candlestick bat centerpiece and garland made a gorgeous statement along with the plates and your accent orange napkin rings. There was a perfect amount of bats on the table and a great way to express that everything is “batty”. Enjoy your Thanksgiving get together and Happy Halloween too.
Aw Marsha, you are so sweet! Thank you for all your lovely comments and I was really glad it all came together too. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner here – it can be difficult to get everyone together with all the kid’s different schedules so I’m glad that that worked out too. I hope that you have a wonderful October and wishing you a happy Halloween too!
Kim, You pulled it all together to create a spooktacular Halloween table! I find I work best under pressure myself. 😊 Your centerpiece of stems, twigs and ornaments filled out the empty area in your table runner perfectly. I’ve run into that before too where the design of the table runner is on the ends and not visible when photographing. I love the pop of orange from your ‘fright’ plates, ornaments and napkin rings. I so hate when you can’t find something and have been trying to find a set of mercury glass votives with a spider design on them for 2 years. 🙄 Hooray for your sons and DIL helping with your Thanksgiving feast. Thanks so much for the Halloween fun this morning. It’s always a treat to have a seat at your table. Wishing you a wonderful October!🍽️🎃🧡
Mary, I’m not happy that you can’t find your mercury glass votives but it’s nice to know I’m not the only one who loses things. Or sometimes I’ll put something somewhere “safe” – so safe that I can’t even find them lol. If not for the kids, we’d have had Thanksgiving dinner at the local pizza place, so I’m very grateful for their help. Thanks so much for your sweet comments and it’s always a pleasure to hop with you. Wishing you a wonderful October as well!
Kim, I love the touch of orange with all your black and white. I used touches of orange with my black and white table as well, and like you I was also on a time crunch with two back to back blog commitments. But we did it!
Your table is a winner! I enjoyed both versions. I wish I still had my set of 222 Fifth Wiccan Lace dinners. I would send them to you, but as I never used them, I gave them to my niece years ago. She and her group of friends always host a Halloween dinner. I figured she would make use of them.
Happy Halloween!
Sarah, that is so sweet to offer up your Wiccan Lace dinner plates if you still had them. But it sounds like they went to a good home. As for mine, I haven’t exhausted all places in the garage yet, so there is still hope and fingers crossed It seems that you, Pam, and Mary all had back to back blog commitments – definitely yay for getting it all done! Thanks for your lovely comments and have a happy Halloween yourself!
When I read the title of your post, I couldn’t wait to see your tablescape. I love bats, and I almost purchased a few bat candle charms and pumpkin spikes from Terrain, but I didn’t. Now I regret not buying them! ;P You did a great job implementing your theme. Your runner, centerpiece, and napkins are perfect! It reminds me of the very beginning of Scooby Doo cartoons when the bats swarm! The cute “fright-ening” bread plates add the perfect dose of orange to your table. So cute! Happy Halloween!
Ricki Jill, thanks so much for your sweet comments. In spite of everything, I really did have fun putting the table together. Bats and crows make such wonderful themes for Halloween I think. I’ve never heard of candle charms but the bat one sound like they’d be really cute. I had a good chuckle at the Scooby Doo comment lol. Happy Halloween to you too!
Kim, I understand completely your dilemma! I had to do three posts three days in a row and had company for dinner on two of the evenings. It was a bit chaotic, but I did manage. You pulled your table together very well! The batty theme is perfect in two different ways 🤣 The overhead shot is magical with your black and white theme with accents of orange. I love that your family pitched in to make everything happen on schedule! I always enjoy visiting with you at one of your beautiful tables
Oh my gosh Pam – three in three days and two dinners on top of it? Just wow! That is beyond impressive my friend and I shall immediately cease and desist from my moaning and groaning lol. And yes, it was a bit chaotic here too, but it generally always is when we get together. Thanks so much for your sweet comments and I hope you get to enjoy a little bit of a breather now. It’s always such a pleasure to hop with you!
Yes, a breather for a few days!
I always LOVE your tables Kim! This is so creative with the bat theme. The white bat table runner and napkins are just the right kind of spooky and the white plate stack really make the fabulous napkin rings stand out. The centerpiece of black garlands twigs and hydrangeas looks so good with the bat candlesticks and Halloween ornaments tucked in… It would have been fun if you had left your table set this way for your Thanksgiving guests!!!
Thanks so much Jenna! I have left Halloween tables up for Thanksgiving previously in our old dining room and then set another table in the kitchen, but this time I was setting the kitchen table for 8 and had to dismantle so I could put the leaf in. I hope you are doing well sweet friend, and I miss you on these blog hops. Take care down there and happy October!
Beautiful table Kim and I can relate to taking one setting apart in preparation for another in a short amount of time. You did a wonderful job with all your bats. well placed and very complimentary. I can also relate to “losing” pieces or sets to the unknown storage area. Some I have never found which really makes one wonder how and when especially when you do have matching dishes by themselves. Great job and I hope you don’t have your weather turn unbearable across the border. 🥰🍁🎃🐿️👻 Kari @ Me and My Captain
Ha ha Kari. It seems that I’m not the only one putting up and taking down tables in a hurry this past weekend – Pam set three in three days! Yes, I was not happy that I couldn’t find those dishes especially since the salad plates were here and they would have been together at the old house. Very strange. There’s still hope though. As for the weather… Snow showers on Saturday evening and snow on Sunday. Ugh. The only good thing is that it likely won’t stay. Thanks for your sweet comments and I hope you and the Captain have a fantastic October and Halloween!
A lovely table to embrace Halloween Kim. The table runner, the skeletal glasses, spiderweb flatware and those pretty fabulous napkin rings. I love your Batty theme. The bat candle holders are perfect. Love the pop of orange in your appetizer plates. The overhead shot is amazing. A fun table. Always a pleasure joining you.
Linda, thank you so much for your sweet comments. I loved loved your table as well – you are the undeniable Queen of Theme for sure. It’s always a pleasure to join you too and I wish you a wonderful October and happy Halloween!
I do enjoy bats, so I really appreciated this table setting. I also love the napkin rings, and your spiderweb flatware. But my love for this goes beyond the table. That Ichabod Crane pillow is fantastic!
Hi Pattie. The Ichabod Crane pillow was a find at Michaels several years ago. I actually had forgotten I had these Halloween pillows until I uncovered them in the garage recently. So glad you liked the table and thanks for your comments. Happy October!
Kim, you have styled a batty table theme that is wickedly whimsical and I love all the details from the runner and napkins to the plates and ornaments! Have a lovely October, Cecilia @ My Thrift Store Addiction
Thanks so much Cecilia – glad you liked the table. I hope you have a lovely October too!
Wow – I think you pulled off a beautiful Thanksgiving table scape!! I love so many things on your table….the flatware is to “die” for!!
Have an awesome Thanksgiving, my friend!!
Thanks so much Charlotte – this is one table that you can say went both up and down in record time lol. Thanks for the compliment on the flatware. I tried to track it down for someone else who commented on it previously and had zero luck. All it says on the box is Coco & Lola – no pattern name or anything. Wishing you a wonderful upcoming Thanksgiving my friend!