Table Fixin's

A few nights ago I hosted my first dinner party in our new home.  Of course the guests had to sit next to a pile of pictures I've yet to hang.  And if they used the main floor bathroom they had to come into the kitchen to wash their hands.  But nonetheless, we gathered, we conversed, & we ate... fried chicken, tons & tons of chicken that I fried in my new pan.  It's a good thing that the dinner only encompassed my immediate family & only two new people were exposed to our half finished house.  We were celebrating my little brothers engagement & I loved using my kitchen & having plenty of room for everyone to hang out in.  Naturally my table needed a little embellishing to make it dinner party worthy.  I usually leave it bare like this because my kiddos will quickly destroy any decoration I may leave on there for an extended period of time.

This is what I came up with.  My twins needed something to do, so I sent them out in the yard with a bucket & told them to collect pretty Fall leaves & pine cones to decorate the table with.  They liked being part of the project & told all the guests how they helped.  Best part about this decor is that it's mostly free.  I already had the decorative balls, candle holders & antique insulators.  We just laid it all out in a line & it looked lovely.  It even was aesthetically pleasing when the leaves started to dry up the next day, a perfect Fall table.

I used electric candles instead of the real deal.  It's just safer with my brood that way.  My friend Jami had given me the idea of putting an electric candle under antique insulators a while back.  I had been dying to try it & I think it looks great.  I have a ton of these insulators & never quite know how  to use them, this was a perfect solution.  The table looked great & it was so easy, plus its laid back enough that little ones can help.  If you have any good Fall table decorating ideas let me know!