Event and Decor – Erica's Adventure

Thanksgiving: a Tale of Two Tables

November 12, 2019August 26, 2025Erica Marchbanks

Confession, I still sit at the kids’ table.

I mean, the “kids” are all over 21 now, two of my cousins are married, and there is an abundance of wine…but we still always break out a craft or coloring page, and all of our parents and grandparents still sit at another table in the formal dining room.

I’m also in charge of decor for both tables. To differentiate, I like to keep my “kids'” table a little more fun and informal, while the “grown ups” get a more formal dining experience.

Typically, though, I like to tie both tables together with an emphasis on natural decor by bringing the outdoors in (literally). It’s nice to inspire a seasonal ambiance by focusing the decor on what is naturally beautiful at this time of year.

At the kids’ table

Last year, I created a flurry of leaves by preserving maple leaves and suspending them from the chandelier with various lengths of fishing wire.

It’s pretty easy to create this effect. Just soak any leaf in glycerin and water soon after picking, and the leaves will stay more vibrant and less crispy. A simple Google search will help with the exact amount of glycerin necessary.

1008131058 — Leaves drying after their glycerin treatment in the nearby pan

I added to this rustic table setting with homemade napkin rings (ribbons hot glued to acorns collected in my yard) and little pumpkins I kept from Halloween. All of these natural elements played well with my mother’s colorful serving dish as a centerpiece and some bright placemats.

Meanwhile at the grownups’ table

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I actually had a few tables to work with. On one table, a little round pumpkin became a carved planter for a burgundy pansy. 1128131148b

On the buffet, there was space for homemade beeswax candles since all of the casseroles were being served from the kitchen next door. Each of these little candles were made from a mail order kit, and cored apples in serving dishes and teacups served as perfect candle holders.

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To add height and keep the formal feel, a seasonal flower bouquet took center stage my mom’s prized vase. 401720_859908748999_18812124_38841154_1935915328_n

Overall, most of the decorations were inexpensive or were found outside or among family heirlooms. The best part was that the day was warm and personal. The decor at both tables helped set the stage for a wonderful dinner and memories with family.

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Hope you have a happy Thanksgiving and that your holiday is beautiful. I can’t wait to see your pictures.

The Essence of Tuscany

July 14, 2019August 26, 2025Erica Marchbanks

Sometimes I feel like Tuscany can be bottled.

The olives in a sunny Italian grove are pressed into a bright oil to be taken anywhere in the world and poured over crusty bread. A few drops of the region’s dark, sweet balsamic vinegar on this bread is a very happy start to any meal, and opening a bottle of Chianti Classico seems like a vacation in itself. It’s almost like the sweeping vistas, patchwork farms, and sunny days of Tuscany can be can be distilled, reduced to a powerful essence.

I had the privilege of visiting the centuries old Castello di Verrazzano this summer. At the castle, my group’s tour guide enthusiastically told us the estate’s history as well as the process of making delicious wine. Then we got to try some of the estate’s own bottled heritage, including a few types of wine in a range of taste and price.

When asked what the best wine in the world is, our friendly guide explained that her grandfather had always told her, “the wine with the highest price and the most awards isn’t necessarily the best wine. It doesn’t matter how much you paid for a bottle, if you’re with good company, in a beautiful place, and the wine tastes good with what you are eating, then that’s the best wine.” How sweet and true!

Looking back at our stay in Tuscany, I love to scroll through my pictures of the loggia at the Villa il Poggiale where we stayed. The idyllic villa sits at the top of a hill, surrounded by olive groves and allows panoramic views of the innumerable, picturesque farms dotted across similar hills as far as the eye can see. At the end of the deep-set front porch is one tall, open air window which seems to frame the best of the countryside for the viewing pleasure of anyone lounging outside.

As nerdy as it is, before my trip, I had watched “Monty Don’s Italian Gardens” on Netflix, eager to see what the world would look like in Italy. On the show, I learned that a trick in gardening is to frame a beautiful view in order to bring it into focus for the visitor, and by concentrating on one part of a vast expanse, the view outside the garden becomes something precious to be admired like artwork.

It seems to me like this framed view, like a good bottle of wine, condenses what is beautiful about the surrounding area and makes you feel warm and happy to experience it…especially when enjoying it surrounded by friends and family and good food.

Hope you have a chance to enjoy the essence of wherever you find yourself this summer, and maybe you too can take a little bottle of Tuscan sun home with you.

Beautiful travels,

Erica

Easy Thanksgiving Decor

November 20, 2018August 26, 2025Erica Marchbanks

Let’s be real. No one feels like spending a lot of time decorating for Thanksgiving. There’s too much cooking and soon to be too much Christmas hall decking to be done in just a few days. Also, for my family, there’s the extra step of packing up all the warm turkey and side dishes and transporting the festive meal to my grandparents’ house. However, it is fun for the Thanksgiving table to feel like fall, especially if the scene setting is easy.

Yesterday, I bought a little packet of faux leaves from Michaels. I’m planning on sprinkling a few around my newly bought metal pheasant (or is it a grouse or maybe a partridge?) as a centerpiece. The remaining leaves are now a simple garland.

To make the garland:

I threaded all of the leaves onto a length of gold thread, making sure to send the thread through various places in the leaves. If I threaded through the end of one leaf, I would thread through the middle or side of the next. I noticed this added to the illusion of leaves haphazardly floating on the breeze.
I then laid the newly threaded garland on the floor and spaced the leaves as far apart as I wanted them.
Next I flipped over each leaf and added a very small dot of hot glue over the place where the thread went through the leaf to make sure that all of the leaves stayed spaced apart.

The leaves and pheasant are currently displayed on the mantle awaiting their trip to my grandparents’. Along with the simple, festive centerpiece, I plan to drape the garland across a window behind the table.

Cinnamon Broom from Kroger or Fresh Market…Books from Childhood

Excited to see your Thanksgiving decor,

Erica

last edited November 20, 2018