This morning on KATV’s Design Time with Tobi Fairley, I brought ideas for creating a great Fall Tablescape that will impress your guests but not break the bank! With a bit of creativity and a little work, you can create a unique and colorful Fall table that doesn’t look like it came right off the shelf of your local store.

First lets start with the table cover. Burlap has a great natural texture and just screams Fall.  Remember those potato sack races back in school? A great way to spice things up on your table is to pick up inexpensive burlap at your local craft store and dress up the edges with grosgrain ribbon.  Fusable tape and an iron are all you need to hold the ribbon in place.  And think outside the typical “orange” fall color scheme.  I paired orange with slate blue for a fresh color palette.

Next, have a little fun with your place cards.  By purchasing a white pumpkin or creating your own with a small orange version, some white spray paint and a black sharpie marker, you can not only direct your guests to their seat, but they can take their adorable pumpkin with them at the end of the meal.

Menu cards make every meal seem extra special and more thought out. It also keeps the guests’ mouths watering as they anticipate what’s to come. It is these sorts of special touches that make your entertaining really unique. This simple menu card was typed on the computer (including the border), printed on white card stock, and then cut out and glued to orange card stock for a lovely layered effect.

So many people in Arkansas and around the world spend their summers growing delicious veggies in their gardens and then canning them so they can be enjoyed for months to come.  Sharing your homemade treats with guests is a great idea. Whether it’s salsa, jams, jellies or other delicious edibles, your guests will love taking home something made with love by you.  Here we just used the same process as the menu cards for the labels and a little left-over grosgrain ribbon tops off the jar for that finishing touch.

To create an inexpensive but trendy centerpiece that will last the season long, you just need to head out into your own backyard.  Faux Bois is all the rage in home decor, but why not go for the real thing by collecting cuttings from a tree and spraying them with a coat of white paint.  You can try different limbs from different types of trees until you get just the look you want.  These were collected from a magnolia tree and we’ve used a terracotta wine cooler for the vase.

To complete our Fall table look, we painted a $2.00 metal charger from a craft store, paired it with white and Fall-colored dishes, topped off the table with pumpkins and gourds and now all we need are the guests.

Hope you can have fun creating a similar look of your own. Thanks to those of you who watched me this morning on KATV!!

Happy Fall!!