Decorating a Dining Room for Thanksgiving

After all of the decorations that I had up for Halloween, I wanted to keep the decorations that I put up for Thanksgiving pretty simple.  Especially considering that right around the corner is Christmas and I pretty much decorate every inch of my house with something.

For my centerpiece I decided to add some leaves and a simple pumpkin.  By placing the pumpkin on the wood accent, I have been able to create a more substantial piece for the eye.  I added the leaves to a clear vase to keep the table open.  When using a clear vase it doesn't block off the other side of the table, so it creates a more open centerpiece.

I love my chalkboard that I have hung in my dining room.  For awhile I was forgetting to utilize it, but since I have I really have been enjoying finding new things to write on it.  If this is something that you are interested in using in your house, Pinterest can be a great way to find sayings.  

I have added a wine rack to my dining room since I last posted about it.  It has become one of my favorite pieces in my entire home.  It adds such a warmth to my dining room and has really turned into a conversation piece.

I hope everyone is getting ready for the holidays, I know I am.

Dressing Up a Light Fixture

Today I would like to share with you a quick and unique way of hiding the chain on your everyday light fixture.  I used a burlap cover in my dining room, but you could use any fabric.  You can make the fabric as tight or as loose as you desire.  With having a smaller section of chain, I didn't want to use too much fabric so I loosely wrapped the chain.  To secure the fabric together, you can use small buttons about an inch apart.  This is a very quick and easy project that you could do to dress up any light fixture.

Decorating a Dining Room

Hello all!  

Today I am going to share my tips to decorating a dining room with you.  For my dining room, I used neutral colors so that I can decorate for any holiday or dinner party and have the entire room still flow nicely.  I used floor length white curtains on the sliding glass door, dark wood furniture, and a neutral brown rug to tie the room together.

To make the room appear larger, I added two of the same mirrors side by side to give the look that the room is wider than it is.  This is such a great tip for any small room.  It's also a great way to reflect light around the room.

I love having the chalkboard in my dining room.  I use this for holiday messages and dinner menus when having guests over.  To see how I created this chalkboard click here.

There are many different ways that you can decorate your table.  One of the ways you can decorate your table is with your dishes for the meal and drinks.  I have stacked up the plates on the chargers and placed them on the end of the table.  This is a much more informal way of having a meal.  I have also placed ready made drinks out with a pitcher.

We were so lucky to have this beautiful sliding glass door in our dining room.  The natural light it provides is great, plus it really opens up the room for us.  However, the hardware that came with the door was showing its age.  To see how I re-purposed the hardware to an oil rubbed bronze finish click here.

Our dining room table fits six people.  When having guests over, it is important to only have the amount of chairs out for the amount of guests you have.  You don't want to clutter the table with chairs that are not needed.  Your space will seem more open and clutter free without the extra chairs.  I have set the table for four so I simply removed the other two chairs.

 Thanks for checking out my dining room.  

If you are looking for more inspiration, check out the link below to see more dining rooms at Thrifty Decor Chick.

Click Here

Refinished Hardware

In our dining room, we have a beautiful sliding glass door that takes up an entire wall.  It's a great backdrop for our dining room table, plus I love to keep the door open in the summer and let the fresh air come through.  The only problem with the door was the outdated hardware.  It was very worn and dirty, even after being cleaned.  So, I had the idea to go to HomeDepot or Lowes and get a new handle.  Easier said than done.  An oil rubbed bronze handle was going to be about $200.00 for that door.  Needless to say I was pretty shocked.  I was expecting it to be around $50.00.  After that, I needed to come up with a different solution.

I decided to buy a can of Rustoleum oil rubbed bronze paint and primer in one spray paint.  The first thing that I did was remove the hardware from the door and clean it.  I spent a lot of time making sure that it was really clean otherwise the paint will stick to the dirt and come right off.  After it was cleaned, I laid out the handle and began to paint.  When you are using spray paint, if the can doesn't already come with a spray gun attached, make sure to buy one.  It makes the paint spray more evenly.  Another thing that is really important when spray painting is to start painting away from your project then bring the can to your project while the paint is still spraying.  Doing this lets out all of the air from the can and any bad paint.  I have come to find that that step makes a huge impact on your final project.  Also, make sure you paint the screws so they blend into the background.  I painted the handle a few coats for durability.  

Before...

After...

Now, the handle looks great and matches the rest of the hardware surrounding the door and it only cost me about $7.00!

How to Create a Chalkboard

I really wanted to add a chalkboard to my dining room, but I didn't want to spend a lot of money on it.  When shopping at some of my favorite stores, chalkboards ranged from $100-200.00.  I was at the paint department at HomeDepot one day and came across chalkboard paint.  So, instead I decided to save myself money and make my own!  For my actual board, I used mdf.  The surface and edges of mdf are very smooth and there's also no wood grain.  The size of my chalkboard is 2x4 and 3/4 inch deep.  The cost for a board that size was around $10.00.  Before painting my board, I attached my hanging hardware to the back so that I wouldn't scratch the chalkboard finish when it was complete.  Directions on how to paint the chalkboard come with the paint.  I used a paint roller to apply my finish. 

I am still waiting on the right kitchen/food saying to put on my chalkboard, but for now I like "menu".  You can also use this for holidays and seasonal greetings as well as your menu for a dinner party.  It was such an easy project and I really love what it added to my dining room.  I decided to keep my chalkboard simple, but you could always add a frame to yours or cut the board into a shape.