If I could give you one gift this Holiday, it would be that when you sit down at your table you would encounter JOY.

It’s not through any perfect table setting, or candles. It is not found in perfect outfits or kids who sit quietly… it’s truly found in the intention of our hearts to seek it. It’s amazing where we find it when we’re looking!

Do you know what’s even more amazing? When you can find JOY packed into your own normal everyday dishes and cupboards, when the JOY comes from using Great Grandma’s pie plate, and the candle holders your sister gave you last Christmas.

I find deep joy in setting beautiful tables, it’s in the creating and then the time we get to sit together!

Here are my top 5 tips to making your table a beautiful invitation to find JOY with whoever you can gather with this year.

Fill the Table with COLOR : there are lots of ways to add color; napkins, flowers, candles, place cards, food! I choose one main color, Amber Tones this season!, and then add in colors to compliment it. Check online for fun colored Candles, they are honestly the easiest and most magical way to add a pop of life to the table.
Long Matches are Fun : this is one of the unexpected ways we’ve found JOY in setting the table, LONG MATCHES!! I’m not joking, the kids fight over who gets to light the candles they love it so much, ha!!
Go Foraging : here in the PNW foraging for fresh greenery is so easy. But even if you do not have a yard filled with evergreens, go for a walk in a wild space and look for sprigs of greenery you can use for your table center piece. Then pop by your local grocery store and purchase 1 small bundle of flowers, you’ll only need 5 blooms to create a lush fun arrangement. Greenery is the star here, let it create the most beautiful back drop and sprigs of magic. If you want a few tips on arranging everything, click here!
Set the Table : don’t worry about needing brand new dishes or the perfect napkins, there is something so special about walking up to a table that is fully set and ready for you. Plus, it’s incredible how lovely your everyday dishes look when they are surrounded by candle light, fresh greenery and the people you love. As a family member to write place cards and choose where everyone will sit!
Napkins! : if you have a yard of extra linen fabric, you can make your own lovely napkins. Click here for the full tutorial on my fave No-Sew napkins! Cloth napkins have a way of dressing up any everyday dish. I’ve even turned sheets into napkins! They rip just like linen and one top sheet will make enough napkins for a tribe!
Menu Inspiration : if you’re feeling like you still can’t wrap your mind around what you want to make either savory or sweet - check out our Cookbooks! Dinner Changes Everything will help you plan your full meal, and Red Tin Treats for the Holidays will keep your Sweet Tooth Happy!

And now back to where we began…. not a stitch of what we put on the table can change the ambiance if our own hearts are not seeking JOY. So turn on the happiest of music, look around the room at the people you get to spend the evening with and smile, soak it in, this is life well spent.

**a huge Thank You to Erickson Visuals and the Studio on Callow for the beauitful photography and video