OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOOD TABLESCAPE

Got My Reservations 25 Days of Christmas 2013 Medium Button20 Days til Christmas — but who’s counting? Well, that would be me and many of you, I’m guessing.

Sometimes the most surprising items give us the most inspiration when planning tablescapes, and that happened to me this year. While going through the last of my mother’s things, I ran across a scarf that she treasured and wore during the Christmas season. Its Victorian motifs were the springboards for today’s Over the River and Through the Wood tablescape.

GotMyReservations-Over the River and Through the Wood Scarf

Growing up, my family often sang in the car, and I remember rousing choruses of Over the River and Through the Wood during the Thanksgiving season. Of course, we always said woods — who knew that it was singular? First published in 1844, the actual title is The New-England Boy’s Song about Thanksgiving Day,  written by Lydia Maria Child and celebrates visiting her grandfather on Thanksgiving Day.

It is sometimes presented with lines about Christmas, rather than Thanksgiving. For instance, the line “Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!” becomes “Hurrah for Christmas Day!”. As a Christmas song, it has been recorded as “A Merry Christmas at Grandmother’s”. Although the modern Thanksgiving holiday is not normally associated with snow, New England in the early 19th century was enduring the Little Ice Age, a colder era with earlier winters (wikipedia).

Every December I pull out the cast iron sleigh and team of horses that came to me from my mother-in-law’s collection, and it was perfect to combine with the scarf this year. I often put Santa on the sleigh, but for this tablescape I wanted a sleigh driver that was appropriate to the song. I even emailed a blogger who sells Victorian-style dollhouse people, but she didn’t respond. Drat — and since I can’t drive yet, I couldn’t go searching for another figure. I can’t decide if the empty sleigh is better or Santa is better, but I went with historically accurate and we have an empty sleigh.

GotMyReservations-Over the River and Through the Wood Centerpiece 2

All fall I had been planning a blue and green – themed tablescape to go with the scarf, but imagine my surprise when I found that the ground color on the scarf is actually black. This allowed me to change up my color palette and include my new black and cream Royal Stafford accent plates that I got on sale at Home Goods last summer. My friend and I chased all over town to different stores, but we only ended up with six in two patterns. I think I’m actually going to break down and order two more because I just love them!

GotMyReservations-Over the River and Through the Wood Plate Stack

The black and cream palette also allowed me to use a set of candlesticks with French toile shades. I love the play of patterns on this table.

GotMyReservations-Over the River and Through the Wood Toile Candleholder

The black tray from Target came out again to play in the snow, and I added black napkins in the wedding ring napkin rings.

GotMyReservations-Over the River and Through the Wood Centerpiece

 

GotMyReservations-Over the River and Through the Wood

In the middle of sparkly red and green decorations everywhere else in my life, the colors of this tablescape are calming and just different. We’re going to enjoy eating at the table this week!

I’m linking up today with the creative bloggers at The Scoop at Confessions of a Plate Addict, We Call It Olde at We Call It Junkin’Centerpiece Wednesday at The Style Sisters,  Let’s Dish with Cuisine Kathleen Open House Party with No Minimalist Here,  and Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch. Be sure to stop by and say, “Hello!”

Got my bags, got my reservations,
Spent each dime I could afford.
Like a child in wild anticipation,
I long to hear that, “All aboard!”

Music and lyrics by Bud Green, Les Brown and Ben Homer (1944)

 

 

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8 thoughts on “OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOOD TABLESCAPE

  1. Beautiful! I think it’s perfect without a ‘rider’ or ‘driver.’ And what a treasure to use your mother’s scarf in such a wonderful way. Oh the memories!! Enjoy your dinners at that scape….I know you will. 🙂

  2. Jennie, fantastic!!! Beautiful scarf, beautiful table, and I really loved the history of the song you gave us. I’ve created a Pinterest board called ” ‘Olde’ Link Party Features”, and you have the honor of being the first feature – congrats! Thanks for joining the “Olde” party – Dawn @ We Call It Junkin.com

  3. Jennie, I love your mothers vintage scarf! The table vignette is lovely. The Black and cream Royal Stafford plates are perfect with your MIL’s lovely sleigh. And the beautiful little French toile lamps are the perfect accents for this gorgeous tablescape. You are so totally inspiring me to create a lovely table with my brown and cream transferware (I have some lovely Walmart salad plates for accents). I hope you don’t mind that I use your ideas for the tray vignette. I think I will start a new Pinterest board and call it my inspiration board and this table will be my first pin on it.

    Candy

  4. I LOVE this theme!!!!!!! I had completely forgotten about that song, “Over the River and Through the Woods”! I used to sing it (if that’s what you want to call those noises that come out of my throat! 😉 ) all the time!!! You really ran with the design on that beautiful vintage scarf!!!!!!!

  5. First of all the scarf is beautiful! The table it inspired is lovely, so warm and inviting. I love those little toile lamps too.
    Thanks for linking to Let’s DIsh!

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