Hello friends! I'm so excited to be a part of a Friendsgiving Blog Hop (organized by the lovely Merichelle @werethejoneses) along with some other amazing bloggers. Make sure you check out their blogs! I've listed them at the bottom of this post. If you've just come from Gabrielle @militarymamasfarmhouse then I'm sure you've received lots of incredible inspiration!

Are you getting excited about the upcoming holiday season? I love Thanksgiving and Christmas, but if I were to be honest...sometimes I do get a bit overwhelmed with all that needs to be done....shopping, cleaning, decorating, etc. (Eeek!) Therefore, this Thanksgiving, I have made a decision that I'm going to keep things more casual so that I can truly focus on my family and friends who will be joining me around this table and throughout my home. Here are some of my ideas for a Casual Thanksgiving Table.

The Table

I've kept my table simple this year - incorporating casual blue tones mixed with the natural elements of Fall.

Linens:

I decided to forgo a tablecloth this year and use placemats and chargers. I folded a large Turkish towel from @Olive and Linen and placed it in the middle of my table and then added a blue table runner from @Homegoods on top to bring in color. Layering fabrics is a great way to add a fun design element to your table.

Centerpiece:

The centerpiece is the focal point of the table. I like to be able to see my guests on the other side of the table without having to move my centerpiece so I keep it lower than eye level. I placed a wooden board on top of an old cabinet door (both found at a junk shop) to give my centerpiece height.

I then added preserved leaves - from Michael's, evergreen stems (from my yard) and vintage glasses (from an antique store) filled with lentils to hold votive candles. I placed these glasses at different heights on the boards in the middle of my table.

Place Settings:

I found these jute place mats @Target and used them on top of my wood table to give it texture and protect it as well. I used muted gold chargers under white plates to continue with my casual look.

I then added blue cloth napkins from @TheFindary (in Waco, TX) and tucked a few more preserved leaves inside of them.

I found these white/gold tags @Michael's and wrote the names of my guests in gold and placed them on these vintage glass/gold dishes that I found at a local antique store.

I have a secret to tell you about this place setting...the gold silverware is plastic! Yep! I have been on the hunt for gold silverware but haven't found anything within my budget so plastic will have to do this Thanksgiving. These are so durable and almost seem real. I found these also from @Michael's. Aren't they pretty?