Happy Halloween Tablescape

I love polka-dots.  They make me happy. So does Halloween, beautiful fall weather and the fact that my oldest daughter is visiting.  With that in mind, I decided to enjoy a happy little Halloween dinner on the deck. It has been a long time since I posted a table scape and I want to share this simple little happy table.  

A couple of weeks ago, I grabbed up the remaining yardage of this polka dot fabric from Walmart, of all places.  I wish I had bought more when it first came out.  It is perfect for a Halloween tablecloth, quilting or a number of other projects I can think of.  

This candelabra came from Target. I had a difficult time finding Halloween taper candles, finally stumbling upon them at Michaels (for 50% off!).  Again, I should have shopped in August, there were more options available then, but I really like the orange with black stripes. (Somebody remind me next year!) I made the witch hat last year (you can see that on my Halloween Eve post here.) There was quite a breeze on the deck this afternoon and the candles dripped a little on the hat. That's alright! I can save the flowers and remake it next year.  The pumpkin came from Target several years ago.  I've collected a few over the years and use them in several places throughout the house. (Turn the jack-o-lantern faces to the back and they are still good for Thanksgiving decor!)

I made the napkins myself.  I am pretty happy with them!  They are black on one side and orange on the other.  I draped and tied them with a polka dot ribbon so that I could see both the black and orange colors.  

Here is a quick and easy tutorial for sewing two-sided napkins:

1. Cut 2 eighteen x eighteen inch squares for each napkin out of either the same or contrasting fabric. You should be able to cut four sides from one yard of fabric.  I cut mine on my cutting mat, but you could also make a paper pattern and cut them that way. If you are a purist and want your napkins to be exactly 18x18 inches, be sure to cut the fabric 18 1/2 inches by 18 1/2 inches wide.  
2. With right sides together, sew the napkins together using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Leave a 3 or 4 inch gap in the seam on one side. Clip the corners close to the seam. 
3. Pull the napkin right side out through the gap. Press the fabric in the gap area to the inside.
4. Topstitch around the edge of the fabric about an eighth of an inch away from the side. A little tip I learned from quilting- use a different color top thread and bobbin thread while sewing to either match the colors or contrast. The top thread will of course show on the top layer and the bobbin thread on the bottom.  If I wanted to be a little more creative with these napkins I would have used contrasting thread for each side.  As it is, I used the same color thread as the fabric on both sides, just in case I want to use either color for another time besides Halloween.  

And there you go- super easy two sided napkins! 

I know that I swore in a post last year that I was never going to make napkins again, but that was when I attempted to hem single sided napkins.  This is much easier and it is kinda neat to have the contrasting sides for different folds. This is a quick and inexpensive way to have napkins exactly the color(s) and pattern(s) you want for your tablescape.  

In decorating the little bottles, I used the same pumpkin that I decorated the soap dispenser with in this post. He is a happy little jack-o-lantern and looks very cute with a witches brew inside.  Of course, there is a polka-dot ribbon around the neck of the bottle and a polka dot straw to drink from.  I like the concept of upcycling these cute little bottles.  

I really enjoyed the happy little Halloween dinner on the deck with my daughter and husband and I look forward to sharing this tablescape with "Between Naps on the Porch". You should really check out the amazing tablescapes that the creative designers have posted there. 

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Thanks for stopping by today! 

~Cynthia