Jewell's 17th Birthday - Fall Friends Tablescape

Jewell's favorite season has always been Fall. I have to agree! So when we started thinking about her 17th birthday party in late August, we were both already looking forward to the season changing. It was a natural choice for her party theme!

I started off by making her invitations. For years I was a member of a monthly stamping club. Let's just say I have acquired quite a collection of pretty papers and neat tools! These fall colors were perfect for her invitations, as well as a starting point for my table setting.

We planned a whole afternoon for Jewell and her guests. They started with coffee at our local coffee shop, Cornerstone Coffee (which is the coolest place!), then we walked across the street to her two favorite shops (Original Grace Boutique and Bless Your Heart). We were supposed to go next to a local pumpkin patch, but after a summer-long drought, it started to rain and wouldn't stop! Instead, the girls ran to Walmart to pick up pumpkins for decorating, while a couple of the mamas came home with me to pull supper together.

On to the table! I don't know what I'd do without my gold chargers from Dollar Tree. They are always the perfect place to start! Next I placed the dinner plates ("White Satin" by Nikko), then came the pumpkin salad plates. I got these at the end of 2018 when they went on sale at Walmart. They were $1.50 each.

Aren't these little plates sweet?

I made the napkins years ago when we began to host the whole family at Thanksgiving. I picked about four fall prints and made about a dozen of each. The flatware is "Abigail" by Hampton Silversmiths. Got it at Target soon after we married. 

These stems are the everyday pattern we got when we married. I have the stems, tea tumblers, and double old fashions. The pattern is "Sweet Swirl" in dark green by Noritake.

Don't you love the lace runner down the middle of my table? It's actually a piece of burlap stamped with a white lace pattern. I cut it down the middle, so I have two. I originally bought it for a shower I hosted at church. The theme was that's what little girls are made of. Click the link to see it. It was so pretty!

I only set one table in the dining room since it was a small party. A few moms stayed, and we ate in the kitchen. I picked up a fall bouquet from Walmart and then added gardenia and camellia leaves from my yard. Grocery store bouquets are very affordable, but they are seldom enough to stand alone. Always check your yard for something to help beef them up a little!

I usually buy a few bags of the smaller pumpkins and gourds for Thanksgiving, so I just bought them a little earlier this year. Always pick pumpkins and gourds that have a good bit of stem left on them. They'll last longer. Also check to make sure they don't already have a soft spot. If they do, put it back. I picked up a couple of pretty red pears to add a little more color. I wanted pomegranates, but my Walmart didn't have any. I stuck them in the fridge that night when I was cleaning up, and we ate them the next day. They don't last long like a green pear.

Of course I pulled out my pretty gold latice print votive holders. I use them all the time! They came from Dollar Tree, of course, but they look like a million bucks!

A look at the complete placesetting.

The table from above...

The girls had such a great time at Cornerstone Coffee in Eclectic! It is such a neat place. The coffee is wonderful, and there's so much to see!

As I said earlier, we had intended to visit a local pumpkin patch for pictures, a hayride, and pumpkin picking, but it began to rain. I had been in our little Walmart a few days before and had seen some beautiful white heirloom pumpkins, so I knew we had a backup plan. While the girls ran to get the pumpkins, I set out the food. I was able to make it all ahead.

Chicken salad is one of Jewell's favorites, so I served it as our main course. I used my basic chicken salad recipe, but changed it up by adding dried cranberries instead of grapes. I also used a rotisserie chicken instead of roasting my own. Little croissants were perfect for making sandwiches.

You really need to try this chicken ball. It's also one of Jewell's favorites. My friend, Nancy Itson, served this way back in 2014 at her Don't Worry, BEE Happy Miss Manners party. I'll share the recipe soon. It's so easy...

In keeping with our fall theme, we had a mixed green salad with pears, walnuts, pomegranate seeds and feta cheese.

We had this yummy caramel apple dip with apple slices. It's basically cream cheese mixed with powdered sugar, then pour caramel topping over it. I forgot to put the chopped peanuts on top! The cream cheese mixture was very stiff and hard to dip. Next time, I'll add a little milk to thin it out and then also take it out earlier to come to room temperature. But it was still delicious!

Here they are fixing their plates. They loved the menu!

I decided to do a non-traditional birthday cake. Good call. The girls and moms alike told me that this was THE BEST CAKE they've ever had. Hands down. Y'all, it's true. I'm not bragging...I didn't come up with the recipe; I just made it. But it was sooooooo good. One of the girls asked for the recipe, and she ended up making it for her family at Thanksgiving! This cake gets it's own post. 

A friend of mine from church has started making these gorgeous (and delicious!) royal icing cookies. They are so good! And they look like a million bucks! If you are local and need to impress someone, contact Taryn Brodie. She is amazing! I sent her a picture of the invitation and the color scheme I had in mind, and she did the rest!

I sent the girls outside to paint their pumpkins. Luckily the rain had stopped. They did such a good job! These girls are the absolute sweetest! Jewell is so lucky to have them as her crew!

I'm so glad you stopped by my neck of the woods!

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I wouldn't want you to miss one crazy thing!