The baby in my belly had been named; HIS name was Santiago. That’s because we were actually under the impression that my little she was a he… for two full weeks! When the technician doing my nuchal told me me I was carrying a boy, I have to admit, I was relieved. I know boys. I have boys. Boys are easy. And my boys have an excellent “boy” example in Philip (so I can blame him for stuff).
But a girl… oh my, that seemed like a lot of pressure. Too much pressure. I mean, I’m barely figuring out my strength as a woman; I hardly felt prepared enough to pass it down to a daughter! Needless to say, I was perfectly happy with my Santiago, that sweet third boy.
So when, just a week later, my doctor told me that the technician was wrong and she was a girl… wow! It took a good 3 days to absorb, which Philip thought was so funny. I was so nervous. I abhor pink. But then, it started to settle in: I’d have a daughter. I’d have that special thing that my mom and I had shared. And that’s when the excitement hit.
I still don’t like the color pink. More specifically, I can’t stand the shade of pink used for so much of baby girls’ clothing and décor. You know the one… that Pepto-bright pink that I’m sure all newborns find nauseating…
But what about another shade of pink? Perhaps the blush rose shade from my mom’s collection of antique dinnerware… keep in mind this was months ago, back in July, before that blush-rose fashion trend explosion happened hitting everything from tableware to handbags to slip dresses and even Christmas décor. So I thought I was being so unique when I told Isa, my photog/prop-stylist-when-needed, to scour San Diego looking for pieces for a “blush rose” Thanksgiving table to celebrate the upcoming birth of Petunia (the nickname of my still-unnamed baby girl).
“Go to antique stores! Try the Salvation Army! Look in your mom’s stash of goodies!” I told her. Well, turns out none of that was even close to necessary! All she had to do was head to the Fashion Valley Mall to find the gazillion options of “blush rose” everything because the color is so on-trend. So, something you should know about me: I don’t like being on-trend. I like classic looks that last forever. I like one-of-a-kind pieces. I didn’t want my table to look like anybody else’s table.
Luckily for me, I had my mom’s dinnerware on hand with plenty of unique pieces, not to mention some insanely gorgeous florals by @lovelybloomflorals and some perfectly chic marbleized white pumpkins (head to next post for the DIY) to build a really cool table setting that was far, far away from the traditional Thanksgiving color palette. I know this may be horrifying to some, but I really, really, really can’t envision a traditional brown and orange tablescape (I mean, last year I did a powder blue and silver Thanksgiving!). So anywho, I completely fell in love with this table! The plates were my mom’s, and you can actually still find them online… and, believe it or not, they are fairly inexpensive (Google vintage Bramble of Etruria & Barlaston). I paired them with the glassware and stemware that I use every year for the holidays, and added my usual brass candlesticks (purchased in various Etsy stores). In fact, my only purchases were the lead lights (a 7-foot strand for $6.99) and the pink water glasses from Anthropologie. The most “Thanksgiving” part of the table? The leftover-from-Halloween white pumpkins that I marbleized with some very inexpensive nail polish! Get the full instructions and beautiful photos on how to make the marbleized pumpkins in the following post.
Now, Thanksgiving is not until next week… meaning you have plenty of time to rethink your own tablescape and recreate this if you want to. Or, you know, if you’re committed to your orange and brown this year… if you removed the pumpkins, this would be a beautiful baby shower table also. Just enjoy the process – I love it when you get excited about trying something new!
So I’m actually not hosting Thanksgiving this year for the first time since moving into this house... I really just wanted to eat and go to sleep this year, being so close to the birth! But I did ask my sister-in-law Lisa if she’d let me set the table and, after this photo shoot for the blog, I literally just wrapped all of the elements of the table in paper and stuck them in a big plastic container. That way we can pop the box in the car, drive it over my brother’s, set the table, and call it a night in terms of contributions… adding a few bottles of Tignanello and a cheese tray so we feel less horrible about not cooking! I haven’t even asked what the menu will be… I’m just incredibly excited about my Blush Rose, Petunia-honoring Thanksgiving table. And soaking in that thankfulness for my family for putting up with my weird ideas!
And on that note, Happy Thanksgiving, familia… and enjoy the pink!
1) King Protea
2) Burgundy Amaranthus
3) Keira Garden Roses
4) White Iceberg Roses
5) Blush Lisianthus
6) Bay Leaf