Set Your Table With Flair--An Elegant Vampy Día De Los Muertos Halloween

Hola, mis amigas y amigos preciosos!  I hope all is well with you and yours!

It's almost Halloween yet again....time for fun with kiddos, spooks, and specters!  When I initially began planning my 2015 Halloween tablescape a few months ago, I wanted to set an elegant table with a vampire theme.  However, sometimes, like the seasons, things change. 

If you have been following along here with me, you know that recently, we lost a very dear friend of ours.  He was one of the kindest people I have ever met, truly salt-of-the-earth. My husband and I were fortunate to have known him.

Have you ever heard of Día de los Muertos?  It is a lovely Mexican tradition that commences at or near Halloween time and lasts until November 2. During this time, family and friends celebrate and pray to their dearly departed and wish them well in the afterlife.  What a beautiful thought! 

In honor of our recently departed friend who happened to be Mexican-American, this year for Halloween, I wanted to combine elements of a Día de los Muertos celebration along with some vampire-esque nuances I had previously planned.  I hope you enjoy the post!

For this tablescape, I began on bright white linen that has a subtle shimmer. Dark and vibrant red chargers

were followed by simple white plates

and dark saucers.

Blood red napkins

were topped with mini coffins.

Each coffin was held upright by a tiny black stick leftover from the centerpiece flowers.

It almost disappears, doesn't it?

Names were written in red marker onto black paper,

before being placed inside each coffin.

To view the tutorial to make these mini coffin place settings, please visit the post on my blog The Crafting Table here.

Building the Centerpiece

I wanted the centerpiece of this table to incorporate elements of both Día de los Muertos and Vampires, Muah ha ha....

I started with a simple candelabra.

Two cans were placed strategically (as level as possible) and on top of them, two blocks of floral arranging foam.

I covered everything with a large black napkin.  My platform is set.

I clipped and trimmed a few bunches of faux flowers in black and red

and placed them all around the bottom of the platform I created.

My Mr. and Mrs. Sugar Skulls joined the centerpiece

followed by white candles with dripping blood (yikes!)

Close up.

To make the dripping blood effect, I held a lit red candle and let the wax drip onto plain white candles.

Quite macabre!

If you would like to read the tutorial about how I made my sugar skulls, you may visit the post on The Crafting Table here.

Here are a couple of shots of the centerpiece by itself, which could also be used as a vignette if desired.

Crystal goblets

were followed by elegant silver flatware on black napkins folded length-wise.

You'll notice here that I've broken the rules a bit in how I've placed the silver, but I sort of liked the gothic-looking spike they seem to form when placed this way.

I thought the goblets added just the right amount on gothy charm.  Almost complete.

For the final step, I poured some of Vette's Vampy Tea in each glass.

 A perfect sip for a spooky soirée.

 

If you would like the recipe for Vette's Vampy Tea, you can view it on my blog Parsimonious Pabulum by clicking here.

Completed tablescape.

Closeup of the place setting

and centerpiece.

A few more shots.

Left.

Right.

For an even more macabre effect, consider dimming your lights....it might make the vampires at your soiree more comfortable as well!  :)  Note how everything has a darker, more somber effect and the colors appear richer when I did so.

Are you ready for Halloween?

From my collection:
White plates, Ralph Lauren Club Collection
Dark saucers, Tai Pan Trading
Chargers, generic
Flatware, Wallace Silversmiths Antique Baroque Collection, Horchow/Neiman Marcus
Crystal goblets, Godinger Dublin Collection, Horchow/Neiman Marcus

If you enjoy this post, please visit the archives!  You may also visit my full profile to view my other blogs. Connect with me on my Facebook Page, Parsimonious Décor Darling.   You might like to visit my other blog hubs,

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Set Your Table With Flair--Host a Dark Tea For Halloween

Hello, my friends!  Halloween is almost here, how fun!

If you've read my posts, you know I adore tea, and it is pretty much my beverage of choice.  In honor of the spooky season, I thought it might be fun to host a Dark Tea.  I hope you enjoy the post.

Gathering your ghouls
When planning a party, of course you must begin with the invites.  Don't get me wrong, I love Evites just as much as the next girl....it is very convenient.  I still appreciate a good old-fashioned mailed invitation as well.  I also adore handmade invitations.  It makes me feel that the host took time and spent energy to create something extra-special for their guests.  Here is my version of a spooky boxed invitation.  To view the tutorial, you may visit the post on my blog The Crafting Table by clicking here.

 


Planning your menu
Spooky eats and treats are a must when planning this sort of sioree.  A great go-to resource is MarthaStewart.com!  There are so many great ideas.  Choosing macabre-looking food is a kitschy and fun way to spice up your dark event.  Here are a couple of ideas I've come up with myself.

Vette's Vampy Tea

The blood-red color of this tea fits perfectly in my theme!  To view the recipe, please visit the post on my other blog Parsimonious Pabulum by clicking here.

 

Super-easy Poison Apples

Don't these look naughty (but nice)?  These creepy apples are great for the Fall season, and are incredibly easy to make.  To view the recipe, visit the post here on my blog Parsimonious Pabulum.

Gifts for guests
It is always nice to provide a small trinket or gift for your guests to take away from your party.  I decided little sachets with tea inside would be a darling gift for tea party guests.  They are inexpensive, and so simple!  To see the tutorial, visit the post on The Crafting Table here.

For proper attire to this dark tea, guests are asked to please don a mini Victorian top hat.  These little hats are also a great gift for friends to take away.  To see the tutorial, visit the post on The Crafting Table here. 

Who is this daffy gal?  Why, it is the lady of the manor!  ;)

Setting the Table

Finally, before guests arrive, it's time for my favorite part....setting the table.  For a dark or goth tea, color choice is imperative.  Dark red, black, royal purple, and shocking blue are great colors!  My personal preference is setting a table in dark reds or plum and black with Victorian elements. 

I began by setting this red tablecloth on the round table in my foyer.  I also added my wrought iron candle holder with a red candle inside. 

To make it appear like a darker red, and to provide a spooky element, I placed my spider web cloth directly over the red cloth.

Next, my Reed and Barton silver punch bowl and cups to give it old-world charm (even though Reed and Barton is American, I thought it was fitting).  I filled the bowl with some of Vette's Vampy tea, and also prepared several cups so they would be ready.

Closer shot.  I love the way the dark red plays against the silver!

Next, I placed these skull candle holders and red candles inside.

A dark red charger,

filled with Poison Apples came next.

A black charger,

and premade sachets sat next to the apples.

 

I browsed my library in search of books with dark-colored bindings....The Complete Works of William Shakespeare and The Works of H G Wells worked nicely.  I added them and one more book to create a stand on which to set my mirror.

 

The final touch.....spooky black netting over one side of the mirror.

Here are a few shots.

I wasn't sure if I liked it set up there, so I also set it up next to my ballerina table both with and without the mirror.  I bought red roses a couple of days ago with this post in mind.  The roses were wilting beautifully into a dark burgundy.  I placed a few of the roses on the ballerina table.

In place of the mirror, here I have set one of the skull candle holders.  Here are a couple shots of the setting.  I also added some of the roses to table.

Here are a few more shots. 

Without mirror

With mirror

Which do you prefer?

Closeups

If you enjoy this post, please visit the archives!  You may also visit my full profile to view my other blogs. Connect with me on my Facebook Page, Parsimonious Décor Darling.   You might like to visit my other blog hubs,

The Marvelous Maison, a lifestyle blog hub and 

Frugal Fab Fashionista, my fashion blog hub. 

Follow me on Pinterest!!  Please be sure to kindly follow the board guidelines, as it takes time and effort to find fabulous pins across the Internet and Pinterest!  Thank you!  

Thank you for stopping by! ❤