Fall Tablescape with Gourds Galore

Howdy folks!  Fall is in full-swing in northern New York and as we’ve been enjoying the colorful foilage (did you see how we spent our weekend? I posted a peak on IG) , I’m finally feeling the urge to turn the house over for the season.   I still have my hands filled caring for my little 3 month old + transforming my latest Craigslist find, but that hasn’t stopped me from adding in a few Fall touches.  My perfect spot for the ideal seasonal setup… the dining table.

Alas, this years Fall Tablescape.

Filled with gourds, mums, pinecones, and a few of my go-to styling / decor favorites, my table is all set for the season and will lead us right into our Thanksgiving feast.  Don’t you just love when one thing works for multiple purposes + occasions?!

And check out the cute box.  I made it.  Details on that in a bit…

Everything on my table for Fall is from Lowes, my favorite big box store because it’s my go-to spot for everything I need to build, paint, make, and decorate.  Seriously!  When this month’s challenge came and it was focused around Fall decorating {mums + ghords}, the dining table was just the spot.  And you know I love creating a pretty centerpiece (this seasonal favorite has been pinned over 88,000 times)!

So we all know, I’m a mush for trays.  Almost every surface around my home has a tray.  Why?  Because they are easy to move.  Because they’re pretty.  Because they create the most perfect horizontal vignette.  So this years seasonal tablescape had to have a tray!  And an easy one to make, of course.

How-To Build a Wood Tray

My cut list:

• (2) 1″ x 4″ x 48″ long
• (1) 1″ x 8″ 48″ long
• (2) 1″ x 4″ x length TBD (explained in tutorial below)
• stain (I used Minwax Special Walnut)
• (2) cup pulls (kitchen style drawer pulls work great – I got mine for $3+ in the hardware section of Lowe’s)

1. I decided the length of my tray would be 48″ finished and I determined this according to the length of my table.  When people are sitting at the table, the tray will probably be moved, but it doesn’t have to.  At 48″ long, there is still plenty of room for people to fit around the table & have enough space at their seat.  That being said, if you want to make a similar try, it can be any size you’d like.

I made a mark for my cut and used my circular saw to cut the first piece.

2. Then (without measuring) I layed the 1″ x 4″ x 48″ cut piece onto the uncut piece and marked where to make the cut #2.   Following that, I cut the 1″ x 8″ piece (for the bottom) the same way.

3. Using 1″ wood nails (which have a small head), I attached the sides to the bottom.

4. Then I measured the ends and using another 1″ x 4″ board, I cut it to size.

5. Then nailed the ends onto the sides and the bottom.

6. Once the box was complete, I drilled holes at each of the shorter ends for the cup pulls and screwed them in.

One last step… stain!

7. Using Minwax Special Walnut and a lint-free cloth (an old white cotton t-shirt to be exact), I applied the stain and immediately wiped it away because I wanted to keep the look of the box a medium depth (not too dark, not too light) since the table is fairly dark.

The result…

Once the box was complete, within a few hours it was ready to fill.  The power of stain can make life quite grand!

I started off with positioning the tall white vase (a recent purchased from Joss and Main) and filled it with branches that I cut down from a tree outside (a non-fruit bearing pear tree to be exact).  I’ve been doing this all Spring, Summer, and Fall long and they make the best table centerpiece – they’re beautiful + cost nothing!!  They wilt after a few days, but who cares, they’re free.  I love the height they bring to the table.

A few days earlier, my kids collected a whole lotta acorns and upon putting them in a tall glass bowl, they made the next perfect addition for the wood box.

Then I added the pretty plum mum.  Fall = mums.  Am I right?!  I had grabbed a bunch in an array of colors for the outside porch a few weeks back and I chose the plum colored one for the box.  Deep colored purple, plum, is one of my favorite Fall hues.

Once I had some elements of varying heights and sizes, the base of the box needed to be filled.  The colorful gourds and the textured pinecones were the icing on the cake for this Fall Tablescape.

So pretty + colorful, right?!  I’m in love.  Now that the china cabinet is almost complete, this is the perfect addition to the dining space.  More details on the china cabinet makeover coming in the next few days.

Disclosure: I am part of the Lowe’s Creative Team and was provided with a Lowe’s gift card to purchase items for my project.  I was also compensated for my time to use the products.  No one told me what to create, what to buy, how to use the product, or what to write.  All opinions are 100% mine!