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Create a Silver and Gold Holiday Table

Silver and gold has become just as prominent a holiday color combination as Christmas' red and green and Hanukkah’s blue and white. The metallic palette is compatible with any tradition or celebration, allowing you to illuminate your home from Thanksgiving to New Years. If you’re planning on entertaining, the tabletop is the ideal place to show off a little bling. Find inspiration from these three tabletop designs and you’ll have no trouble bringing the modern elegance of sparkling silver and glimmering gold into your next festive fete. And remember...at the holidays, there is no such thing as too much sparkle!

Beauty on a Budget Jennifer Sbranti of the Hostess with the Mostess proves that you can have a beautiful setting without spending a ton of money. She created a gorgeous silver and gold shimmer tabletop by layering white gold-rimmed china on metallic chargers, found at chains like Target for affordable prices. For centerpieces, she took two 12-inch ornament stands and dressed them up with matte and shiny gold and silver ornaments, added silver and gold garland down the middle and topped it off with gold foil-finished votive holders. To add further embellishment Jennifer suggests "wraping gold berry spray around the candle holders, or use it to create napkin rings,” suggests And we can't overlook that fabulous table runner, which is nothing more than an inexpensive silver curtain panel from IKEA. “This same concept can be used with your favorite sparkly fabric or shiny gift wrap paper,” says Jennifer. “And if you’re using assigned seating, look for silver and gold ball ornament place card holders!” DIY Diva With the vision of creating a synonymous holiday tabletop, entertaining extraordinaire Heather Christo created a glamorous “Winter Wonderland” theme that incorporates silver and gold metallics. This project was really focused on the fantastical decorations which are surprisingly simple to make. To create the frosted-over-tree affect for the centerpiece, she took branches from a Dogwood tree in her backyard, spray painted them silver and placed them in a large clear cylinder vase. She strung icicle lights throughout the "tree" and perched little glass birds in the branches.

The sparkling centerpiece base is actually 10lbs of silver spray painted whole nuts. To coat the nuts thoroughly, wear gloves and put the nuts in a thick paper bag (a little at a time), blast some spray paint into the bag and shake, shake, shake! Spread on paper to dry. Instead of flowers, which can get expensive in the dead of winter, Heather used two large bunches of Baby’s Breath, spray painted with a thin coat of silver paint, followed with silver glitter spray paint for a frozen effect and arranged in a crystal bowl, and topped it with another whimsical silver-and-gold bird. For the table settings, she used regular white Lenox china and dressed it up with metallic chargers and candlesticks, appliqued votives, and clear Lucite flatware. The finished product was rich, elegant, and festive. New Year’s Eve-Inspired If your heart and clocks are set more on New Year’s Eve, check out this time-stopping tablescape from Elizabeth Anne Designs styled by Amber Karson Events and photographed by Sweet Tea Photography. It’s all about the glitz and glam with this color palette that features a touch of sparkle on everything from the place settings to the s’mores dipped with golden sprinkles! (YUM!!) Gold plates are stacked on gold chargers, creating a striking statement when mixed with the gold-bauble-filled white salad bowls. An oversized silver pocket watch acts as an unexpected centerpiece that will have your guests reminiscing the highs and lows of 2011. A pretty countdown wall created with silver and gold picture frames makes for a perfect backdrop (and great for photo ops!).

> images courtesy of Hostess with the Mostess, Heather Christo and Elizabeth Anne Designs

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