Happy Valentine’s Day!

I’ve got a secret.

And I’m going to share it.

See my romantic tablecloth?  What do you think?  Quite v-day-esque I feel.  It suited the aesthetic I wanted for last Sunday dinner.

Would you believe that it is actually a vintage linen bed skirt?  True story.  Full size/double.  In fact it would probably pass more naturally for a tablecloth if it was on a rectangular table instead of my oval one.

But anyway it is a bedskirt that belonged to my grandmother and was occassionally displayed on her French provencial bed that is now in our guest room.  It has been in a drawer for years because I honestly had no intention of pairing it back with the bed.  Last weekend I was passively looking for a violet or pink vintage tablecloth.  I never came across it while shopping.  When I got home, I followed my own advice and shopped my home for what  I already had.  Sure enough the ruffly bed skirt was a shoe in for the dining table.

So as long as I am sharing secrets…I’ve got another one…

The skirt turned table cloth was wrinkled after being stuffed in the drawer.  I ironed it right on the dining table.  Before you gasp…I had a cushiony protective table cover between the cloth and table.  I used the iron on the lowest setting and just lightly hit the wrinkles and smoothed them out.  I’ll admit this can be risky so use your best judgement.  It certainly was a shortcut that saved a lot of time although was not a perfect solution but since the queen wasn’t coming to dinner I was fine with the results.

To recap: tablecloths and ironing boards are out. Bed skirts are in.

For a picture tutorial on my felt heart rose bouquet, check out my guest post at Great Hall Scott.

What shortcuts do you have to share when tablescaping?

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