well, i’ve made an executive decision, readers:  i’m giving myself the week off.  it’s been an insane few days, and i’m now preparing to host my very first thanksgiving ever.  terrifying, no?  and so, i’m going to bid you farewell for a few days as i dice, chop and roast myself into oblivion.  but i know i won’t be able to resist sharing the black friday goodness, so you should definitely keep an eye on my twitter page for updates on all the deals i hear about.  and of course, i’ll be sure you’re kept in the loop all day on cyber monday!

but before i sign off, i have to show off the one thing i’m feeling pretty good about for my thanksgiving hosting duties.  i’ve been agonizing over the table setting for weeks (perfectionism has its price, my friends).  but when i spotted this marimekko tablecloth over at the amazing alwaysmod.com, i just knew it was the answer.  and so, here’s a little sneak peek at my thanksgiving table:

what do you think, readers?  in case you can’t tell, i’m nervous…but i hope it has plenty of thanksgiving cheer, all while being deceptively low-maintenance.  in fact, if i’m being honest, i can take almost no credit.  i paired that lovely tablecloth (thank you to alwaysmod.com for sending it over and saving my hide!) with some napkins from dwell for target, a few new dishes from west elm, a few colorful pears in a bowl, some fresh herbs bundled with twine, and…well, that’s about as martha as i get, dear readers.  i hope my family is at least minimally impressed.  (and, well, sometime i’ll tell you the story about those napkin rings…but the statute of limitations hasn’t quite run out.)

if you’re anything like me, the highlight is that beautiful marimekko tablecloth. here’s a detail shot of the pattern:

gorgeous, right?  in person, it has so much depth of color, and just a little bit of shine…it’s unbelievably perfect for this time of year.  i love that it will work for any winter holiday, with any color scheme or pattern.  most table linens that are “fancy” just feel old-fashioned to me.  but this one feels so special, without being at all precious.  of course, if this one isn’t your style, you can choose from what must be 100 different marimekko fabrics at alwaysmod.com, and they’ll custom make your tablecloth for you!  but if you want that, you’d better hustle…the holidays are, after all, looming.

i hope you all have equally fun (if slightly more restful) turkey plans for yourselves.  and i hope you’re getting a few days off too!   i’ll see you back here next week for our traditional cyber monday madness, and then the gift guides begin!  they’re pretty fabulous this year, if i do say so myself…so i’ll see you all back here monday.   in the meantime, i’m wishing each and every wonderful one of you a great holiday weekend!

happy thanksgiving!!!

---