Easy Book Theme Brunch Tablescape

Oh, how I love my dinner club group and tablescape day! This month is book inspired and I can’t wait to show you what I came up with. Join me as I share an easy book theme brunch tablescape.

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If you’re coming over from Stacy at Bricks N Blooms welcome! I’m so glad you’re here.

If you’re new here, let me explain about my dinner club. It’s actually a virtual dinner club that was started 2 years ago with 4 other blogger friends.

Every month we choose a theme, and create a tablescape and a menu to go with our theme.

It’s so fun to see the tablescsape ideas everyone comes up with. There are always so many creative ideas and the menus are always so good!

Last year, we decided to add a guest host each month, and this month I want to welcome Nicolle from Our Tiny Nest. We are so happy to have her joining us!

last months tablescape inspiration

If you missed the past couple of months tables, you can see those by clicking on the link at the bottom of each photo.

book themed brunch table decorations

When I was planning my table decor, I started thinking through things I had on hand to use for a book theme.

Obviously books, and for me that would be vintage books, since I have a collection of them.

Someone else, that is a book lover or avid reader, might want to use some of their favorite books in the centerpiece or in a place setting.

But besides books, what else was I going to use??

I have mentioned before that I love to think outside the box when I am creating. Whether that be a tablescape, vignette, bookshelf decor, etc.

When you step outside the box, that’s where the magic happens!

Read on to see the other elements I decided on.

table settings for a book theme brunch

The first step was trying to decide what I could use for a placemat or charger. Then, I remembered a few old clipboards I had.

I thought they would be a fun addition and go along with my vintage book vibe.

Since I only had 4 of the clipboards and was setting the table for 6, I also used 2 large books at either end of the table. I opened them up to the center and put the plates on top.

Next up, white dishes. It’s a really good idea to have a stash of white plates on hand, since they can go with any color scheme or theme.  The best part is they are easy to find and very inexpensive at thrift stores.

I stacked a dinner plate and salad plate. Instead of a napkin ring, I folded a fringed linen napkin, and placed on top of each place setting.

I used my vintage gold flatware for this table since the white plates I chose have a gold rim.

Remember the old library cards that used to be in the front of library books?

Most libraries don’t use those anymore, but I stopped by my local library on the off chance they might have some old ones I could have.

And guess what, they did!!

So, those little pretties became the focal point of each table setting. They are really cool, because they have the old dates stamped on the card from when a book was checked out.

It would also be a fun way to create a name place card. Adding a brunch guests name on the card would add such a special touch.

Lastly, for each place setting, I created a book mark for each guest. It was not only cute table decor, it can be a take home gift for the brunch guests and makes the get together extra special for them.

how to make a vintage bookmark

Now, before anyone gets upset that I destroyed old books, let me explain.

Last summer, I went to a barn sale and there were boxes and boxes of old books.

Unfortunately, they had been neglected and most were terribly damaged.

A lot of them were damp and molded and literally falling apart.

It was the last day of the sale and everything that didn’t sell was being hauled to trash that afternoon.

I decided to rescue a few of severely damaged books and try to repurpose them.

Here’s where the bookmark creation came in and ended up being my favorite part of the place setting.

First, I cut the binding piece off the edge of the book using a box cutter.

Next, I used a hole punch to put a hole at the top of the binding piece.

Then tie a piece of ribbon, twine, lace etc. through the hole.

And finally, I hot glued a vintage button over the hole.

Of course, you could stop with the ribbon and not add the button embellishment, if you choose.

These make such a fun gift for book lovers!!

centerpiece decor for a book theme party

For the centerpiece for my book theme brunch tablescape, I made a book page table runner to go down the center of the table.

You can see how I made it by clicking on the photo below.

Next, I began in the middle of my dining table by placing a large vintage dictionary I picked up for $40 at an antique store several years ago.

It is, by far, my favorite book in my collection.

Then, the layering and creating begins.

I didn’t have a plan in my head, I just pulled out lots of old books, and some vintage brass candlesticks and starting moving things around and designing as I went.

I stacked a couple of other books on top of the large dictionary, then placed a stack of books on either end of the table.

One of the stacks, I stood upright and the other I stacked one on top of the other. This created some interest instead of having them all look the same.

I felt like it still needed something, so I grabbed a brass charger and place the stack of books on it. This added a little shimmer and another texture and layer.

And lastly, I placed the largest cloche that I have, on top of the books and it fit perfectly.

I added ivory tapers to the candlesticks and sprinkled them throughout the centerpiece.

I still wanted a bit more for this table, so I grabbed a few of my brown transferware creamers and placed baby’s breath inside each one.

Baby’s breath is easy to find at most grocery store floral departments and is very inexpensive.

I thought it was the perfect simple floral arrangements for this vintage tablescape.

The finishing touch was 2 pair of vintage reading glasses that belonged to my great great aunt (my great great grandmothers sister).

I hope you enjoyed his easy book theme brunch tablescape!

Be sure and pop over to see all of my friends tables by clicking the link below the photo below.

Next up, is Jen from Midwest Life and Style sharing simple ideas for hosting a book club brunch.

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