Season of the Witch

A magical night of candle lit enchantment, seasonal tastes, and haunting decor..  The Witches’ Dinner Party has arrived!   Join me as I take a look at each and every detail that went into creating this bewitching evening!

I know what most people must be thinking… a Witches’ Dinner Party this time of the year must mean Tall Black Hats, Broomsticks, Pointy Shoes, and Bubbling Cauldrons.  While all of those are certainly fun Hocus Pocus style Halloween witches, it couldn’t be farther from this Witches’ Party!

As I mentioned last week, whenever I host a themed event I like to do a lot of inspirational research… sometimes that means putting together a mood board of sorts… sometimes I imagine a very specific character and design the party around what I envision to be his or her aesthetic.  For this party, I did a bit of both.  I ended up drawing much of my inspiration from imagery of low lit alters and ritual spaces, vintage tools of the craft, weathered apothecary cabinets, and old homes filled with dusty antiques.  I’d be lying to say that the old Victorian home, in the film Practical Magic, with the most amazing apothecary pantry didn’t cross my mind a time or two.  I wanted my table to have that same time worn, yet enchanted feeling.

For the past few weeks I have been sharing some of the projects and recipes that I have worked on for this party, and now it’s time to share the final table design, and party menu.  I know you must be thinking you’ve already seen it all, but truth be told this table has evolved every week.  It has been one big work in progress from the moment I completed and photographed the first of my projects, the Rune Stone Wine Charms… wow that seems like a long time ago!  I could not be happier with how it finally turned out, and am only disappointed that the photos cannot possibly do justice to the overall mood of this table!  But I’m sure going to try my best to give you a good look… so I’ll warn that this article is a bit photo heavy!!

On a side note…. This post contains affiliate links.  If you buy something through one of those links, you won’t pay a penny more, but we’ll get a small commission, which helps keep the lights on.  Thanks!  Click HERE for more details.

Now let’s get down to all of the spellbinding details…..

It’s common to have a focal centerpiece when designing a tablescape, but for this table, my Sorceress Muse is not one to follow rules. You’ll notice that becomes a common theme for the evening’s decor… when in doubt, go against the grain.  Instead of a single focal point, I added several… each a different element that plays an important role in the Craft.  I started out with 3 large glass apothecary jars.  Each jar was a different size and shape..  I already owned a couple, and added one more to compliment the others.  Here’s a similar set of 3 Apothecary Jars you can purchase online.  I filled each of the jars with dried herbs, spices, and flowers.  They were meant to give the flavor of a witch’s apothecary cabinet of magical herbs.  I chose Whole Star Anise Pods, Dried Rose Buds, and Calendula Flowers mostly because I liked the variation in color and texture.

I filled the table with Tarnished Mixed Metal candlesticks and Black Candles.  I grabbed every candle stick I could find… many picked up at thrift stores, garage sales, and antique markets.  The more candles, the better.  Again, I threw out the rule of a consistent metal finish, and mixed silver, brass, pewter and gold.  My only rule was that they were tarnished… to add to that time worn flavor I was going for.  I used different sized black candles, and even mixed in a few Drip Candles which have that wonderful effect of quickly looking like they’ve been burning forever.  With that many candles, there’s no need for any other lights…. just enjoy dinner in the beautiful glow.

I stacked a few witchcraft, spell casting, and divination books around the table, and used them as a stand for other table decorations.  I’m always a fan of varying elevations on a table, and the books were a perfect prop for that.

These urns may look familiar.  I actually used them at last years Halloween Dinner Party.  I had purchased them at a thrift store.  Originally they were a cream color, but after painting in a matte black, the stone material soaked up the paint, and left an aged black finish…. perfect for this year’s table as well.  Like last year, I added the Preserved Natural Spanish Moss to the urn.  While I was going for the look of death with that table, this year, I wanted a bit more of nature to be peeking through, so I added clumps of green moss, and then topped with a black pillar candle.

I wrapped moss covered vines around all of the objects in the center of the table.  I let them just naturally wind around like they were growing through an enchanted forest.  I mixed Whispy Moss Vines with Thick Moss Vines.  I also sprinkled clumps of soft green moss all over the table.  On a table of mostly black and neutrals, the moss, in combination with the apothecary jars, gave a subtle pop of color without being too bright.  I opted for this in lieu of a floral arrangement.

Despite choosing not to create a floral centerpiece, I still felt the table needed some floral stems, but I didn’t want fresh flowers.  I happened to receive a beautiful arrangement of flowers recently, and once they began to wilt, I carefully took some of the stems and dried them out on a sheet of wax paper.  These dead stems were just what I was looking for.  Not only did they show the signs of age, but also aligned with the dried herbal apothecary vibe I was creating.

Tucked among the vines and stems were a handful of crystal balls.  A few weeks ago, I shared a tutorial on 5 Ways to Create a Crystal Ball, and used all 5 to decorate this table.

The foundation of each place setting is a Moon Phase Charger Plate.  This was also one of the projects I shared along my journey to design this party.  The tutorial walks through how to use an image transfer method to create a different charger plate for each phase of the moon.   I designed 8 of them for my 8 guests, so each guest has their own moon phase.  I arranged them around my table in the correct order of each phase, with the Full and New Moon at each head.

The next layer of the place settings were the DIY Witches’ Spell Napkins .  This tutorial not only featured steps for transferring the spell image but also tea staining the linens to appear old and worn.  I used vintage linens to make the napkins…. each one was different.. some big, some small, some with trim, some without, some accepted the tea stain better than others.  I chose mismatched linens intentionally.    The old witch I was channeling has random antiques, not perfect sets!  Each napkin displayed a different spell.  Read the full tutorial for tips on choosing spells for your guests.

In the spirit of mixing and matching, and going against the grain…. I continued the theme with the silverware.  I happen to collect antique silverware.  Not sets… just individual pieces.  I have this amazing antique show that comes through town once a month, and one of the vendors has tables and tables of antique silverware and serving pieces just piled high on top of the table.  I like to rummage through and pick out pieces with ornate details.  Over time I have amassed enough of a collection to outfit an entire dinner party!  These tarnished antique beauties were a perfect compliment to this table!!

On each wine glass… a Rune Stone Wine Charm.  These charms were the first of the DIY projects I shared for this party.  A bit of divining inspiration for each guest!

The nod to fortune telling didn’t stop with the Rune Stones.  I used a deck of tarot cards to add some interest to otherwise bare spots on the table.

Sage bundles were sporadically added around the table.  I allowed one to burn.  It gives off a nice smoke, but beware that the smell can be strong, so no need to light them all.

Each napkin was topped with a seating card attached to a Herbal Tea Apothecary Vial.  I made these vials as a party favor for my guests…. meant to look like herbs, but actually loose leaf tea for your guests to enjoy at home.  The tutorial walks through all of the supplies you’ll need to create the vials and tea stained cards.

The last little detail were the incense cones.  I had a small antique dish of them on the table, but also had several burning.  I simply tucked them behind some of the decorative pieces on the table so the smoke would slowly peak through, and the smell would add to the overall mood.  My Samhain Society pal, Roxanne, over at A Bewitching Guide to All Things Halloween did an entire series of crystal balls this year.  One of them used an incense cone to create a smoke filled ball.  I thought it was a great idea, however, I had already created my own Five Versions of Crystal Balls, and loved the way they had turned out.  Instead of reinventing the wheel, I decided to loosely borrow from her idea, and combine it with one of my crystal balls.  My balls were created using Glass Christmas Ornaments.  I put an iridescent ball onto a stand with an open base.  I placed the incense cone directly underneath it, and aimed the ornament opening at the cone.  Sure enough, as the incense burned, the smoke went straight up into the ball, and created swirling smoke…. a very nice effect.  Incense tends to burn pretty quickly, so the small tray was not just a decoration but a handy stack of replacements!

For the menu, I gave myself a few parameters….. first of all, I am a vegetarian.  While I usually cater to my guests, and cook a meat entree for my dinner parties, I decided to keep it vegetarian for this party.  After all, I was drawing so much inspiration from natural elements that I felt it was in line with my theme to have a vegetable and herb based menu.  Second, I wanted to stick with foods and flavors of not just the Fall season, but also the foods most commonly associated with Samhain, the holiday most witches celebrate this time of the year.

I started the evening off with individual pumpkin fondue, served with apple slices.  I found these little ceramic cauldrons at Michaels, and had to use them.  Even though I was intentionally staying away from most of the steriotypical witch associations, I thought these small cauldron pots looked incredibly cute with the table!

I followed the appetizer up with an herb salad…. a mix of red chard, herbs, shaved parmesan, and hazelnuts.  The entree was Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage Butter Sauce and Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Pumpkin Seeds.

A cauldron filled with Rosemary Dinner Rolls was on the table for all to pass.  These were super easy to make, and turned out delicious.  With Rosemary being a popular herb for Samhain, it was an easy choice to dress up some plain dinner rolls.  I used pre-made refrigerated french bread dough (feel free to use your own dough recipe, but if I can cut some corners when prepping for a party, I totally will!)  In a small bowl I mixed fresh snipped rosemary, minced garlic, and parmesan cheese.  I took a chunk of the dough, dabbed a bit of the herb blend, and rolled into a ball, then baked until lightly browned.  Quick Perfection!

I found several bottles of red wine, each with a label fitting for the evening…. 7 Moons, Witching Hour, and Spellbound.  I placed them in what appears to be a rusted cauldron.  In reality, it was an old pot with a spicket that I picked up at an antique market from a vendor selling “country” items.  The shape of it was absolutely perfect for a cauldron… I just spun it around so the spicket was in the back.  The aged look of this thing could not have been more perfect.  Like I always say… it pays to keep your eyes peeled and to look past an objects intended use!  I also filled an antique decanter with an apple cider punch for anyone not in the wine mood.

For dessert, I served Almond Crescent Moon Cookies (an old family recipe you must try!), Apple Fritters, and Cinnamon Spiced Cake.  Of course a witches’ dessert table is not complete without an antique pot full of herbal tea!

And that’s a wrap!  I certainly hope you’ve enjoyed the journey to put together this amazing dinner party.  It was so much fun to prepare for, and what a magical evening it was!  Whether you’re having a Witch inspired Halloween Party, a Samhain celebration, or just an excuse to have your best witches over for a girls night… I certainly hope all of my tips and projects come in handy!!  As always, drop me a message if you have any questions or need some planning advice!  Would love to hear how your dinner party turns out!

Update… here’s a DIY that happened to come along a year too late.  Need an authentic looking Old Iron Witches’ Cauldron for your party?  Use as a decoration or even better… use to serve food (or wine)!  Learn how to make one from a cheesy ceramic Halloween cauldron.

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