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in Our Blog· Sweet Ideas· Tablescapes

Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration cover

Are you decorating the table for a Cinco de Mayo celebration?  You can see that I did!  Isn’t it fantastic?  A jumble of colorful tableware and suddenly I have a festive table ready for a party.  How did I put this tablescape together?  Follow along as I describe all the elements used for decorating the table for a Cinco de Mayo celebration!

Mini Donkey Pinata for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

First, I scoured my closets, cabinets and drawers looking for stuff – stuff suitable for decorating the table for a Cinco de Mayo celebration:  tablerunners and table cloths, platters, tea light holders, vases, placemats, napkins, glassware.  I decided that the tablerunner above, that I bought at World Market, was just the color scheme to anchor this mishmash of color.

And, I found the paper lanterns at Pier One.  They are battery-operated and meant to hang outdoors, but they will stand up, too.  So, I decided to use them since they were the right colors.

Yellow ceramic bird for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

I walked throughout my house looking for things for decorating the table for a Cinco de Mayo celebration – things I already had that would match this tablerunner,  I found 2 birds – this yellow ceramic one and another aqua cast iron one.  Not very Mexican!

Orange corn husk doll for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

So, Charlie and I took off to Old Town San Diego to see what kind of small, cute Mexican souvenirs I could find, for decorating the table for a Cinco de Mayo celebration, that would make my table perfect!  Jackpot! I found a store with adorable corn husk dancing dolls in all sizes!  I decided to stick with small ones so as not to overwhelm the tablescape and bought 4 (scroll down to see the others).

Miniature Yellow Mariachi Sombrero for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Plus, I found these charming and colorful miniature Mariachi sombreros, so I bought 6 (scroll down to see the others).

Mini Donkey Pinata and Yellow Mariachi Sombrero for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

And, I found these small donkey pinatas and bought two – one for each end of the table.

Pink Napkins and Yellow Placemat for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Then, I looked through my existing round placemats and found several in different colors, like this yellow one.  And, I scoured my napkins and found sets of solid colors that would match perfectly!  And, the piece de resistance, I found these napkin rings, cloth flowers in several colors, that belonged to my mother. Perfect!

Place settings in a row for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

And, I looked through my glassware collection and chose my green and pink wine glasses and my blue balloon wine glasses.  So pretty!

Various Place settings for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

I carefully alternated placemats, napkins, napkin rings and glasses until each place setting was unique.

Aqua napkin and peach placemat for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Here’s a round peach placemat, topped with a cream dinner plate, with a turquoise napkin and a white flower napkin ring.

Peach napkin and blue flower napkin ring for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Here’s a dark blue placemat with a cream-colored dinner plate topped with a peach napkin and a bright blue flower napkin ring.

Floral Arrangement for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Oh, I forgot to mention the flowers!  I didn’t want to spend a bundle on flowers (after all, I’d already blown a wad on my cute little Mexican souveniers!), so I was determined to make one mixed bouquet from the grocery store work.  So I selected a bouquet with lots of color and brought it home to arrange.

In order to make one bouquet work on a large table, I needed a vase that was small enough to keep the arrangement “tight”, but large enough to make a statement.  So, I chose a silver pitcher that belonged to my husband’s aunt.  I placed it on top of a silver tray that belonged to my aunt and then scattered teal tea light holders around it to reflect light.

Close-up of flowers for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Here’s a close-up of my beautiful flowers!

Pink napkin and orange flower napkin ring for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

And, here’s another placemat-napkin combo; this one a yellow placemat, a bright pink napkin and an orange flower napkin ring.

Peach napkins and blue placemat for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

This one includes a turquoise (well, maybe it’s peacock blue instead?) placemat, a peach napkin and a white flower napkin ring.

Miniature Red Mariachi Sombrero for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Here’s another miniature Mariachi sombrero – a red one – from my expedition to Old Town San Diego.

Teal corn husk doll for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

And, here’s a dark teal dancing corn husk doll.

Yellow Kalanchoe Flowers for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

I decided that the one center bouquet was not enough flowers for my table!  So, I bought 2 Kalanchoe plants from the grocery store, too; one yellow and one orange, for each end of the table.

Orange Kalanchoe flowers for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

I placed the Kalanchoe plants into aqua-colored tin planters that I already had in my collection and rested the dancing corn husk dolls against them.

The beauty of buying plants for your tablescape is that you can plant them in your garden after your party.  I’ve been doing this for years and years and have yet to come anywhere near filling up my garden (we live on 8 acres of dirt!).  But, I keep trying!

Peach Napkin and Dark Blue Placement for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Here’s a photo of a place setting, this one with a dark blue placemat, a peach napkin, a red flower napkin ring and a green goblet.

Aqua napkin and red placement for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Here’s a close-up of a peach placemat with a turquoise napkin and peach flower napkin ring.

Pink napkin with green placemat for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

This place setting has a green placemat, a bright pink napkin and a purple flower napkin ring.

Colorful flowers for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Here’s a close-up of the bouquet in the tarnished silver pitcher with a place setting beyond.

Miniature Blue Mariachi Sombrero for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

I love this bright blue miniature Mariachi sombrero with the yellow trim.  I think it’s my favorite!

Tablescape for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Taking a moment and stepping back to admire my handiwork…

Orange Gerbera Daisy for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

and stop to smell the flowers!

Turquoise napkin and yellow placement for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Teal napkin with orange-flowered napkin ring and yellow placemat…

Miniature Green Mariachi Sombrero for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Miniature green Mariachi sombrero…

Pink corn husk doll for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Bright pink dancing corn husk doll against a yellow Kalanchoe plant…

Orange Kalanchoe flowers and orange corn husk doll for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Orange dancing corn husk doll against a backdrop of an orange-flowering Kalanchoe plant.

Left side tablescape for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

So, when decorating the table for a Cinco de Mayo celebration, the main element that brings together a festive and fun tablescape is color.  Lots and lots and lots of color!

Miniature Dark Blue Mariachi Sombrero for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Another miniature Mariachi sombrero, this one dark blue…

Miniature White Mariachi Sombrero for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

And this miniature white Mariachi sombrero (my favorite!  Oh, I think I already said I had a favorite!)…

Mini Donkey Pinata for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Another adorable miniature donkey pinata (I purposely left the hooks on in case I want to hang them in the future)…

Yellow corn husk doll for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Sweet miniature dancing corn husk dolls…

Aqua Napkin and Red Placemat for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

A red placemat with turquoise napkin and red flower napkin ring…

Yellow napkin with purple napkin ring for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

A red placemat with a yellow napkin and a purple flower napkin ring (this one has a few stains – it was well-loved by my mother!)…

Floral centerpiece for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

The bouquet – a mixture of different flowers…

More flowers for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

in coordinating colors…

Right side of tablescape for Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

an assortment of glasses or stemware in several colors…

Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration tablescape

Voila’ – a vibrant, exciting and festive table!  Not only am I decorating the table for a Cinco de Mayo celebration, but this tablescape could be used throughout the year for Taco Night or any other friend and family gathering involving Mexican food!

Want to get the look?  Here are some of the elements used available on Amazon:

Round Woven Placemats on Amazon

Round woven placemats (set of 4) on Amazon and available in multiple colors.

12-pack of colorful napkins on Amazon

Here’s a great deal – a 12-pack of colorful napkins on Amazon.  Buy 4 of these packs and you have sets of 12 different colors for all your tablescapes!

Serape tablerunners on Amazon

Even though I didn’t use a serape tablerunner, one of these serape tablerunners from Amazon will give your table an instant boost of festiveness!

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Disclaimer:  I was not compensated to write this post, but this post does contain affiliate links to the products listed above, which will take you directly to these products on Amazon.  Toot Sweet 4 Two is an Amazon affiliate and receives a small commission if a product is purchased through these links.  If you click on the link and purchase a product, I will receive a commission of approximately 5% on the sale.    If you don’t want me to receive any commission, you could just open a new browser window and search for the product on your own.  But, if you do use the links to purchase products, THANK YOU!  This does not change the cost to you; thanks for helping to keep content on this site free!

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World Market Floral Bettina Tablerunner

Or, if you want to stick closely to my original design, here’s a link to the exact tablerunner I bought at my local World Market.   Plus, you can buy packages of beautiful, solid-colored napkins in a variety of colors at World Market.

Colored Wine Glasses on Amazon

This is a set of 6 wine glasses in a beautiful aqua blue available on Amazon.  They come in 8 different colors from this vendor.

Beaded flower napkin ring from Amazon

And while it would be hard to replicate my mother’s cloth flower napkin rings because they are about 30 years old, these beautiful beaded ones, available in 6 different colors, are available on Amazon.

Battery-operated Paper Lanterns from Pier One

These are the battery-operated paper lanterns I bought at Pier 1 Imports.  Plus, they sell the round placemats and napkins in a variety of colors.

Miniature pinatas on Amazon

Here are some adorable miniature pinatas available on Amazon.

Miniature Mexican Mariachi Sombreros available on Amazon

Here are colorful miniature velvet Mariachi sombreros available on Amazon.

Sadly, I think I’ve found the one and only thing that Amazon does not sell – Mexican dancing corn husk dolls!  And, to top it off, they are hard to find just with a Google search!  They are very plentiful in stores throughout Old Town San Diego, so plan a trip to beautiful SoCal soon!

There.  I think I’ve covered just about everything needed to make decorating the table for a Cinco de Mayo celebration, taco night or any party with a Mexican menu easy.  With just a few souvenirs, beautiful flowers and lots of color, you too can can a festive party table!

Decorating the Table for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration collage

Here’s a collage to pin to Pinterest.  Thanks so very much for sharing!  Please feel free to share on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc. – share everywhere!  There are easy sharing buttons at the bottom of this post and I thank you for the bottom of my heart!

Want more tablescape ideas?  Here are a few more from Toot Sweet 4 Two’s archives:

Decorating the Table for an Easter Celebration 750x1076

Decorating the Table for an Easter Celebration

A Valentine's Day Tea Party Tablescape cover

A Valentine’s Day Tea Party Tablescape

Decorating the Table for a St. Patrick's Day Celebration cover 750x1131

Decorating the Table for a St. Patrick’s Day Celebration

Tootles,

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Filed Under: Our Blog, Sweet Ideas, Tablescapes Tagged With: Cinco de Mayo, decorating, DIY, entertaining, flowers, holidays, Mexican, party ideas

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Comments

  1. Dawn says

    May 18, 2016 at 4:46 pm

    You absolutely set the most beautiful tables!!! I love the bright colors in this one! WOW or should I say Ole!

    Reply
    • Carole says

      May 22, 2016 at 8:18 am

      Thanks, Dawn! You know how much I love to do it. Even though I no longer have the photo (because of the fire), one of my favorite photos was of your 2 girls helping me set the Thanksgiving table in our old house when they were about 8 to 10 years old. Good memories!

      Reply

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About

I’m Carole, wife to Charlie (25+ years), mom to a boy named Coco, writer, storyteller, home chef, and recipe developer, budding photographer, occasional crafter who loves family and friends, parties and tablescapes, and all things blog. Join me as I COOK, CREATE, INSPIRE.

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