I've been blogging since 2006, and I've gone through several different stages over the years. Always decorating and entertaining, but in an ever changing order in which they rank on my enthusiasm meter, depending on the season, or what might be happening in life (things like upcoming weddings or grand-baby arrivals, or moves to a new place...)
One thing that is always top of mind for me...well, maybe top of mind isn't the right phrase, because I feel like it is second nature for me...like a habit, or instinct, because I have been doing this for so long...is to look at everyday items and see them as entertaining tools, props, backdrops or serving pieces.
And that is what I want to share with you today.
Great centerpieces, and accent items on a buffet or beverage table are found everywhere... thrift shops, yard sales...and around the house.
You just have to open your mind, and see things in a new way.
A stack of old books adds dimension and height to a buffet table, an old drawer from a vintage sewing table or small desk makes and interesting and unique container for utensils or plates.
Speaking of plates- An assortment of pretty paper plates and napkins kept on hand can make an impromptu pizza party look special. (Think beyond the plane white chinette plates from the grocery) My personal favorite paper plate supplier is the Dollar Store, where they have square shaped paper plates in many colors, along with a great selection of coordinating napkins.
Galvanized buckets...old or new, make perfect containers for holding ice and beer, soft drinks, or bottled water, as well as a rustic serving piece for chips.
The fancy urn style plastic outdoor planters that look like cement make the coolest drink holder when packed with ice and cold drinks. I find these at yard sales all of the time!
Another great serving item to have around for parties big or small is glass wine carafs...I find these at thrift shops very nearly every time I go down the glass aisle, and typically they are priced at two dollars, so that makes them even nicer. These are fabulous for serving a variety of juices at a brunch, or nestled in ice, they work out perfectly for plain and chocolate milk.
When thinking of table coverings, don't feel you need an actual table cloth. A yard or tow (or ten) of a printed fabric (or burlap!) you like works great scrunched up on the center of a table, with the raw edges tucked under (or hemmed with iron on "Stitch witchery") and by now some of you know that my girls and I are very partial to painters drop cloths from Home Depot for the perfect vintage look.
Old curtains or drapery panels from yard sales and thrift store also can work magic as a table runner, or buffet backdrop. I had a friend long ago who would pull down her floor length lace panels from her bedroom to use as a table covering now and again...ingenious!
One last gotta-have for entertaining is canning jars. Whether you use vintage blue glass, or new straight-from-the-grocery-store ones, they work to hold flowers as centerpieces, or they can hold straws, or skewers.
Canning jars can become tea light luminaries for your table, or to line the walkway to your front door (Add some birdseed, pebbles, shells, metallic confetti or fake snow in the bottoms of jars, depending on the time of year and season or theme)You can buy bags of tea lights in tins at the dollar store too.Canning jars. The possibilities for using them are endless. I have many different sizes on hand and I use them constantly.
I hope this post have given you some food for thought and inspires you to think outside of the expected items next time you set your table!
I am a nut for little details and outside-the-box entertaining props and serving pieces
