Put A Ring On It!...

As Beyoncé well notes, "If you like it then ya bettter put a ring on it!" ...and that's exactly my feeling when it comes to tablesettings and napkin rings. What better way to change the look of your table than to invest in some new awesome napkin rings....

Once used in Victorian times to identify whose napkin was whose, and disgusting as it may sound, since cleanliness wasn't what it is today and linens were maybe washed once a week, family members would place a silver mongrammed ring around their napkin so when the next meal came they new which one was theirs.

No longer used with function, other than making your tablescape beautiful, napkin rings come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and materials. My favorites for the upcoming season include:

These stunning over the top "jeweled rings" by Ferrare with Company. This one is the "Gold Baquette" made with Swarovski Crystal that even Beyoncé would die for. Tell me that wouldn't make your Grandmother's china "pop".

Others include the more artistic shapes like these blown glass starfish from Kim Seybert. Available in a myriad of colors they can work both in adding to a tablescapes theme, especially if you are living in a coastal area and featuring the corals, seashells, and sealife that is still so popular, and in adding another texture to your tablescape.

A year round favorite are the various florals that come from Deborah Rhodes...look at these incredible Hydrangeas and their many colors....pick a season and one of these colors is sure to work.

Let's not forget the rings that compliment the season, whether Easter, Christmas, or 4th of July, there is a napkin ring that is made thematically for every Holiday.

Remember, napkin rings are the accessories or jewelry for your tablesetting. Just like accessorizing any outfit, fashionistas of the world would never think to leave the house without the perfect bangle bracelet or scarf. Nor should you "dare" to think about setting a table with just a boring folded napkin....so when company's coming, put Beyoncé on the stereo and put a napkin ring on your napkin!

Quick and Easy Table Pleaser...

If you're having a celebration of some kind, whether birthday party, shower, or special occassion and you need to come up with a quick and easy centerpiece, just grab a couple of stacked cake plates, and "viola"...instant centerpiece...

...at least that's what I did at a recent wedding brunch I helped put together...and the best part was, it looked great and was lot more impressive than the time it took to put together...

Here's what you'll need and what to do....

• Take three stacked cake plates
• A variety of large floral heads like mums, full roses, or carnations (these types of fresh flowers hold their shape with little water
• Floral Filler, such as ferns or baby's breath
• Some wet paper towel

Place a ring of wet papertowel around the the base of each cake plate with the exception of the bottom plate.

Lay down a bed of ferns or green large leafy stems on each of the three tiers.

Cover with flower heads (cut stems 3" to 4" below head) by placing the stem below the wet papertowel --this allows them to stay moist for about 24 hours and keeps them looking fresh during the event.

Fill in holes with baby's breath, or small floral bunches.

Top with a cake topper --in my case I had a ceramic married couple--, but you could use a candle for a birthday party or even a picture in a frame of the guest of honor...be creative!

You'll find that some of your guests will think this floral cake looks good enough to eat!

Enjoy!

In entertaining everything has its place, especially the place card.

Have you ever been to a party where the host announces dinner is served and guests are left to pick their own seats? Chaos can occur. First, guests uncomfortably shuffle around trying to find their place or worse, stand around idly waiting for the host to tell them where to sit. If they do find a place, it’s usually with other guests they know, leaving some attendees feeling left out. So, although it may seem like a minor detail, place cards play an important role in the success of any party.

For those of you wondering what the place card is, it is simply a card (or some form of) with the guests name written on it used at each place setting on the table, indicating where the guest should sit. They can cost as little as $5.00 for a package of 10 paper tent-style cards or more than $50 for more artisan styles. Not only do I find place cards a fun accessory for decorating the table, I use them strategically as well. First they enhance the theme of my party and offer a great accent for my place setting. Secondly and more importantly, they allow me to choose which guests I want to sit where to stimulate conversation.

Below are some of my favorite from Placetile Designs becuase they can be re-used over and over again with a dry erase pen, come in sets of six and depending on the design average in price around $30.00 (5$ each!).

I try to keep several ideas in mind when deciding where my guests should sit to keep the conversations flowing. First I try to keep couples seated at the same table, but not necessarily next to each other. I do this by alternating male and female. But more than often, I seat guests by common interests and personality types. For example, if I know I have a lively guest with a great sense of humor, I try to place them in the middle of the group so that more guests have access to him/her. Or if it is family gathering and I know certain guests are not as fond of each other as the rest, I’ll try and seat them at opposite ends of the table. Hopefully my careful planning will allow for a lively and harmonious meal.

When possible, try to be creative and personalize your place cards to reflect the theme of your party, table setting, or event. Often I incorporate my place cards within party favors intended for guests to take home with them after the meal. Place card holders used during my dinner party can later be used by guests to hold a photo or recipe card. Below are some exmaples of holiday placecard holders I've used.

The point is, use your imagination, and with the ease of computer-generated graphics, you can even print your place cards yourself.

Here’s one extra final tip I don’t think enough people take advantage of...using place cards on a buffet table to identify the different foods on display. I always do this with my parties and it’s especially helpful in letting guests know what they are eating especially if someone is allergic to a type of food I’m serving.

So if you think place cards are just a minor detail, think again.

Keep Your Summer Nights “HOT” with these “COOL” Indoor/Outdoor Fireplaces

If you're like me, you love to entertain outdoors as well as in, and summertime is the perfect opportunity to do so. A product idea that came out a couple of years ago was the outdoor fire pit. I liked these fire pits because they really added great ambience to dinner parties or cocktails by the pool, but if you have them, you realize rather quickly that they are not especially attractive and a pain to clean up.

Well someone must have heard my grumblings because within the last year manufacturers have come up with some great alternatives to the fire pits, and these options can be used indoors as well as out.

Take a look at these functional and stylish fireplaces which are much more than decorative -- these modern hearths will attract a crowd with the atmosphere they create.

The Mediterranean and the Prairie Fireplaces (from $125 - $150)

My personal favorite - This cylinder on three levels of stair-stepped glass ($625)

Or for something really chic these "Fire Stones" work great down the middle of a table or on a side buffet ($120)

All these examples use a non-smoking, oderless gel to burn. Burn time varys depending on the manufacturer but a gel can (which last approximately and hour) costs $3.50.

So the next time your entertaining outdoors at night, try one of these great fireplaces to really ignite your gathering!

Pewter in the microwave? You’re kidding right???

I love new innovations in the tableware industry and believe me they don’t come along everyday, but recently two different manufacturers introduced some pewter look-alikes I fell in love with. Both Juliska and Casafina introduced stoneware with a pewter finish. It is dishwasher safe, microwave safe, and oven to table. How can they do that? Isn’t pewter a metal? … and we know metal can’t go in the microwave…right? Guess again, because these dishes are done with metallic glaze that gives them the appearance of real metal, with all the maintenance and care of stoneware, making there everyday use much more appealing.

Juliska's Pewter Stoneware is completely glazed in this new metallic look.

The best part of this new glazing process is that it costs less than half the price of real pewter. Where a 6” pewter bread and butter plate would run you approximately $57.00 in today’s marketplace, you can get a bread and butter plate in this metallic pewter glaze for only $18.00. So imagine the savings in a whole place setting…and in this economy who isn’t looking for savings.

Casafina's Meridian Collection glazes just the top with their metallic finish.

So if you're in the market for that Old World Tuscan or Country French look, check out these new dinnerware patterns and get the look for a lot less.

Clever Table Top Tricks

No one appreciates great tabletop ideas more than I do, and recently I was rewarded when I attended a Cinco de Mayo Luncheon where two such ideas really resonated. My friend Susan, who always sets a great table wanted to celebrate the holiday using the festive and bright colors that represent the Mexican Culture. She happened upon some great paper plates that did just that, but didn’t want to serve her food using paper. Clever girl that she is she used the paper plates under some plain glass dishes she owned that accentuated the table in the way she hoped.

But there’s more….her next great idea came when she ran into a problem with the tablecloth she had chosen. It didn’t quite cover the whole table. Again, using what she already owned, she took two festive napkins and laid them at each end of the tables, letting them drop over the side like the rest of her cloth solving her dilemma while creating a tablescape that highlighted her festive colorful plates.

Two great ideas, very clever girl! You go Susan! Olé

If you have a great table setting idea, please share it by sending an email to Michele@tisfortable.com.

The Invasion of the Birds

In an ever expanding effort of eco-friendliness and the idea of bringing the outdoors in, the bird-brigade has arrived…and for your table no less. Tabletop trends derive from the home décor industry and since birds started appearing on pillows and in picture frames, these hatchlings were not far behind for your table– sans the feathers of course. Bird inspired plates, napkin rings, place card holders, cocktail boxes, and table linens are just a few examples of this latest trend.


A couple of tips when following trends:

If you love setting a beautiful table and want to incorporate the latest styles first see what you already have in your china closet. Just like clothes styles, everything in dinnerware repeats itself. You might be able to take advantage of the latest and greatest with what you already own.

If you don’t have any of the current fads, but would like to incorporate them, do so by just adding a touch to the table. Napkin rings and place card holders are the least amount of investment for the greatest return on effect.

Finally, even if every person on your block has it, but it doesn’t fit your style, don’t fall victim, rather stay away, because trends come and go...So if you’re not into this one, hope that its lifespan is short!

Michele Trzuskowski, Tablescape Designer – T is for Table, www.TisforTable.com