These are a great addition to a spring or summer party. You can paint them, add calligraphy names or leave them plain. You can get them at Felt and Wire.
Dragonfly Paper Napkin Rings
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Category Archives: Table Settings
Menu Cards
If you choose to have a menu card there is no limit to how you can design or display it. Continue reading
Round Menu Card
The Dinner Knife
It all started with the knife. It is part of a larger group and goes by a lot of names: flatware, silverware, utensils, and cutlery. Continue reading
Krinkle Napkins
White krinkle tablecloths with krinkle napkins. Pure perfection.
Table Manners: Eating Out
- When dining out placing your napkin on the table signals that you are finished eating.
- Closing your menu signals you are ready to order.
- Tap water is fine in a restaurant, do not feel pressured to buy special water.
- 20% is the standard tip for good service.
- Put you napkin on your lap after you are seated at the table.
- Do not rearrange your place setting when you first sit down.
- Ask for a bread plate if one is not present and bread is served.
Coffee Pot Vases
Be inventive with your tablecloths and table settings. Look how lovely this table looks with the flowers coming out of the silver coffee pots and the fruit salad in the coffee cups. That’s my girl Meryl at Feastivities!
Table Pads
Table Pads
Table pads are a lot like mattress pads. Not everyone uses them but they should. Here are some of the many reasons for using table pads.
1. They provide a barrier between your beautiful wooden table top and everything you place on the table. It will protect the wood from liquids, heat and scratches from all those hard sharp objects like knives and forks.
2. They provide a slight cushion to the table top edge that feels rich when your arms are on the table and provides a better drape for your tablecloth.
3. They provide additional sound absorption in a room to muffle sound. Something those overly noisy restaurants should look into.
You have several choices of table pads.
1. Custom table pads which you order over the internet and are made from a template, exactly for your table. They are made in sections and fold up. They do an excellent job but they can be expensive. Just wipe, dry and store when you aren’t using them.
2. You can purchase felt backed vinyl fabric by the yard and put that down on the table (felt side down) and then add your tablecloth. Easy and not too expensive. Just wipe, dry and roll up until your next event. Please don’t fold as it is very hard to get the creases out of it and they look bumpy under your tablecloth. We sell the white vinyl felt back at Best Dressed Tables
3. Purchase a roll of thin foam packaging material. You just lay this down on your table and either wipe it clean or throw it away after your party. Very easy, very inexpensive and very temporary but hey-it works!
All About Napkins
Napkin Sizes
6″ square – Cocktail
12″-15″ square- Luncheon
17″ square – Luncheon or casual dinner
20″-22″ square – Dinner
Napkin fabrics, colors and patterns.
White is always in good taste. Having gotten that out of the way, solid colors, damask patterns and prints are fashionable and can be used to enhance your table setting or theme.
I would say that hemstitch napkins are the best choice for fine dinner napkins. Try to purchase the 22″ x 22″ if available, as they will shrink, otherwise purchase the 20″ x 20″ but they will shrink down to a 18″ x18″ after the first washing. Yes, they are white, but resist using chlorine bleach to clean them. Try an oxy bleach products instead.
Damask napkins are also a wonderful classic choice for a dinner napkin. They make wonderful wedding gifts. Make sure you give at least a dozen of them.
Just make sure that you choose a napkin that is functional. A sheer organza napkin or a sequin napkin, though perhaps perfect for your theme, is not going to do your guests any good when then go to use the napkin.
As much as I don’t like paper napkins (remember I manufacturer cloth napkins) you can buy some really fun colorful printed paper products. And quite frankly there are definitely some parties that are better served with paper, like my daughters 8th grade graduation party. Cloth napkins? I think not! Messy foods, high guest count and kids all qualify for paper napkins in my book.
What can you do with the napkin? Just about anything you want to.
Fold and roll them in a gazillion different patterns. They write entire books about napkin folds if you are so inclined. Check on line as well.
Place flowers, herbs, menus and gifts in them.
Wrap ribbons, twine, leather, string and grape vines around them.
Wrap silverware in them.
Monogram them. Horchow catalog has the best deal with free monogramming.
Put napkin rings, tassels, silk flowers and beaded strings around them.
You can place them on the charger plate, next to the forks, draped across the back of the chair or place them in a glass (pretty please, don’t do this one).
You can do anything you want to a napkin. Experiment and be creative with your napkin embellishments.
Color and lighting.
This is a fabulous color for spring and we call it Wisteria. It makes me happy just looking at it. I know, everyone says that eggplant and aubergine are the “in colors”. But the fact is, they are really dark colors. This brings me to another fine tablecloth point. Many social functions are held in the evening when there is diminished lighting. If you choose a dark color for your decor, flowers or tablecloths such as a aubergine, burgundy or navy you have to be careful that they don’t look too dark. Very often these colors in candlelight just look black and you can’t distinguish the subtle color of the dark red, blue or purple hues. When in doubt try to go a shade or two lighter in your color choice if you have a low light atmosphere. You can certainly use the darker colors in brighter light scenarios where they will show up much better.
Formal Table Setting
