Spice Up Your Table

1. Let your napkin do the talking! Lately, I've been using the napkin more and more to play double duty as "ice-breaker." Fold it into a chic envelope (steps are detailed on page 98 of Napkins with a Twist) and slip a secret note within. A little juicy tidbit about your dining partner sitting across from you or the guest of honor will get the conversation flowing immediately. No blushing allowed, PLEASE!

2. Play hide and seek with your dessert!  Instead of a floral arrangement, surprise your guests with beautifully wrapped gifts that preside as the dining table centerpiece. At dessert time, lift up the boxes (really just grand cake covers!) to reveal the gorgeous cakes and other goodies beneath that were actually right there in front of your guest's noses the whole time! A little drama and surprise goes a long way.

3. Every good host or hostess understands how indispensable place cards are, in breaking up those cliques, forming new friendships!  Instead of standard folded cards, think creatively. Why not write your pals' names on gingerbread cookies with icing, placing the little guy atop each napkin or pin an elegantly written name card to a pomegranate or a mandarin? Why not use a seasonal pinecone as a place card holder, balancing the card within the crook of its wooden shingles? These special touches are what the tired holiday reveler will remember, and they will thank you for taking the time to make the little things that are normally taken for granted so special.

Do you like what you read? Subscribe to Solano Magazine »