Monday, April 20, 2015

Dinner Party Place Settings and DIY crafts

Hello friends!  Let’s talk about place settings.  I threw my first fully-orchestrated dinner party last night and it went off without a hitch, which I was pleasantly surprised about.  I have a lot of great tips for small gatherings that I’ll be passing on to you in this blog, but the first is about place settings.

Entertaining people in your home is all about the little details.  It doesn’t have to be really expensive or fancy stuff either!  A simple, thoughtful touch here and there can easily make a lasting impression on your guests.

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These were my place settings for my party last night.  Prior to this event, my boyfriend and I only had two forks in our possession, so I bought my very first flatware sets ever – mostly out of necessity, but also because I’ve been daydreaming about beautiful gold flatware for months now.

I looked around online and settled on this beautiful set from West Elm.  I decided to go pick them up in-store because I’ve never been to a West Elm before.  How had I never been to a West Elm before then?!  That store is fucking incredible.  Also dangerous.  I could have spent the entire day there, but I forced myself leave before I went totally broke.  I grabbed four sets of the flatware, as well as some Belgian flax woven table linens in soft blue as an impulse purchase.

So, you’ve got your forks and your napkins picked out – halfway done!  Just a couple small additional accents make for a simple, elegant look.  An easy (and inexpensive) way to accomplish this is by adding a little bit of greenery or nature.  I chose a sprig of rosemary because it smells delicious, and it’s aesthetically pleasing all on its own.  Other options might be different herbs (thyme, sage, tarragon), a beautiful leaf from a tree or bush, or a dried flower.  From there, I tied everything together with a small piece of gold glitter twine from Knot & Bow.  You might also use burlap string or long crafting straw.  Voilà!  Easy, pleasant, delightful.

I don’t own place mats, but I don’t see a huge necessity for them.  I’m sure they could add nicely to a tablescape, but for a simple, small gathering, I’d say skip ’em.  Though, I’m sure I’ll eat my words next time I have some extra spending money and take another stroll through West Elm…

Lastly, I like to give each person one glass for water and one for alcoholic beverages.  Adding color here can also be a nice touch!  I used these adorable blue-tinted mason jars and some really groovy 60s-era vintage glasses that my boyfriend and I scored at a San Diego garage sale.

As you can see in the photo, I created hand lettering place cards for the place setting as well, but I’m saving that for another post :)  Until next time!

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