MealTime Success

Center pieces and theme decors do not need to begin with a shopping trip.  Whether it is planning a party or even attempting to make an evening at home special, it is easy to create a center piece with what is available at home . Here are pointers to get started.  You are only limited by your imagination and with what you can dig out from the closet.

1. There are hidden treasures lying in the basement, closets, packed away stash and garage.  When you clean or organize your home and come across these treasures put them away in place you can easily access.

2. Decide a theme you are more comfortable with, something you know about, or a place you have read about or visited.

3. Then recollect and archive all the souvenirs you have from that place or anything that reminds you of the place.  Sometimes just colors can remind one of a place or a theme.  For example, bright orange and magenta can look very Bollywood/Indian for an Indian dinner party. A bright orange or golden scarf can work as a runner.   Red and black colors give a very Chinese/Asian ambiance. A black vase placed on a red bowl or vice verse will look very Asian.

4. Some decor items can do more than double duty for more than one culture/theme.  Artificial grape clusters (made of plastic) available for 1$ at the dollar stores can work for: Italian dinners, cheese and wine pairing parties, Mediterranean theme party, wine and desert party or just an intimate dinner for the special some one.  Place these grape clusters on a plate/bowl covered with wine corks or rose petals (fresh or silk).  Or, if you have a silk creeper like an ivy or other silk creeper (whose leaves will appear like grape leaves) place the creeper on the table as a runner and then place the grape clusters on top.  If you have access to live creepers and fresh grapes, then they work best for a very realistic appeal.

5.  Hidden treasures that we come across daily but do really not pay much attention to like wine corks, dried beans, old Christmas ornaments can come very handy to create center pieces. Check our post on hidden treasures.

6. If the menu for an occasion encompasses various cuisines and cultures, then look through your cabinet and figure out which color serve ware, plates and glasses you have the most.  You could also figure out which family of colors you have the most – light shades or bright colors.  A mixture of two colors will work for an interesting mix too like black and white;red and white;  red and black; brown and green; green and yellow; blue and green; silver and blue; gold and any color. For e.g. black plates with white bowls for soups/salads or vice verse.  Remember coffee mugs can works as soup mugs too.

7. Some times,  seasons can be the theme or a center piece.  A bowl of lemons will very well symbolize spring.  A basket of fresh vine tomatoes surrounded by fresh green peppers or radishes surrounded by fresh green beans will yell summer!  These produce can be reused – think green.

8. Music sets the tone very much for a nice dinner or party.  In the internet era we live in, every kind of music is available to play or download for free. Use those resources.

9.  The attire of a host and guests can very well set the tone/theme to a party. Island theme is an easy attire to pull of.  Sarongs, wraps , shirts with floral prints will all fit for an Island theme party.  Make sure you put in your invite/evite the dress code with suggestions.

10.  When on a beach most of us pick shells, pebbles and stuff.  These can come very handy for party decor.  Place clusters of shells and pebbles around candles or flower vases at various places through out the house (like in powder rooms, entry way, as weights on tops of napkins).  Pebbles work fine for Asian themes too.

Make it Fast, Fun, and Facile! – Sri