How To Decorate Your Dinner Table In A Way To Impress Your Guests

When you invite guests to come to your home to share a meal with you, setting an attractive table is as important as serving good food. Your table setting is the first thing that your guests will see and can actually influence their appetites. This is why you should chose your setting carefully, based on whether the dinner is to be casual or elegant.

If you are having a formal dinner, then using a cream colored, linen tablecloth with matching cloth napkins is great for this type of dinner. You an accent it with a crystal or gold vase filled with flowers. Be sure to use a low vase, so that your guests' views of each other will not be blocked and you can use a large one for the center of the table and two small matching ones at the end. Candles also add a touch of elegance. Instead of using typical candle holders, considering using votives that you can set in bowls of water. Floating scented candles are another way to add grace and elegance to your table. If you prefer a modern type of elegance, then forget about using your grandmother's china and purchase some of the newer dinnerware that uses colorful geometric shapes.

Decorate

If you are having a casual dinner, then consider using brightly colored tablecloths and napkins. They add festiveness to the table and can be complimented with floral arrangements that match the colors that you use. You can buy utensils that have colored stems and glasses in colors to match. There are many casual place mats that are attractive and affordable. They will not only add a since of style to your place setting but will protect your table cloth as well.

How To Decorate Your Dinner Table In A Way To Impress Your Guests

Themed dinners such as those served at holiday time, can be especially fun to decorate for. There is lots of dinnerware and utensils that have holiday themes and you can even band miniature Christmas tree ornaments together to make attractive compliments to your table. Red and gold are great colors to use for these dinners and don't forget to break out the punch bowl for eggnog. If wine is going to be served, use crystal stemware.

How you serve the food is also important. You should have pitchers of water at each end of the table and serve the appetizers first. Once they have been eaten, clear the table to make room for the main dishes. Replace soiled napkins and refill the water pitchers.

Your desert should be as inviting as the main course. Consider peach cobbler or a chocolate layer cake. Always have a sugar free alternative in case one of your guests can not eat food that contains sugar.
Be attentive to your guests and engage them in conversation. Make them laugh and they will appreciate you even more.

How To Decorate Your Dinner Table In A Way To Impress Your Guests

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as indoor decor [http://www.indoorandoutdoordecor.com] at [http://www.indoorandoutdoordecor.com]

Office Decor - The Sports Theme

Too many in the office the idea of gearing up for office décor may seem a little bit humdrum or boring. Choosing the right items in colors may enhance your work greatly. This article will focus specifically on private home office décor - and some possible ideas you may use next.

What Is Your Favorite Sport or Team?

Decor

Do you have a favorite college or professional sport that you are extremely passionate about? If you're looking to add both value, and personality to your home office, this may be the perfect solution.

Office Decor - The Sports Theme

Autographs Are Great

You may consider purchasing some autographed jerseys of your favorite players that are framed. These types of office décor items not only will add some personality to your room, but they can also become quite valuable in time - thus making it a great investment. The key when buying any autographed memorabilia is to make sure that you get certification for verifiable proof that you're getting what you paid for.

Baseball Is Very Popular

One the most popular home office décor themes might be a baseball theme. You could get a couple of jerseys from some your favorite players with a couple of autographed balls and bats. Although this could set you back several hundred to several thousand dollars depending on the team and the players it could be money well spent.

Cheer up Those Gloomy Days

We are all prone to have our down days when we're working in the office. A home office is no exception to this rule. If you're wanting to spice up your office look and feel. You may want to consider a sports office décor theme.

Office Decor - The Sports Theme

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Decorate Your Stairway For Christmas

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year! And decorating for the holidays can be a pleasure in itself. Your house can be alive with the holiday spirit without putting a huge dent in your time and budget.

It is helpful to simplify things. The tips offered here are fun and easy to do-you don't need to be a professional interior decorator to have a lovely holiday house!

Decorate

If you have a staircase or railing in your home or on the porch, it is easy to make it festive. Start by choosing fir garland. You can use real or fake, and there are upsides to both choices: the real thing has that Christmas tree pine smell that delights our senses, while the fake garland can be reused year after year, and doesn't pose a fire hazard.

Decorate Your Stairway For Christmas

Once your garland is hung at even gently curved intervals from the stair railing, you can add your own personal touch. Use the following suggestions to get your creative holiday juices flowing.

You may choose to string cranberries or popcorn as in the olden days. Or you can paint the edges of pine cones white to suggest snow (or leave them natural). Now add these winsome lovelies to your greenery by fastening with bright ribbons in white, green, red, blue, gold, or silver.

If an outlet is handy, string indoor/outdoor Christmas lights to your garland. Make sure they are cool-burning, and do not leave unattended when lit.

If your staircase or railing is long enough, you may want to hang Christmas wreaths at even intervals.

If you have a landing at the bottom or middle of your staircase, group poinsettias or small potted pine trees in a corner or two. Decorate with ornaments, ribbons, and bows. Or you can fill decorative baskets or containers with fragranced potpourri for an interesting display.

Experiment to see what works for you. Once your staircase or railing is pleasing to your eye, you know you are finished!

Decorate Your Stairway For Christmas

Lisa Herbik is the author of Decorate Your Stairway For Christmas. Find affordable, easy to install wall murals for beautiful rooms even after the holidays at http://www.ArtisticHomeowner.com

Rustic Decorating With Natural Wood

Rustic decor is as popular now as it has been for generations. Rustic style decor appeals to those who have a deep appreciation of the great outdoors and want to bring a feeling of this rugged beauty into their homes.

The most common theme found in rustic decorating is the use of natural wood. Some common types of wood that are found in rustic homes include Pine, Aspen, Oak and Maple. Two popular types of Pine used in wood paneling, furniture and fencing are Northern White Cedar and Western Red Cedar.

Decorating

Northern White Cedar is the lightest commercial wood in the U.S. Found in primarily in Southeastern Canada and Northeastern United States, this type of wood is naturally resistant to decay and insect infestation. It has an appealing creamy white color that will weather to a beautiful silvery gray if left untreated. It glues well, holds paint well and like all cedar wood, has a wonderful natural aroma. This makes Northern White Cedar an excellent choice for rustic diningroom, livingroom and bedroom furniture.

Rustic Decorating With Natural Wood

Western Red Cedar is another common wood used for rustic decor because of its beautiful natural red color and its resistance to weather. This makes it a great choice for garden furniture such as arbors and trellises. Like Northern White Cedar, Western Red Cedar is easy to work with and has one of the longest life spans of any North American softwood.

Aspen is another softwood known for its beautiful white color. Aspen is a popular wood used to make rustic decor such as picture frames, candle holders, mirror frames, wine racks and more. Quaking Aspen, the western species commonly found in the Rocky Mountains of North America is famous for the striking color change of it's leaves in the fall. Aspen trees grow in stands of clones, meaning they are genetically identical and share a common root system. They need full sunlight to thrive, making them intolerant to shade. Without the help of naturally occurring wildfires, Aspen stands have been on the decline. Forest fires, while unpopular with people, are important to the ecosystem. This is where careful, controlled harvesting of trees like Aspen can actually help restore the natural population in the absence of wildfires, which are hard to control.

Deformities on wood can actually enhance its appearance. This is the case with burl wood, a rare, highly sought after material for rustic furniture makers. Burl wood is formed by a growth commonly found on tree trunks, branches and roots that cause the grain to grow in a deformed way. Mold or insect infestations are the most common cause for this condition which is found on species such as Redwood, Spruce, Walnut and Maple. This deformity results in spectacular patterns that make unique and stunning rustic furniture.

No matter what type of wood one prefers, the natural beauty of wood never goes out of style. While natural wood is dominate in rustic decorating, it can be found in many other decorating styles as well.

Rustic Decorating With Natural Wood

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Decorating With Wine Labels

Many people save the corks from a special bottle of wine to commemorate the occasion. Some people also like to save the bottles or at least the labels. You can actually get quite creative with wine labels. You can make coasters or a variety of small items using these labels or you can save them up or buy them online for a larger project. For example, you can create a unique bistro set by covering a round wooden table with them.

You can also copy wine labels or have them copied and printed on heavier paper to use on craft projects. You can come up with a variety of craft ideas using these labels with decoupage. You can also frame them and hang them on the wall. If you have collected the labels yourself for a period of time and from a variety of places, it is especially fun to get creative by using them all together in a collage or making several different crafts for a special area of your home.

Decorating

If you like to make gifts for others, using wine labels can be a great way to make unique gifts for wine enthusiasts. Decoupage them onto a keepsake box or cover a hat box with them for a special gift. There are literally hundreds of ideas you can use to create something special from these labels.

Decorating With Wine Labels

Use your imagination and see what you can come up with regarding decorating with wine labels. Whether you would like to turn them into wall paper or decorations to go on the walls, you are limited by only your imagination.

Decorating With Wine Labels

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