Kathy Peterson Inspired

Hosting a dinner party is one of my favorite things to do and I always like to kick it up notch (or two) to make my food presentation memorable.  And boy did I get some nice compliments!

 I started out with a focal point for my buffet table with an Italian piece of pottery in the form of a chicken.  I  nestled it in the back, placed it on a cake stand and filled it with greenery and some freshly cut sunflowers.

I pulled the colors from the pottery into my bread basket and table runner then propped a plate on a plate stand to balance out the  table backdrop.  Using lifts and layers helped with the balance of the table decor.   Food placement also needs to be thought out as well.  The salad, dressing and tomatoes were grouped together on the left side of the table.  And speaking of dressings–instead of setting out the bottled dressings—I poured them into two small Delft Blue coffee and tea containers (each had it’s own little lattle).  On the opposite side–the hot food such as ribs, twice baked potatoes, bread and BBQ sauces were grouped together.  Again rather than setting out a bottle of BBQ sauce–I poured it into a small vintage pitcher to make it easy to pour. 

To add a bit of whimsy and playfulness—I made some last minute napkin holders before my guests arrived.  This was a simple project using Duetica Piper fonts on card-stock.  I really didn’t think my guest wouldn’t say too much about this simple project but the guests got a big kick out the idea and after dinner they collected them all to be reused.  You know sometimes it’s the simplest little things that can make a party memorable!  And here’s my hostess tip.  I rarely use napkins and in place I use small hand towels.  They don’t need to be ironed and can be thrown right into the wash—making my life so much easier!

Stay Inspired!  www.KathyPeterson.com