Who doesn’t love a good visual pun? And these gaudy big faux-diamond napkin rings are just too much fun.

This set of four metal-and-glass napkin rings is £6.95 at the DotComGiftShop.com.

For a wedding? Seriously?

Most of the crystal or rhinestone rings designed as napkin holders are intended for tabletop decor at an engagement party, rehearsal dinner or  wedding reception — can you imagine? — so you’ll most often find the napkin rings listed under Wedding Supplies, most places.

I’m not sure I’d go there, myself — unless the wedding theme is something like My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding (let’s not go there either, please: a little respect for the travellers?) — but fake diamonds splashing the table decor for a bachelorette party dinner? Absolutely!

I did spot similar “diamond” napkin rings a while back at Bed Bath & Beyond about 4 or 5 years ago, but their version was just a little too, er, understated and scaled-down to carry the same note of whimsy — but there’s a surprising selection from various merchants on Amazon.com. No idea what kind of quality you’ll get with any of these, of course, but we can assume that we’re not talking Shrek-sized jewellery for real…

Trying to make the fake look real is never a winner, which is one good reason to play bold (as shown here) or just fold your napkins. Faux works best when it’s frankly over the top!

Much as I absolutely despise the kabillion pop-ups that plague the Better Homes and Gardens site, I do enjoy some of BHG’s quick-and-easy holiday decorating ideas.

Here, for example, asparagus spears and long green beans make Thanksgiving-theme wrappers for simple pillar candles. It’s all done with a couple of strong elastic bands, and a length of satin ribbon to hide them.

And see that hollowed-out artichoke candle holder?
Very cool.

Grouped together with a few white chrysanthemums (easy to come by this time of year, and good tough flowers that stand up well to handling while you fiddle with your centrepiece), and you’ve got yourself the kind of table decor to make your Thanksgiving dinner guests feel special indeed.

I’ve just been looking at HGTV’s ideas for sewing a table runner, thinking of seting a special table for all those holiday dinner guests.

If you’re going to do the festive holiday table runner, why not make it much more than just a simple strip of cloth down the middle of the table?

Especially with an opulent fabric like a tapestry or brocade, pointed ends that are weighted with thick silky tassels add flare to a classic, and classy, dining room decor!

And here’s the best tip for laundering your fancy table linen that I’ve come across in some time, courtesy of Mary Wilkins:

Machine washing can turn your tassels into a tangled mess. Instead of sewing them to the runner, sew a small shirt button on the wrong side near the point. Slip the loop of the tassel over the button and no one will be the wiser. Next time it goes in the washing machine, slip the tassels off and wash as usual. Your tassels will be just like new when you put them back on.

I’m reminded of the button-on collars that were standard wear for men in earlier times, and of the fancy beaded pieces that Victorian and Edwardian ladies fastened on to perk up a plain dress.

This handy tip could apply to any delicate trim or embellishment on an item that’s otherwise machine-washable — not only table linens and bedding, but everything else from blouses to handbags.

Technorati Tags: sewing, tablewear, embellishments, laundry

Photo: sophiecarnay

Now that North Americans are finally starting to drop the quick grub-grabbing in front of the TV, in favour of sit-down meal-times as a well-deserved break in the hectic day, and now that we’re entertaining more and cooking more at home, suddenly we’re looking at the table settings again!

It’s fair to say that tabletops are seen as a more important aspect of home decor than at any other time in the last ten years. So, why not change them up to suit the season or the occasion?

A TV host said recently that your table linen is the “fashion” part of the dining room, and I do know what she was getting at — next to flowers and/or your centrepiece, changing the fabric elements — tablecloth, runner, placemats, napkins — is just about the easiest and least expensive way to update your dining room style.

But I’m going to add another thought to that — with the reminder of that tragically under-used piece of tableware, the decorative charger or “service plate” as it may sometimes be called.

Chargers!

Imagine a table dressed in creamy linen and candlelight, with Tracy Porter’s richly patterned floral charger plate (at PitneyManor.com) waiting for a wonderful meal to be served up on that classic, my favourite, pure white china…

Chargers are those large plates that are already set in place when you arrive at the table, and receive the plates of food as each course is served. Some American restaurants will leave the charger on the table throughout the meal, but traditionally you’d remove the charger from the table before presenting the dessert course.

Actually, I had dinner with a chef just last night, and we got talking about this. Armel did a bit of a rant on the subject — he and I agree that the charger should be removed when the serious business of dining is done, so the replete diners may linger over coffee and cognac and conversation, with elbows on the table, in the old world way.

Chargers don’t have to be designer-special or expensive to make a great decor statement and a quick change of charger can totally change the look of your table to suit any occasion.

• For the patio, for example, scope out the discount store for some of those big plastic picnic plates in ice-cream colours, or a set of inexpensive wicker chargers that are designed to support paper plates.
• For more formal occasions, of course, nothing beats silver… but those over-sized dinner plates left over from Grandma’s wedding china set would make great chargers, instead. You can even mix-and-match patterns with antique plates picked up for next-to-nothing at secondhand shops and flea markets, especially if you keep the patterns in the same colour family (faux Spode in blue and white, for example), or go for just one common pattern in various colourns.
• In between, almost anything goes!There’s a great interest now in handcrafted ceramics or distressed metal dinnerware, reflecting other current home fashion trends, but don’t limit yourself to replicating the magazine pictures and shop-window displays!

  I’ve seen some truly beautiful table settings done with imagination and grace, using chargers that were improvised from all sorts of unconventional objects, too — round mirrors with simple shallow frames, for example, or even very shallow baskets with a bed of tiny sea shells on which to rest the dinner plates!

When I’ve got more guests than my (heirloom) white Wedgewood dinnerware can accomodate, I stretch it out with pieces of vintage china in a mix-and-match kind of way.

Patterns are pretty, but if you choose all-white dinnerware you can change the whole mood of your dining room as quickly as you can change the linen.

And that just makes good sense — fine china is an investment, but you’ll probably want to redecorate every few years as style change…

No, you can’t go wrong with a pure white set of dishes — and here’s a beauty!

The Point Dinnerware collection from celebrity chef Thomas Keller is handcrafted by Raynaud in France using pure white Limoges porcelain. Most of the pieces feature extra-wide rims to showcase the cuisine, so you can really get into playing Master Chef in style. Luxury and convenience, together — every piece (except those with stainless steel knobs) is microwave and dishwasher safe.

As beautiful to look at as it is to use, this is the ultimate restaurateur’s dinnerware collection. Selected pieces include egg cups, plates and domed covers, quenelle dishes, and sculptural spoons.

The collection is available online at Gracious Style.