Wednesday, April 16, 2008






TT#5 Thirteen Entertainment Tools I Love


We entertain a lot--everything from biker parties to supper clubs to large family gatherings to wedding parties to intimate dinners for six to an annual party for 350 of our closest friends. Over the years, I have come to rely on items that I use over and over. I thought I would list twelve of them plus one new find. This is part of my effort to reuse, repurpose, recycle.
  1. Silver nesting vases. I bought these several years ago. I have used them and loaned them. They are 18, 24, and 27 inches tall. I like tall arrangements on my tables. My three favorite things to put in them are tomato red gladiolas, pheasant feathers, and nandina stalks trimmed like a topiary.


  2. Pheasant feathers. Tom hunted in South Dakota for years . The deal was---he brought me the feathers. I have a great collection, and I have used them in all kinds of ways.

  3. Chargers. I don't like an empty table. I have inexpensive chargers in several colors that I keep on the dining room table with napkins and plates. It always looks inviting.

  4. Odd candlesticks. I have a large pine-topped island in my kitchen, and I like to have an arrangement on it. I change it often, but it usually involves tall candlesticks and silver vases that I use with candles.

  5. Crinkle pillow shams. I have two sets of crinkle pillow shams. I use them on pillows, slipped on the backs of chairs, and to camoflage items. Right now, I have one covering a bowl on my island.

  6. Old bedspreads and quilts. I have several vintage bedspreads--chenille, crocheted, and plain cotton that I often use on tables as undercloths. I spread them casually on a table, and cover partially with a topper. I have one quilt hanging on the wall in our farmhouse. It's is what you see when you walk in the door. I keep a spotlight on it; it definitely has the wow factor.

  7. Shot glasses. I have 16 shot glasses in different colors that I found at Big Lots. They are great. I use them all the time for desserts and appetizers.

  8. Pearls. Big pearls. Big decorating item. I buy them in quantities from a mardi gras supplier. We use them on the girls when we travel, on green wreaths for parties, hanging on arrangements, on towels in the bathroom. It's sort of a theme for us.

  9. Striped napkins. Years ago, my mother made several dozen lapkins for me out of vintage kitchen toweling---red and white striped. Have they ever been used!

  10. Wine carrier. This nine-compartment Reisenthal bottle bag goes with us everywhere. It looks great; and it can carry plenty of beverage material for an evening or two--wine or liquor bottles, corkscrew, acrylic wine glasses, and I keep a bottle of water and aspirin in it to remind me not to over do it!

  11. Vintage tablecloths. I have bought great vintage tablecloths from Ebay--all sizes, but I never buy round. I think square cloths look much better on a round table. I have lots of fifties patterned kitchen cloths and beautiful white linen, damask, and cut work cloths---bought for a song. I call them my "old family cloths"---and they are someone's old family cloths!

  12. Sheeting. I happened in a mill store a few weeks ago, and I found yards and yards of sheeting in several patterns and colors. I paid $10 for about 50 yards, and I have already gotten my moneys worth. I simple tear it in the lengths I need for table covers or other decoration. Easy to wash, no ironing. Great!

  13. Red duvet cover. This is my newest purchase--from the same mill store: a Ralph Lauren duvet cover I picked up for $5. I love the red stripe and the burlap binding. I don't plan to use it on the bed, but I will use as a table cover, picnic blanket, or anything else I can think of.


I hope this encourages you to look around you for items that you might "morph" into something else.


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23 comments:

Chelle Y. said...

You're a regular Martha Stewart! :)

To answer your question, you are not missing anything by not watching the reality shows.

Hootin Anni said...

My father grew up in south dakota, so I know how many pheasants there were......WAY back!!!

Your decor for entertaining is super.

Hope you can drop by to view my T 13....I love visitors y'know. :o)

janet said...

Wow--it all looks gorgeous to me!!

I love the name of your blog and the verse you chose.

Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Nicholas said...

I love those candlesticks!

janet said...

P.S. I left you a comment on my blog. (I responded to your comment on my post).

Open Grove Claudia said...

Gosh, your home and taste are wonderful. I really admire people who put a little bit of themselves into their home.

Happy TT!

Malcolm said...

I admire your creativity. I esp. like what you did with the pheasant feathers.

The Gal Herself said...

My sister would love the pheasant photo, as she does something similar with peacock feathers. And I love the idea of hanging the quilt as artwork!
(Thanks for visiting my blog)

SandyCarlson said...

You sure do have some great ideas there! I love what you did with the feathers and vases.

The Library Lady said...

Cool stuff. Love the vases, the candles and the quilts!

siteseer said...

Puts me in the mood to do more entertaining. Great ideas. Thanks

Lori said...

Wow, you have some cool stuff!!! I want to party are your house:) Happy TT and thanks for stopping by.

Bethany said...

What wonderful things you have in your house! Happy TT :)

Nancy Lindquist-Liedel said...

You have lovely taste.

misty said...

Great list. Great tablescape, too. Thanks for stopping by my blog. Happy TT.

maryt/theteach said...

Okay, kay, am I invited for dinner? Or just to hang out in your house? Lovely, lovely entertainment "tools!"

Mia Celeste said...

I love the name of your blog page. It's one of my favorite verses. Happy TT!

Colleen - Mommy Always Wins said...

I agree with chelle y. - Martha ain't got nothin' on you!!!

As a fellow "planner", I'm always the one who hosts the dinner parties, the "just because" parties, the holidays, etc. I'm happy to see I'm not the only one who enjoys that. (Some people call me crazy!)

Great T13! Thanks for visiting mine!

DoubleDeckerBusGuy said...

A goodly list and some great decorating tips and thoughts! Thanks for sharing it!

Jennifer said...

Thanks for visiting my TT list.

I am happy to have found your list as well. I love vintage things and need to find more to have in my own home. Right now, I am trying to find beautiful aprons.

Laura Paxton said...

I love your house! You could come decorate for me...seems I have no time to do the little things that would make my house look so much nicer!

Thanks for coming by my T-13!!

tommie said...

What great ideas! I love that wine holder.

Thanks for visiting my T13! Happy weekend.

EHT said...

Thank you so much for the tour of your beautiful things. This is a great idea for a 13 list. I think I like the striped napkins the best.

Thanks for visiting History Is Elementary. I hope you come by again soon.