UltimateMama and her girls enjoy hosting friends for brunch or dinner parties throughout the year.  Some of these events are “fancy parties” with many guests so UltimateMama organizes seating charts as well as creates beautiful tablescapes with festive and fun placemats, runners, mis-matched china, and elegant water goblets.

UltimateMama finds a great way to use deeply discounted gift tags purchased during January post-holiday clearance sales is to turn them into name cards for place settings.  Just take a colored Sharpie (gold is a favorite) or a calligraphy pen and write your guest’s name on the front of the name tag and place it above their dinner plate or on a folded napkin on their dinner place.  You can leave the inside blank or write a quick note thanking them for their attendance. Elegant and efficient!

UltimateMama loves to involve her children with the creation of tablescapes, preferably ones that have meaning.  Using shells your children have collected from vacations and placing them into clear glass jars is a nice, inexpensive way to display a souvenir of fun times and create a tranquil setting for your table or countertop.

To do:

1.  After your children have collected various shells in myriad colors, shapes, and sizes, you will want to bleach them in a solution of half bleach and half water (usually without the help of your youngsters).  This way the smell is eliminated (if you don’t smell the odor of your shells immediately, you will if you don’t bleach them).

2. Select a clear glass vase or jar.  UltimateMama found this glass jar with lid below in a thrift shop for $1.  Open vases work well too.

3.  Have your children look at the shells and decide which ones should go into the jar or vase and fill away!

4.  Display your souvenir shell project as a lovely tablescape.

5. Enjoy it every day.