Bring on the Bling

Caterer extraordinaire Lisa Dupar arranges items from her delicious menu of easy-to-serve hors d’oeuvres. Her serving platters allow the gorgeous food to stand out on the table, where I’ve added a touch of contemporary glamour with silver orchids. Intricate Roost silver votive holders and a “ghost” candelabra with silver glitter taper candles add height and a bit of holiday glam. Serving trays are displayed on clear plastic shoe boxes filled with silver ball ornaments.

Guests loved the cauliflower panna cotta topped with salmon roe.

Yvonne offers merry wishes on this chalkboard tree, which is a great way to personalize your space throughout the holiday season. It’s a surprisingly easy project. Simply paint a 4-foot by 8-foot piece of plywood (Home Depot is the place to go!) with chalkboard paint. Select your favorite wallpaper and secure it to each corner of the freshly painted plywood with double-sided tape. Then, draw the outline of a Christmas tree with an X-Acto knife and remove extra paper. With a spray adhesive, secure wallpaper to the plywood, and, voilà! Lean it up against a wall for a sturdy backing. (And don’t forget to supply the chalk for guests.)

I always send guests home with a small gift, and since our hostess is a shoe designer, I made drawstring shoe bags (great for traveling or keeping jewelry and shoes safe from scratches) and filled them with Foot Petals shoe pads and foot cream.