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I absolutely enjoy entertaining at my house.
Every Christmas season, Hubby and I (okay, mostly me) like to have something at our house. Now, sometimes that means a bunch of screaming little kids are over decorating my amazing sugar cookies, getting frosting all over our walls and furniture, sprinkles and colored sugar crystals become permanent flooring and faces end up stained with the frosting since most of it never makes it onto the cookie.
Fun.
Other times we might have an open house for all our family and friends for the Christmas season – because what would December be if you didn’t have 100 parties to attend? Boring, right? I always tell people, you will never come over to my house and find a lone bowl of microwaved popcorn sitting in the middle of an empty table – and that be your eating for the night.
I planned a great menu for the small party of 10! Chicken Tortilla Soup and Chili , warm sourdough bread with REAL BUTTER, seasoned and organic, stove top popcorn, veggies and dip, chips and dip, Chocolate Chip Surprise Cookies, Golly Polly Doodle Cookies, Peppermint Bark (this is the recipe I used), Ginger Ale/Ice Cream Punch, a Make Your Own Mocha station, and more! All of it home-made! 95% of healthy – I threw in some cookies and delicacies that wouldn’t be on my ‘foods you should consume everyday of your life’ list. Come on – don’t be a hater – it was a Christmas Party!
Now, my issue was the presentation of this amazing food.
Now, the fact that I’m addicted to Pinterest has really helped me out of a sticky situation or two. This was no different.
I had secretly been crushing over some tiered serving platters that I had seen on Pinterest.
{images above taken from Pinterest}
Now, some of the tutorials I read on these used items that could be toxic (spray painting plastic dishes) and I don’t want to poison my guests. Others went out and bought new dishes and candle stands and made theirs. Now, those were all pretty, but I didn’t exactly want to spend $80 on a couple tiered serving dishes.
So, I came up with my own plan. I went consignment store shopping. We have thrift stores all over the place so I ran up to one by our house and browsed their section of dishes.
I found an entire set of china, yes, real china – each piece only 50 cents!
I grabbed all the dinner plates, salad plates and soup bowls. Then I found 2 different sets of mini wine glasses that each had 8 in the set! Those were also just 50 cents each. After I loaded up on all the china and wine glasses I took them home and sat them in a sink of hot water with lots of natural soap added. Since it’s real china, I couldn’t use boiling water, although that would have been my preference. I let them soak until the water was tepid, drained the sink, rinsed the dishes and repeated the process.
I let them air dry for about 6 days. Six days isn’t necessary, but I didn’t get around to making the serving dishes until then, so they had a while to dry.
When all was said and done the total cost of ONE 3-tiered serving platter was $3.50, dishes and glue included! Not bad!
HOW TO MAKE THE TIERED SERVING PLATTERS
You’ll need:
- clear epoxy (needs to be clear or it will look extremely tacky) and needs to be epoxy, I don’t think any other craft glue will hold forever and as much weight as the epoxy will
- the dishes you are using, depending on how many tiers you are doing
- the glasses you are using for the ‘stands’ – you can also use glass candle stick holders, I personally like the look of the glasses
Each one consisted of 1 dinner plate, 1 salad plate and 1 bowl and 2 identical mini wine glasses.
Here’s what to do:
- I began by outlining where each wine glass would go.
- I started with the bowl, which would go on the top, I laid it upside down with the rim on the surface and centered the rim of the wine glass on the bottom of the bowl and drew a LIGHT pencil line around the glass.
- Then I did the salad bowl, which was the middle tier. I used the base of one of the glasses and centered it on the top of the salad plate and drew a LIGHT pencil line.
- Next you repeat the first step, and turn the salad plate over and center the rim of a glass on it and draw a line.
- Next repeat the second step with the dinner plate, using the base of a wine glass.
- Once you have all the lines drawn on the dishes, you can mix your epoxy. If you’re only doing one of these serving platters, mix enough epoxy to cover the rim of one wine glass.
To glue everything together:
- Make sure everything is clean and the glasses have no prints on them on the inside of the glass or on the base. If you don’t catch this now and clean it, those prints will forever be a part of the serving platters since once they are glued, you’ll never get to them again.
- Start with the bowl, which is the top tier.
- Turn the bowl upside down and place on a flat surface.
- Using a toothpick or skinny wooden craft stick, apply the epoxy to the rim of the first glass. Remember to work fast. Once the rim is covered in glue (try to do it neatly – it is possible, I was able to do it), slowly place the glass, rim side down on the outline you made on the bottom of the bowl. Apply gentle but firm pressure to the glass so it adheres to the plate. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes before you continue on.
- Once the bowl is dry enough, mix up a little more epoxy (this time enough to do the base of 2 glasses) and apply it to the edge of the base of the wine glass this is already attached to the bowl. Once the epoxy is on, turn the bowl and glass right side up and slowly set it down on the salad plate where the outline is. Again, apply gentle but firm pressure so the glass adheres to the plate. Next apply epoxy to the base of the 2nd wine glass and slowly place it on the outline on the dinner plate (the bottom tier). This time I would allow both to dry for about 10-15 minutes before moving on. If you do not allow enough time for epoxy to set, the glasses and dishes will slide and shift and you will end up with un-centered glasses – doesn’t look pretty.
- After the 10-15 minutes, turn the bowl, glass and salad plate upside down so the top of the bowl is on a flat surface. Next mix up a small amount of epoxy to put on the rim of the wine glass that is on the dinner plate. Once the rim is covered in epoxy, slowly place the bottom plate and glass on the outline you made on the bottom of the salad plate. Apply gentle but firm pressure and then allow to sit for about 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes it should be safe enough to turn back over so it’s facing upright. I let my stands sit for 24 hours before messing with them. Once the epoxy had set – those suckers were indestructible! Really!
To Clean:
It’s easiest to wipe down with warm soapy water to clean. If you have a ginormous sink – you can wash them in your sink. The epoxy will withstand all the soap and water, so you don’t have to worry about it falling apart if it gets wet!
These are WONDERFUL because they are so VERSATILE! I pulled out my 2 sets of china for everyone to dine on and I also pulled out my gold plated silverware and my SILVER silverware! Those special touches are amazing!
What special touches do you add to your holiday celebrations to make them special?
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Written by Kari, Contributing Writer
Gathering with family and friends is a big thing during November and December and I’m all about celebrations. I enjoy going to them, but I absolutely enjoy hosting them.
I probably got the entertaining bug from my mom who knows how to throw a good celebration. Never did a detail slip by her: the décor, ambiance, music, lighting, food…everything that can be recognized by the five physical senses were always taken care of. Those are the kind of gatherings I long for. Going to someone’s home (or wherever they have the event) and feeling like you walked into the first class dining room on the Titanic!
Have you ever been to an evening get-together where there’s only a bowl of chips thrown on the table, there’s a loud television in the background and all the overhead lights on in the house? Maybe you have, but you’ve never really noticed? These are the things that stand out to me when I go somewhere for a party, because I truly believe there is an art to entertaining. I also believe that God has instilled the spirit of hospitality in people – if we would only tap into that part of us and do everything in the same manner Jesus would – the absolute best possible way!
6 Steps to Entertaining:
THE WELCOME
When hosting a party of your own, remember that having people in your home is an honor and you should treat them like royalty! The invite will be the first impression of your celebration, so put some thought into this. Even if you go the Evite way – you can still make it personal and inviting. Make their first impression of your home a good one that can set the stage for the rest of the night. If your guests are tripping over a bunch of stuff thrown all over the porch or they’re wading through dead leaves on a dark porch – it’s not the best way to greet your company. Make sure the parking areas, driveways and walkways are all clear and well lit! Especially when having elderly guests. Glass jar luminaries or solar lights are a great way to light a walking path. Make sure the porch light is on! Once that front door opens they will be hit with one of three things: an inviting atmosphere, a sterile atmosphere or a chaotic atmosphere. Let’s shoot for the first: an inviting atmosphere.
THE LIGHTING
Don’t turn on all your overhead lights and make your home feel like a hospital – fluorescent lights and fan lights will probably be too bright unless they are on a dimmer. It’s not an office party – it’s a party in your home! Instead, turn on lamps, torchieres and dimmed recessed or track lighting. This will give it a warm, cozy and inviting feeling or mood – hence the term “mood lighting.” It definitely is more relaxing and can keep people from feeling anxious.
THE SOUNDS
Turn the TV off (unless of course they are there for a football game) – and keep it off for the night! This will ‘force’ people to interact – which is not a bad thing. In fact, we don’t do enough of it these days. Have music playing loud enough to hear it, but not so loud that you can’t hold a conversation without yelling or straining to hear. Make it background music – not front row concert seats. Let’s say it’s a Christmas party – put on a mix of Christmas music from Perry Como to Michael Buble to Charlie Brown’s Christmas. Your guests will enjoy it!
THE SCENTS
If you are not cooking or baking food – then you should have an essential oil diffuser or simmer pot going to have a pleasant scent throughout your house. When you get a house full of people – you never know what your house will end up smelling like – so take charge and create a pleasing atmosphere for everyone there. Make it coincide with the time of year. This time of year people enjoy the scents of cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, ginger, pumpkin, pine, rosemary, etc. Our senses play a huge part in how we interpret a situation. Do all you can to make it pleasant for people. If you are baking or cooking, your house will already be filled with great smells!
THE DÉCOR
Now this doesn’t have to be extensive, but if it’s a celebration of a holiday or special occasion, try to have something up to represent that. Even if it’s topiaries on the food table or candles lit around the rooms you’ll be hanging out in. Autumn surrounds us with pumpkins, scarecrows and all things harvest – which provides great décor. Coupled with the dim lights and music – the décor will surely stand out! Photos albums are always popular – so setting a couple out for people to flip through is something you could do that serves as décor/accessories yet gives your guests something to do and talk about.
THE FOOD
Last, but not least, if you have invited people over for an evening or any time of day that will have them at your home for a few hours – have foods and drinks available! I have to say that it is a pet peeve of mine when you go to a gathering and there is nothing to drink and everyone has to grab chips out of one small bowl. I might be considered a party snob – but I guess I think we should all put more thought into how we treat everyone who walks through our door. I must be old fashioned like my grandparents. If you drop in, they’ll feed you even if you tell them you’re not hungry. Grandma will whip up something on the stove for you within five minutes. Nobody comes to their house and leaves with an empty stomach. In the same manner, we should have several options for our guests in case they do get a little hungry or they need something to drink. Let’s face it – entertaining usually centers around food, so keep that tradition alive. If it’s a cold night, along with appetizers, you can have a slow cooker with chili or chicken noodle soup on hand to warm your guests up! Those are both simple and easy. If you know of anyone with food allergies or a food intolerance, it is such a wonderful gesture to have something that they’ll be able to eat (nut-free desserts, grain-free dishes, gluten-free bread, etc.) Your guests will truly appreciate this gesture – and what better way to get conversations going – around the food table!
I promise you – entertaining can be fun and it can be a wonderful ministry to family and friends. It’s wonderful to be a blessing to those you love by treating them with worth during the approaching holiday season! Incorporating a welcoming home, healthy food and a joyous and contagious personality – people will love coming to your home! We are blessed to be a blessing and I intend to make my home a place of ministry.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Enjoy spending time with your family and friends! And make your life A LIFE WORTH LIVING!
Do you like entertaining? What do you think is the hardest/easiest part about it?
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