How to Set a Winter White Table

Create the festive illusion of eating winter meals in the snow. Even if you're not a Martha Stewart wannabe, you can set a winter white table. You can use simple techniques and keep it elegant without spending a lot of money.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

1. Determine the number of people to be seated at the table. This can be your extended family or friends.

2. Decide if this meal will be served sit down style with people being served at individual place settings or if it will be served buffet style with guests serving themselves. Either approach can utilize the various winter white table ideas.

3. Create a personalized tablecloth with a sponge and fabric paint. Use a white tablecloth. Paint images of leaves, vines, Christmas trees and stars. You can choose any festive paint color or colors you think will enhance your winter white table decor.

4. Select white cloth napkins and paint the same design on each one that you created for the tablecloth. You can also use a different image design for each napkin-Christmas trees on one, stars on another and so forth. Tie the look of the napkins together with white matching napkin rings. White enamel, white wood or white glitter finishes would be the perfect touch for the napkin rings.

5. Break small branches off of a tree in a rural field or an out of the way park. Spray paint them snow white. Insert florist's foam in a shallow tray or bowl. Insert the branches into the container. Cover the entire container with a white cloth. Place silver stars all over the cloth and hang white, shiny Christmas tree bulbs of varying sizes on the tree branches. This is your table centerpiece.

6. Purchase enough white dishes, cups and bowls for you winter white table. Inexpensive mirrors can be cut into rectangular shapes and used for individual placemats. Eating utensils (forks, spoons, knives) should be silver or stainless steel-just make sure they shine.

7. Decorate the entire room in winter white if you like. You can hang frosted swags, light white candles that burn a vanilla aroma and light the room with white light bulbs.