Use Vintage Finds and Refreshed Junk as Unique Serving Pieces and Centerpieces
Remember the divided drawer I refreshed and used as my Easter Centerpiece? {“Divided Drawer: From Workbench to Centerpiece”} I enlisted it’s rustic beauty and some other vintage and junk items to stylishly serve the food, drinks and plates at our recent grad party. Using some of your unique items will personalize your party and elevate the disposable-ness of hum-drum plastic/paper plates and silverware.
Bulk-bought clear plastic silverware almost looked special when I separated the forks, knives and spoons and placed them in aqua, pedestal glasses in the divided drawer. I added party themed napkins in a few of the compartments and inserted a couple of Pop Shoppe bottles with flowers to carry through some of the table centerpiece elements.
If I hadn’t been arranging the flowers in the dark the night before the party, I would have added some cuttings from the yard, like I recommended in “Get a Big Bang from your Box Store Bouquet”. But we have a saying in my too-many-big-ideas family…“Cut your losses and move on”...and I did on that task! No one else but me will know how much cuter the Pop Shoppe bottles would have looked with a couple of hosta leaves…just sayin;) Oh, the disease of making things pretty…
The paper plates stood up nicely in an old sewing machine drawer, with a pop bottle wedged in. They also took up less space on the buffet.
A variety of tea bags and honey were corralled in a vintage straw casserole carrier.
And the “Cucumber Lime Punch” was elevated on my refreshed little stool {“Little Stools: Function, Love and Sellability”}.
And milkglass serving pieces are so versatile. I used some as vases for flowers and stacked cake plates up to beautifully display home-baked muffins and breads. The pedestal bowls worked perfectly to nestle containers of yogurt in with ice around. (Sorry, some of these pics turned out wonky)
Creating elevated food displays really amps up the pretty factor when planning out your buffet. I also made sure the colorful fruit kabobs were right in the middle to balance out all the less colorful food.
Using vintage and refreshed junk items on the buffet and as centerpieces helped balance all the “froofy” decorations. Character-rich old wood created a strong foundation to place the prettier elements on or in.
Here are a couple other party hosting tips:
Some guests will need to use your bathroom and come inside, so make sure their journey to the clean facilities is a pretty one.
I displayed my back hall bedspring with the party girl and theme in mind:
For an extra special touch, place some of the party flowers in your bathroom.
Don’t forget to make the kitchen pretty where your helpers are working!
Your family and friends are slaving away; make their workspace special too.
And last, but really first…long before you have the party…
Plant your annual flower pots to coordinate with your big, outdoor celebration.
That’s it for all my grad party posts (except for maybe a couple more recipes)! If you missed any of the planning, my furniture refreshing or my party hosting tips and tricks, here are the posts:
Where I picked up a lot of the chairs and tables we used:
“Curbside Junking Adventures and Tips”
“For the Love and Comfort of Church Sales”
Coming up with a lot of outdoor seating (without renting):
“Refreshing Patio Chairs: Easy Stapled Cushion How-To”
“How to Refresh and Enjoy Vintage Metal Lawn Chairs”
“From Painter’s Scaffolding to Rustic Bench”
And the planning and the execution of the party (about 200 guests in our yard!):
“Grad Party Planning Tips, The Decor”
“Outdoor Party Tips: The Entrance and Furniture”
“Junk Beautiful Photo and Memory Displays”
Hope you’ve gathered some ideas for hosting your next special occasion! Dig out all those great vintage items you’ve picked up or inherited through the years and put them to work for function and beauty!
Sharing at these lovely parties:
So many fun serving pieces! Thanks for sharing @Vintage Charm–pinned!
You showed us some fabulous ideas on how to entertain in style.
Thanks, Debra! Hopefully it will encourage some readers to look at their vintage junk treasures for a whole new purpose;)
Great ideas! Love the idea of using a small stool to elevate a drink dispenser. Thank you!
Thanks, Rachel! Glad you enjoyed the creative tip?