With Easter and Mother’s Day right around the corner, you may find yourself in the role of hostess. Don’t get overwhelmed, we have all of your easiest fixes and tips right here.  We started with very simple basics, a white tablecloth, white dishes, and simple flatware (meaning using whatever you have in the house is a great start). First, develop your palette. Head to your local fabric store, or one of our favorite sources, Fabric.com to find a bright pretty swath in whatever color scheme or pattern you like. We made a runner that covered the tabletop (you can either finish the rough edges by hot glueing a ribbon over the ends for a tailored look, or by folding a bit underneath and ironing down with Stitch Witch).

 Details on the table help elevate some of those easy basics- Being in the Lowcountry, we gathered oyster shells for salt and pepper cellars and cut some Camellias still blooming out of the yard and floated in simple glass vessels.  Finding a template online and some paper that complimented the fabric, menus were printed. Having place cards and menus in some shape or fashion make such an impression on your guests. Using some decorative trim (here, rick rack), we tied an adornment on the napkins just for a little something extra.

Flowering branches found at a local wholesale florist, or large greenery or leaves out of your yard in glass containers make a big impact for less money on the tables. Little bud vases sprinkled throughout add color and detail- I love the idea of pulling out some silver containers from your collection or glassware to mix and match your vases.

Don’t stress too much about what you are serving as well. A store bought quiche and composed salad allow you to still be a hostess and not spend your entire time in the kitchen. Come up with a speciality drink that you can make ahead of time and serve with a pretty garnish (we like a Pink Lady for these occasions), but make sure to set up a bar cart or space making it easy for guests to access. If you style with a few little touches here and there and provide pretty glasses, guests will hardly mind serving themselves. Voila!

Thank you to Marni Rothschild for the lovely images.