FAUX BREAD AND NEW YEAR'S EVE! WAIT...WHAT?

 Nothing like a great food prop to make a table look more inviting!   I thought I'd start with bread.  After researching, I found a simple way to make a faux bread food prop.  One, buy a pretty loaf of bread.  Two, dehydrate it in a slow oven: 180 degrees for 2 hours.  Three, let it cool and sit for a couple days.  Four, give it two coats of polyurethane.   Make sure it doesn't get wet or damp, and if you store it, throw in some silica packets to keep it dry.   And voila!   Here it is.

Faux Bread!

My thoughts about a New Year's Eve placesetting.   I decided to look for plates with a clock face to use for NYE.  The items that came up were very expensive, and frankly, not very cute.  So, I decided to resurrect an idea I had last year which was to place a paper clock face under a glass plate.   Easy and budget friendly.

New Year's Eve Clock Face

PIZZA, WINE, AND THEE

In the Northeast, August is the warmest month.  The stores are ready for back-to-school shoppers, and the late afternoon shadows are getting longer.   My husband and I enjoy pizza on Friday nights regardless of how hot it gets.  It has become a tradition, and I make our pizza from scratch, including the dough for the crust.  My favorite toppings are Hot Italian sausage (crumbled), peppers and onions, sliced olives, and thinly sliced fresh tomato.  I precook the sausage, onions, and peppers.  Under these scrumptious toppings is a layer of sauce topped by a layer of mozzarella cheese, and grated cheese completes the pie.

Now, how to set the table?   I put the question out to my BTS friends on Facebook and received many answers.  The most popular was the traditional red checkered tablecloth with candles in empty wine bottles.   Some use clever triangular plastic dishes, some paper, and one lady serves her pizza on parchment paper.   Meanwhile, I set out to create a tablescape.   I found some lovely reticulated (pierced) plates with grapes and grape leaves, the seller sent the wrong plates and I ended up getting a full refund and two plates that I did not want, sigh.  I finally found a pretty lattice-edged plate, lovely grapes and leaves salad plate, napkins, napkin rings, and 4 more napkins that I will make into a table square.  Everything else, I have in my arsenal.  I began my journey with a collage, and as I added to the collection, I use the collage to see if an item will work.  I love the process, and here is what I came up with:

The Table

The Pizza

Design Collage