Silverware

This really isn't as scary as it sounds, I promise! A tabletop accessory is really just an accessory or extra for your table. And really, these tabletop accessories aren't just for your dining room table, they can be used for any table in your home. I'm simply picking the dining room table because this is the most exciting table TO decorate! Tabletop accessories are used in order to make your tables more interesting, fun, colorful, have a specific theme, style, feeling, color or -- whatever the heck else you want it to do!

You have a lot of options in front of you right now. Some are pretty obvious: dinnerware and silverware, but then you also have various other options as well. Some of these barware and accessories are well known, some are not... The point to this is to learn all you can about tabletop accessories, find options you like and apply these to your table(s). So let's look at a few of these options available to you!

Dishware or Dinnerware: This was one of those obvious options. Can't exactly eat if you don't have something to eat on (unless you are doing a caveman theme!) And these dinnerware options aren't your mothers dinnerware. These are going to come in all kinds of stimulating colors, designs, patterns, sizes, shapes and materials. One of my all-time favorite materials they use to make dinnerware is the clay option. It's really rustic, but it also gives the table a really art-deco feeling as well! You can go as plain as you want (white) or as crazy as you want!

Silverware or Eating Utensils: Now this is where you start to blur the lines a little bit. Most of us think of silverware or utensils and right away we think of the conventional spoon, knife, fork with tines, etc. But alas, this is the year 2009 soon to be 2010 and the manufacturers have come to realize that in this day and age, the same old same old just won't cut it. Now you can find ziggy-zaggy handles, bronze, even glass! Heck, I was in a store the other day and they had a regular looking place set, but the handles were made of cork. CORK! That is totally off the grid. But it's what people want. There are over 6,692,030,277 people in the world. Not everyone is going to choose conventional silverware or eating utensils, and that's alright!

Condiment Holders: I assume when most people think of a condiment holder the first thing that pops into their heads are those ugly yellow (mustard) and red (ketchup) squeeze bottles. Well sorry to disappoint you, but that is not what we are talking about here! These are some really cool inventions. Most of these are going to be "dishes" or "basins" if you will. Usually they will either be singles, doubles, or three or more attached to each other. They come in ceramic, glass, tin, stainless steel, etc.

Some of them are see through while others are plain and some are going to have designs. You can even use these for finger foods or tapas as well. They are very versatile. Sauces, glazes, dips, toppings and anything else you can think of can go in these! Great for a football game at home and some hot dogs, hamburgers and all the fixings (tomato, lettuce, onion, ketchup, mustard, etc). But also cool for a dinner party with a few of your closest friends using these for coconut dipping sauce for coconut shrimp, sweet and sour sauce for spring fried egg rolls or mango chutney for your fish tacos. Whatever you want!

Beverage Dispensers: These are also going to come in all kinds of styles, sizes, and materials or textiles. You can use them for any party or any occasion and for virtually ANY kind of a drink. My aunt just had a going away party for my cousin who is going to Savannah for college, and she had three of these beverage dispensers - each with a homemade punch. You can also use them for water, lemonades, sangria, iced tea, etc. They also have hot beverage dispensers as well so you can use these for coffee and tea. These are cool because yet again you can fit them in with whatever style you have or whatever style you want. Some ar going to come with glass casings and wrought iron stands, while others are going to come as a see through glass pitcher with a glass pedestal at the bottom. Big or little, fancy or not - these are a need to have at any party you have!

As you can see, there are thousand different options in front of you once you start factoring in not only the tabletop accessories, but the sizes, colors, styles, customizations, textiles, etc. This is like being the artist of your table. You have the control and the inspiration (or lack thereof) to change the tabletop to whatever you want. Have fun with this. Add in some color. Or get two or three different styles or themes so you can change it up once in a while!