Hot Table Preparation How-Tos

How To: Stuff balloons inside of balloons for party decor
An interesting party decor idea is to place balloons inside other balloons. This can be accomplished easily by first inflating a large balloon. Using a small stick, push a second, smaller balloon inside the larger one and then inflate the smaller balloon while it is inside the larger one. You can then tie up the second balloon, leaving the smaller one inside the large balloon. This can be repeated with multiple small balloons, so your balloons will have a unique and interesting look. This tut...

How To: Box a tablecloth for catered events
Boxing a table doesn't mean getting into the ring, but it does require a certain degree of skill to successfully complete. Boxing the tablecloth is a great technique for any occasion or party, and every caterer should know these moves.

How To: Fold a cloth napkin into the shape of a woman's bra
In this clip, the Napkin Lady shows you how to take an ordinary cloth dinner napkin and fold it into the shape of a brassiere. This clip is quick and easy and you will have everyone at the table laughing in just a few simple steps. This bra napkin design is also great for bachelorette parties, showers and anywhere else where you need a little lighthearted napkin folding!

How To: Make a tall balloon centerpiece for weddings & events
Judy demonstrates how to make a very tall, simple, yet elegant centerpiece for weddings and other events. You first need a tube and a base that it will fit into. Placing the tube in the base, use a hot glue gun to secure the tube into the base. You can then fill up the balloons with air, using an air pump and tie pairs of balloons together. Twisting together four balloons, place the cluster of balloons around the base of the tube. Repeat with an additional 8 balloons and place this cluster at...

How To: Remember what sides of the plate cutlery goes on
Rebecca Robeson shows you how to remember which side of the plate to put the fork, knife and spoon. To set a table the correct way, follow these steps: The word 'fork' has four letters, as does the word 'left'. So, the fork goes on the left. The word 'knife' has five letters, as does the word 'right'. So, the knife goes on the right. The word 'spoon' also has fiver letters, so it goes alongside the knife. Remember that the safe side of the knife, the dull side, faces out to anyone sitting nex...

How To: Make a budget music note centerpiece
Judy of A-BnC Parties and More, Inc. shows you how to make an economical do it yourself music note centerpiece. Three music notes are attached to wooden dowels which are added to a budget Just Add Sand centerpiece base. The centerpiece is accented with two pieces of onion grass. Add balloons, a table name and table place cards for an economical musical themed music note centerpiece for your Bat Mitzvah, Bar Mitzvah, wedding, special event or party!

How To: Set the buffet table at your dinner party
Clinton Kelly, the lifestyle expert, shows the right way to ‘Set your Buffet Table’ for a buffet party, in this video. He suggests that all the serving dishes and utensils are laid on the buffet table, the night before the party. This will throw some light and give ideas as to how to place the dishes on the table. You could place the plates on one side of the table, the food at the center and the napkins to the other side. You should also decide the heights of the various serving platters, co...

How To: French serve a catered dinner as a waiter or waitress
Are you a caterer? Maybe you're a new caterer recently employed as a waiter to help serve a huge dinner party… a dinner party requiring French service. Sounds simple, right? You go around and serve people food. But there's more to it than that. There's a whole technique to French serving, and this video will show how to French serve the right way, from proper foot placement, to bending your back correctly, to serving the food off the plate.

How To: Make a napkin swan (or napkin peacock)
Need a lavish way to present you napkins at your next big dinner feast? May we suggest napkin swans? Folding a mere dinner napkin into a beautiful swan )or peacock) can take you just minutes, and completes and dinner table. The idea behind the fold is to shape it so that one end looks like a long, languorous tail-feathers of a peacock, but it could look like a swan, too.

How To: Make a towel cake for a bridal shower or event
Learn how to make a towel cake for a bridal shower with this video! To make a towel cake start by folding a towel into a flat square. Then take a second towel and fold it in half. Lay the half folded towel on the table. Lay the towel that is folded into a square on the middle of the towel folded in half. Fold one end of the half folded towel over the folded towel and tuck it under. Then take the other side of the towel and fold it over and tuck it under making a larger folded towel square. Ta...

How To: Fold napkins beautifully for Thanksgiving
If you've found yourself visiting a few too many fast food restaurants, you've probably forgotten the beauty that napkins can amount to when given the proper fold and tuck.

How To: Fold a cloth napkin into a flower
In this Hosting & Entertaining video tutorial you will learn how to fold a cloth napkin into a flower. First fold the napkin in half. Then lift one corner and fold it back up to the center fold line and do the same for the other corner also. Now fold the center point back up to the center fold line. Flip the napkin over and repeat these steps. Then open up the center fold and fold the protruding triangles back up to the center point of the napkin. You now have a square folded napkin. . Now fo...

How To: Make a floral Birthday "cake" table centerpiece
This video describes how to make a "no calorie" birthday cake centerpiece with carnations in soft and sweet hues of pink, yellow, white and cantaloupe. first a flower foam was taken. Then the toothpicks were used to join the flower foam together. Then trace out a circle from the foam using a kitchen knife. Add some water to the base of the cake. With equal size flowers decorate the base of the cake. Then the cake is beautifully covered with different types of flowers. decorate with as many fl...

How To: Fold napkin roll-ups with silverware inside
Folding napkins takes precision, but a simple napkin rollup is the easiest of them all. You don't need to be a professional caterer or waiter to get this method down. Watch and learn how to make a nice, snug, rolled napkin with silverware inside. It's the most common way to present silverware at restaurants.

How To: Make a DIY hot air balloon table centerpiece
Party centerpieces are something of a lost art, but this video will show you how to make a really original one quickly and easily. It looks like a hot air balloon, and requires only a basket, a balloon, some ribbon, and flowers.

How To: Paint white taper candles
Judy of A-BnC Parties and More, Inc. demonstrates how to jazz up your white taper candles. All you need are candles, a latex glove, and some hobby paint to turn those drab candles into something spectacular.

How To: Identify different types of dinner glassware
Don't know much about the dinner table? You know the basics: you eat from a plate, you use silverware to shovel it in and you drink from glassware. But what about if you're at a fancy dinner? Would you be able to distinguish a juice cup from a champagne glass? A white wine glass from a martini glass? If not, these two videos will show you which ones are which.

How To: Set a place setting for a casual dinner
Lifestyle expert Hal Owen teaches us the correct way to set a table place setting. 1. Place the "charger" plate in the middle of the place setting. This is the plate on which you will place all of the other plates. 2. Place your "dinner plate" in the middle of the "charger". 3. Place your "soup plate" in the middle of the "dinner plate". 4. Place your fork on the left of the plate and your dinner knife and spoon on the right, with the soup spoon on the outside. 5. Place your dessert fork and ...

How To: Make a chicken out of a napkin
This video tutorial shows you step by step how to fold a cloth napkin into a chicken. No, it's not a live chicken, it looks like one you would buy at the grocery store. Just grab your napkin and follow along to impress your friends at the dinner table.

How To: Make decorative napkin rings from shower curtain rings
The beauty of home crafting projects is in transforming old junk into something you can use. Host Heather's how-to video shows how to make quick and easy napkin rings to add a little bit of flair to the table. You will need plastic shower curtain rings, clippers, ribbon, rhinestones or any other embellishments, and a hot glue gun. Find out how to make quick and easy napkin rings from old plastic shower curtain rings by watching this video tutorial.

How To: Fold a napkin in a rectangle (Pliage en rectangle)
Folding a napkin into a rectangle is demonstrated in the following video. This will really impress your guests. Fold a napkin in a rectangle (Pliage en rectangle).

How To: Keep ants off your picnic table
Don't let ants ruin your next outdoor outing. Picnics are a wonderful way to share yummy food in the great outdoors. Ants think so too! You can keep pesky ants away with just a few simple actions.

How To: Make metallic paper poofs or flowers for a centerpiece
This two part video tutorial teaches you how to make metallic paper poofs which can be used to camouflage the Styrofoam® base of your centerpiece. The poofs, or flowers, also add color and excitement to your finished product. Metallic paper reflects light and comes in deeper tones that tissue paper. Use these flowers for all kinds of centerpieces: bar or bat mitzvah, wedding and engagement, birthday, sports theme, retirement, anniversaries, corporate events, etc.

How To: Make a sphinx napkin fold
Watch a simple video that shows you how to make a sphinx napkin fold. Interestingly, it looks more like an Egyptian pyramid than the Sphynx! This classic yet stately place setting is sure to add life to any table. Make a sphinx napkin fold.

How To: Set a table for a dinner party
In this tutorial, we learn how to set a table for a dinner party. On the left side of the plate should be your forks. First will be the tiny fork, then salad fork, then dinner fork. On the right side will be spoons. The soup spoon, dinner spoon, and knife. At the top should be a coffee spoon and a dessert fork. There should be three glasses, a water glass, a wine glass, and a red wine glass. For the plate, you will have a round dinner plate, salad plate, then votive candle on top. Underneath ...

How To: Fold a napkin into a cob (Pliage en epi)
Napkin folding is a fun art to learn. This art can be used for parties at restaurants or anytime you prepare a nice table setting. This video shows you how to fold a cob. Fold a napkin into a cob (Pliage en epi).

How To: Fold napkins in decorative ways
Well fret not, frantic dinner party hosts! In this video series, learn how to fold napkins in a variety of fancy, fun, elegant and eclectic ways. Our expert will show you step-by-step napkin folding techniques that’ll you can learn in a few minutes. No guests have arrived yet, so with 20 minutes to spare, watch a few video clips and get some good housekeeping tips on how to liven up your place settings. Remember: it’s the details that count. A specially-folded napkin is sure to add that je ne...

How To: Make a seaside inspired floral centerpiece with flowers
It doesn't have to be the middle of summer for you to craft a seaside-inspired centerpiece. Whether you live on the coast or closer to the Grand Canyon and lots of cactii than anything else, you can bring a piece of the sea home by making this craft.

How To: Fold a napkin into an orchid
This video demonstrates how to make the orchid napkin fold. This is a simple way to dress a table and is best with a solid colored napkin that is well starched.

How To: Make a DIY guitar cut-out for a party centerpiece
A-BnC Parties and More, Inc. demonstrates how to construct a do-it-yourself music guitar cut out for your musical theme party centerpieces. The guitar is accented with guitar strings made from black yard, heavy black card stock and clear push pins. Judy shows how to take a plain white polystyrene guitar cut out, paint and add these lovely accents. She puts it on another budget Just Add Sand centerpiece base and accents with two pieces of onion grass. Add balloons, a table name and table place...

How To: Fold a napkin into a beautiful fan for parties
Napkins can either be dull sheets of fabric or paper that you wipe your extraneous pot roast red sauce on or fantastical works of art that put the finishing touch on your table decor.

How To: Make ribbon napkin rings
Here's a quick and easy way to make some napkin rings using ribbon. Follow our favorite gal from Pink of Perfection as she shows us how to create some great last minute napkin rings.

How To: Fold a napkin into a Bishop's Mitre
Learn how to fold napkin into a Bishop's Mitre or hat with this tutorial. This is a perfect way to decorate your table when hosting a fancy dinner party. Impress your guests with your napkin folding skills with this easy Bishop's Mitre.

How To: Fold a traditional napkin (Pliage classique)
Learn how to fold napkins in the traditional manner. This video shows you step by step how to do it. Fold a traditional napkin (Pliage classique).

How To: Fold a napkin into a lily flower (Pliage fleur de lys)
In this video learn how to fold a napkin into a lily flower horn. It will surprise all of your guests. Fold a napkin into a lily flower (Pliage fleur de lys).

How To: Shred a ribbon
Judy of A-BnC Parties and More, Inc. demonstrates two methods to show you how to shred ribbons. For the first, she uses a wide curling ribbon, scissors, and a shredding tool. This how-to video is helpful in decorating, bow making, finishing gift baskets, putting final touches on wrapped presents, etc.

How To: Fold cloth napkins into silverware holders
In this tutorial, we learn how to fold cloth napkins into silverware holders. First, grab a dinner napkin and take the end to fold it in half. Now, fold it in half again so you have a small square. Now, fold the corner down half way and fold it down again. Then, flip it over and repeat this. Then, fold the top over and flip it over again. After this, place your silverware inside of the napkin and you will be ready to set your table! This takes just a few minutes and makes the look of any dinn...

How To: Fold a napkin like a peacock (Pliage paon)
Use the following Gourmandia napkin folding secrets to impress and surprise your guests at private parties, restaurants, weddings and date dining. Learn how to fold a napkin like a peacock. Fold a napkin like a peacock (Pliage paon).

How To: Use decorative paper napkins to make tile coasters
Check out this DIY video tutorial from Curbly, the best place to share pictures of your home, find design ideas, and get expert home-improvement advice.

How To: Make a DIY violin music themed party centerpiece
This do it yourself centerpiece is brought to you by A-Bnc parties and more. This starts of by making the bow, shown by painting a dowel and letting it dry. Then glue the 'frogs' at the ends of the dowel and glue fishing line to both frogs and trim to fit. Next take a polystyrene cut out of a violin and seal it. This helps paint stick to the surface of the cut out. The violin is painted brown to replicate an actual violin. Using black paint you detail the 'f' holes and allow to dry before pro...