Getting Ready For New Year's Eve

We are hosting our dinner group on New Year's Eve. Everyone brings something. This is our menu:

Appetizer Course (at the table): Tandoori Shrimp with Pineapple Chutney (Barbara is making these)

Soup Course: Butternut Squash (Barbara is making this too)

Salad Course: Averill and Bob. They haven't mentioned what type salad they are making

Main Course: Prime Rib (us), baked potatoes (us), vegetable gratin or casserole (Paulette, not mentioned exactly what)

Dessert: Verona and Bill - has not mentioned what they are making

I decorated the table and did the place settings this afternoon. I kept changing my mind about the place settings. Above is the first one I did.

This is the second one. I liked the red glass salad plate but not with the blue tablecloth. Unfortunately my black cloth is too short for the table with both leaves in it. If I could have used it I would have most likely stuck with this setting.

The third setting I did. I switched out the red glass salad plates for clear ones. I liked it but wanted something more.

My last setting and the one I am going with. Hand painted and gold trimmed antique salad size plates. On top of that cut glass plates for the appetizer that were my Nana's. I really like the textures and added sparkle they bring to the table as a whole. The dinner plate is my gold trimmed Lenox china and under that a gold charger. All the courses will be plated in the kitchen, so I did not add the soup bowl to the setting but will just bring them out filled when the time comes.

The table centerpiece. A black glitter top hat upside down filled with shimmering streamers, horns and other New Year's Eve type things. It is all surrounded by noise makers.

I sprinkled New Year's Eve confetti in the center length of the table and randomly placed fake colored jewels as other accents. All the jewels, shimmering streamers and crystal sparkle in the light. That's a large red votive holder that has gold inside with bling of it's own adorning it.

The champagne glasses at each place setting are filled with either a gold or silver plastic New Year's Eve necklace and part of them hang out of the glass adding more sparkle.

I wrote a each of our names on horns that areblack, gold and white and used them as place cards, placed on top of the black napkins on each place setting.

I did a little decorating in the guest bath downstairs by putting out a few New Year's things in white, black, gold and silver. The towels are a mixture of black and white, and the black hand towel has a gold trim design.