Have you ever been digging through a cabinet and you find something great you totally forgot you had? Maybe it was a cool cake stand or a great punch bowl or huge platter that would have come in so handy at your last party? I used to have a bad habit of forgetting all about my party supplies until long after the party was over. Worse than that, I used to store my best hostess pieces in the boxes they came in which means they sat untouched in the back of the cabinet because I forgot they were there. Years ago I decided that if I was going to collect these great pieces then I was going to have to organize my party supplies. That means I had to store similar pieces in one area. That means I had to sort by color and style. That means I had to take everything out of it’s box because if I don’t see it, I won’t use it. Here’s how I sorted it all out.
The first step I had to take to organize my party supplies was to designate an area for them. For me this is the china cabinet in our dining room but you could use a kitchen cabinet, pantry, shelves in your garage or stackable tupperware in your closet.
I store all of my wedding china, platters, appetizer plates, bowls and silver service in this cabinet. They’re organized by color and style so I can easily find what I’m looking for.
I use the drawers to hold my linen napkins and my placemats. If you want to see how I store my tablecloths, check out this post. As a quick tip, as much as it’s a total pain, if you iron your napkins before you put them in the drawer they’ll be ready to use at a moments notice.
Keep an eye out on the clearance racks at Target, HomeGoods, etc. That’s where I find all my best linen napkins and tablecloths. Do you have a cool crocheted tablecloth like I do? Check out this post to see how I style mine.
Another drawer holds my silverware and serving spoons. Again, I know it’s a pain but if you polish them before you put them in the drawer it makes for ease of use when you’re ready to set the table.
Want some more ideas about which pieces a hostess should collect? Check out the video below!
