Thanksgiving is approaching and I've been looking around for some festive Fall napkin rings to add a little oomph to my dinner table. The holiday of course calls for
cloth napkins (paper would be a total sin), and since I'll be all dolled up, I can't allow them to go undressed. Napkin rings with a leaf motif are cute but also a little kitschy, so I find myself gravitating toward rings with a seasonal palette of warm tones that don't necessarily have a Fall themed pattern.

When it comes to pumpkins, we often think of
jack-o-lanterns and
pumpkin carving at
Halloween, but the gourd-like squash is stylish all season long. There should be nothing preventing you from decorating with pumpkins until Christmas comes along . .

If a cactus could ever look cute, JackRabbit has devised a means to that end with the
Cactus Picnic Napkin Set, a set of four 10-by-12-inch handmade napkins screen printed with a grid of perky green cacti. I can't think of a better occasion to debut these prickly succulents than a backyard barbecue — or perhaps a
Park(ing) Day picnic. While the weather is still warming up here in San Francisco, temperatures are turning chilly elsewhere, so you'd better snatch these babies up fast and throw some T-bones on the grill.

You can always incorporate
Summer Style into your home with color, flowers, and beach gear. But honestly, the only time I ever really enjoy the season is when I'm outdoors. And, what better way to do so than to have a picnic or an outdoor barbecue?

Using cloth rags and napkins instead of their paper counterparts prevents waste before it happens, and is more environmentally safe, especially if you
wash them in cold water. Americans go through rolls like clockwork but in Europe it's more common to use cloth. When I lived with a family in France, we each had our own
cloth napkin with a designated napkin ring; we'd reuse it for a week or until it was soiled.

If you have your sights set on a Le Corbusier or a Philippe Starck but need to collect 80 penny jars before you can call it your own, think about ordering the
Avrilloreti Designer Chair Cocktail Napkins ($26), which will cost you less than 30 Sacagawea dollars. If they don't fit the bill, try
my Casa Quickie resource, or just
make your own designer chair napkins. You might prefer a real
LC4 Chaise Lounge ($2,660), but, oh, wouldn't we all?