
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.

Even if you don't entertain often, every home should have a classic and simple set of table linens, for the occasion that guests drop by and to nudge you to actually sit down and enjoy your brunch every Sunday morning. If you've inherited some antique linens, that's wonderful, but you may want to keep them in good shape for parties. There's no need to drop big bucks on your tabletop, especially when the
JCPenney Hemstitch Table Linens ($12-$27, 50% off) are so affordable.

To add elegance and environmental savvy to every meal, ditch your paper napkins in favor of pretty cloth napkins.
Ideal Bite has some resources for cloth napkins, or you can always
make your own.
Source

Over the weekend, I made a slightly more complicated version of our
DIY napkins, riffing on a pattern I adapted from
The Purl Bee. My sewing style is a little more fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants when it comes to more straight-forward sewing projects. For instance, I didn't pin anything on the project.

It's not hard to take your dinner table from blah to glam with these
Kiwi Orchid Napkin Rings ($6) from Hazelnut, my favorite home shop in New Orleans. No need for fancy patterned table linens: these beauties will do the trick on a simple white table cloth, with white cloth napkins and some simple tea light votives. Just add a
romantic homemade dinner and you'll be set (literally).