Hello my dear friends!  Happy Friday!  I had a terrific time last night with some really sweet girlfriends!  I mentioned in my blog Wednesday that I was having my annual ornament party.  I enjoyed visiting my dear friends.  We visited, ate and played an ornament switch game.  I always enjoy having my house full of laughter!

I have said this many times already, but..Christmas is my favorite part of the year, it’s a time when I get to share our home with friends and family.  I know that I can do that any time of the year….but Christmas time is the perfect time to get together with friends!

Since I invited a number of friends it would be hard to have a sit down meal so instead I serve several different types of appetizers.  I try to keep it at a one-hand scoop serve type of buffet.  This helps my guest hold their plates with one hand and the other serving up their portion.

I thought I would share with you today how I turned my kitchen counter-top into an appetizer bar.  I want to be honest with you….this is my very first time of setting up my appetizers this way.  I normally just sit the dishes out in a single row on the counter-top.  Is that how you set up your food for your parties?  This year I wanted some interest to my setting.

Here is how I set up my kitchen counter-top for my party this year.

First I cleared off my counter-top.

I cleaned the counter-top, back-splash and under the cabinets real good to remove any dust and dirt that might be lurking around.

I wanted to created my counter-top to have different levels since I had so many dishes.

I didn’t have any fancy pedestals, but after searching online I found some great ideas.  I read that you can use just about anything that is sturdy for a riser. I looked around my house for a few sturdy things.

I placed a tablecloth down for a base.  I grabbed a few things that I thought would work to give me some different levels and to give my buffet some interest. (I used a plastic tablecloths for easy clean up).

I took another tablecloth to cover and drape over the items.

(I ran out of plastic so I grabbed one of my cloth tablecloth to finish the covering).

I added some decorations.

First thing I did was to decide which dish I wanted to use for my appetizers.  I gather all my white and a few crystal pieces and start arranging them on my buffet counter.

TIP:  Before gathering up your dishes look at your recipes and assign your dish to that recipe.  That way you will know exactly what size and shape you will need.

I took all my dishes and platters to the area and sit them in their place.  Keeping in mind what dish needs to be placed together.  Example.  Dips by the chips.

Once I had the dishes where I want them I place a name to the dish.  I used little frames I purchased at the Dollar Tree.  I printed out the labels and placed them into the frames.  This also helped to remind me where I wanted my dish to sit on my counter.

That my friends is how I set my appetizers up last night for my ornament party.  I did have to change up some of the taller ones for lower risers because they were a little too tall.  With all the business of greeting my guest I did not take a photo of how it looked after I placed the food down.  Just take it from me….it looked great!

Thank you for joining me today.  I hope I shared some great tips that you can do for your next party.

As always follow me on Instagram and Facebook.  And jump over on Pinterest and see what all I pin.

Stay strong and stay blessed!

Terrie