How to Decorate Serving Trays

A serving tray is a portable table. The tray may hold snacks, drinks, cookies or chips and dip for a group of people. The serving tray is handy for a one-person meal such as a TV tray dinner or bedridden patient. Also called a butler tray, the tray is often prepared in the kitchen or dining area and carried as a complete small table. It is placed on a lap, tray stand or table. Like a dining table, the serving tray is easily decorated for special events or guests. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1




Draw attention to the serving table with theme decorations. For example, a tray of desserts or cupcakes is quickly highlighted with colorful balloons and curled ribbon streamers tied to tray handles. Add a small party hat tipped on its side with party favors spilling out like a cornucopia.

2

Make a beverage tray more fun by filling an extra glass with zany straws and stir sticks. Place the tray next to a penguin ice bucket or other ice container. Use short tumblers or old-fashioned glasses to hold sugars, creamers, lemon slices and fruit pieces for drink toppers. Provide fancy toothpicks or bamboo kabob sticks for skewering the fruit.

3




Create a memory tray. Choose a picture frame glass or clear plastic that fits the tray. Put a solid color placemat on the tray, add photos or travel postcards and cover with the glass.

4

Decorate the serving tray with nature. Use clean, washed ferns, leaves and flowers to fill in around serving dishes. Nandina and other ornamentals offer decorative branches and seasonal berries that are easily clipped off and trimmed to fit. Use non-poisonous plants to avoid skin irritation or food contamination.

5




Wrap up flowers or candy as serving tray accents. Wrap a napkin restaurant-style around a small flower bouquet and place it on the tray by the plate. Or wrap thin cello-wrapped candy sticks or chocolate-dipped sugar stir sticks in a napkin. Fold up an origami style napkin and tuck in tiny after-dinner foil mints.

6

Turn a serving tray into a reading nook. Rip out book reviews from a newspaper or magazine for the placemat. Add two or three books on the tray. Clip on a portable reading light and add snack cookies and a beverage for a house guest.

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Play with your food. Create trays with food faces such as deviled eggs for eyes, parsley for hair, and carrot sticks for whiskers. Cookie trays in alternating patterns like checkerboards or curved in swirls around teapots invite guests to nibble. Take the tray into the kitchen to freshen up an edible playground.

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Think of a serving tray as your assistant. It sits in the kitchen while you load it up, it ends the event by toting home the crumbs and mess and between times shows off your hostess skills. Put some party clothes on your helper.