Think Eclectic

• Mix dish and linen patterns as long as there's a unifying idea
  
  Mixing and matching, setting a theme, using seasonal resources--all are part of an eclectic approach to decorating the table. Decorations can be as simple as a flea market vase full of zinnias for a family dinner or as complex as a collection of Japanese dolls and origami cranes for a child's birthday. The point is having something on the table to draw attention and serve as a focus for diners. Table decorations may serve as a conversation starter or an accent for an occasion, so long as they reflect the style of the host.
  
  

Pleased to Call it Resourcefulness

• Collect from flea markets, discount outlets and sale tables
  
  Table décor need not be expensive. Use heirloom dishes and leftover florists' vases. Reuse silk flowers and pot up violets in china pots. Go to flea markets for interesting glass containers, then fill them with dried flowers or seashells surrounding candles. Scour rummage sales for sets of classic dishes to use for seasonal occasions. Invest in a few good tablecloths with matching napkins for each season from the sale tables at department stores, also a good source for novelty seasonal pieces. If it catches your attention, it will be interesting to your guests. Indulge your craftiness; fill a spring basket with hand-decorated eggs, fashion raffia napkin rings or tie place cards to apple stems. Hang cookie cutters from a tree made of steel coat hangers for a cookie exchange and hang cookies on the branches for a children's party. Make a gingerbread house with the children and sit it on a bed of cotton on a lazy susan for the holidays. Once you've accepted the challenge of making family dinners interesting and developed a sense of playfulness, big occasions aren't nearly as intimidating.
  
  

Tablescaping

• All this setting needs is a pair of crystal candlesticks and a bowl of roses
  
  That formal occasion or wedding dinner will roll around, however. Look at your table as a landscape upon which your guests will discover your talents and enjoy each other's company for a time. Special occasions generally have themes (wedding, holiday or funeral) that dictate--or at least limit--color schemes and the level of formality. Choose linens that set a neutral background and harmonize with dishes and centerpieces, never compete with them. Dress your table up or down by how you fold the napkins or match the glassware. Make runners out of the best parts of old or stained tablecloths and use them unadorned if the wood on your table is attractive. Use centerpieces that diners can see over or scatter them down the center of a long table on a runner. Then set a perfect table. Proper placement of tableware and glassware makes even a modest table impressive.