Anyone that knows me knows that I really love to foofy up a table setting, and I don’t know that I have ever done the exact same set up twice. Dishes of all types are my supreme weakness, but when I scaled down in the size of my home, that meant less storage, and that meant thinking outside the box on how to be creative without having six sets of china and stoneware.

The solution I came up with was to use more decorative dessert or salad plates to add interest to my solid dishes. (I have a Robin’s egg blue set and a white set of every day dishes)

Last week I came upon these darling black and white checked salad plates at Marshall’s and I knew they would be perfect in my kitchen. Since my little table in the kitchen seats only two, that is how many I bought. I love the burst of personality they added to my place setting when I had a friend over for breakfast!

Next time you’re looking at dishes, remember this tip…you don’t have to buy and entre set to make a fabulous impression. It’s all part of living a charmed life on a shoestring.