Ok, I'm really into tablescapes and pretty party design stuff... I love The Hostess blog and other party blogs... I love Martha Stewart and Sandra Dee. And I AHH-dore Amy Atlas dessert tables. I also love having low-budget parties that look so put together with just stuff from the dollar store or thrift shops...

So here's my "problem" (it may be petty, but I still need a solution)

I'm having an anniversary party and for food we're having Chili buffet w/all the fixin's... my friends have offered to make different kinds and it'll be in crockpots... I hate the thought of crockpots lined up... The fixi-ins and toppings, I can have on white servingware, but I can't afford to buy/even rent 4 similar crockpots or buffet trays.

My theme is rustic-chic... candles in ball jars, tin buckets, raffia, tree trunks as cake stands.

How can I solve this? I know as cakers, you guys see different food/buffet setup all the time... any creative ideas?

Thanks in advance!

Can you get ahold of some fabric to wrap or drape the crockpots in, kind of like cozies? That way you could coodinate the color with the rest of your decor

oohhh yaahhh! wrapping it! THANK YOU!!!

I think I will wrap it in either canvas or the brown paper and tie raffia around each crockpot! Genius!

Thanks again! I <3 CC in more ways than cake!

Another option is to cook the chili in the crockpots, but then serve it in the disposable chafing trays. Even WalMart have them in their party aisles. The food is kept warm via the disposable burner.