Is your dining room missing something? Inject a touch of creative flair and personality to liven it up.

Your selection of linens invites a sense of fun and surprise to dinner. Try an unusual tablecloth: aunt Melba's old quilt, a Beacon or Mexican blanket, a colorful sheet or bedspread.

Make place mats out of old blue jeans and use bandannas as napkins.

Craft long-lasting mats: Have your child decorate six to eight sheets of construction paper, or create a unique collage yourself. Take the mats to a copy shop that offers lamination services and have them laminated.

All you need to make a napkin is a piece of fabric about 18" by 18". I've made one-of-a-kind napkins out of old shirts, dresses, tablecloths, curtains and fabric remnants.

A dining room table can look barren without a centerpiece. Why not try something more interesting than the standard bowl of flowers and candlesticks? How about:

• a bowl filled with marbles, buttons, glass fishing net floats, beach stones, nuts, billiard balls or a heap of colorful scarves

• a pair of antique stuffed bears, sitting back to back, surrounded by smaller stuffed animals

• a row of graduated pinecones

• a fish bowl with several goldfish (be sure to provide the fish with a good home after your dinner party)

• a water-filled bowl with a single blossom or three autumn leaves floating in it

• a dozen vases in varying heights and colors, clustered together and brimming with fresh cut flowers from your garden

• a grouping of harvest-colored gourds and pumpkins

• a collection of candlestick holders in varying heights.