End of summer means back to school time for the kids and a sigh of relief for many moms! When the first school bus drives away, invite other parents over for a back-to-school breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Take advantage of the school theme with your accessories and buffet set-up.

I re-used the same place mats I used for the cat food mat a couple of weeks ago. (Cork board backed mats painted with chalk board paint.)

Goodwill is a good source for old books. I tore about 30 pages from a paperback and cut in small sections. Use a paper cutter gives for a nice clean cut.

Staple the raw edges together and fold pages in half. Don’t make a sharp crease so it fans out.

Use the "page stands" for place card holders or to identify foods served at a pot luck dinner.

Continue the book theme by wrapping folded napkins with more book pages. Have each guest tell about an experience that happened to them in the grade written on the ring.

Wrap a tall glass with pencils and hold in place with a rubber band. Cover the band with another page from an old book. Fill with flowers or forks and knives.

Stack a pile of apples in a decorative dish ($2.99). Cut a circle from the stem end of an apple to fit a small votive candle.

Like any good design, a buffet table needs texture, contrast and height. I use a cake stand to hold plates and pile of books. All you need is food and drinks to celebrate the end of summer!