R IS FOR OYSTER

If it is true or not, I have been told that you can only enjoy oysters in the months that have a “r” in the spelling. Such as the "r" in November. November is Thanksgiving. And a huge part of my family’s celebration of Thanksgiving is with oysters. And not just a few, but bushels and bushels of oysters... shucked, dashed with lemon, a splash of Tabasco or dipped in a very fine mignonette sauce and eaten raw (thank you very much my dear sister-in-law, Kathy). Yum. A beautiful tradition we look forward to each year. It is no surprise I love a beautifully set table, and this year’s table is all about the oyster. What to do with all those leftover shells?…oyster napkin rings, of course. Add a little bit of this and that and you will find you have set the most glamorous table of the season. Simple and Beautiful. Memorable.

This what you will need-

Oyster Shells

Bleach

Metallic Paint-Pearl White...Link here.

White Chalk Spray Paint (Optional)

Satin Ribbon

E6000 Glue

Once the oyster has been shucked, run the shells through one cycle in the dishwasher.

Place the shells in a deep dish or container and fill with a ratio of 1 cup water to 1 cup bleach. Cover the shells completely.

Let sit several hours or overnight. You can check on your shells from time to time to see if they have bleached completely. Remove when you are happy with the shell color.

Wash with soapy water and let dry.

My shells never turned completely white and had large amounts of brown color on the outside of the shell. I would have preferred them to be more on the gray side, but that can be quickly fixed. 

Turn the shells so the outside of the shell is up. Just spray lightly with white chalk spray paint and let dry.

A soft white shell,perfect.

Paint one coat of the metallic pearl to the inside of the oyster. Don't worry about the paint lines, they seem to blend and smooth out as the paint dries.

Then a second coat.

Once dry, cut a length of ribbon 50" long.

Place a drop of glue to the back side of the shell.

Lay the ribbon on the glue.

Press down slightly on the ribbon.

Let dry overnight.

Tie the ribbon around the napkin...

Add a few more...

Set the table, dim the lights...

Perhaps you might even find a pearl...magic. Memorable.