One of our readers, Melissa White, a homeowner and do-it-yourselfer, wrote in to share photos and a description of her daughter Cameron's birthday party. The decorations were not only delightful, but they also left everyone--including us--seeing spots. Melissa incorporated colorful dots on the party invitations, the handmade tablecloth, the cake, the party favors, and even the etched-glass plates. "I began with the invitation, and the theme sort of snowballed from there," she says with a laugh.

Using her project ideas, we created our own fanciful spring fling. We hope you'll agree that these dot decorating ideas are worth a special spot at your own table. It's quite easy to create a polka-dot party with just a few simple steps.

To read about a stylish kitchen update, see "Double-Duty Design," beginning on page 92 in the summer 2003 issue of Decorating Step-by-Step.