An Unmovable Feast

The wind beneath your tablecloth when dining alfresco can be annoying. But you can protect your beautiful outdoor table setting with tablecloth weights made of ordinary garden rocks glued to clip-on earring backs. You can buy polished stones in a crafts store, but some of the most beautiful rocks are found in nature; check your backyard or a riverbed the next time you take a hike. The stones, wire, glue and earring backs used for the pictured weights were purchased at Bourget Brothers in Santa Monica. Other good sources are Moskatel’s and other craft stores, jewelry supply shops and hardware stores.

To protect one tablecloth, you will need:

1 roll 24-gauge copper or steel wire

4 clip-on earring backs

4 garden rocks

Multipurpose cement

Cut an 18-inch piece of wire and wrap it around one rock. Open the clip on one earring back. Squeeze cement onto the flattest part of the rock and press earring back into cement. Allow to dry. Be sure to work in a well-ventilated area. Attach clips to ends of tablecloth as needed.