DENVER -- Summer dining is almost always casual -- especially if the dining's done outside, and the entrée is barbecued ribs! But casual doesn't have to mean sloppy. Here are some easy ways to dress up your outside dining table that will make the al fresco experience even more festive.

First, there's the matter of napkins. Nearly everyone uses paper napkins when entertaining casually out on the deck or patio. But I have a major distaste for paper napkins and never use them, ever. (At least not for their intended purpose!) In the first place, they are ugly on any table, indoors or outside, even if the meal's consumed at the kitchen island. Second, they are not very effective. Ever notice how paper napkins shred apart when met with anything heavy duty, like barbecue sauce from those ribs?

But of course, you wouldn't want to use the Irish linen ones Aunt Martha embroidered for you when serving a messy meal, either. They would look ridiculously out of place, and would probably scare your guests to death, and Aunt Martha would roll over in her grave!

Here's the perfect solution. Buy a colorfully printed cotton fabric by the yard. Use a napkin of a size that you like as a pattern, and with pinking shears, cut as many napkins as you need from the fabric. These instant cloth napkins look better than paper, they work better than paper, and you will simply throw them away after the meal, so who cares how messy they get? (If you have a few clean ones left over, so much the better. They are perfect for instant gift wrap for a small gift, trim on another project, etc.) And since they're meant for one time use, there's no need to sew any hems, either.

Here's any easy tablecloth idea. Vinyl ones are okay, but they don't make the table look festive or fun, and the prints never seem to go with anything else you are using. Choose another print that goes with the one you chose for your napkins. Again, use a tablecloth you already own that you know is the right size for your table, and cut a piece the same size from the fabric. Use regular scissors to cut 1/2 " wide fringe about 3" up on all sides of the cloth. Tie three fringes together in an overhand knot at the point at which the fringe meets the fabric. Continue all the way around. The knotted edge will pucker up a bit -- just pull two knots apart and tear the fabric a bit slightly between the knots to create a flatter edge. Naturally, the fabric will ravel a bit as you tie the knots, but that's okay. It's all part of the effect.

For extra fun, use this tablecloth over a larger one in a solid color that complements the printed fabric, and the fringed ends will show up even more.

Do use prints, rather than solids for the top cloth and napkins, since any less than perfect cuts, or in the case of the tablecloth, which you will probably want to re-use, spots, will be less visible on a print, such as the bandana one shown here.

Finish the whole thing off by covering 1 ½" sections of a paper towel tube in another fabric to form napkin rings. Decorate with glued on bottlecaps, rick rack or other trim.

I guess you can imagine how much I detest paper plates. Buy a set of a dozen clear glass ones at the discount store. They'll look great with any fabrics, and come winter, you can decorate them for holiday gifts.

As for plastic silverware, let's not even go there!