Patriotic Tablescape

Summertime in Texas is a wonderful mix of barbeques, baseball, boat riding, and late evening cook-outs on the patio. For our household, summer officially begins with Memorial Day weekend. It's a time to most importantly honor the men and women who have died while serving in the military, but it is also a time to celebrate a change of season that brings with it a much more relaxed schedule. With blue skies and lots of sunshine, the days are longer and life just slows down.

This weekend we will be hosting family for a couple of meals. While I want our celebration to seem effortless, I still want it to be festive. Instead of aimlessly running into Hobby Lobby and buying a bunch of new stuff, I thought today would be a good day to take stock in what I already have to build a patriotic tablescape.

I like to start with a tablecloth. Does anything scream summertime in America more than a red and white checked tablecloth??? Mine is old, but I found a similar one here.

Next I focus on flowers for the center of the table with something on either end to anchor the tablescape. The blue and white bucket along with the blue and white platter are old. The red flowers are Mandevilla . They love the Texas sun! I actually took that one out of a regular pot and plopped it in the bucket. The blue stars, garland, balls, and confetti are Dollar Tree finds from last year, but I'm sure they have similar this year.

For the place setting I like to begin with a charger or a placemat. Rattan is so popular right now and this charger is perfect for pulling off that casual feel. These are cheap and cheerful and can be purchased here.

For outdoor dining, I like to use melamine. I bought 12 of these red and white ones years ago at Big Lots. If I remember correctly, I only paid $2 each for them. They are dishwasher safe and have held up great. They don't have these exact ones on their website, but they have lots of fun patterns and colors including this blue one.

This plate is slightly smaller and can be used for salad or dessert. It is made by One Hundred 80 Degrees, and is also dishwasher safe. They are sold in sets and come in lots of fun patterns and colors. Mine was a gift, but I found a great selection from this store.

More checks, oh how I love them so!! The napkins are several years old, but you can find similar ones here. The ribbon is from Hobby Lobby and obviously I need to recut the ends at an angle! Ha! Not sure how that one slipped by me.

I still love this set of bamboo flatware (currently on sale). It looks good and can go in the dishwasher! I have had it for 3 years now and it has held up great. I have been tempted to buy the real bamboo, but for our family, at least for now, the dishwasher safe aspect wins out over the aesthetic of real bamboo. As for the glasses, they were my grandmothers. They are old and sentimental. I hold my breath every time I entertain with them, but I know she would rather them be used than be sitting in a china cabinet collecting dust. I also know she would never want me to be upset over something as trivial as "a little old broken glass".

It just occurred to me that I failed to include a flag or two on the table. Thankfully that detail can be rectified before the weekend celebration. I hope you can enjoy time with family and friends over the upcoming holiday. If you are entertaining, what are you cooking???

Which reminds me, I need to plan my menu next!!