No house is complete without an American flag. That’s what Robert always says. I love the ol’ red, white, and blue, but my husband… he takes it to a whole new level.
When we’re trucking along on the interstate, he’ll “ooh” and “ahh” over those giant car dealership American flags billowing in the wind. If a flag is wrapped around a pole when we’re out in public, he will stop and fix it to keep it flying.
The day we moved into this house, he made it his mission to make a trip to the hardware store and buy one for our porch.
It’s an awesome thing to be obsessed with, if you ask me. That man of mine is so proud to be an American, and I’m so proud of everything he’s done to defend it.
I’m joining up with Lory from Designthusiasm and a whole crew of talented bloggers again for a July 4th rendition of the Styled and Set Holiday Entertaining Blog Tour. (If you’re visiting from Citrine Living, welcome!)
So, of course, I had to stick old glory on our breakfast room wall. (True story: I actually was fresh out of thumb tacks and had to pin it to the wall with my pearl stud earrings instead. #commitment )
I found this 48 star flag on eBay for $20 that dates back to World War II, and I surprised Robert with it… who then went all weak in the knees because that’s what he does with this kind of stuff. He proclaimed we’re leaving it up all summer long, and I couldn’t agree more.
If you have a July 4th table you’re needing to style yourself for an upcoming cookout or family dinner, I thought I’d share some of my favorite tips to decorate a one while still working around a small budget.
A lot of times, I try to avoid spending money on the plastic red, white, and blue tablecloths and centerpieces in the Walmart and Target aisles because I know, with some digging in my stash, I can come up with a pretty, vintage-inspired tablescape for even less.
So…
How to Decorate a Repurposed Vintage Patriotic Tablescape:
1. Repurpose items for a table runner.
I can usually find an old shutter hanging up on a wall (like I did this past Thanksgiving), a scrap of fabric, a folded tablecloth, an old curtain, thrift store books, or even scattered sheet music lined up for a makeshift runner.
Or, in this case, I used a blue and white scarf.
I love that it’s flowy and organic and imperfect.
2. Use craft supplies in unexpected ways.
I just bundled together silverware with some red and white striped twill ribbon, and it turned out to be so cute! As fast and simple as tying your shoe but still pretty. Use red baker’s twine to make napkin rings or brown shipping paper to make a rustic placemat, whatever you happen to have hanging around in your stash, get creative with it.
3. Always keep red in your dining stash.
I try not to buy holiday-specific table linens or dinner plates because I know I can always get creative with table decor throughout all of the seasons if I don’t limit myself to Santa placemats and heart printed glassware.
I’ve used these red striped napkins at Christmas, Valentine’s, and July 4th, and they’re always fun to change up for the time of year.
4. Grocery store flowers are easier to arrange in multiple jars and vases.
Somehow the talent of flower arranging never found me. Olivia can arrange a big vase of flowers better than I can… and she’s four. 100% truth. So I usually buy a bouquet of whatever pretty flowers happen to be at the grocery store, separate them into multiple bud vases or jars, and they look all vintage and cute.
These white milk glass vases once belonged to my grandfather, and I constantly use them around the house. If you have a bunch of mismatched glass jars and bottles, stick an apothecary label on them, and they suddenly don’t look like they came out of your recycling bin. 
5. You can never go wrong with plain, white dinnerware.
Best wedding registry item ever! Without a doubt. I’ve used our white dishes at pretty much every single “nice” (non-Tupperware) dinner since we got married, and I will use them forever until they die. You can’t go wrong with a classic.
If you want to know about any of the sources in this space, here’s the whole list:
(Some affiliate links are provided below for convenience.)
- Scarf
- Woven placemats
- Milk glass vases (similar)
- Red and white twill ribbon (similar)
- Red and white stripe napkins (similar)
- White dinnerware (similar… all of these “similars”. Basically, all of my stuff is old and I raided my drawers and cabinets to decorate this table. Haha!)
- French bistro chairs (similar… mine were from TJ Maxx and are gone now.)
- Lantern pendant light
- Jute rug
- Vintage American flag (similar)
- Chippy banister wall planter (DIY tutorial)
- Wall color: Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee
- Trim color: Benjamin Moore Simply White
- Door color: Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron
The table decor itself is very subtle, but I kind of love that. It lets that beautifully worn flag be the star of the show.
If you want more summer entertaining ideas, you can see more on today’s tour below or see them all from the beginning of the week. The next stop on the tour is StoneGable. Yvonne never ever disappoints!
Monday’s Posts
Shabbyfufu | Randi Garrett Design | Maison de Cinq | My Soulful Home | Zevy Joy
Tuesday’s Posts
Life on Virginia Street | Town and Country Living | Celebrating Everyday Life
So Much Better With Age | Decor Gold Designs | French Country Cottage
Wednesday’s Posts
Designthusiasm | Citrine Living | Bless’er House
StoneGable | On Sutton Place | French Garden House
Coming Thursday
Design Dining and Diapers | Becky Cunningham
The Wood Grain Cottage | Eleven Gables
Happy Birthday, America! If you want to save this post for later, you can pin it here:
The post Vintage Patriotic Tablescape & Summer Entertaining Tour appeared first on Bless'er House.
No comments:
Post a Comment