Holiday Wrap Up

Lori

July 6

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So the long, holiday weekend has come to an end…but we were so lucky to have beautiful weather, time with family and friends, and great moments of festivity! It really feels like summer now that we’ve been able to enjoy an entire weekend of days that end relaxing around the fire pit…with a glass of wine in hand! Anticipating the arrival of family and long-distance friends made the preparation for our casual gathering so much fun…and because I recycled so many of my decorations, it was pretty easy to pull it off without a hitch! (or not much of one anyway!) So without much ado, I’ll share some summer fun with hopes of inspiring many lazy day gatherings for the months to come! I know I’m already looking forward to our next one!

Fourth of July festivities!

this wonderful old dresser makes a perfect holiday bar! purchased originally for Giggle…i thought i’d get some use out of it before it’s ready for a re-do! recognize the banner? part of the meri meri kit, i got a lot of holiday mileage from this one!

a paper marquis light and paper-punch confetti add simple and inexpensive holiday fun!

star spangled sips!

i love this dresser on my patio…i wish i could leave it here all the time!

jelly jars lined up on a tray make the perfect summertime water glasses…

and flavored water is so pretty!

i found this cute pudding mold at an antique store earlier this year…and it’s the perfect size to make an ice mold that will fit through the top of the dispenser! freezing layers of water & fruit made an ice mold filled with berries!

yum!

i used the little desk on my porch to serve the snacks…it was just the right size for a small buffet of nibbles prior to the simple dinner buffet…and close to the table for plenty of late night munching!

i love to use simple tags held with washi tape…and while preparing the snacks i had a time saving idea! certain that it’s not original or earth-shattering…but it i’m glad i finally thought of it! the labels i made for the buffet i used right on the platter in the fridge to remember each variety of cheese…

when ready to serve…just pop off the label from the wrap and stick it to the platter or surface! so effortless & helpful too! just don’t press the washi tape too hard to the saran wrap…though it doesn’t stick hard to most surfaces, plastic wrap seems to be the exception!

and when the flies got pesky…we used an Ikea sheer curtain to drape over the goods! for $4.95 a set of two…i’m glad i bought extra for my patio! now i’ve got extra curtains AND fly netting…bonus!

the simple buffet was intentionally easy…but perfect for this holiday. what’s the 4th of July without hotdogs, potato salad, and apple pie?

the salad was nestled down in a tin filled with ice…a great way to keep it cool!

simple plastic utensils and mini sausage pizzas round out a very simple food table…

holiday dessert…another great excuse to bake some of my grandma’s apple pies!

…and a little red, white, & blue fondue is a tasty treat too!

you know me…i can’t resist having a special goodie display for the kids! it’s nice to have some sweets that are kid friendly and the great thing about that is…they’re easy! bite size sugar cookies, more rice krispie treats, chips and candy! simple as that!

“firework” signs were easy to make on the computer and hang from wire…

paper berry baskets make great individual snack containers to grab & go!

and everything else on the cart has been recycled from earlier celebrations!

some sparklers and poppers are a fun, holiday addition to the kid’s cart!

keeping it easy

simple tables…

simple flowers…

extra seating…

kid’s tables in the drive and path are great…they have some private spaces…and clean up is much easier!

and the play set gets a little holiday touch too!

dollar store lanterns will give a soft glow at dusk...

and a simple gold star hangs from the basket of the garden bike along the path…i leave that out all the time so it just happened to be an accidental holiday touch!