Peacefully Patriotic

Sadly, true patriotism in America is fractured by divisiveness and vitriol. Here’s wishing us all a peaceful and reflective 4th of July.

I started this tablescape with a white stretch tablecloth from LinenTablecloth.com to cover the ugly legs of the folding table. The topper is blue and white star tablecloth from LinenTablecloth.com, unfortunately discontinued. To emulate the American flag, I added a red & white striped runner.

The simple place settings are created by using a white ceramic charger from Old Time Pottery topped with a red dinner plate and square blue salad plate from Pier 1. The napkins, also discontinued at LinenTablecloth.com, complement the tablecloth and are cinched with a shiny red & silver napkin ring from Bed, Bath & Beyond. The flatware is Hampton Silversmith “Patriot” which is one of the most favored patterns in my collection. The graceful crystal pilsner glasses were found at an estate sale.

I bought these star-shaped bowls from Pier 1 many years ago. They have been seen in other patriotic-themed posts on this site like “All-American Seafood Boil” and “Red, White & Blueberries”.

I love these LED candles! They’re a votive inside a pillar. I bought about 20 of them wholesale many, many years ago and wish I would have invested in more. They really are a terrific alternative to actual flame.

I wish you, yours, our nation, and the whole world peace as we go into this holiday weekend.

Other patriotic-themed tablescapes on this site:
All-American Seafood Boil
Red, White & Blueberries
4th of July Coastal Style
Stars & Stripes
Lauren In the Library
Show Me State Dinner
A Coke & A Smile – Summer’s Last Hurrah

Black & White Barnyard Breakfast

One day into official summer, and already I’m melting…melting. While I’m poised to sit on top of the cooling vents in the house for the next 3 months, there are still those of you brave enough to venture outdoors to entertain. Hats off to you!!! This short 4-minute “Better Kansas City” segment I did in recent months features tips on outdoor entertaining. The clip is followed by an actual breakfast/brunch tablescape out on the deck that I hope you enjoy.

 

Got that? Don’t try to burn the house down like me! Now…on to breakfast!

 

The guest table at this bucolic breakfast setting for four is dominated by the ultimate foundation piece: a full-length black & white checkered tablecloth! If all you have is an ugly folding table like I do, a full-length linen works magic!

 

 

 

I found the most beautiful kitchen dishes this past Christmas season at Home Goods! Our kitchen motif is a mix of black & white checks and toile, so these Ciroa “Buffalo Check” dishes are my new favorite.  They made an easy transition out to the deck! The napkins, purchased at Tuesday Morning, are actually kitchen towels that I like to use as napkins. The barnyard motif of a steer, lamb, pig, and rooster make them perfect for this country-/farm-inspired tablescape.

 

 

 

DSCN4698I love these miniature milk bottles with the embossed word “dairy” and a cow (most visible in the photo of the empty bottle) for serving milk! I picked these up at Hobby Lobby a few years ago, and they’ve served me (and guests!) well.

 

If your breakfast guests are a little bit special – like a bridal or baby shower – consider a small favor like this little green woven box simply tied up in a black and white checkered ribbon. The contrasting color of the box makes it really stand out!

 

 

 

 

It’s important that food is beautifully presented and that guest tables are enjoyable.  A mix of everyday and “fancy” pieces round out this table. While the croissants are served in a silver bowl, a loosely gathered mix of flowers and greenery in a whitewashed aluminum pitcher serves as the off-center centerpiece. A bovine menu chalkboard adds a little more of the theme to the table’s centerpiece.

 

 

Off to the side is a miniature buffet table has a plain white tablecloth as its foundation.

 

A generously-proportioned white vase from Home Goods holds a mix of yellow tulips and bright, feathery greenery. A simple off-center centerpiece like this adds something to the buffet table without getting in the way of food service. Notice how the yellow tulips, a significant and pretty contrast to the black & white, complement the yellow flowers on the guest table.

 

 

One of my fun kitchen pigs is another piece of the barnyard buffet theme. I helped him to blend into the works with a bowtie fashioned from black & white checkered ribbon.

 

The black and white buffalo check dishes make another appearance on the buffet table . Hungry yet?

Crazy for buffalo check and/or gingham? “Check” out additional posts on this site using them!:
Black, White, and Red All Over Christmas
Life Is Just a Chair of Bowlies
Checkered Christmas

Looking for more brunch/breakfast ideas? Take a peek at these:
Building a Better Brunch Buffet
Midsummer Shabby Chic Apple Tablescape
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Most Egg-cellent Fall Breakfast
September Harvest Breakfast Tablescape
Peachy Keen Breakfast Tablescape
Christmas Coffee
Winter Brunch
Easter Brunch
Barton’s Easter Brunch
Purple for Spring 
Carousel Colors
The Bluebird Special
Bellini Birthday Brunch
Mother’s Day Brunch

 

Other posts on this site using towels as napkins include:
Popsicle Party
Black & White Barnyard Breakfast

Most Egg-cellent Fall Breakfast
Grill It Up!
Italian Honeysuckle
Picnic Ants

 

 

 

 

Casablanca Cool

Good grief! It is actually cooler in Casablanca than in the Kansas City area right now!!! Not officially summer yet here, and the temperatures are hovering in the 90°-93° range for several days straight! Since I won’t be boarding a plane to that cooler destination in Morocco, I created a dining environment that can take me there in spirit.
(When you reach the bottom of this post, see who I DID travel to see!!!)

 

 

Our deck hosts a 6-ft. table covered in an easy care 90″x132″ gold crinkle taffeta tablecloth from YourChairCovers.com. A deep red beaded organza runner adds visual interest and helps to break up the expanse of gold color. I didn’t include chairs for this demonstration, but something natural like bamboo or wicker would look great!

 

 

 

Cooling turquoise blue Bormioli Rocco Inca glass chargers anchor each place setting. (These beautiful chargers were also used in Ocean Blue -Starfish & Seashells.) Amber dinner plates from Pier 1 add another layer of color. The final piece is a glass faux mercury-lined sorbet from World Market, a different color at each setting. See how the blue sky reflected in the glass resembles a swimming pool or ocean? Cooling and soothing!

 

 

Glassware from Pier 1 includes a deep purple stem for wine (purchased 12 years ago!), a water glass with a different jewel tone at the bottom at each place setting, and a lovely shot glass, both from Home Goods. Each has  a beautiful gold pattern – noted in this last picture – that ties the trio together.

 

Silky polyester napkins are cinched at the waist with red gemstone-flecked gold napkin rings.

 

I created a lush high/low centerpiece made up of multiple glass and metal elements.

 

 

I love these muted gold Casablanca Lanterns from Z Gallerie! I bought them in two sizes a few years back. I’m not sure if they still have them, but I’ve seen similar ones in other stores.

 

These sleek hot pink glass vases are from Hobby Lobby. I embellished them with amber glass tassels and filled them with palm fronds.

 

 

I have been waiting for years to use these multicolored cylindrical candle holders!!! I bought them on closeout in the large and small sizes at Gordman’s 7 or 8 years ago with a tablescape like this in mind.

 

These fun fabric votive holders are scattered on the table to add a little extra color, texture, and light.

 

 

 

 

To add to the ambience, I hung multicolored miniature chandeliers among the existing bistro lights on the deck overhang. In the center is a gathered bundle of colored ribbon first used in a Christmas setting some years ago to decorate a bar cart. The ribbon adds movement and texture as it sways in the summer breeze.

 

A small table off to the side, covered in a Pier 1 fringed and beaded throw, serves as a mini bar. (To see this throw used in an autumn setting, visit Morocco for Two on this site.)

 

 

 

 

A melange of colorful shot glasses line up on a gold melamine tray. (To see another appearance by these cute little shot glasses, visit Cinco de Mayo 2013 on this site.) For a little drama, height and fragrance, I added a martini glass filled to the rim with whole star anise. Additional shot glasses strewn with baby bracelets (first used as napkin rings in Diwali My Way) add a little more flair.

 

Here, a smaller version of the gold Casablanca Lantern from Z Gallerie lights guests’ way around the bar.

 

Colorful, fragrant lemons and oranges piled high in a gold glass vase with a pattern very much like that of the dining table linen.

 

A red silk throw lie beneath colorful pillows piled on a bench.

 

This tablescape in my head for a LONG time!!! I’m glad to have finally been able to bring it to you! Thanks so much for stopping in!

 

While attending my husband’s med school reunion, I FINALLY got to visit with blog buddy DIANNE of Dianne’s Creative Table!!! One of the most FUN, TALENTED, CREATIVE, INTERESTING, HOSPITABLE, and BEAUTIFUL souls in this world! We hit up an estate sale, then shopped, lunched, and shopped some more in historic downtown Franklin, TN, before visiting her gorgeous home.
Thank you so much for your incredible Southern hospitality, Dianne!!!

Dianne & Alycia

For more tablescapes with lots of bright, energetic color on this site:
Cupcake Colors
Summer Fruits & Penny-farthings
Hot Fun in the Summertime!
Butterfly Kaleidoscope
Diwali My Way
Livin’ la Vida Loca
Flamingos In Paradise
Give Peace A Chance Retro Tablescape
Peacock Pizzazz
Tropicana
Daisy Crazy
Hot Tropical

Summer Breeze
Caribbean Queen

Quote - If you live for people's acceptance, you will die from their rejection